Materialism

A wise leader undergo his life calmly and contemplatively. But a lot of people are busy gathering wealth as much as they can. The relaxed path brings us more consciousness. The busy path afford too much material.
Becoming more conscious, brings us the feeling of adherence to our world. A lavish consumption only possible by exploiting others. Materials in the world are divided inappropriately.
Some men gain much, while the other gain less. We lack resource to live. None doubt about it. However, those, who gain much, keep gaining more. They even bluster their possessions. Don't they know the meaning of stealing??

Source: The Dao of Leadership
John eider

Ming I

This symbol represent a situation where there is no way out and chaotic. The situation, which was bright, turn into darkness. This condition undermines your faith and can generate frustration for you. It seems like everything is againts you. Tough, you have effort a lot of things to change it, still there is not any positive changes. Consequently, you start to lose your energy. Whereas, you are wanting to move forward. There are a lot of factors that are beyond your control. Don't force yourself to act since it won't be effective. Instead, your act could trigger a negative response. It's wise for you to retreat or stop for a while. Rearrange your priority and save your energy as the high time to act will come to you. Be modest is the best strategy you got. Actually, this situation is temporary.

Source : I Ching

Boula (2)

even with god one can find fault,

but where's the fault? in the person who finds it.

The load of responsibility weighs upon a soul more than the strain of work,

perfetion forgives, and limitation judges.

a home is made and a house is built,

do not let your heart offer anyone such food

as will increase his appetite and decrease your fund of supply.

make the snake your friend rather than your enemy,

all men are equal in truth, not in fact.

what limits god? his name.

life is too small a price to offer to someone you really love,

the real learning is unlearning all that one has learned.

to investigate the wrongdoing of someone is like digging into the mud.

man sees the right side of his own mind and the wrong side of another's,

what enable man to earn a good name? shame.

put your theories in practice before you expound them.

as pleasure id the shadow of happiness, so fact is the shadow of truth,

fact is to be observed in action and truth in realization.

usually, in everything man says and doe, he denies reality,

facr is covering the truth.

fact or no fact, truth proves and disproves all.

jealousy is the refuse of the heart,

pity the wicked one for his evildoing, for he can do not better.

woman is a stepping stone pt god's sacred altar,

if there is any place where one can meet with god, it is this earth.

righteousness is nothing buta natural outcome of right thinking,

every action that defeats its own object is wrong.

The Inconsistent Flow of Life

You talk about consistency. But, where in life can you find consistency? Life is not consistent. Life is like a river. It flows and its flow is never consistent. The moment of a river becomes consistent, it ceases to be a river. Consistency is against its very nature.
No, man can’t be consistent. A man who is consistent more of a vegetable. He is no mote man. You can then predict all his movements; he becomes a robot. Life leaves him. In him, the soul moves around carrying the heavy burden of life-less body upon its shoulders. Such is a consistent man. Yes, he will grow. But, don’t the vegetables grow too? Sufficient fertilizers, good soil and you can almost predict a good crop. Pray thet nature helps you, co-operate with you and you can be sure pf a good crop.
An inconsistent man, on the hand, will grow. He will grow without fertilizers. The soil may or may not e good. Nature may or may not co-operate with him to support his growth. He will nevertheless grow. Yet he grows, for he is a self-made man. Nature kicks him, cuts jokes on him, and he looses not his coo. He marches on, he is hurt and now he must defend himself, so he will learn to take up arms. One moment he is all compassion; he is almost saint. Another moment, he is all ready to fight; he is a soldier. He takes up the challenges imposed upon him by life, smilingly, bravely. He faces life, he doesn’t escape. And, he knows that life is not consistent. To face life, he must be inconsistent.
Consistency will make you dull. It stops your evolution. Inconsistency is necessary for your very evolution. Had we been consistent, we would have remained amoebas. Life would not have given rise to man.
In death, and death alone, you will find consistency. Then, the body starts to decay, the process of decay goes on consistently. Then, there is consistency.

Source: A Traveler's Guide

Anand Krishna

Zen

from learning Zen, his friend asked him.
“Where are you from?”
“I’m from Caoxi,” Xiqian replied.
“What did you get?”
“I didn’t get anything. Even when I went there I didn’t lack anything.”
“So, why did you g there?”
“If I didn’t go there how do I suppose to know that I didn’t lack anything?”



Comment: Zen teach us that everyone is enlightened. But, the ability to reach it is sleeping inside us.

Source:Chinese Ancient Wisdom

Michael C. Tang

Daoism

Light and color blind us. Sound deafens us. Taste and spices make us mute. Chasing pleasure will cast away sanity. Possession of rare thing will make us obsessed.
Those who prefer violence will die by violence. Those who keep gratifying his desire will head toward ruin. Those who fights the nature will vanish.
Take little, and you will get much. Desire more then you will get obsessed. There isn’t disaster that is worse than unsatisfied greed. The modests will always live sufficiently.
Keep the modest living and pure honest. Restrain you desire and selfishness. The essence of reaching peace is free from desire. From peace of the mind comes peace of the world.

Tala

Be fool not, O night, the morn will break;
Beware, O darkness, the sun will shine;
Be not vain, O mist, it will once more be clear;
My sorrow, forget not, once again joy will rise.

A labor done without wages,
a service without thanks,
a merit without appreciation,
a love without answer have a different value.

It is a weakness from struggles;
It is foolishness to go thru it.

If you are annoyed by any disagreeable experience,
It is a loss;
But if you have lerant by it,
It is a gain.

A beautiful sin is a virtue,
And an ugly virtue is a sin.

Impulse is intoxicating ;
Action is absorbing,
but it is the result of every deed that leadsmen to realization.

It’s the lover’s heart that touches the depth of life;
It is the godly soul that soars to the highest heavens;
It is the seer’s eye that penetrates thru the wall of matter.

Source : Nirtan

Anand Krishna

Universal Love

King Parsenadi: "Bhante, i heard you told us that the more we love the more we are suffred. I can see some truth from you remark, but i still i feel uncomfortable with that remark. Without love our life is so empty and meaningless. would you explain to me your point?"

Buddha: "Your Highness, you give me a good question and it will be useful for others. There are many kind of loves. It's better for us to analyse the nature of every love thoroughly. Our lives require love presence, but not a desire, inherent, or prejudice one. Your Highness, there are kind of loves that is needed, viz. maitri and karuna (compassion and pure love).

"Generally, when we are talking about love, we just talk about love that exists between parent and children, husband and wife, relatives, or certain community. Because these nature of love is trapped in a concept of "me" and "you," this kind of love will always be trapped in inherence and discrimination. People just want to love their parents, lover, relatives, children, and people int their community. Since it's trapped in inherence, they worry if people they love are in danger even before antyhing happen to those people. when people they love are hurt or wounded, they will suffer a lot as well."

" Love that is based on discrimination will spread and grow prejudices. People will become apatic or even hate those who are beyond their compassion space. inherence and discrimination are suffering for human and other creature. Your Highness, a love we need is maitri and karuna. Maitri is a love that is capable of bringing happiness to us. Karuna is a love that is capable of relieving others' suffering."

" Maitri and Karuna don't demand any return. Maitri and Karuna don't is not restricted to our parents, lover, relatives, and children solely. Maitri and Karuna spread to entire universe. There are no discrimination, and "you" and "me" concept in maitri and karuna. Maitri and karuna relieve our suffering. With maitri and karuna, our lives is full of happiness, satisfaction, and peace."

Source: Old Path White Cloud

Thich Nhat Hanh

Not Sick, But Are You Healthy?

In fact, you are in a worse situation now. When you were not well, you were sick, you knew it, and you would go and see a doctor. You would religiously take your pills. That okay then. But now you are no longer sick. So, no more doctors, no more pills. Yet, you "fell" unhealthy.

You "feel" sick. Why? you have been sick for so long, hospitalized for so long, in bed for so long, that now when you are not sick, you are still in a trauma. You are imagining things. You are fearful. You fear you may fall, so you don't walk. What kind of life is this? the mere absence of sickness doesn't make you healthy. Understand this well--i want you to be healthy.

having no problem in life, all your needs taken care of, is comfortable to a state of no-sickness. But, you are missing health. In fact whatever you have been doing cure yourself, the cure hasn't been complete. you are not yet healthy.

You can't enjoy your life; you can't celebrate life. you can't love. Your heart beats only to pump blood in and out; it doesn't beat to the rhythm of love. How sad!

You're missing life. Yet, it is not too late. come and join this festival of love. In love, and love alone, will you ever find health? let me tell you something. You don't realize this, but you have been healthy. So, you have no measurement, nothing to compare with whatsoever. Now, life is slipping away from you, without you realize it.

not sick, yet still in bed--What kind of life is this? leave your bed. that will be your first step to health. Be healthy and keep to be so always!!

Source: A Traveler's Guide

Anand Krishna

Don't Be A Hypocrite!

Do you know what your problem is? You've forgotten how to cry. You think it is disgraceful to let them know that you are vulnerable and crying. You consider crying as an very shameful thing and you believe that it is in laughter alone that you shall be appreciated. You desperately want to cry, but you suppress you emotions. No, crying is not a good thing to show and tell. This is against all those manners that you were made to learn. It is against the teach that you got in school. It shows nothing but weakness.

What a shame--you are trapped, trapped into this crap. I tell you to cry, cry out your pain. Don't be ashamed of your tears. Let them roll you cheeks. This is just so natural.

You laugh when you're hurt --indeed is not natural. That doesn't reflect the real you. You are being very hypocritical. Relieve this hypocrisy. Your laughter is empty, it doesn't make feel better but more painful. I ask you to be you. Don't wear a mask to hide your tear and what deep inside you. You just fool yourself. Be honest to yourself.

Remember one thing; if you must be in this situation, in this mess, then this situation, this mess is created by you alone. You can't throw upon anybody else. it's your own shit. You must clean yourself. nobody is going to clean it for you. If you find it is too much, then change yourself, do better next time. Cry will release all your tensions, free yourself of stress, and then you will get peace in your mind and your heart.

Befriend with yourself. Your what so called friendship is an illusion. As long as you can be used, exploited like animal, you are a friend for them. When you got nothing to give anymore, you'll stand by yourself with your ow n crap, suddenly friendship is nothing but a silly dream that you have last night.

Then you will realize how silly you have been. You've believe in such relationship all this time, how silly of you! All relationship are temporary, momentary.

so what do got at last? Yourself and you shit. Learn to love yourself. Love your life. you have been so busy trying to learn about others that you forget yourself. Don't deceive yourself, be true to yourself.

No matter how bitter the reality is, face it! Don't run away. Where will you go? where can you go? Don't be a hypocrite. Learn to live without mask.

Source: A Traveler's Guide

Anand Krishna