Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Things I do when I'm tired

Messing up is one of them, and today it led me to some wise words and questions to ponder - rhetorical or otherwise. Fairly regularly I read from a book called "365 Tao". It's a collection of Taoist meditations - one for each day of the year. The reading guide in the back of the book suggests an order in which to read these. It's listed for both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Sometimes it's easy to look up the date and inadvertently read the meditation for the South, but today brought a unique kind of mishap: Somehow I chose a meditation for July... dunno how, but it happened, and the words were uniquely appropriate for me, today. Whether this means that I, myself, am out of sync with the seasons and possibly my own sense of Tao, I'm not certain, but I'm pretty sure I was somehow meant to read these words today:

Immediacy

When washing your face, can you see your true self?

When urinating, can you remember true purity?

When eating, can you remember the cycle of all things?

When walking, can you feel the rotation of heaven?

When working, are you happy with what you do?

When speaking, are your words without guile?

When you shop, are you aware of your needs?

When you meet the suffering, do you help?

When confronted with death, are you unafraid and lucid?

When you meet conflict, do you work toward harmony?

When with your family, do you express benevolence?

When raising children, are you tender but firm?

When facing problems, are you far-seeing and tenacious?

When you are finished with work, do you take time to rest?

When preparing for rest, do you know how to settle your mind?

When sleeping, do you slip into absolute void?

Meditation for July 12
365 Tao
Deng Ming-Dao
Harper Collins

1 comment:

Janice Seagraves said...

When I sleep I always dream, there is no absolute void for me.

Janice~

About Me

My photo
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
English student, Pottery enthusiast, Yoga novice and lover of all people. I make friends over a warm handshake and a beverage. I discover, every day, someone willing to help me along my path.