Greatness usually surprises us. If we expected greatness, then it wouldn't be great. On the contrary, things that are popularly known as great don't usually turn out to be so. A lot of what we perceive as great is just an illusion. That's when belief in greatness outweighs the reality of greatness.
Specifics? The hype of Hollywood and news from the mass media. Is it me or is the mass media 99% hype? "Come and watch our show," they say. "It will be great!" And it is not. It's the technique of a poor magician.
If you are great, then there is no need to advertise. The people behind the products don't trust our judgment, so they make it for us. That's the commercial world we live in. How much greatness is contained in our commercial world? Not much.
Most greatness is contained in our spiritual world. But we don't "see" people attracted to it because it doesn't advertise. The opposite of advertisement is discovery. Greatness is found from within. Our heart or soul recognizes greatness, and when it tells the brain, the brain realizes its been duped the whole time in the commercial/material world.
These three lines from Verse 45 of the Tao Te Ching inspired today's posting:
Great truth seems false
Great skill seems clumsy
Great eloquence seems like babble
When greatness seems far from it, the advertisers stay away. Greatness is not about image.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Great Perfection
The Great Perfection seems imperfect, yet this world it creates is never impaired
The Great Fullness seems empty, yet this world it creates is never lacking
Something that seems imperfect to us may actually be the Great Perfection. Having the perception of a single human being, it is impossible to grasp unity, the All.
Think about a cycle. The universe is full of cycles. If you focus at the center of the cycle, you will see its hollow--emptiness. But if you focus at the edge of the cycle, you will see the stages of the process--fullness, containing no ending.
The Great Fullness seems empty, yet this world it creates is never lacking
Something that seems imperfect to us may actually be the Great Perfection. Having the perception of a single human being, it is impossible to grasp unity, the All.
Think about a cycle. The universe is full of cycles. If you focus at the center of the cycle, you will see its hollow--emptiness. But if you focus at the edge of the cycle, you will see the stages of the process--fullness, containing no ending.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Zen
Taoism + Buddhism = Zen Buddhism.
Evidence of the overlapping philosophy can be found at the end of verse 44 of the Tao Te Ching. What does it say? I'll write right here...
Be content, rest in your own fullness--
You will not suffer from loss
You'll avoid the snare of this world
You'll have long life and endless blessings
Why desire what you don't have? When you realize how much you already have, then your life is fulfilled. I'm not talking about materialist things and stuff. Everything you ever need is always with you. That's why you were born they way you were. But how should I know? You are an anonymous blog reader. Don't freak me out.
Evidence of the overlapping philosophy can be found at the end of verse 44 of the Tao Te Ching. What does it say? I'll write right here...
Be content, rest in your own fullness--
You will not suffer from loss
You'll avoid the snare of this world
You'll have long life and endless blessings
Why desire what you don't have? When you realize how much you already have, then your life is fulfilled. I'm not talking about materialist things and stuff. Everything you ever need is always with you. That's why you were born they way you were. But how should I know? You are an anonymous blog reader. Don't freak me out.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Two Good Lines
In the middle of verse 44 of the Tao Te Ching, it says:
Love is the fruit of sacrifice.
Wealth is the fruit of generosity.
This message reads clear to me.
Love is the fruit of sacrifice.
Wealth is the fruit of generosity.
This message reads clear to me.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Ego and Responsibility
I believe there are two kinds of responsibility. The first is thrust upon us by society--our responsibility in the workplace and our responsibility in the family. The second is the responsibility we create for ourselves--our responsibility to whatever group we seek credit. This second aspect of responsibility is ego-driven. Its only purpose is to impress others, make oneself feel "good," and to pursue power. I believe we do not need this.
Verse 44 of the Tao Te Ching states:
One's own reputation--why the fuss?
One's own wealth--why the concern?
I say, what you gain is more trouble than what you lose
When taking on this second aspect of responsibility, one often neglects relationships and shrugs off some of the first type of responsibility, the kind that keeps humanity together. If one pursues the second type at the expense of the first, one will likely find success, but the price will be isolation.
Verse 44 of the Tao Te Ching states:
One's own reputation--why the fuss?
One's own wealth--why the concern?
I say, what you gain is more trouble than what you lose
When taking on this second aspect of responsibility, one often neglects relationships and shrugs off some of the first type of responsibility, the kind that keeps humanity together. If one pursues the second type at the expense of the first, one will likely find success, but the price will be isolation.
Friday, February 01, 2008
The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth
The title comes from the Torah in Psalms 37:11 and in the Gospel of Matthew 5:5. Verse 43 of the Tao Te Ching is very similar. It states:
The most yielding thing in the world will overcome the most rigid
The most empty thing in the world will overcome the most full
From this comes a lesson--Stillness benefits more than action, Silence benefits more than words
Rare indeed are those who are still
Rare indeed are those who are silent
And so I say, "Rare indeed are those obtain the bounty of this world."
I interpreted this verse as saying that patience wins over everything. All aggression burns out, leaving the passive still there. When one has found Unity or God, there is nothing more to gain. The answer or the solution comes to those who are still and silent.
The most yielding thing in the world will overcome the most rigid
The most empty thing in the world will overcome the most full
From this comes a lesson--Stillness benefits more than action, Silence benefits more than words
Rare indeed are those who are still
Rare indeed are those who are silent
And so I say, "Rare indeed are those obtain the bounty of this world."
I interpreted this verse as saying that patience wins over everything. All aggression burns out, leaving the passive still there. When one has found Unity or God, there is nothing more to gain. The answer or the solution comes to those who are still and silent.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)