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Those Were The Days
“The remedy for people of the future age of great confusion lies in the ancient knowledge of the integral way of life that has been passed down from generation to generation. The holistic way of life, practiced by the ancient sages incorporated body, mind and spirit as a whole in all activities. Their clothing, diet and dwellings were in accordance with nature. They relied on their limbs for transportation. Their education was broad and comprehensive; it did not emphasize one element of their being while neglecting the others. They did not seek out special activities for recreation; their work and recreation were one and the same. Their forms of exercise developed not only the body, but the mind and spirit as well, through the harmonisation of internal energies. Their music functioned as a bridge between mind and spirit and was not just an emotional release. Their leaders were chosen because they were outstanding models of virtue, not for their financial or military capabilities. Philosophy, science and spiritual practice were incorporated as one whole.”
“The people of the future should not blindly accept the new nor reject the old. Things that were developed long ago may still have great value if they have been proven safe and effective by the test of time. The new inventions that appear may seem like shortcuts, but things of temporal convenience will bring hidden troubles later. Future generations will need to evaluate all old and new discoveries and inventions to ensure that they are useful and healthy, according to the standards of a holistic way of life.”
– The Complete Works Of Lao Tzu: Tao Teh Ching and Hua Hu Ching, translated by Master Hua-Ching Ni.
Banishing Pandemonium
BANISHING PANDEMONIUM
She ordered her various selves
To quieten down, line up and let
Each one take its turn at the mic
While the others listened politely
Monkey Mind
MONKEY MIND
Watch the monkey mind
Chattering through the jungle
Swinging thought to thought
Puzzles
pic
pic
PUZZLES
Is this cup I hold here half empty
Or else, as some would have me think, half full?
A troubling conundrum, eternally insoluble
Yet quickly resolved by simply letting go
Full of confidence, the tortoise
Challenges his friend the hare to a race
“Just give me a ten yard start,” he says
“And you’ll never catch me,” he boasts
And he’s right, for whenever Hare reaches the spot
The tortoise has already gone
Still … When the hare has gone twenty yards
Where is the tortoise then?
Imagine a goose in a narrow-necked glass bottle
How can you get the goose out of the bottle
Without either of them coming to any harm?
Easily … There; it’s free
A puzzle you might find more tricky
History professors can’t answer it
Scientists still haven’t solved it
Which came first: the chicken or the egg?
Plum Blossom (3b)
…..
…..
…..
PLUM BLOSSOM
This blossom
Whence did it emerge?
From the tree?
Pen and ink?
The reader’s mind’s eye … or from
Unborn awareness?
~~~~~~~~~~~
Ending (Republished)
ENDING
All passages of thought
Are unnecessary
So if you ever get bored
With changing
Your mind …
If you stop
You don’t have to start again …
Acres of space
Bumper to bumper
Nothingness
Together
Everywhere
No matter
Never mind
Never matter
No mind
Ben Naga 