“Embodiment: The Wedding of Creature and Spirit” by Jeannie Zandi
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“Embodiment: The Wedding of Creature and Spirit” by Jeannie Zandi

When we float in presence, without requirement to figure out or handle anything, resting as noticing awareness, we let our breath slow, our bodies soften, as we dissolve into oceanic being. From there we let everything be idle as we soothe and soften, unincorporated, a field of vibrating isness. The simple fact of our own existence, the simplicity of “I am…” allows us to vacation from everyday concerns, enjoying our existence for itself.

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Tao Te Ching (Chapter 8) — a Commentary by Galen Pearl

Tao Te Ching (Chapter 8) — a Commentary by Galen Pearl

Tao Te Ching – Chapter 8

Water is the most prominent image of the Tao in the Tao Te Ching. We saw this first in Chapter 4 where several characters used to describe the Tao had water radicals or roots. Here the chapter begins by explicitly comparing the Tao to water.

Before we talk about that, however, I want to introduce you to a character that is repeated in this chapter 9 times!

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“The Suppression of Yin, Patriarchy and the Person of Jesus” by Keith Basar

“The Suppression of Yin, Patriarchy and the Person of Jesus” by Keith Basar

Throughout history, overemphasized attributes of Yang, at the expense of the balancing properties of Yin, have produced a highly toxic setting for a vast majority of humans. Patriarchy is a powerful example of such. A subdued Yin produces an overly aggressive, exploitative, domineering male-centic world.

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“Crossing the Bridge into the Second Half of Life” by Christina Becker
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“Crossing the Bridge into the Second Half of Life” by Christina Becker

The Initiation into the Second Half of Life

The road that would take us to the top of the mountain in Southern India was very narrow and winding. I felt a mixture of awe and anxiety as the bus driver swerved around the sharp turns avoiding oncoming traffic. This road could not possibly accommodate two directions; miraculously it did. Outside of my bus window, a hillside tea plantation stretched for as far as the eye could see. Women carried large woven baskets which hung from their heads and were harvesting the tea leaves

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“The Tragedy of Birth” from "‘The School of Life’
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“The Tragedy of Birth” from "‘The School of Life’

It is common, on meeting with one of these packages with a bonnet on its head, its small body wrapped tightly in a blanket, to marvel at the exceptional beauty and perfection on display.

We look at the tightly closed eyes and wonder what mysterious regions this wizard might be traveling through in its mind. It seems at once to know nothing and everything, as if it contains within itself a trace of the wisdom of all ages; it looks both terribly young and infinitely old, totally naive and boundlessly knowledgeable. It has been pulled as if by magic out of the realm of slumbering souls, it was – only a few months before – in existence only as scattered atoms that might have reached the earth from exploding stars in the early days of the universe. Now it has taken shape as a unique being – with neat, folded eyelids and a soft downy head – that might be extinguished only in a hundred years. 

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“Does God Evolve?” by Philip Mereton
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“Does God Evolve?” by Philip Mereton

One popular approach to dealing with the diversity of religions is to adopt the view that each one—from Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—lays claim to its own spiritual world. No one religion has a monopoly on truth, enlightenment, or access to a supreme being. Given the diversity of faiths, a goal might be to seek understanding through a dialogue between followers of different belief systems while retaining a commitment to one's own faith. (See Harvard's Pluralism Project, whose stated mission is "to help Americans engage with the realities of religious diversity through research, outreach, and the active dissemination of resources": pluralism.org.) In this spirit, the Dalai Lama writes about a "true kinship of faiths," whereby followers of the world's religions are urged to seek a higher ground built upon compassion and understanding.

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“Reflecting on Reflecting” by Thomas Moore

“Reflecting on Reflecting” by Thomas Moore

One of the key activities of the psyche is to reflect on events and experiences.  If we have no reflection, we act on passions and impulses that then do not have the advantage of being processed by the mind, references to memory and history and personal and social culture in general.  It is this cultural background that civilizes us, which means we can live in community because we can process our feelings and enthusiasms.  Reflection makes our strong emotions available for life with others, so that we live by emotion and reflection as two coordinating activities that support each other.

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“God” (a different perspective) by Keith Basar
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“God” (a different perspective) by Keith Basar

Ah, the question of God.  He, She, It, the Universe, the Great Spirit, Heart of Hearts, the Flow, Being, Tao, Heavenly Father, Divine Mother, Love, Compassion, Power, Omniscience, Wrath, Judgment, Kindness, Mercy — the list goes on.  I’ve pondered, considered, rationalized, been terrified by, and felt smaller than small with this question — and to this day the enigma lives on…

GOD AS OBJECT

Over the decades, inside this ever expanding, often perplexing mystery, a personal insight has surfaced.

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Tao Te Ching (Chapter 6) — a Commentary by Galen Pearl
Taoism, Spirituality Wisdom2be Taoism, Spirituality Wisdom2be

Tao Te Ching (Chapter 6) — a Commentary by Galen Pearl

If Chapter 5 is one of the most misunderstood chapters in the Tao Te Ching, then Chapter 6 is one of the most enigmatic. And one of the shortest. Just 26 characters, it has spawned pages of commentary. Like the blind men and the elephant, everyone sees different facets of meaning. When we can release the need to have a single, “right” meaning, when we can let the meanings swirl in mystery, then we enter the true meaning beyond words, the mystery beyond understanding. And it is beautiful.

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“Carl Jung and Alcoholics Anonymous”
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“Carl Jung and Alcoholics Anonymous”

Though he didn’t fully realize it at the time, Carl Jung played a very important role in bringing a spiritual awakening to millions. He met with a man named Roland Hazard, a hopeless alcoholic who had tried every means to stay sober — in whom was told had the kind a chronic alcoholism… that was hopeless — and [as Jung advised] ought to commit himself to an asylum. Roland asked is there no exception. Jung told him about a few cases where a spiritual experience/awakening had so radically altered an individual that he never drank again. Although Roland didn’t stay sober, he told a man named Bill Wilson about what he had learned [from Jung]. Bill Wilson and Carl Jung would subsequently correspond on several occasions.

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The Disappearing God by Mirabai Starr
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The Disappearing God by Mirabai Starr

When I was fourteen, my first love was killed, and I turned to God.

It was not some beneficent father figure I was looking for. I had a grandpa who smoked a pipe and taught me complex vocabulary words and another who sang me Irish ballads, replacing the name of the beautiful heroine with my own. But my parents were radical intellectuals who made fun of the divine. They ridiculed devotion. For them, religion was the opiate of the masses: Grandma’s empty ritual of lighting the Sabbath candles and murmuring in perfunctory Hebrew before settling down in front of the television with the National Enquirer and a glass of sherry; the silly, sad grasping of people too boring to stand up and change the world.

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“NO MORE WAR” by Amoda Maa
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“NO MORE WAR” by Amoda Maa

War is a symptom of the divided mind. And the divided mind is what governs most human beings. It is an unconscious state, in which there is no recognition of the indivisible reality of pure consciousness that underlies all seemingly separate individuations. It is a primitive state of ego-consciousness that thrives on comparison and the dichotomy of victor and vanquished, victim and perpetrator, subject and object. In this divided state, we go to war with other nations, other ideologies, other religions, other opinions, other life forms. We even go to war with the present moment, rejecting it, resisting it, trying to fix it or change it or run away from it or take possession of it. In the unconsciousness state, everything — even the natural flow of life — is a threat, something to be overcome so that we stay in our comfort zone or stand on a pedestal of superiority or specialness.

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“How is Love the Ultimate Reality?” by Bryce Haymond
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“How is Love the Ultimate Reality?” by Bryce Haymond

Many people want to know the ultimate nature of the universe, the ultimate reality. Many seek it through science. But mysticism and contemplation may offer the Way that actually realizes that One, which is Love.

A verse in the New Testament reads,

God is Love (1 John 4:8, 16)

It’s repeated twice in the same chapter.

But what does it mean? We usually think of love as some kind of sentimental thing, merely an emotion that we feel with or towards other people. How could it be anything more than this?

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Tao Te Ching (Chapter 4) — a Commentary by Galen Pearl
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Tao Te Ching (Chapter 4) — a Commentary by Galen Pearl

Tao Te Ching – Chapter 4 (commentary)

This short chapter, one of my favorites, and one of the most enigmatic, attempts to describe the indescribable Tao by using three images.

Tao is empty, yet in use is inexhaustible

The first is an image of emptiness, like a hollow bowl or an empty vessel. The emptiness of the Tao is not a barrenness, but is dynamic with potential. This image also has a connotation of a welling up, as an inexhaustible spring bubbling up from the ground.

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“The Old Woman Weaving in a Cave” — a Native American Story

“The Old Woman Weaving in a Cave” — a Native American Story

This is a centuries old Native American myth about an ancient woman who lives in a cave.  People far and wide know of her existence, but the cave, and thus the woman have never been found.   Her partner in this story is a very old black dog that caringly watches her every move.  The old woman’s focus and passion is operating an ancient loom — patiently weaving a sizable and most beautiful of garments. She never leaves her task except to occasionally walk over to the fireplace to stir a kettle of “very special soup.” Interestingly, whenever she walks away from the task at hand (the garment), the old black dog, unhurriedly and determinedly pushes himself upwards and then heads towards that remarkable garment.

I’ll leave the rest or the story for you to read and interpret…

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“Exquisite Risk: John of the Cross and the Transformational Power of Captivity” by Mirabai Starr
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“Exquisite Risk: John of the Cross and the Transformational Power of Captivity” by Mirabai Starr

On a dark night

Inflamed by love-longing--

O, exquisite risk!--

Undetected, I slipped away,

My house, at last, grown still. 

Sometimes it is in our prisons that we find our freedom. In 1577, when St. John of the Cross was thirty-five years old, he was abducted by his own monastic brothers and incarcerated for nine months in a monastery in Toledo, Spain. It was there, as he languished, that the caterpillar of his old self dissolved and the butterfly of his authentic being grew its wings.

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Tao Te Ching (Chapter 3) — a Commentary by Galen Pearl

Tao Te Ching (Chapter 3) — a Commentary by Galen Pearl

This chapter is divided into two parts and a coda. The first part highlights the cause and effect relationship between creating or perceiving disparity and the resulting discord. The second part is often interpreted as giving advice on how to govern others, but personally I think it is about how we govern ourselves.

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Tao Te Ching (Chapter 2) — a Commentary by Galen Pearl
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Tao Te Ching (Chapter 2) — a Commentary by Galen Pearl

The second chapter of the Tao Te Ching introduces two themes: non-duality and wu wei.

Non-duality

The first part of the chapter illustrates the nature of non-duality with a list of complementary qualities which we often see as opposites, showing that our perception of these qualities comes from their manifestation into being. So, for example, we know the manifestation of beauty because of ugliness, and the manifestation of kindness because of unkindness.

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Tao Te Ching  (Chapter 1) — a Commentary by Galen Pearl
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Tao Te Ching (Chapter 1) — a Commentary by Galen Pearl

Over the following months I will make available to my readers a wonderful, insightful and practical set of commentaries based on select verses within given chapters of the Tao Te Ching. This fine interpretive work is crafted by author, teacher and student of the Tao, Galen Pearl. Like dazzling sea glass scattered along a shoreline, Ms. Pearl’s commentary wisdom shines throughout all 81 chapters. Her good work has aided and inspired me in my own trek into the human drama called Life. I thoroughly honor her heart, dedication and immense love for truth. She is a gift to us all!

Galen will be publishing all 81 chapters of commentary sometime during the 2022-2023 calendar years. I’ll keep you all posted on that release date.

INTRODUCTION

The Tao Te Ching is an ancient Chinese text consisting of spiritual teachings, folk wisdom, political instruction, cosmology, observations of nature, anti-Confucian doctrine, and mystical insights…

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“The Life Story of Thich Nhat Hanh” presented by Plum Village

“The Life Story of Thich Nhat Hanh” presented by Plum Village

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh is a global spiritual leader, poet, and peace activist, renowned for his powerful teachings and bestselling writings on mindfulness and peace. A gentle, humble monk, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called him “an Apostle of peace and nonviolence” when nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Exiled from his native Vietnam for almost four decades, Thich Nhat Hanh has been a pioneer bringing Buddhism and mindfulness to the West, and establishing an engaged Buddhist community for the 21st Century.

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