"Half-Enlightened Masters" (from Hua Hu Ching - Reading 80) by Brian Browne Walker
The world is full of
half-enlightened masters.
Overly clever,
too "sensitive" to live in the real world,
they surround themselves with selfish pleasures
and bestow their grandiose teachings
upon the unwary.
"Man Of Tao" — Author Unknown
A student once asked, "What is the difference between a Man of Tao and a little man?"
The Zen Master replied, "It is simple. When the little man becomes a student, he can hardly wait to run home and shout at the top of his voice to tell everyone.
FORCE by Deng Ming Dao
A sword is never sheathed
Until it has tasted blood.
A good swordsman
Is seldom seen with a sword.
“Horses” by Lieh Tzu
Duke Mu of Ch’in said to Po-lo:
‘You are getting on in years. Is there anyone in your family whom I can send to find me horses?’
‘A good horse can be identified by its shape and look, its bone and muscle. But the great horses of the world might be extinct, vanished, perished, lost; such horses raise no dust and leave no tracks…
“Crazy Tuan-mu Shu” from Lieh-tzu (this rendition) by Solala Towler
Tuanmu Shu had inherited his family fortune, said to be worth ten thousand pieces of gold. He never had to work and lived in a fabulous mansion, surrounded with gardens, lakes, terraces, and pavilions. His food and clothing, as well as that of his various wives and concubines, were of the finest quality. He went wherever he wished, traveling far and wide, collecting treasures and exploring anything that he became interested in.
“A Taoist Priest” (a Zen Poem) - found in ‘Tao of Jeet Kune Do’ by Bruce Lee
“The empty-mindedness of chi sao applies to all activities we may perform, such as dancing. If the dancer has any idea at all of displaying his art well, he ceases to be a good dancer, for his mind stops with every movement he goes through. In all things, it is important to forget your mind and become one with the work at hand. When the mind is tied up, it feels inhibited in every move it makes and nothing will be accomplished with any sense of spontaneity. The wheel revolves when it is not too tightly attached to the axle. When it is too tight, it will never move on. As the Zen saying goes:
“The Way is ‘Wu’” by William Martin
In this divided world, how does one take action
without opposing, judging,
and trying always to fix the others?
Getting “them” to behave as I would wish
by argument, shame, or force of law is futile.
“Blue Mountain” by Li Bai (also known as Li Po or Li Bo) (701-762)
Why dwell in the Blue Mountain
I laugh without answering
The silence of water and blossoming flowers
A world beyond the red dust of living
Lu Dongbin's Yellow Millet Dream
At the moment when his mother gave him birth an unearthly perfume pervaded the house, and strains of celestial music were wafted from the sky, and a white crane from heaven flew down between the curtains of her bed and was seen no more. Even when a newly-born infant his frame was strong as metal, and his muscles hard as wood. The crown of his head formed a high dome resembling a crane's; his back was arched like that of a tortoise; his eyes were as brilliant as those of a phœnix; and his eyebrows extended on either side to meet the hair round the temples.
“The Turtle” by Chuang Tzu
Chuang Tzu with his bamboo pole was fishing in the Pu river. The prince of Chu sent two vice-chancellors with a formal document: “We hereby appoint you prime minister.” …
YOU’VE GOT TO LOVE CHUANG TZU