"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.
“In the World” by Brigid Lowry
In the strange, early evening half-light we sit.
In the cloudiness of our questioning, we sit.
In our madness and our clarity, we sit.
In the midst of too much to do, we sit.
SOURCE: https://www.amazon.com/Books-Brigid-Lowry/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3ABrigid+Lowry
“I’m Listening” by Nat Sanders
“I’M LISTENING”
Tell me, Love,
all the things that hurt-the hidden places,
the betrayals,
the wounds
created by those whose best-they-could
wasn't enough to prevent suffering.
SOURCE: Nat Sanders
Story: “The Buddha Statue” from “Your Breath is Your Guru” by Galen Pearl
In 1954, an insignificant Buddha statue made of painted and decorated plaster was being moved from a modest shed in Bangkok to a new temple. Weighing over five tons, the statue was too heavy for the crane and it fell to the ground. The fall knocked a piece of plaster off the base…
SOURCE: https://www.galenpearl.com/
"The Monk With Sweaty Palms" from A NEW EARTH by Eckhart Tolle
Kasan, a Zen teacher and monk, was to officiate at a funeral of a famous nobleman.
As he stood there waiting for the governor of the province and other lords and ladies to arrive, he noticed that the palms of his hands were sweaty.
The next day he called his disciples together and confessed he was not yet ready to be a true teacher.
Wisdom Story: “A Boy, A Rabbi and a Stone'“ — Unknown
"Once upon a time, a small Jewish boy went to his rabbi and said he didn't know how to love God. 'How can I love God when I've never seen him?' asked the boy. 'I think I understand how to love my mother, my father, my brother, my little sister, and even the people in our neighborhood, but I don't know how I'm supposed to love God.'
"Forgotten Wing" by Keith Basar
A man’s uncompromising soul,
rests in clarity and valor.
Peter's denial was three,
mine many more.
Love conquers
as all souls do know
“Rumi: In the Arms of the Beloved” —Translation by Jonathan Star
Remember what I said. . . .
I said, Don’t leave, for I am your Friend.
In the mirage of this world
I am the fountain of life.
Even if you leave in anger
and stay away for a thousand years
You will return to me,
"Beginning" by Deng Ming Dao (excerpt from 365 Tao)
In the beginning, all things are hopeful. We prepare ourselves to start anew. Though we may be intent on the magnificent journey ahead, all things are contained in the first moment: our optimism, our faith, our resolution, our innocence.
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"Rainmaker of Kiau-Tchou" from The Nature Writings of C. G. Jung
There was a great drought where the missionary Richard Wilhelm lived in China. There had not been a drop of rain and the situation became catastrophic. The Catholics made processions, the Protestants made prayers, and the Chinese burned joss sticks and shot off guns to frighten away the demons of the drought, but with no result.