The Way of Life - according to Lao Tzu Translated by Witter Bynner Existence is beyond the power of words To define: Terms may be used But are none of them absolute. In the beginning of heaven and earth there were no words, Words came out of the womb of matter; And whether a man dispassionately Sees to the core of life Or passionately Sees the surface, The core and the surface Are essentially the same, Words making them seem different Only to express appearance. If name be needed, wonder names them both : From wonder into wonder Existence opens. People through finding something beautiful Think something else unbeautiful, Through finding one man fit Judge another unfit. Life and death, though stemming from each other, seem to conflict as stages of change, Difficult and easy as phases of achievement, Long and short as measures of contrast, High and low as degrees of relation; But, since the varying of tones gives music to a voice And what is is the was of what shall be, The sanest man Sets up no deed, Lays down no law, Takes everything that happens as it comes, As something to animate, not to appropriate, To earn, not to own, To accept naturally without self-importance : If you never assume importance You never lose it. It is better not to make merit a matter of reward Lest people conspire and contend, Not to pile up rich belongings Lest they rob, Not to excite by display Lest they covert. A sound leader's aim Is to open people's hearts, Fill their stomachs, Calm their wills, Brace their bones And so to clarify their thoughts and cleanse their needs That no cunning meddler could touch them : Without being forced, without strain or constraint, Good government comes of itself. Existence, by nothing bred, Breeds everything. Parent of the universe, It smoothes rough edges, Unties hard knots, Tempers the sharp sun, Lays blowing dust, Its image in the wellspring never fails. But how was it conceived? - this image Of no other sire. I Fear Not by Milarepa In fear of death I built a house And my house is a house of the void of truth. Now I fear not death. In fear of cold I bought a coat And my coat is the coat of inner heat. Now I fear not cold. In fear of want I sought wealth And my wealth is glorious, unending, sevenfold. Now I fear not want. In fear of hunger I sought food And my food is the food of meditation upon truth. Now I fear not hunger. In fear of thirst I sought drink And my drink is the nectar of right knowledge. Now I fear not thirst. In fear of weariness I sought a companion And my companion is the everlasting void of bliss. Now I fear not weariness. In fear of error I sought a Path And my Path is the Path of transcendent union. Now I fear not error. I am a Sage who possesses in plentitude The manifold treasures of desire, and whereever I dwell I am happy. Be Content My son, as monastery be content with the body For the bodily substance is the palace of divinity. As a teacher be content with the mind, For knowledge of the truth is the beginning of holiness. As a book be content with outward things For their number is a symbol of the way of deliverance. As food be content to feed on ecstasy For stillness is the perfect likeness of divinity. As clothing be content to put on the inner heat For the sky-travelling Goddesses wear the warmth of bliss. Companions, be content to forsake For solitude is president of the divine assembly Raging enemies be content to shun For enmity is a traveller upon the wrong path. With demons be content to meditate upon the void For magic apparitions are creations of the mind. My love Dear love to whom my heart goes out If we could but be wed Then had I gained the choicest gem From ocean's deepest bed. I chanced to pass my sweetheart fair Upon the road one day, A turquoise found of clearest blue, Found, to be thrown away. High on the peach tree out of reach The ripened fruit is there. So, too the maid of noble birth So full of life and fair. My heart's far off, the nights pass by In sleeplessness and strife Even day brings not my heart's desire For lifeless is my life I dwell apart in Potala, a God on Earth am I, But in the town the chief of rogues and boistrous revelry, It is not far that I shall roam, Lend my your wings white crane. I go no further than Li Thang and thence return again. Dali Lama - God King of Tibet The Shepard Boy Sings in the Valley of Humililation by John Bunyan 1628-1688 He that is down needs fear no fall, He that is low, no pride; He that is humble ever shall Have God to be his guide. I am content with what I have, Little be it or much : And Lord, contentment still I crave, Because thou savest such. Fullness to such a burden is That go on pilgrimage - Here little, and hereafter bliss, Is best from Age to age. The King of Kings by James Shirley 1594-1666 The glories of our blood and state are shadows, not substantial things There is no armour against fate Death lies his icy hand on kings Sceptre and crown must tumble down And in the dust be equal laid with poor crooked scythe and spade Some men with swords may reap the fields And plant fresh laurels when they kill But their strong nerves at last must yield: They tame but another still. Early or late They stoop to fate, And must give up their murmuring breath When they, pale captives, creep to death. The garlands wither on their brow - Then boast no more your mighty deeds! Upon death's purple altar now See where the victor-victim bleeds. All heads must come To the cold tomb: Only the actions of the just Smell sweet, and blossom in their dust. I looked for my soul but my soul I could not see. I looked for my God but my God eluded me. I looked for a friend and then I found all three. William Blake If you wish to see the valleys climb to the mountain top; if you desire to see the mountain top, rise into the cloud; but if you seek to understand the cloud, close your eyes and think. Kahlil Gibran Talking And then a scholar said, Speak of Talking And he answered, saying: You talk wihen you cease to be at peace with your thoughts; And when you can no longer dwell in the solitude of your heart you live in your lips, and sound is a diversion and a pastime. And in much of your talking, thinking is half murdered. For thought is a bird of space, that in a cage of words may indeed unfold its wings but cannot fly. The Real us is silent; the acquired is talkative. Kahlil Gibran When I quit this mortal shore, And mosey around this earth no more, Don't weep, don't sigh, don't sob - I may have struck a better job. Don't go and buy a large bouquet For which you'll find it hard to pay; Don't mope around and feel all blue - I may be better off than you. Don't tell folks I was a saint, Or any old thing that I ain't; IF YOU HAVE JAM LIKE THAT TO SPREAD Please hand it out before I'm dead. If you have roses, bless your soul, Just pin one in my buttonhole While I'm alive and well today - Don't wait until I'm gone away. Author unknown From 'Seasons of Inspiration' I do my thing, And you do your thing I am not in this world To live up to your expectations, And you are not in this world To live up to mine. You are you. And I am I And if by chance we find each other It's beautiful Fritz Peris Love does not consist in gazing at each other but looking outward in the same direction. Antoine De Saint-Exupery What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. Ralph Waldo Emerson God grant me SERENITY to accept the things I cannot change COURAGE to change the things I can, and WISDOM to know the difference. Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow. Langston Hughes Race of Tan ----------- Copper is this man A man of daytime white Yellow is that man And one of dark night... The four main colours, All known as Man, Tomorrow's unity will come Forming the Race of Tan W.A. de Munnik, Alberta SOMEONE - to talk with to dance with to sing with to eat with to laugh with to cry with to think with to understand SOMEONE - to be my friend Susan Polis Schultz I looked for my soul but my soul I could not see. I looked for my God but my God eluded me. I looked for a friend and then I found all three. William Blake Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead. Louisa May Alcott The most wonderful thing is that you and I are always walking together, hand in hand, in a strangely beautiful world, unknown to other people. We both stretch one hand to receive from Life - and Life is generous indeed. Kahlil Gibran If I accept the sunshine and warmth I must also accept the thunder and lightning Kahlil Gibran The woman asked, 'What of children?' and he answered: 'You may give them your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, For their souls dwell in the house of Tomorrow Which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, But seek not to make them like you For life goes not backward, nor tarries with Yesterday.' Gibran 'Ignorant people think it's the noise which fighting cats make that is aggravating but it ain't so; it's the sickening grammar they use.' Mark Twain In order to maintain a well-balanced perspective the person who has a dog to worship him should have a cat to ignore him. Cats have very sad faces. They look at you a long time and think about you. They are peaceful to have around. A school child. Friendship is the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words. George Eliot If you don't know what you are looking for how do you know when you've found it? I care about your happiness just as you care about mine. I could not be at peace if you were not. Kahil Gibran When someone cares it is easier to speak it is easier to listen it is easier to play it is easier to work. When someone cares it is easier to laugh. Susan Polis Schutz What made us friends in the long ago When first we met? Well, I think I know; The best in me and the best in you Hailed each other because they knew That always and always since life began Our being friends was part of God's plan. George Webster Douglas Tell me not in mournful numbers Life is but an empty dream For the soul is dead that slumbers And things are not what they seem. Life is Real, Life is Earnest And the grave is not its goal Dust to Earth to dust returneth Was not spoken of the soul! Longfellow in 'The Psalm of Life' Interest is the key to life Interest is the clue Interest is the drum and fife And Any God will Do. Richard Condon Look to this day! For it is life, the very life of life... For yesterday is already a dream, and tomorrow is only a vision; But today, well lived, makes every yesterday A dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a vision of hope. from the Sanskrit If you love something set it free If it comes back It is yours, If it doesn't, It never was. The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do something to love and something to hope for. Joseph Addison Cruelty has a human heart And Jealousy a human face; Terror the human form divine, And Secrecy the human dress. William Blake from 'A Divine Image' I love you the more in that I believe you have liked me for my own sake and for nothing else. John Keats Fame is the scentless sunflower, with gaudy crown of gold, but friendship is the breathing rose with sweets in every fold. Oliver Wendell Holmes The better part of one's life consists of one's friendships. Abraham Lincoln Nurture your mind with great thoughts for you will never rise higher than you think. DISRAELI Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. George Santayana I don't mind dying but I would prefer not to be around when it happens. Woody Allen If you can't dream what have you got to come true! Elvis Presley I think that I will never see A Billboard lovely as a Tree And unless the billboard fall, I'll nver see a tree at all. Patience is not passive, on the contrary it is concentrated strength. If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of. To strive actively to achieve some goal gives your life meaning and substance. If you think a thing is impossible, you'll make it impossible. Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them. Knowledge will give you power, but character respect. If you don't want to slip up tomorrow speak the truth today. He who wants to succeed should learn how to fight, to strive and to suffer. If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you'll never get it done. One great cause of failure is lack of concentration. A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim for. Real living is living for others. Becoming a human being is an act. True refinement seeks simplicity. It's the will that makes men - success takes perseverance. If every man would help his neighbour, no man would be without help. Yesterdays' dreams are often tomorrow's realities. If you want to do your duty properly, you should do just a little more than that. Those who are unaware that they are walking in darkness will never seek the light. You can acquire a lot in life, if you are prepared to give up a lot to get it. It's not what you give, it's the way you give it. A man is born to achieve great things if he has the courage to conquer himself. "Knowing is not enough, we must do; willing is not enough, we must apply." Bruce Lee Hsiao Loong "Little Dragon" It is better to light a candle, than curse the darkness. Do not follow where the Path may lead. Go instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.