Express yourself:
That is meaning.
Ask yourself each day, “What remains unexpressed within me?”
Whatever it is, bring it out. But be judicious. The rantings of mad people do not yield greater freedom. Those who are with Tao use expression to find greater understanding of themselves and so find liberation from ignorance and circumstance.
All that is good and unique in you should be brought out. If you do not do this, you will be stunted. Never hold back, thinking that you will wait for a better time. The good in you is like the water in a well: The more you draw from it, the more fresh water will seep in. If you do not draw from it, the water will only become stagnant.
What is dark, perhaps even evil, inside you must be expressed in a proper way too. Lust, hatred, cruelty, and resentment — these must all be carefully taken out of yourself, like finding a bomb and taking it to be detonated harmlessly. Your heart may be quite a mine field, but you must persevere in clearing it if you are to plant crops and frolic without concern.
Ask yourself each day, “What remains unexpressed within me?” Unless you can express it, you will not clarify your inner nature.
The multitude of things are innumerable,
But they travel circularly.
Those who accord with Tao
Understand rise and fall
And gain clarity and insight.
Those who do not accept rise and fall,
Ride recklessly with misfortune.
Thus it is said: the secret of Tao lies in returning.
Stillness, clarity, and consciousness are more immediate than any number of expeditions into the distant lands of one’s mind. Such expeditions, however stimulating, distract both the leader and the group members from what is actually happening.
By staying present and aware of what is happening, the leader can do less yet achieve more.
We should have regular times to be alone, meditate alone, even sleep alone. This gives us clarity. Then we can bring this understanding to our relationships. Friendships will be all the more wonderful. Once we understand moderation, we move between the solitary and the social without any mistake.
“Whoever knows he is deep, strives for clarity; whoever would like to appear deep to the crowd, strives for obscurity. For the crowd considers anything deep if only it cannot see to the bottom: the crowd is so timid and afraid of going into the water.” — Friedrich Nietzsche
“More important than the quest for certainty is the quest for clarity” — Francois Gautier
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” — Melody Beattie
“Clarity of mind means clarity of passion, too; this is why a great and clear mind loves ardently and sees distinctly what he loves.” — Blaise Pascal
“In a creative life, droughts are a necessity. The time in the desert brings us clarity and charity. When you are in a drought, know that it is to a purpose.” — Julia Cameron
“In California in the early Spring, There are pale yellow mornings, when the mist burns slowly into day, The air stings like Autumn, clarifies like pain -– Well, I have dreamed this coast myself.” -– Robert Hass
“I experience a period of frightening clarity in those moments when nature is so beautiful. I am no longer sure of myself, and the paintings appear as in a dream.” — Vincent van Gogh
“Seek neither fullness nor emptiness; seek only clarity. Where there is clarity, the connection between the individual self and the cosmic whole is formed and held, and the balance between attraction and effort finds its natural and holographic point of moving, living equilibrium.” — Brian Donohue
Spent the afternoon in my garden, cleaning up after the tree trimmers and taking a bit more off the pepper trees where they needed it. The best part is I smell like sage, from the wonderful native sages on my hillside. So there is a little more clarity in my life now than this weekend. I feel a little bit more restored.
2 Responses
Hey Donna, thanks for the quote. Is that your kitty in the banner image? As you probably know, I’ve got a black one too. Nothing like smelling like sage, especially when you can do so naturally! At the temple where I learned Zen, they used to burn it in the closets so the robes would have that scent.
Not my kitty — the banner just rotates through a bunch of pictures. Theoretically I could upload my own, but I haven’t.
Yes, I really like the sage smell. Love having it in my yard! At one point I had about 60 different kinds of salvias in my yard….