Gary Snyder

In the blue night
frost haze, the sky glows
with the moon
pine tree tops
bend snow-blue, fade
into sky, frost, starlight.
The creak of boots.
Rabbit tracks, deer tracks,
what do we know.
Gary Snyder

what DO we know? walking around like somnambuls ever day. Sadly, some die in this state.

ask yourself...

The wonders of life, questions that we pose on ourselves some at a later stage in our lives and others when children. What is it like to go to sleep and never wake up? We tend to ask all the wrong questions, but what is it to wake up when never gone to sleep?

take an hour and learn, please.

http://youtu.be/JHCJoWikp5E

nature of the self.

Two monks were washing their bowls in the river when they noticed a scorpion that was drowning. One monk immediately scooped it up and set it upon the bank. In the process he was stung. He went back to washing his bowl and again the scorpion fell in. The monk saved the scorpion and was again stung. The other monk asked him, "Friend, why do you continue to save the scorpion when you know it's nature is to sting?"
"Because," the monk replied, "to save it is my nature."

egotism.

The Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty was a national hero for his success as both a statesman and military leader. But despite his fame, power, and wealth, he considered himself a humble and devout Buddhist. Often he visited his favorite Zen master to study under him, and they seemed to get along very well. The fact that he was prime minister apparently had no effect on their relationship, which seemed to be simply one of a revered master and respectful student.

One day, during his usual visit, the Prime Minister asked the master, "Your Reverence, what is egotism according to Buddhism?" The master's face turned red, and in a very condescending and insulting tone of voice, he shot back, "What kind of stupid question is that!?"

This unexpected response so shocked the Prime Minister that he became sullen and angry. The Zen master then smiled and said, "THIS, Your Excellency, is egotism."

There are two individuals that govern one body in all our cases, the question really is who governs it the most? Our goals should be to relinquish this so called Ego and adapt to the essence of our beings once again, eliminating desire and embracing the present.

keep it real

How many of us can say we stay true to ourselves? How many of us really know who we really are? I don't know who i really am, i mean i can put a set of words in which define who i think i really am, but thats only to myself. What do others think of me? What do others think of themselves? When was the last time someone thought not through their ego but through their Self, true Self. How can we all get to that stage, where life is nothing but simple equations, where clarity meets reality and complexity ceases to exist.

When was the last time you sat and felt your breath come in and out of your body? When was the last time you were in the present and didn't worry about the future or what happened in the past forgetting that those times will never be at the palm of your hands, at least in the way you imagine them. How many times have you noticed the raindrops falling into a puddle on the street? relating to that concept of falling into a puddle and becoming that entity that is what we call the 'bigger picture' or reality, but for those few seconds that you fall from the cloud above and soar down to your destined puddle, your aware, you can see the horizon in the distance, a vast gray of raindrops that are going about the adjustment of the so called norm or reality and for once in your life you are the essence of your being. We can all be raindrops forever, we don't have to hit the puddle so soon, hell ever the puddle at all. We could be ourSelves if we just kept it real. 

i've been sick.

For the past 4 days i seemed to have fallen into the pits of stress and anxiety due to so many things. Pin pointing exactly what they may be should be an easy task, if looked in a taoist way, but unfortunately it isn't. However, i do feel fortunate for simply having the ability to take notice in the piled up stress and not letting it really latch on to my mind so easily, but who am i to say it hasn't already,i mean i am blogging about it (who would care?). 

Reflection has been the primary concern during these days, but i've come to realize that reflecting and dwelling are two totally different approaches to drifting. In all honesty, dwelling is where i stand not because i really want to but because i sub-conscioussly do it, which is probably the WORST thing one can have. Slowly but surely the seams are restitching and my life is starting to take form again, hate to sound so morbid and pity but thats just how it is. 

Anyone would has ever fallen into the dreary sub-consciouss mind of  minor depression or anxiety, pick back up and erase it from your life, if not, your a pathetic waste of life and weak.