“Tao” is pronounced “Dow,” and is a Chinese word meaning “The Way,” or “The Path.” It is the Way things need to be. The path of right living and right being.
The “Tao” has been the name of the Way/Path from between 5000 and 500 BCE. It is the experience of the right thing, done at the right time, in the right way, in the right place, in each situation as it arises. “The right thing” is understood to be “what is called for here/now.”
Which begs the question, “Who is to say?” Who is to say what the right thing is in any moment? The answer, of course, is “You are/I am/All of us are The One Who Says So.
This is reflected in a text found only in Codex Bezae after the first four verses of the sixth chapter in Luke’s Gospel, which read:
1 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grain fields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. 2 Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” 3 Jesus answered them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.”
At this point, Codex Bezae, a late 4th or early 5th century work in Greek and Latin, inserts verse 5, which reads:
“On the same day, when [Jesus] saw someone working on the Sabbath, he said to him, ‘Man, if you know what you are doing you are blessed, but if you do not know then you are cursed and a transgressor of the law!’” And how do we know if we know what we are doing? The old Taoists would say, “By living in accord with the Tao, aligned with the flow of life and being.”
Those who are in accord with Tao are aligned with their intuition, their Psyche, with that which has always been called “God.” They sense—they know—what is called for, and they follow the impulse of their Original Nature, their innate Virtues (What they do best and enjoy doing most), Their intrinsic Intuition, and their inherent Imagination in responding spontaneously to the call of the moment—as did the Good Samaritan with the Jewish man, beaten and left for dead on the side of the road, the Prodigal’s father in welcoming his son home, the man who built his house on a rocky foundation, and those who did what was right by the least of those who came their way, etc.
All of which is to say that those who know, know! And live accordingly.
Living at one with the Tao is knowing intuitively, instinctively, instantly, immediately, spontaneously, naturally arising from our understanding, comprehension, “take” on the situation at hand—and responding automatically in doing what is called for in the right time, in the right place in the right way.
All the words of Jesus in the Gospels are about knowing and living accordingly. We must be right about it. Yet, we cannot be taught how to do that. We “just know.” But, right in terms of what? Not in terms of keeping “the law,” or pleasing the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who knows how many feathers are on each bird, and keeps careful watch over all of our actions, jotting notes in the Book of Life to be read on the Last Day when the verdicts are served with his, “Well done good and faithful servants! Enter into the joy of the Kingdom!” or his, “Get Thee away from me Thou faithless and evil Sinners—and be damned forever to the everlasting fires of Hell!”
That is the version that gets all the attention and has all the drama, but the real scoop is much more down to earth in a practical kind of way. Being right about what the moment is calling for is being right in terms of the balance and harmony, direction and flow of the moment. It is being right in terms of the spirit, vitality and life of the moment. It is being right in terms of the sincerity, purity, spontaneity and lack of contrivance of the moment.
The moment—not eternity—is at the heart of Tao. This here and this now are the only time and place that matter. This time is the time for action and the time for refraining from action. Which is it to be? What is this time right for? Everything comes down to this, and flows from this, and depends upon this. And How do we know? We know by being one with the Tao!
Here, now is where we live to integrate the opposites of Yin and Yang whatever their present configuration may be—for the sake of the moment! For the good of the moment! We live for right here, right now!
Taoism is about doing the right thing at the right time in the right place in the right way. Taoism is about the flow of life, moving in sync with what is called for, where, when and how it is called for, with balance and harmony, right seeing, right hearing, right knowing, right doing and right being. If we get this down, what more is there to ask, or think, or have, or do, or be? The only thing to want is to be right about what needs to happen/be here, now, and do it as it needs to be done.
Section 1
Living to serve what is called for
in the moment of our living
is not going to smooth our path,
and open the way
to all we ever wanted
and more.
Go and learn what this means:
“Thy will, not mine, be done!”
When we understand the “Thy”
In this phrase as Jesus’ intuition,
which is the source of Jesus’
knowledge (And of “the secret knowledge”
of the Gnostics),
we are at the point of seeing
Jesus’ link to his intuition as the Tao of Jesus—
and that being who Jesus was
is as simple as being connected to our own intuitive
awareness in all situations and circumstances of our life.
Living aligned with our intuition
Is being as one with the Tao.
In saying, “Thy will not mine be done,”
Jesus is saying, “Live in accord with the Tao,
moment by moment,
and let everything fall into place
around that,
whether it meets with the culture’s approval,
or our own desires, or not.”
This is not The Prosperity Gospel.
Jesus said, “Do what needs to be done,
when, where and how it needs to be done,
and let the outcome be the outcome,
whatever it may mean for you personally.”
Jesus’ life was his message.
When he said,
“Take up your cross each day
and follow me,”
he was saying,
“Let your life be your message.”
When he said,
“Be like the spirit
that blows where it will,”
he was saying,
“Don’t have to know
what you are doing,
or be guided by
what is pleasing to you,
or by mindlessly following the shoulds and oughts of your culture,
but trust yourself to your own sense of what needs to be done here, now.
Which will change moment by moment,
in response to the circumstances,
which themselves are changing
moment by moment,
and you will never know in one moment
what you will be doing in the next.
Just like the wind that blows where it will.
The Tao of Jesus
is what the world needs
and the world knows it not.
The old Taoists talked about
living in accord with the Tao.
And understood that as doing what needs to be done,
when, where and how it needs to be done.
For the joy and delight of the moment at hand.
I take this to mean
living in the flow of life,
in tune with what is happening
and what needs to happen in response,
and doing it because it needs to be done
for the sake of doing it alone.
For the sake of the right here, right now alone.
No. Matter. What.
The image that comes to mind here
is a jam session
of bluegrass musicians,
at one with the music,
playing under a streetlight,
or on a front porch,
going where the music takes them,
with each musician at one
with their instrument
and with the other musicians
at the same time,
for the simple joy and wonder
of participating in the music,
and being graced and blessed
by the music.
This is living in accord with the Tao.
In accord with the intuition of each
individual member of the group,
and in accord with the intuition
of the group as a whole.
And for the joy of doing it, here, now, alone.
I need to emphasize —
for the joy of doing it alone.
That is why we live!
For the joy of being alive!
My wife and I have brunch each Friday
with our two great grandchildren,
with our three daughters
and as many of our five granddaughters
as can be there.
We do it for the joy of it.
For the simple, wonderful pleasure
of doing it.
Life comes down to the joy
of being alive.
We can do this with our life
by practicing the skills of being attuned to our life.
To seeing, hearing, knowing what’s what,
and what’s happening,
and what is called for here, now.
We do it by way of emptiness, stillness, silence,
and being aware of the present moment
on all levels
by being aware,
without judgment or opinion,
of all that is with us in the moment.
Seeing what we look at,
hearing what is being said
and how it is being said,
and how we are responding…
Seeing, hearing, understanding here, now.
Knowing what’s what,
just sitting,
just seeing,
just hearing,
just knowing,
and watching what arises unbidden
within us as impulse,
as urgency,
as calling,
as invitation
to do what needs to be done
without having anything invested
in the outcome, with nothing to gain or to lose,
just doing what needs to be done,
because it needs to be done,
doing it and being done with it
for the joy of doing it,
and the satisfaction of having done it, alone.
So, we rise and do what is called for,
where, when and how it is called for,
then move back into sitting
and seeing,
and hearing…
Rising and doing
in each situation as it unfolds before us.
This is the practice that allows us
to resonate with our life,
entering the dance,
being danced by the music of life
for the wonder of it all,
in tune and in time with the flow
of life and being, here, now.
In every situation,
there is a tipping point
where the responses
of the people in the situation
can influence the outcome
of the situation for better or for worse.
Our response to/in the present moment
has an influential impact upon
future moments,
both immediate and distant.
We wield the power for good or for evil
as surely as any superhero or villain ever did.
Our present situation
is the result of our past situations.
Our future situations will be,
at least to some degree,
what they are because
of our present situation.
The people for whom things
always seem to work out
have a part to play in their outcomes.
The people for whom things
never seem to work out
have a part to play in their outcomes.
The present moment matters.
Our response to it matters.
We hold the future in our hands
in every moment.
We must know that in our bones,
and live as though we do.
The people for whom things always seem
to work out
are people who live in the service
of their own intuition–
who allow their intuition
to take the lead
In a “Thy will not mine be done” kind of way,
and who trust themselves to their intuition
as their guide and companion along the way.
D.T. Suzuki,
who is credited with
bringing Zen to the US,
said “Enlightenment is equivalent to
habitual intuition.”
Alan Watts, reflecting on this, agreed and said that those who
live out of their intuition have friends
who think of them as being lucky.
When we live out of our intuition
in knowing/doing what is called for
moment by moment,
we are aligned with the Tao,
and things always seem to work out.
Think of the Force in Star Wars as the Tao,
the way to do things,
the way to get things done.
the way of knowing what needs to be done,
here, now.
The Force and the Tao are beyond morality,
good and evil, right and wrong.
They are what the situation calls for.
But, not for the good or bad
of anyone/anything
in the situation!
Liberty!
Justice!
Equality!
Truth!
Are not good or evil.
They are the way things need to be.
And that will be good for some people and evil for others.
Good and evil, right and wrong,
depend upon what side we are on.
On what we stand to gain or lose.
Slave owners would say, “Evil!”
Slaves would say, “Good!”
The Force and the Tao, don’t have a side.
They are the Way.
What is the Way?
It is the way of doing what needs to be done
when, where and how it needs to be done
in light of this situation here and now—
for the sake of here, now alone.
Do that, no matter what,
and things will flow from there.
If the baby’s diaper needs changing,
change the baby’s diaper!
If the dog needs to go outside,
take the dog outside!
Eat when hungry,
rest when tired!
Chop wood, carry water!
When we complicate the situation
by bringing in considerations
that have nothing to do with the situation,
like the long-term financial impact
eating when hungry has
on the gross national product
and the economic security
of the kingdom,
we tie things up in a
“Nothing can happen
until something else does!”
kind of knot
that kills spontaneity
and joy
on the spot.
If the situation calls for
eating when hungry,
eat when hungry!
And let everything else
fall into place around that!
When we can’t do anything
because of the effect it may have
on something else—
“Will she/he still love me?”
“Will I get a raise/be fired?”—
it all goes to hell.
When we live with our own good in mind
and not the needs of the current situation,
it all goes to hell.
We strive to connive,
contrive,
finagle,
manipulate,
command and control
a future of our liking
into existence.
We live here and now
in light of what we think
it will take
to bring wealth and glory
in abounding abundance
to us when and where we are.
Oops. Not so fast!
The Way is about
doing what is called for
here and now,
and letting everything take shape
around that,
and seeing where it goes.
“The Spirit is like the wind
that blows where it will!”
The Spirit doesn’t know
why it is doing what it is doing,
or what it will be doing next,
or where it is going,
or what the plan is,
it has no agenda,
no timetable,
no schedule,
and doesn’t bother with worrying about
any of it.
The Spirit’s actions arise
out of the urgency—the impulse—
of the moment:
“The moment has its own needs, here, now!
We need to do it the way it needs to be done!”
Where, when and how it needs to be done.
Which falls nicely in line
with Jesus’ little talk
about the lilies of the field,
“Which neither sow nor reap,
but are all decked out in
the most beautiful array of colors imaginable!
So, worry about what needs to be done here, now,
and let tomorrow’s needs
be taken care of tomorrow!”
Let the Force, the Tao, the Spirit
be with you!
And be with them,
here, now!
By doing what is called for here, now
and letting the outcome be the outcome.
There are only two things—
make that four things—
that matter:
1 and 2: Finding our life to live
and living it.
3 and 4: Helping other people
find their life to live
and living it.
When we get those four things down
everything comes into focus
around that,
transformed for the good
forever.
To do it,
to find our life to live
and live it,
we follow the pattern
of all the heroes
on all the journeys
throughout time.
Yes, Virginia, there is a recipe.
First, we must put desire, fear and duty
in their place,
which is always left completely out of consideration.
We live in the service of desire, fear and duty
every day all our life long.
Yet, we must live beyond desire, fear and duty.
That is to say,
we must live without desire, or fear, or duty,
in order that we might find our life and live it—
when, where and how it needs to be lived.
Which means we must do the things
that need to be done here, now
no matter what—
no matter what it means for us personally,
or for those we love.
And Jesus knew about that with his,
Those who would follow me
must leave father and mother,
brothers and sisters,
and take up their cross daily
in finding their life and living it.
Joseph Campbell asked his students,
“Do you have what it takes
to stick with it?
To do what it requires of you?
Day in and day out?
Whether you want to or not?
Whether you feel like it or not?
Whether you are in the mood for it or not?
For no other reason
than because it is yours to do—
and to go on doing—
throughout the time left for living, no matter what?”
“No matter what?” means we must
find our life and anchor ourselves to it
with an adamantine declaration
of allegiance and fidelity
that puts liege loyalty and filial devotion to shame.
This is what all those old love stories are about.
They are not about boy and girl finding each other
and swearing their troth forever,
but about men and women finding their life—
their life together and their individual lives apart—
and assisting one another in doing what it takes through all
of the situations and circumstances
that arise in their lifetime.
It is not about finding the man or the woman meant for them,
but about finding the life they are meant to live—
and helping one another live it beyond all other
compelling considerations.
Can each find the life partner
who will aid and assist them in living their own life?
That is the heart of the boy/girl
(or boy/boy, girl/girl) thing:
“Can we be good for each other
in bringing our lives forth
and helping each other live their life
to the fullest extent possible
in the time left for living?”
When we find the person who can join us in
creating this kind of mutual environment
we have what it takes to be who we are,
living the life that is ours to live,
And nothing can knock us off that!
Part of this process is learning to read the signs,
to know what the symbols refer to—
the symbols that catch our eye,
that speak to us—
we have to know what they are saying.
To do that , we must learn to live
symbolically, metaphorically!
The Truth of symbols doesn’t lend itself
to the language of logic, intellect and rationality.
The Truth comes to us in dreams
and impulses that make no sense
but speak directly to our heart from our heart.
We must learn to read/understand
the language of Truth and Spirit
to find our life and live it.
What movies mean the most to us?
What books stir something within?
What inspires us?
What objects, animals, places, scenes,
poems, stories, etc.,
bring us to life—
bring something within us to life?
We dig in there!
Seeing what associations, connections, we can make there!
What is going on there?
It is as though we have been born into a mystery,
and must find the clues (the symbols)
that lead us to the life that is ours to live.
And then, we must have the courage,
grit, determination, heart, etc.
to live it not knowing what we are doing.
This is the adventure we were born for.
And we just want to make a lot of money
and be the envy of our peers.
It is called selling out.
It is also called living out of desire, fear and duty.
Are we up for finding our life
and living it,
no matter what?
As it is, our motives stem from
our desires, fears and duties.
From what we want
and don’t want.
We must find better motives
For doing what needs to be done!
We can improve on
what we see
when we look around—
If we have different reasons
for doing what we do, and do not.
If we have reasons that
have nothing to do
with our advantage,
gain or loss,
advancement,
benefit,
pleasure
or profit
things will be different.
Adam and Eve lived with their
personal good in mind and
the Garden of Eden wasn’t good enough.
In Gethsemane, Jesus turned things around,
And lived in the service of what was called for,
no matter what.
And that is the difference that makes the difference!
There are two approaches
to take in finding new reasons
for doing what we do.
Here is the first:
We can sit still and be quiet,
watching what goes through our mind.
We are waiting for something
to arise that we are not
responsible for.
We don’t think it,
remember it,
imagine it.
It isn’t logical
or reasonable,
and comes out of nowhere.
Suddenly, it is just there.
We will know it when it happens
As we wait and watch.
When it happens,
we decide what to do about it.
What Is it asking of us?
What is it calling for?
What are we going to do about it?
The second approach is to simply
observe each situation as it arises,
looking for what needs to happen there.
What does our intuition call us to do?
We do it to the best of our ability,
with the gifts we have to offer:
Our original nature, our innate Virtues
(the things we do best and enjoy most),
Our inherent intuition and our intrinsic imagination
that come with us from the womb.
What is the impulse of our nature?
What must we do here, now for no reason other than it must be done?
If we begin living from these two
approaches to doing what we do,
we will transform our relationship
to our life, by seeking to serve something beyond
our own interests, desires and advantage.
And that will improve the world.
Being in the moment
is the most important place to be,
and we hardly ever
spend any time there.
We are thinking about
where we have been,
or where we would like to be,
or what we hate about our life,
and wishing things were different
somehow—
desiring,
fearing,
resenting,
dreading,
longing for
everything.
Seeing what is with us here, now,
and what is happening,
and what is trying to happen,
and what is called for,
and how we might help the process
by doing what needs to be done
right here, right now, because it needs to be done
and not to achieve anything, or acquire anything,
or accomplish anything
beyond being here, now
in ways beneficial to here, now
because that is what we are for,
and exactly where we come in,
doing what it takes to turn everything around.
If we have an agenda,
we have an idea for the situation
that is not organic to the situation.
We are bringing something
to the situation
that is foreign to the situation.
We are willing an outcome
upon the situation
that doesn’t take the needs of the situation
into account.
We are imposing our idea
of the good of the situation
upon the situation.
We are saying,
“NO! Not that! THIS!”
What needs to happen, here and now?
That is the question.
Not, what do we want to happen?
Our practice, our task,
is to be true to ourselves
within the circumstances
of the time and place
of our living.
What is it time for, here and now?
That is the question.
We must bear the pain of the answer,
and do what needs to be done,
regardless of what we want to be done.
How objective can we be?
That is the question.
Everyone thinks they are being objective
when they are being typical and traditional.
I have left situations
that needed something
I could not give them
without betraying myself.
It would have been wrong
to impose my idea for the situation
upon the situation.
And, it would have been wrong
to turn away from myself
and my need for self-expression and self-determination.
I have also remained in situations
and changed the situation
to reflect my understanding
of what the situation needed,
and other people have left,
unable to embrace and participate in
what I was doing.
How do we know when to do what?
There is no formula that says,
“Here is where you do this,
and there is where you do that.”
There is only being still and quiet
and seeing what arises in the silence
as an impulse from our nature,
and living out of that intuitive knowing
in doing what we do.
We wait for the mud to settle
and the water to clear
to know what it is time for
here and now.
This is an old Taoist formula for finding the way.
Dropping into the emptiness, stillness and silence—
one thing, not three—and listening/looking,
waiting to see/hear, is doing what is called for
to know what we need to know to do/what needs to be done.
Things would be transformed
If we would simply drop into the silence
and ask our intuition,
“Does this need to be Yes or No?”
And wait to feel in our body
what the answer is here, now.
Our intention must be to see what we look at,
to hear what we listen to
in knowing what’s what
and what is called for,
and do what needs to be done about it,
when, where and how it is called for,
in each situation as it arises
all our life long.
We are to be what the moment
needs us to be!
To be what is called for,
moment by moment!
Even if it is a Gethsemane moment!
But few moments are Gethsemane moments.
Sometimes, it merely means taking a nap,
(“Eat when hungry,
rest when tired”),
or going for a walk…
We are to read the moment,
moment by moment.
And go where we are being asked to go.
Do what we are being asked to do.
Allowing our moments to carry us along
the path to where we are going.
If we ignore what the moment is calling for,
and follow our dreams for ourselves
whatever they might be,
they will bring us back
to where we started,
having learned, perhaps,
to listen to the moment,
and be what it is calling us to be.
And do what it is calling us to do.
It may be that following our dreams
was it to begin with,
and it may be that was the moment’s way
of waking us up to the importance
of doing what the moment is calling for.
“Time will tell.”
Our moments add up to a life.
If we do enough moments well
we do a life well—
and that is the most
that can be asked of anyone.
We cannot do more
than live well moment by moment.
Start with any moment,
this one, say,
and it will lead to the next moment.
Before we know it,
we will have lived an entire life well,
one moment at a time.
Just by doing what was called for.
Such is the art of life.
Doing things well is the essence of what we are about.
We are here to do things well.
This is the work of the artist within.
We must develop our artist side,
and do well what we are doing, moment to moment.
It comes down to doing this thing well,
whatever it is that needs to be done,
here, now.
To do the present moment well,
we must be here, now.
To be fully here, now,
we must be focused,
present,
collected,
attentive,
aware of the moment
and what is being called for here, now.
We cannot do the moment well
in an absent-minded kind of way.
In each moment,
there are the needs of the moment to consider
along with the spontaneous impulse
of our nature.
Our place is to realize consciously
that we are allowing our natural
response to the situation before us to arise within
and direct us in meeting the situation
without our being rationally/logically
in charge of our actions.
We do not think our way through
our situations as they develop
any more than we think our way
through the movements as we dance,
or the decisions we make returning
the ball in a game of tennis.
“The Spirit is like the wind
that blows where it will,
when it will,
how it will…”
We trust ourselves to respond
appropriately as the occasion requires,
and follow the impulse of our nature
throughout our life’s course,
building a body of work
by doing the present moment well,
one moment at a time.
Things are the way they are
because it is easier that way.
Nature’s course tends to be
the course of least resistance.
Water does not will its way to the sea.
Water finds the easiest, smoothest
way to the sea.
Why waste energy?
Why bother with agendas
And five-year plans?
Just ask, “Yes or No?” And see what our intuition has to say.
Section 2
Inertia is the tendency
of a body in motion
to remain in motion,
and of a body at rest
to remain at rest.
Momentum is a function
of mass and velocity, friction and slope.
Change happens over time
in response to its environment,
and in relation to its
immediate surroundings,
to its here, now.
How different we can be is dependent
on factors approaching infinity–
but our tendency is
to not be different at all.
And our preferences strongly
impact our performance.
Put all this together
and that is why
things are as they are.
It is easier that way.
The energy required to change
must come from somewhere.
What is our motivation?
Alcoholics generally require
a near-death experience
to pop out of alcoholism
into “I am Jim and I am an alcoholic.”
We are all alcoholics on some level,
to some degree, in some sense.
It takes a lot of effort
to exchange our way for The Way.
Why bother?
What’s in it for us?
Who cares?
What do we care?
Things are fine just as they are.
That was Adam’s and Eve’s reasoning
in the Garden of Eden.
And that is why things are as they are.
It is going to take a lot
for things to be different.
The Tao can only wait.
And let the dead bury the dead,
as nearly dying does what it can
to wake up those who can be awakened/enlightened
while there is still time left for living.
Just do what needs to be done.
Moment by moment.
Situation by situation,
Day by day.
Liberty!
Justice!
Equality!
Truth!
The Four Pillars of Democracy
always need doing,
always languish due to neglect,
and violent opposition.
Are always under attack.
People hate them
from half-a-world away,
in all directions,
If I were God,
I wouldn’t know what to do first.
But high on the list
would be requiring everyone
to meditate daily on
Liberty!
Justice!
Equality!
Truth!
And recommit themselves
to the service
of these terms
in a world adverse
to their cause.
As it is, we are left with committing ourselves
to become a small oasis of
Liberty!
Justice!
Equality!
Truth!
In a dry and savage land,
and recommending it highly
to everyone who comes our way.
By sitting quietly,
tuning in.
Waiting for the shift in perspective
to happen that lends itself
to seeing/hearing/understanding
what is being said to us
in the silence,
and knowing what is being called for
within the circumstances of our life.
Meditation is a way of opening ourselves
to the world,
not of shutting ourselves off
from the world.
Contemplation and reflection
are required for realization
and discernment.
When we do this,
what happens?
And what happens next?
If our life were a book
what would the title be?
What movie or myth
best represents our life?
What song or poem
best expresses how it is
to be who we are?
It helps to be fluent in metaphor,
and to be able to grasp
what the symbols are referencing
in order to turn the world
and the events of the day
into a mirror reflecting
the inner depths of ourselves.
We see ourselves looking at us—
for us—
when we take the time to listen
to what is going on.
We must know what we are seeking,
and what is seeking us.
We are speaking to ourselves all the time,
but who is listening?
The world is speaking to us all the time,
but who is listening?
We must know how to read the signs,
how to interpret our nighttime dreams
They all are saying:
“This is how it is with you right now!”
What are you going to do about it?
We must relate ourselves properly—
appropriately and authentically—
to the environment in which we are living
day-to-day.
Religion that does not connect us
to the here-and-now
is worse than worthless.
Religion that talks to us of the then and there,
or of the not yet but one day soon,
separates us from the only time that matters:
the present moment of our knowing,
the here, now of knowing
what is called for
and what needs to be done about it.
This is what our communion with the world
will do for us.
It will open us to the time and place of our living,
and provide us with the awareness
and the wherewithal
to trust ourselves to the impulse of our nature—
to the wisdom of our intuition—
in responding to the needs of the moment,
moment-by-moment
all our life long.
Which is all that is ever needed
in any time and place—
in all times and places
throughout time and space.
In every here, now there has been and will be.
Seeing each situation as it is
and responding to it
out of the spontaneous,
natural, movement of ourselves to our life,
is the foundation—
the essence—
of balance and harmony,
direction and flow.
And it is evidence
of a heart
that is pure and noble,
gentle and kind.
If we allow our concern
for the thoughts/opinions of others,
or the expectations
of parents or culture,
or the zeal for personal gain
or financial reward
to inhibit our expressing
the spontaneous act of compassion
and grace here, now,
we will “leave the path,
turn aside from the way,”
and wander through the wilderness
of discontent
and misdirection
all our days.
To serve the moment,
we abandon thoughts of gain,
and seek only to know
how we might be of help
in the time and place of our living
with the gifts that come with us
from the womb—
the spirit,
vitality,
life
virtues and character
which are ours to incarnate,
integrate,
exhibit
and share.
Meeting the situation as it is
as one “Thus Come,”
by offering what we have to give
to what is being called for,
is all anyone need do
through all the time
that is ours upon the earth.
No one could do more.
The polar opposite of this is that
everybody is looking for something.
Ask them what,
and it comes down to,
“MY WAY NOW!”
The maturity level of the species
hovers around 5 years of age.
From the beginning to right here right now,
no one has ever been able
to grow someone else up.
Growing up is our responsibility.
And we all grow up—
those who do—
against our will!
We all grow up—
those who do—
by accommodation,
adjustment,
acquiescence
and adaptation.
It is called
“Coming to terms
with how things are.”
It is also known as
“Taking ‘No!’ for an answer.”
How well do we do that?
On a scale of ten,
with ten being great
and one being not at all?
Our task is to ask three friends
we can trust to be honest
to rank us as well,
In terms of our ability to take “No!” for an answer.
We make it our goal
to grow toward
accommodation,
adjustment,
acquiescence,
and adaptation
throughout the time
left for living.
And rank ourselves
at the end of the day
every day
regarding how well we accommodated the day.
And ask our friends to rank us
every three months as to how accommodating we are.
Starting today.
Which means accommodating ourselves to suffering.
The Buddha’s way was to not-care.
To dismiss suffering as an illusion,
and have nothing to do with it.
I much prefer Jesus’ solution to suffering,
which was to suffer!
To bear the pain of caring
and to care even if it kills us as it killed Jesus.
That’s more like it, I say.
Living well is accommodating ourselves to the pain of the world.
Both Jesus and the Buddha
would be quick to say
that it is easy to care too much
about the wrong things,
and that it is easy to care
about the right things
in the wrong way.
Caring is tricky,
and that’s what I like best about it.
Life is tricky.
I love this about life.
There is no formula for living.
No recipe for getting it right.
Now we have it, now we don’t.
We keep getting up
and going back at it,
hoping to do better this time
than last time,
or the time before that.
I love this about us.
The thing I love most about us
is completely out of our control.
It is an unconscious,
spiritual, thing:
Our ability to resonate with some things.
We can fall in love.
We can be moved!
We can care!
What is that about?
We can see eye-to-eye with others.
We can sing in tune and on key.
We can harmonize.
We can vocalize.
It is magical.
We are magical.
I love it!
If we are not going to love deeply
what is to be loved about life,
no matter what,
anyway, nevertheless, even so,
we are saying that what we want
and how we want things to be
is more important
than how things need to be,
than doing what is called for,
than being who the situation needs us to be.
We are wasting our life if we are not loving
uselessly, incessantly, indiscriminately all the time!
We must embrace life totally!
The wins and the losses,
the suffering and the celebrations,
the ups and downs,
shouting YES! to it all!
all the time!!!
This is bearing the pain of life joyfully!
Relishing the honor of being able
to love something with all our heart
and soul,
and mind,
and strength—
to love it enough to die for it!
To go to hell for it!
That is really living!
That is being fully alive!
Why hold ourselves back?
Why hold anything back?
This is our one chance at living life
the way it needs to be lived!
We are to get in there and do our thing,
not allowing anything stop us,
or even slow us down!
Tao, Psyche, Intuition.com 
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