“Manifest plainness,
Embrace simplicity,
Reduce selfishness,
Have few desires.”
Lao-tzu (604 BC – 531 BC) Chinese Taoist philosopher on cutting all ties
BEING LOVING IS SIMPLER NOW – “We ask especially freedom from self-will, and are careful to make no requests for ourselves only. We may ask for ourselves, however, if others will be helped. We are careful not to pray for our own selfish ends.” (12 & 12, p. 52)
What have you done lately, that was loving with no strings attached?
Find Your Lovin – Drake (5:58)
What is The Tao by Alan Watts (6:52)
The Pet Dog :
Once, a man had a pet dog. The faithful and strong dog used to guard the master’s factory at night. The master loved him, fed him well and took him out for walks. One unlucky day, he was hit by a car.
One of his hind legs was severely injured. The doctors could not heal the injury. Now the poor dog had to limp around all the time. The dog’s master thought that a lame dog would not be a good guard. So he stopped loving the poor dog.
One day, the dog smelt some ginger in the air. He sniffed around and saw a ginger plant growing in the factory’s ground. The master saw the dog sniffing the ginger plant. He checked and found out that the soil near the plant was excellent for growing ginger plants. He then planted plenty of ginger plants and made a huge profit.
Then the master realized that a physical handicap does not make anyone useless. He started loving and caring for his dog once again. (http://www.english-for-students.com/The-Pet-Dog.html)
I’ve been helping an older recently undocumented immigrant adolescent get back on his feet. (2)
The Tao is fascinating. It seems to it rescue how to be more connected. Honestly… I don’t recall being completely selfless lately.
I often feel that putting out these SFZs are an act of somewhat selfless love. But they are such an integral part of my spiritual life that there absence would be the kind of loss I’d rather not experience. The kind I don’t want to spend another minute even considering.
So I suppose its the expectations or lack there of afterwards, that help to determine the measure of love being expressed.
Hmmmmm, less is more? I get caught up in all the commercials that encourage me to buy, buy, buy. It is as though the dollar becomes my Higher Power. I am not happy or complete without the right number of dollars. The dollar determines whether I am successful in my own life. And yet, success and happiness come from within me. How do I know I am successful? I will learn from my Higher Power – from my connection to my Higher Power and the good I do in the universe. And I will be at peace. Being content may be the real “more”.