Lao Tzu's Way
"Lao-tzu was a Chinese sage who was neither a priest nor a follower of any religious belief system. He was a patient observer of the natural world and all the lessons that could be picked up from the flow of water, the movement of the winds, the flight of birds, the contentment of a turtle in the mud, and the coming and going of the seasons. "He came to understand that this wonder cannot be captured by words and concepts. It can be talked about, yet never captured. It can be thought about, yet never fathomed. It can only be experienced. "
— A Path and a Practice
Life Has No Preferences
"Life has no preferences.
Every manifestation has its place and lives its life under the sun.
Therefore we welcome
everything and everyone
without distinction.
Life continuously breathes
its forms into existence,
never depleting itself,
always replenishing itself.
Clinging to our preferences,
we separate ourselves from life
and suffer exhaustion.
Sitting still and following our breath,
we find renewal."
— A Path and a Practice
Acceptance
"Acceptance is courageous attention turned to the nature of things as they truly are, not as we wish them to be. This attention enables our natural wisdom and energy to work effectively with circumstances. It allows us to avoid the twin traps of either hiding our heads in the sand while events roll over us or wearing ourselves out, making things worse by frenetic and ineffective activity. Acceptance allows us to fully understand events and circumstances, freeing us to participate in life with joy and abandon. We become as patient as a still pond, yet as potentially powerful as a rushing river."
— A Path and a Practice
Be One With Your Children
"Detach yourself from the seeming
successes and failures of your children.
By doing so you become able
to be one with them at all times.
You do not live your life
through your children.
Therefore they are free
to find their own true fulfillment."
— The Parent's Tao Te Ching
See Your Children As Sacred Beings
"Your children are not mere lumps of clay
waiting for your expert hands.
They are the very energy of the universe
and will become what they will become.
They are sacred beings.
If you tamper with them
you will make everyone miserable."
— The Parent's Tao Te Ching
Affection Between Couples
"When your beloved delights you
you respond with affection —
a smile, a hug, a touch of the hand
gently on bare skin.
But when your beloved disappoints you,
can you still respond with affection?
Can you still open your arms, hold tenderly,
caress healingly, and talk lovingly?
This affection is genuine.
It does not depend
on the behavior of others.
It lies within you at all times."
— The Couple's Tao Te Ching
Older and Wiser
"If you are becoming a sage
you will grow in trust and contentment.
You will discover the light
of life's deepest truths.
If you are merely growing older,
you will become trapped by fears and frustrations.
You will see only the darkness
of infirmity and death.
The great task of the sage
is learning to see in the darkness
and not be afraid."
— The Sage's Tao Te Ching
Forgiveness
"We are here to bring forgiveness
to ourselves and to the world.
We are not here to be afraid
or to cling to the anxiety
that separates us from life.
We are here to use everything in our experience
to see how we cling and suffer,
so we can gently set it down,
and find forgiveness for ourselves
and for the world."
— The Tao of Forgiveness
Caregiving with Love
"If we want a situation to change,
we must let it remain as it is.
If we want people to heal,
we must let them be ill.
If we want to be strong
we must let ourselves be weak.
Resistance keeps us stuck.
Acceptance sets us free."
— The Caregiver's Tao Te Ching
We Are Good
"Not trying to be good,
we are free to truly care.
When we try to be good,
our caring loses power.
We work harder
and accomplish less.
Trying to be good
is a pale imitation of caring.
It blooms like a flower for a moment,
but it fades soon after blooming.
Our caregiving is the fruit at the center of life,
not the flower.
We don't have to try to be good.
We are good."
— The Caregiver's Tao Te Ching
