We are children of Nature

Modern civilization's ideas about "identity" are like clothes that do not fit. Race, job, gender, nationality, religion, name, social status, politics, net worth, GPA, smart/stupid, etc...

These identifications that we are told to believe in (as descriptions of "who we are") are either completely fictitious or severely limited. The values, beliefs and materialistic priorities of our cultures totally warped. Fake views!

We are children of Nature, evolving expressions of the galaxies and stars. Potential artists and geniuses, creative and spiritual beings...

All of us::: expressions of the Tao, of Source or God, the Universe's quantum equations... Innate Bio-logical, eco-logical thinkers, lovers and artists, poets and dancers, shining bodhisattvas and buddhas in drag...

When they enter schools, too often our children are treated like butterflies with their wings tied up, forced to crawl on the floor, hang from tree branches by their fingernails, sit alone at desks or at computers, when they should be flying, laughing, singing, collaboratively creating and dancing...

Something needs to be done about this. It's time to shake off these chains of illusion.

Civilization's paradigm needs shifting...

~Christopher
Tao & Zen

The sun glints through the pines,

“Zen has been called the "religion before religion," which is to say that anyone can practice, including those committed to another faith. And that phrase evokes that natural religion of our early childhood, when heaven and a splendorous earth were one.

But soon the child's clear eye is clouded over by ideas and opinions, preconceptions and abstractions. Not until years later does an instinct come that a vital sense of mystery has been withdrawn.

The sun glints through the pines, and the heart is pierced in a moment of beauty and strange pain, like a memory of paradise. After that day, at the bottom of each breath, there is a hollow place filled with longing. 

We become seekers without knowing that we seek, and at first, we long for something "greater" than ourselves, something apart and far away.

It is not a return to childhood, for childhood is not a truly enlightened state. Yet to seek one's own true nature is "a way to lead you to your long lost home."

To practice Zen means to realize one's existence moment after moment, rather than letting life unravel in regret of the past and daydreaming of the future.

To "rest in the present" is a state of magical simplicity… out of the emptiness can come a true insight into our natural harmony with all creation.

To travel this path, one need not be a 'Zen Buddhist', which is only another idea to be discarded like 'enlightenment,' and like 'the Buddha' and like 'God.”

― Peter Matthiessen,
Nine-Headed Dragon River: Zen Journals, 1969-1982

Wisdom from Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido

Wisdom from Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido - "The Way (道) of Harmonious (合) Spirit/Energy (気)"

"The Art of Peace begins with you. Work on yourself and your appointed task in the Art of Peace. Foster peace in your own life and then apply the Art to all that you encounter.

All things, material and spiritual, originate from one Source and are related as if they were one family. The past, present, and future are all contained in the life force.

The Universe emerged and developed from one Source, and we evolved through the optimal process of unification and harmonization.

As soon as you concern yourself with the "good" and "bad" of your fellows, you create an opening in your heart for maliciousness to enter. Testing, competing with, and criticizing others weakens and defeats you.

Be grateful even for hardship, setbacks, and bad people. Dealing with such obstacles is an essential part of training in the Art of Peace.

The Art of Peace is the principle of nonresistance. The Art of Peace is invincible because it contends with nothing.

Let attackers come any way they like and then blend with them. Never chase after opponents. Redirect each attack and get firmly behind it. Your spirit is the true shield.

The Art of Peace is medicine for a sick world. There is evil and disorder in the world because people have forgotten that all things emanate from one Source.

Return to that Source and leave behind all self-centered thoughts, petty desires, and anger. Those who are possessed by nothing possess everything.

Instructors can impart only a fraction of the teaching. It is through your own devoted practice that the mysteries of the Art of Peace are brought to life."

~ Morihei Ueshiba

Founder of "Aikido" (Martial Art)

The one Bible verse that should keep every Christian humble

Humility is a character trait that God loves. The Bible tells us that God is totally against human pride and boastfulness, and wants all of His people to be humble. It is imperative, then, that all who call themselves Christian work on being humble.

The Bible tells us that "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6).
We understand that pride doesn't give us plus points with God; rather it gives Him more reason to resist us. Instead, what we must do is to "[humble ourselves] in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift [us] up" (James 4:10).

One verse to keep us humble

To be proud means to have an excessively high opinion of ourselves. Usually, a proud person imposes their self-importance on others, which is what we call bragging. Proud people who love to brag about themselves need not be proud of their financial or material achievements. They can also be proud of how "holy" or "righteous" they are compared to others.

This kind of character, no matter how much proud people try to justify it, is plain wrong. The Lord Jesus Himself rebuked certain people for being so self-righteous, and what He said will help all of us to stay away from being proud of ourselves:

"Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." (Matthew 7:5)

Self-checking

Many of us have grown proud without noticing it. We see the faults that other people have. We see their mistakes. We hear how they talk or sing bad. We laugh at them as they make unintended blunders. We criticise them for the way they walk. We look down on them based on how they look.
Simply put, we look down on others because we think we're better. Are we really?

We need to check ourselves if we have grown proud. We might be Christian in name, but our character stinks far worse than that of a criminal. We could go to church and confess to love all men on Sundays, but we can't even extend a gracious hand to that quiet homeless man sitting outside the church building on weekdays.

We need to evaluate ourselves in light of God's standards in Scripture. Do we pass? No one passes, because "[t]here is none righteous, no, not one" (see Romans 3:10). Only Christ is righteous. Only God is good.

Work on yourself
Friends, if we want to be humble, we should stop looking at the faults and failings of others and start working on ourselves. We're no better than anybody if all we ever do is convince ourselves that we're better when in fact we're not. Let's work on being humble.
Source