I’ve read from a daily reader by Deng Ming-Dao called 365 Tao faithfully since it was first published in 1992. I must be on my third copy now. After about a decade the books just fall to pieces. This particular book has brought me a lot of comfort and joy. The daily passages have been a constant reminder to keep my mind open to the mysteries and synchronicities of life.
My daily reader rotation has been fine-tuned these last few years and is as follows: 1.) Spiritual Diary by Paramahansa Yogananda; 2.) 365 Tao; and 3.) The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday. I’ve found this trifecta of books pretty much covers all of the spiritual, esoteric, and practical bases that helped me navigate the heydays, the hard days, and everything in between.
There’s something special to me about each of these books but 365 Tao has a way of speaking to my inner child in a way nothing else does. I’d go as far as to say that at nearly 55 years of living it’s kept that inner child alive. It’s also been a gentle reminder to follow my gut instincts. The passages spark the same feelings that a good poem, engaging work of literature, or inspirational piece of art does. Parting the veil to reveal an intelligent universe that seems to be working in conjunction with our intentions instead of against them. Some days the passages are so eerily relevant to what I’m going through they give me goosebumps and other days they offer answers to questions I didn’t even know I had.
So many of us speak of how different the world is now after 2020, I know I’ve done my fair share of writing about it. The post pandemic world seems to be one of a completely different frequency than the world before it—lonelier, less fun, more harshly divided.
Yesterday, March 11th, the passage in 365 Tao read as follows:
Independence
A solitary crane
In winter snow
Needs no jewels.
A single crane standing unconcerned in the falling snow is the very image of independence. It needs no one, it is secure in its environment, and it is capable of going through life alone. Its independence stems from self-sufficiency.
It needs no clothing, no building, no wealth, no status. It is content, even glorious in its naked identity. So too with ourselves: There is no need for dazzling clothes, an impressive career, an awesome temple, nor a bejeweled master. What we want is something far beyond such externals.
What facets of your personality are encumbrances? What personal aspects prevent you from being independent? These are the areas that will define your self-cultivation, for you must strive to stand alone. This doesn't mean that you won't ever join with others, but you will do so as an individual who will cooperate just as much as is necessary. In this way, you will never be lost in a group, and you will never fear being alone.
(Passage from 365 Tao.)
That seemed to speak to my soul in a way that only a message delivered in the right time and at the right place could. It's a reminder that deep down inside buried under all the anxieties, fears, and misunderstandings we're whole and complete.
Then this gem from Timothy Leary came across one of my other social media feeds and stitched it all together. We can all agree that the pandemic severed vital human connections that have never truly healed. Those months and years of seclusion and fear made us become far too cautious of one another.
We desperately need to open ourselves back up again, to stop looking at strangers with skepticism but with genuine interest and as prospects for opening up doors to other ideas and new perspectives. It's time to shake off the worst case scenarios, to make peace with ourselves and the past, reclaim our power, and find each other once again.
All for now. Thanks so much for reading.
I have daily reader that I got a long time ago when I was younger. It's called "My Utmost for His Highest". It has been around for a long time, but a lot of pastors reference it. I haven't looked at it in a long time, but I might have to go back to it at some point.
Interesting, I don't have a daily reader. I guess for me it is daily conversations with my wife that play that role...