Posted by Brad Osborne on October 4, 2012 · Leave a Comment
There is a vast difference between hearing and listening. Our conscious world bombards us with a plethora of sounds, from the faint rustling of leaves to the blaring of the horn from the car behind us. And although we hear everything, our vastly capable brain organizes and prioritizes these sounds so our auditory senses do … Continue reading →
Filed under General · Tagged with beauty, beliefs, common good, defining, emotion, growth, hearing, individual, Life lessons, listening, meditation, music, not hearing, not listening, personal growth, perspective, philosophy, quiet, relationships, society, sound, stillness, Tao, Tao Te Ching, taoism, taoist, teachings, words
Posted by Brad Osborne on September 30, 2012 · 2 Comments
I have spent the past few years of my life living the belief that I had no regrets concerning my past. I, like most people, have had some difficult times, made bad decisions, and suffered the consequences of my thoughts, words, and actions. But I believe that all these experiences are an integral part of … Continue reading →
Filed under General · Tagged with beliefs, change, common good, defining, emotion, experiences, growth, individual, life, Life lessons, no regrets, personal growth, perspective, philosophy, regret, regrets, society, Tao, Tao Te Ching, taoism, taoist, teachings
Posted by Brad Osborne on September 25, 2012 · 2 Comments
Although I cannot imagine this will be the last time I write about the topic of love, I do think this will be the final in this series “Defining Love”. Please feel free to read the earlier posts in this series. As my readers already know, I always learn from writing on any topic. Through … Continue reading →
Filed under General · Tagged with agape, attraction, being in love, beliefs, change, common good, defining, desire, emotion, growth, individual, Life lessons, like, love, lust, morality, morals, not equal, passion, personal growth, perspective, philosophy, physical, physical love, physical needs, relationships, romance, sex, society, Tao, Tao Te Ching, taoism, taoist, teachings, unconditional love, verbiage, what is love, words, yang, yin
Posted by Brad Osborne on September 16, 2012 · 2 Comments
A great Zen Master traveled with his disciple to the small village that sat in the foot hills below their temple. The student was excited about their visit to the village, as leaving the temple was a rare treat and he longed for this quiet time walking with his Teacher. He was a devoted student and … Continue reading →
Filed under Taoist Parables · Tagged with art, beauty, blank page, by the people, change, common good, emotion, growth, individual, Life lessons, personal growth, perspective, philosophy, society, Tao, Tao Te Ching, taoism, taoist, teachings
Posted by Brad Osborne on September 10, 2012 · 8 Comments
We have all heard the phrase that “honesty is the best policy”. And we can easily equate honesty with the truth. In fact, it is nearly impossible to find a definition of honesty that does not include the word truth or being truthful as a reference. And the following will use these words as interchangeable … Continue reading →
Filed under General · Tagged with being in love, betrayal, betrayed, change, common good, emotion, growth, honesty, individual, lies, Life lessons, line, lines, love, lying, mainstream media, personal development, personal growth, perspective, philosophy, sex, society, Tao, Tao Te Ching, taoism, taoist, teachings, truth, verbal expressions
Posted by Brad Osborne on September 5, 2012 · Leave a Comment
Nan-in, a great Japanese Master of Zen during the Meiji era, received a university professor who had come to inquire about Zen. Upon arriving, the professor was shown to the formal tea house by Nan-in’s most faithful servant, Chujian. They followed the river stone path as it led through the garden to the tea house. … Continue reading →
Filed under Taoist Parables · Tagged with acceptance, common good, empty, growth, individual, knowing, knowledge, learning, Life lessons, master, openess, personal growth, perspective, philosophy, servant, society, Tao, Tao Te Ching, taoism, taoist, tea ceremony, teachings, zen
Posted by Brad Osborne on August 29, 2012 · 3 Comments
In the small village of Takenaka, there was a small monastery led by a well-revered Taoist Master. With him lived and studied twenty monks and one nun whose name was Eshon. Eshon was very pretty, even though her head was shaved and her dress plain. Over time and with no encouragement from Eshon, several monks … Continue reading →
Filed under Taoist Parables · Tagged with admiration, being in love, emotion, free expression, individual, infatuation, Life lessons, love, openess, personal growth, relationships, secret love, sex, Tao, Tao Te Ching, taoism, taoist, teachings
Posted by Brad Osborne on August 25, 2012 · 6 Comments
In the Qi Dynasty, a group of Court Ministers, highly established in their careers, were talking at an Imperial gathering and decided to go visit their old Master, now retired. They longed to show their sensei what they had achieved in their lives and bask in his pride for them. How happy he would be … Continue reading →
Filed under Taoist Parables · Tagged with achievement, citizens, common good, individual, life, Life lessons, personal growth, pride, quality fo life, society, stress, Tao, Tao Te Ching, taoism, taoist, tea, teachings, work
Posted by Brad Osborne on August 23, 2012 · 1 Comment
One fall morning, Tanzan and Ekido, two Taoist monks, travelled together down a muddy road on their way to Edo. They were returning to their Temple, after seeing to the business of their Master. A heavy rain continued to fall as they made their way. They rounded a bend in the road and came upon an … Continue reading →
Filed under Taoist Parables · Tagged with kindness, koans, Lao Tzu, Life lessons, monk, parable, parables, parception, perspective, philosophy, small kindness, Tao, Tao Te Ching, taoism, taoist, teachings, travel, treacherous area, wisdom
commonsensiblyspeaking 