Posted by Brad Osborne on September 5, 2021 · 11 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 … 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 July 24, 2021 · 18 Comments
With him lived and studied twenty monks and one nun whose name was Eshon.
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Posted by Brad Osborne on May 23, 2021 · 20 Comments
Akâwian struggled to understand the duality represented by the Yin and Yang.
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Posted by Brad Osborne on April 23, 2021 · 22 Comments
He had watched his father work the seas his whole life and wanted nothing more than to be a great fisherman in kind.
Filed under Taoist Parables · Tagged with boat, fishing, generations, gift, giving, hard work, koan, learning, life, Life lessons, mantra, parable, taoism, taoist koan, tradition
Posted by Brad Osborne on February 24, 2021 · 17 Comments
One more breath to breathe in,
After every breath exhaled
Filed under Poetry · Tagged with balance, cosmic, Grey, impermanence, leaning, life, Life lessons, nature, path, poem, Poetry, scale, strict form poetry, taoism, yin and yang
Posted by Brad Osborne on November 24, 2019 · 7 Comments
Among some monks a great discussion broke out regarding Taoism, that centered around a hypothetical question, a proposed response, and its insight to the Tao. The story is that a learned Taoist Master is told by another that he is very wise. How would the enlightened Master respond to the speaker? And how does his response reflect the Great Tao?
Filed under Taoist Parables · Tagged with answer, discussion, master, monks, praise, response, Tao, Tao Te Ching, taoism, taoist, zen
Posted by Brad Osborne on November 2, 2019 · 5 Comments
Master Hua recognized the chance to impart a great wisdom to his son, and told him, âSon, your misperception of these transactions is skewed by the accepted idea that âmoreâ and âlessâ truly exist. But that is not the case.
Posted by Brad Osborne on October 9, 2019 · 3 Comments
The farmerâs neighbors, all hearing of the horse running away, came to visit. Staring at the empty corral, the neighbors all said, âOh, what bad luck!â To each, the farmerâs simple reply was, âMaybeâ.
Filed under Taoist Parables · Tagged with bad luck, duality, good, good luck, life, luck, parable, perception, perspective, philosophy, silver lining, taoism, taoist koan, yin and yang
Posted by Brad Osborne on August 28, 2019 · 13 Comments
There is only one true ârequirementâ for meditation. And that is time. You must make the time.
Filed under General · Tagged with beginners, being centered, breathing, emotional health, focus, how to start, meditation, meditation techniques, mental health, mindfulness, practice, relaxation, Tao Te Ching, taoism, taoist
Posted by Brad Osborne on July 23, 2019 · 5 Comments
As the days passed, the workers would often rest under him to eat, shaded from the heat of the sun by the canopy of his bent body.
Filed under Taoist Parables · Tagged with change, inspiration, koan, lessons learned, life, Life lessons, parable, Tao, taoism, taoist, truth, undervalued, usefulness, value, worth
commonsensiblyspeaking 