adversity
     Chinese for "adversity"

golden statue



A tree hemmed in by giants
Requires tenacity to survive.




Times of adversity inevitably confront us all. We are denied influence, people will not listen to what we have to say, and we are restricted by circumstance. In this situation, followers of Tao must rely on their determination. Without that, they cannot emerge successfully from the danger.

During times of adversity, vision and determination decide the outcome. Mere doggedness never served anyone well. Observe carefully, and try to act. If you find yourself tested by the situation, take comfort in the fact that adversity frequently forces one to consolidate one’s resources. You can often emerge from adversity stronger than before. Don’t be overcome by fear. Take calculated risks if you must, or face danger if you have to. If your mind is focused to the utmost, you will triumph.

Without the difficulty of being hemmed in, the tree in the forest would not be forced to marshal its power to grow toward the light. It must truly bring forth all its inner strength to spread its branches. If it becomes grand, it is in part because of its suffering. Thus the times of adversity can be crucial to the development of one’s inner personality.



adversity
365 Tao
daily meditations
Deng Ming-Dao (author)
ISBN 0-06-250223-9

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Tibet, Treasures from the Roof of the World    
TIBET: TREASURES FROM
THE ROOF OF THE WORLD
Skullcup (Kapala)
Tibet, 19th Century
Tibet Museum
Photo Courtesy of Bowers Museum
A human skull rests on a mount of pure gold, embellished with turquoise. During a sacred ceremony, the elaborately decorated lid was removed and the skull — perhaps lined in gold — became a crucible. Inside, symbols of ordinary life were placed, heated, and transformed as part of an elaborate ritual enacted to help the initiates visualize the conversion of ordinary life and death into the path of enlightenment. This skull, given the elaborate mount of costly materials, undoubtedly belonged to a high-ranking lama, whose spiritual status lent special importance to this ritual object.
 

T  A  O   t e  C  H  I  N  G 
hand drawn calligraphy of the word dao
t  w  e  n  t  y  -  t  h  r  e  e 
tao 23
To talk little is natural.
High winds do not last all morning.
Heavy rain does not last all day.
Why is this?

Heaven and Earth!
If heaven and Earth cannot make things eternal,
How is it possible for man?

He who follows the Tao
Is at one with the Tao.
He who is virtuous
Experiences Virtue.
He who loses the way Is lost.

When you are at one with the Tao,
The Tao welcomes you.
When you are at one with Virtue,
The Virtue is always there.
When you are at one with loss,
The loss is experienced willingly.

He who does not trust enough
Will not be trusted.

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