I finally finished unpacking and shelving all my books after our move to the country. In doing so I rediscovered so many jewels that were sitting unseen on my bookshelves and I now have a new pile to read and reread, which is very exciting.

This week I want to share a few passages from this little gem: Hua Hu Ching – The Unknown Teachings of Lao Tzu by Brian Walker.

Eleven
Does one scent appeal more than another?
Do you prefer this flavor, or that feeling?
Is your practice sacred and your work profane?
Then your mind is separated:
from itself, from oneness, from the Tao.

Keep your mind free of divisions and distinctions.
When your mind is detached, simple, quiet, then all things can exist in harmony, and you can begin to perceive the subtle truth.

Twenty-One
Each moment is fragile and fleeting.
The moment of the past cannot be kept, however beautiful.
The moment of the present cannot be held, however enjoyable.
The moment of the future cannot be caught, however desirable.

But the mind is desperate to fix the river in place:
Possessed by ideas of the past, preoccupied with images of the future, it overlooks the plain truth of the moment.

The one who can dissolve her mind will suddenly discover the Tao at her feet, and clarity at hand.

Thirty-One
The Tao doesn’t come and go.
It is always present everywhere, just like the sky.
If your mind is clouded, you won’t see it, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

All misery is created by the activity of the mind.
Can you let go of words and ideas, attitudes and expectation?
If so, than the Tao will loom into view.
Can you be still and look inside?
If so, then you will see that the truth is always available, always responsive.