Tao Meditations

Tao Meditations newsletter Endless Possibility "Because you are alive, anything is possible." - Thich Nhat Hanh Dear Reader, We never know what tomorrow will bring. To some, that is an anxiety-inducing thought. To others, it is a source of constant wonder. When you wake up in the morning, 24 brand new hours are head of you. What can happen in those 24 hours is effectively limitless. They can be either lived or wasted. They can be filled with either joy or misery. They can be novel or mundane....

Tao Meditations newsletter Love The Mundane "Appreciate the plain and simple. Find that great in the small." - Lao Tzu Dear Reader, The vast majority of our lives will be, frankly, mundane. Much of our day is run on autopilot. Many of our actions consist of habits we've repeated for years. We see the same things, live the same days, eat the same foods, and repeat the same actions that we've always done. This is simply a fact of life, but that doesn't mean that there isn't beauty in it. In...

Tao Meditations newsletter Giving Joyfully "You often say, 'I would give, but only to the deserving.' The trees in your orchard say not so, nor the flocks in your pasture. They give that they may live, for to withhold is to perish." - Kahlil Gibran Dear Reader, Life is ultimately not about what we receive, but what we can give. All of nature points us to this fact. To a tree, giving is a matter of survival. The tree that spreads the most seeds is the one that gives away the most fruit. Every...

Tao Meditations newsletter Where To Find Happiness "Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions." - The Dalai Lama Dear Reader, The chief aim of many of our lives is simple: happiness. However, it is a goal that few truly attain. It is impossible not to have fleeting moments of happiness in life, but therein lies the issue. Where do you find lasting happiness? The secret is as old as humanity itself. As long as we have been able to think, we have held this secret...

Tao Meditations newsletter Do Not Live Someone Else's Life "Do not live to satisfy the expectations of others." - Ichiro Kishimi Dear Reader, From the moment we are born, other people's judgements, expectations, and ideas are put upon us. It is important to recognize that these things are out of our control. We have no say in what others expect of us. We have no say in what others want from us. It is entirely within their own mind and their own thinking. However, some will spend their entire...

Tao Meditations newsletter Peace Comes From Within "Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without." - Gautama Buddha Dear Reader, Can anything give us peace? Can any circumstances produce it? The answer is certainly no. Even the calmest circumstances and the most relaxing environments are meaningless if the mind refuses to relax. Worries, fears, and anxieties will be carried into any environment, unless we let go of them. And that process of letting go begins in your mind. It begins with...

Tao Meditations newsletter Life Is Not Good Or Bad "All that we are is the result of what we have thought." - Gautama Buddha Dear Reader, Life is not good, life is not bad. Life just is. Everything that follows the statement "life is" is purely a creation of the mind. Whether we say it is good or bad is based on the feelings we associate with it. And the feelings we associate with it are determined by our thoughts. Our thoughts determine exactly how we experience this life. Control your...

Tao Meditations newsletter Go Outside "The wise find pleasure in water; the virtuous find pleasure in hills." - Confucius Dear Reader, There are few things more beautiful and more conducive to joy than the natural world around us. Noticing the simple beauty of a small flower can teach you more about happiness than 100 books. Bringing your attention to a flowing stream can teach you more about the nature of reality than studying doctrine for hours. The nature of the universe is present within...

Tao Meditations newsletter Always Look On The Bright Side "Choose to be optimistic. It feels better." - The Dalai Lama Dear Reader, Our perspective in life is everything. How you think about something is how it feels to you. How it feels to you becomes how you experience it. Therefore, our experience is directly correlated to our perspective. If we moan and complain over a situation, it will become loathsome to us. If we can find opportunity in it, then it will become a catalyst for growth....

TaoMeditations newsletter The Greatest Misconception About Happiness “Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions." -The Dalai Lama Hey Reader, Many people believe that happiness is a product of our circumstances. "Good things happen to us, and those good things produce happiness". It makes sense on the surface. Yet, it couldn't be further from reality. Circumstances on their own do not have the power to give us happiness, nor do they have power to take away...