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" t2z - the tOkKA bootlegz :: the ol' man "

4 Dan B.

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Greetings to you, my most noble student. Thank you for visiting my page. Below are seeds of wisdom, I hope that you will find the time to explore these words, and from their wisdom, find contentment. Remember that it is you and only you who can make yourself happy and rich in body and spirit. Practice with diligence and patience and you will find peace.

On this page you will find the ages-old wisdom of Aesop, the time-honored teachings of Lao Tzu, the philosophies of Zen, ancient proverbs of the East as well as more recent knowledge from Western culture. These teachings serve to illustrate that wisdom holds no boundaries, be they seeds grown in the East or West. I humbly propose to you that the wizened individual holds no prejudices, but keeps the mind ever an open receptacle. In this, we strive to lift the veils from our eyes and find contentment. In contentment, we are rich. This is True. It is our duty to attempt to grasp the oft breezy caress within these words and build them into a foundation of knowledge as mighty as the great oak. In doing so we gain the ultimate power, the power of wisdom. Knowledge is mighty, but without wisdom, it is brandished like a club. It is wisdom we seek here. It gives me great pleasure to offer these insights to you, and I trust that they will help you along your path. At times, the knowledge herein may seem foreign to you... contradictory to what you believe... I ask that you consider this wisdom with patience and understanding. I also ask that you review these words with diligence. Although you may have read these passages numerous times in the past, time has a way of unlocking doors within our minds. New enlightenment will come with frequent study. This is as it should be. We are all students in and of life. Let us study together.

I bid you peace and contentment until we meet once again.

One day, the fleet-footed Hare was teasing the slow-moving Tortoise for her lack of speed.

The Tortoise frowned for a moment and then challenged the Hare to a race. The Hare laughed, looking at the proposal as a joke, and thus accepted the challenge.

The race began, and as expected, the quick Hare immediately took a large lead. At the half-way point in the course, the Hare could barely see the Tortoise far off in the distance behind him, and so he leaped into a field of tall grass and began to nibble and play, enjoying himself and giggling over the audacity of the Tortoise to challenge him in the first place. As the Hare frolicked in the field, he grew weary in the afternoon heat and decided to take a quick nap; for even if the Tortoise gained the lead while he slept, he could easily make up the difference with his terrific speed. And thus the Hare fell fast asleep and dreamed of his great victory against his plodding (not to mention slow-witted) opponent. Meanwhile, the Tortoise maintained her pace, unwavering and unresting, straight towards the finish line. The Hare finally awoke from his nap with a start, and he was shocked to find that the Tortoise was nowhere in sight, behind on in front. Off bounded the Hare with all the speed he could muster, but when he arrived at the finish line, he discovered that the Tortoise was already there, waiting for his arrival with a smile on her face.

Moral: Slow and steady wins the race.

Ability can take you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.

Ability is what you're capable of doing.
Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude determines how well you do it.

A bird does not sing because it has an answer - it sings because it has a song.

A closed mind is like a closed book; just a block of wood.
- Chinese Proverb -

 

Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.

A cynic is someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.

A drop of ink may make a million think.

Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't.

A fair face may fade, but a beautiful soul lasts forever.

A friend is one who knows who you are,

understands where you have been, accepts what you become, and still gently invites you to grow.

A goal properly set is halfway reached. A goal without a plan is just a wish.

All sunshine makes a desert.

"All of your dreams will come true, if you have the courage to pursue them."
- Walt Disney -

"A long life may not be good enough, but a good life is long enough."
- Benjamin Franklin -

An angry person is seldom reasonable, a reasonable person is seldom angry.

It is always in season for old men to learn.

Behind every able person, there are always other able people.

A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a person perfected without trials.

You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head,

but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair.

Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without one.

Sow much, reap much; sow little, reap little.

If I keep a green bough in my heart, the singing bird will come.

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.

It is later than you think.

Great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes.

"If you doubt that you can accomplish something,

then you can't accomplish it.

You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through."
- Rosalynn Carter -

"Once learning solidifies, all is over with."
- Alfred North Whitehead -

"The man who is too old to learn was probably always too old to learn."
- Henry S. Haskins -

Whoever cares to learn will always find a teacher.
- German Proverb -

Not to know is bad, not to wish to know is worse.
- African Proverb -

One can pay back a loan of gold, but one dies forever in debt to those who are kind.
- Malayan Proverb -

"Knowledge rests not upon truth alone, but upon error as well."
- Carl Jung -

"The less a man knows, the more sure he is that he knows everything."
- Joyce Cary -

"The more one penetrates the realm of knowledge the more puzzling everything becomes."
- Henry Miller -

Nothing comes from outside your mind.

Time goes from present to past.

When your effort becomes pure, your body and mind become pure.

When there is no gaining idea in what you do, then you do something.

• •

In ancient times, when each of man's limbs and organs did not work together as peacefully as they do these days, and each had a will of its own, a struggle occurred. The limbs and organs began to criticize the Stomach for enjoying a life of idleness and luxury, while the rest of the body spent all of their time working to feed the belly. So the limbs and organs decided to cut off the Stomach's supplies in the future. The Hands were no longer to carry food to the Mouth, nor would the mouth receive any food, nor the Teeth chew any. They had not followed this scheme for starving the Stomach for very long when they all began, one by one, to fail and flag. The entire body began to pine away. Finally the limbs and organs realized that the Stomach, as cumbersome and as useless as it seemed, had an important function of its own. The rest of the body could no more do without the Stomach than it could do without them. If they wanted to keep the whole body in a healthy state, they had to work together, each to its individual talent, for the greater good of all.

MORAL: Only by working together can the greatest good be achieved.

• •
Four bulls were such great friends that they spent all of their time together. The Lion always watched them with hungry longing in his eyes, but he knew that he could never capture a bull with his allies about him. The Lion decided to set the friends against one another. So each morning the big cat would drink with a different bull, and tell him lies about what the other bulls had been saying about him. After a few days of this, the bulls began to quarrel with one another, to the Lion's delight. Shortly, the Lion managed to make the bulls so angry with each other that their circle was broken, and they began to walk alone, without their friends to assist them. When they strayed far away from each other, the Lion fell upon them singly, and killed each one in turn.

MORAL: The quarrels of friends are the opportunities of enemies.

• •
One evening, a boy whose job was to look after some goats, gathered them together to lead them home from the pasture. The most prized of the goats stubbornly stayed on the meadow munching tall grass. No matter how much the boy called to the goat, she would not heed him. The boy became enraged at this, and he picked up a stone and hurled it with all his might at the animal. The rock struck soundly on one of the precious goat's horns, and broke it off in the middle. The boy was mortified at what he had done, and fearful of what his Master would do to him when he saw how the goat had been treated. The child threw himself at the feet of the goat and begged her not to tell their Master what he had done. "Hmph!" replied the goat, "Even if I were to say nothing, my horn is sure to tell the tale!"

MORAL: Facts speak louder than words.
• •
There is no crime greater than having too many desires;
There is no disaster greater than not being content;
There is no misfortune greater than being covetous.
• •
To hold fast to the submissive is called strength.
• •
Straightforward words
Seem paradoxical.
• •
Highest good is like water. Because water excels in
benefiting the myriad creatures without contending
with them and settles where none would like to be,
it comes close to the way.
• •
Two crabs were walking along a beach, a mother and her young child. "My child!" exclaimed the Mother Crab, "Why do you walk sideways like that? Why do you not walk straight like the other creatures on this beach?" to which the young crab replied, "Well, mother... it appears to me that I walk exactly as you do. Go first and show me how, and I will gladly follow!"

Moral: It is better to teach by example than by words.

• •
A fox being chased by some hunters came upon a man chopping wood. He begged the man to shelter him, and the man offered the fox refuge in his cabin. Shortly, the hunters arrived and asked the man if he had seen the fox. The wood cutter stated that he had not, but as he did so he pointed to his cabin with a wink. The hunters, confused by this, went off. As soon as they were out of sight, the fox bounded in the other direction. "So, this is how you thank me for sheltering you, my friend?" the woodsman called to the fox. "Hah! If you had spoken with your fingers as you did with your tongue, I would not have left without thanking you properly! Friend? Indeed! Hah!"

Moral: Actions speak louder than woords.
• •
A crow spent many hours decorating himself with feathers that had fallen from the peacocks. When he was finished, the crow visited the colorful birds and strutted about proudly, attempting to pass himself off as one of their kind. Insulted by his actions, the peacocks ran the crow off. When he returned to his village, the other crows laughed at him and demanded that he go live among the peacocks, since he so desired to be one.

Moral: Be content with what nature has given you, or be prepared to earn contempt for trying to be what you are not.

• •
In the beginner's mind
there are many
possibilities,
but in the
expert's mind,
there are few.
• •
Be grateful for the weeds
you have in your mind,
because eventually they will
enrich your practice.
• •
Your mind and body have
great power to accept
things as they are,
whether agreeable or
disagreeable.
• •
A man and a woman were arguing over which gender was of superior character. As they walked and quarreled they happened upon a statue of a man holding up the Earth. "See there!" exclaimed the man, "Surely men are superior to women, as this artwork depicts a man holding up the world!" The woman regarded the statue for a moment and said "That proves nothing at all, for if it had been sculpted by a woman, she would have made a woman holding up the weight of the world!"

Moral: Consider the source of the evidence before believing it.

• •
A man who claimed to be a Psychic and Wizard made a small fortune in the marketplace by pretending to know what was in store for the people who paid him for his services. He would tell them of romance or illness, fortune or famine, all with the authority of one who knows. One day, while he was proclaiming a couple's future, a man broke through the crowd and declared that the Wizard's house was on fire! At this news, the Wizard ran off as fast as he could, with the crowd quick at his heels. When they arrived at the home, they found that it was not burning at all. The man from the crowd stepped forward, and to the delight of the people, asked the Wizard, "How is it that someone who so cleverly tells other people's fortunes can know so little of his own?"

Moral: Those who practice deception are often most easily deceived.

• •
One day, while the Donkey and Rooster were having lunch together in the meadow, a mountain lion came upon them. The Rooster started to crow madly, and frightened the startled lion away. The Donkey, assuming that it was he that had frightened off the big cat, gave chase and mocked the lion as they ran. After a few minutes, the pair had raced beyond the calls of the Rooster, at which point the lion turned on the Donkey and made lunch of him!

Moral: Presumption begins in ignorance and ends in ruin.

• •
Know contentment
And you will suffer no disgrace;
Know when to stop
And you will meet with no danger.
• •
The way that is bright seems dull;
The way that leads forward seems to lead backward.
• •
The violent will not come to a natural end.
• •
Those who are of good faith I have faith in.
Those who are lacking in good faith I also have faith in.
In doing so I gain in good faith.
• •
The further one goes, the less one knows.
• •
The Grasshopper had spent his entire summer singing, dancing and playing. He had even went so far along in his merriment to taunt and tease his friend the Ant, who had spent her days and nights gathering food.

"Ho there, Ant!" the Grasshopper had laughed, "What a fine day it is to dance! And yet you waste the time by doing chores! Do you not know how to enjoy life?"

The Ant, tired from her work, nonetheless shook her head and continued. "I'm working," she said as she continued her tasks "There will be plenty of time to sing and dance when the chores are finished."

To this statement the Grasshopper merely laughed and danced some more. "You collect more food than you can possibly eat in a day! The world is plentiful, dear Ant! Do not be so greedy!" he cried as he spun himself in circles.

The Ant shook her head sadly and continued her tasks. She worked diligently as summer turned to fall and then to winter. As the snow fell and the blizzards raged, the Ant found comfort in her home stocked well with food and supplies. One day a knock came on her door, and she was surprised to find the Grasshopper outside, half-starved and freezing.

"Please, dear Ant," he begged "Please give me some food and shelter!"

The Ant looked upon him and said "Grasshopper, I worked very hard all summer long and gathered enough supplies to feed and shelter myself for the winter, but I fear that I do not have enough for you as well... what did you do all summer long?"

To this the once merry Grasshopper replied "I sang and danced and played, all through the days and into the nights! It was a wonderful time!"

The Ant shook her head mournfully and said "If it was so enjoyable a thing to be doing, perhaps you should continue to do so now."

The Grasshopper, shivering and weak, cried "I cannot! I am too cold and hungry! Have mercy, dear Ant! I will repay you in kind tenfold this summer!"

The Ant, seeing that the Grasshopper had learned his lesson, invited him in and gave him food and shelter. She had worked harder than she had admitted, just in case an emergency such as this might occur, and had ample supplies for the both of them.
The following summer the Grasshopper helped the Ant with the chores each day, which left each evening for the both of them to enjoy singing and dancing, and never again did the Grasshopper find himself out in the cold during the winter.

Moral: Do not neglect the future in times of plenty, for tomorrow you may find that you need what you have wasted today.

• •
A dog, carrying a bone in his mouth that he had stolen from the kitchen of his master, came upon a small pond. Looking into the pool, he saw a reflection of himself, which he mistakenly thought was another dog also carrying a bone. A bone as fine as the one that the dog currently had! Thinking that he would very much like to have both bones, the dog thought to scare this other dog off by barking at him. Growling and gnashing he let out a terrible howl, and as he did so, he dropped his bone into the pond, losing it in the murky depths.

Moral: Be content with what you have.

• •
It is wisdom which is seeking for wisdom.
• •
One who lives each day lives a full life.
• •
If you lose the spirit of repetition, your practice will become quite difficult.
• •
If your practice is good, you may become proud of it. What you do is good, but something more is added to it. Pride is extra. Right effort is to get rid of something extra.
• •
An old man living in a destitute and barren town buried all of his money at the base of a tree in his back yard. Each night, he would lift the cover on his treasure and delight upon his possession of it. One brightly lit eve, a thief happened upon the old man as he gloated to himself about his great riches. After the miser had gone to sleep, the thief removed the cover and took all of the old man's treasure. The next night the old man, finding his treasure gone, cursed and spat and shook with rage. A curious neighbor came by to inquire what had upset the aged one so, and upon hearing the story, said "Since you did not spend this money anyway, you have not really lost anything. Go each night and pretend that the money is still there, and you will be as well off as ever."

Moral: The value in money is not in having it, but in using it wisely.

• •
One who knows contentment is rich.
• •


Special thanks to Dan Berger ..

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- 07,July 2010

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