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Illuminating the Dao - 悟 道
The Key To Long Life: Live Well!
by Michelle Wood
That seems a little simplistic, doesn't it? If you want a
long life, you have to live well.
It actually is just that simple, but here's the tricky part:
Just what does it mean to ―live well?‖
I'm sure that you have a very specific opinions on that
topic which may include eating natural foods, getting
enough quality sleep every night, taking exercise out in
fresh air and Nature, working reasonable hours at a job
you love that nourishes your soul, and so on.
Here is the wisdom on ―Longevity‖ from
365 Tao: Daily Meditations by Deng Ming-Dao,
Harper San Francisco, 1992, ISBN: 0062502239
Contemplate in the morning.
Pull weeds in the afternoon.
The joys and labor of a single day
Are part of a whole journey.
If you are looking for additional input or ideas and you
ask others, everyone you ask will have a different
answer! I say that because everyone I have asked has
had a different answer! While no answer is wrong for
the person offering it, many ―how to live well‖
responses seem incomplete when you attempt to apply
them to your own life and lifestyle.
And then there are your communities, the groups of
people you associate with; family, co-workers, recreation
buddies, medical advisers. It's really surprising just
how many people have input into your opinions and
experiences of living a long and healthy life!
―If all you want is spiritual realization, it isn't that
difficult. For the average person, a dozen years under
the guidance of a good teacher will probably give it to
you. That's shorter than what it takes to be a good
musician, athlete, or artist. It's even shorter that the time
it will take you to collect your pension. If you have the
good fortune to study with the right person, you can
succeed in a relatively short amount of time.
―But after you get it, then what? Many of us place such
an emphasis on attaining realization that we may forget
to put it in context. What actually matters is to walk the
Tao, maintaining vitality until we meet our end in a
timely way. Spiritual realization is essential, but it is not
everything.
(continued from page 37)
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