All Posts Tagged ‘Stories’

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The Very Wise ToadMaster

September 16, 2019
35 comments

 

 

The very wise ToadMaster perched near the toadstool,
and with his croaky voice, he summoned all of the little tadpoles to swim up to the riverbank
to hear another lesson.

He, in his sagely way, bellowed, “Unfortunately, many of the upright, large apes — that we have mentioned in the past — foolishly refuse to judiciously see that they too evolved from swimming fish, even as you here, as swimming tadpoles (through a long passage of time), will soon be leaving your aquatic existence to join our terrestrial lot.  What is even more unfortunate is that the upright apes continue to mindlessly throw toxic debris into our water habitats and also
onto the beautiful terrestrial domain that you will all soon be graduating to.   
The upright, large apes continue to make things that destroy things.  The upright apes can be downright
destructive and dangerous, though some of them are very kind and considerate.  Overall, the whole world’s
life forms are all rapidly disappearing due to what these, large bipedal creatures are mindlessly doing.  Even as they claim that one of their kind is a God, they endlessly continue to pour cement and plastic over living things and spew out much toxic debris, killing our planet.  They often do what is called “mowing their lawn,” which they think is very beautiful (though such activity callously cuts and kills many precious creatures, including us amphibians.)  When you hop on land — which you all will be doing soon — do so with extreme caution, and avoid these large, bipedal creatures at all costs… and please
do your best to survive in the excessive heat (due to the climate rapidly changing).”

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If you have time, please watch the following 60 Minutes video on ocean plastic and pollution…

The Very Wise ToadMaster … Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-great-pacific-garbage-patch-cleaning-up-the-plastic-in-the-ocean-60-minutes-2019-08-18/

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The Story of Lo Zu and the Mountains (Another short Lo Zu tale)…

December 23, 2018
12 comments

 

 

An inquisitive, young woman approached Lo Zu and asked him, “Why do you leave our village every day and go wandering off into the mountains?”

Lo Zu, the great sage, answered, “I have talked to all of you many times about ‘no mind’ and that, in essence, I do not really exist as anything concrete internally.  Yet, you all continue to see me as just another man.”

The inquisitive, young woman then pensively exclaimed, “I do not understand!”

Lo Zu then stated, “When this body is in the village, you say ‘Lo Zu is here.’  When this body is in the mountains, you say, ‘Lo Zu is not here.’  At least when one is in the mountains, you (in the village) speak the truth.”

 

 

 

Lichen … Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018

 

 

 

 

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Puff Ball Fairy

November 16, 2018
40 comments

 

 

 

Puff Ball Fairy,
    when you floated past,
    ever so gracefully,
    ever so enchantingly,
    i was, at once, captivated
    by your spell.
As you gently floated away,
    i, with camera in hand,
    wished you would return
    so that i could capture
    some of your mysterious beauty.
Alas!  You granted my wish
    and again floated nearby,
    alighting on a simple leaf.
Thank you, Puff Ball Fairy,
    and may we meet again
    someverymagicaltime in sweet eternity.

 

 

 

Puff Ball Fairy … Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018

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Lo Zu regarding the Best Clouds… (Another short Lo Zu tale)…

August 24, 2018
27 comments

 

 

One young student of life asked Lo Zu, “Of all the various types of clouds in the sky,
which is the one that you deem best?”

The great sage’s penetrating eyes sagaciously looked up and he said,
“Not the huge, mountainous, white towering clouds that have accumulated much.  Neither the
saturated, heavy clouds, for each is darkly full of itself; nor the clouds that stretch, sheet-like,
blanketing the whole sky; they think that they know everything.
However, there is real beauty in the little, truly humble, faint cloud of no-mind that one can barely see,
that no one notices; it lets the sun through and helps illuminate the darkness.  Fireflies can illuminate
darkness too; very few people love them like I love them.”

 

 

 

Firefly Illumination Happening!… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018

 

 

 

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How many legs do you really have?… another short Lo Zu Tale…

August 3, 2018
11 comments

 

As a young student was walking by, Lo Zu asked, “How many legs do you have?” 
The young student replied, “Two!”
Then Lo Zu remarked, “That is a shame.”

Many weeks later, the same young student observed Lo Zu and asked,
“Why is it that you often bend down and focus upon the insects and spiders?”
After some silence, the great sage answered,  “What you think you are, you are not… and what appears to be what you are not, you are.  For instance, when an ant is looked at, a deep perception consists of six legs.  When a spider is examined, a great perception consists of eight legs.  When butterflies are seen, a deep perception embodies wings, and when bees are observed, there is diligence and responsibility.
There is no “I” or “me” regarding this, since both are merely empty, delusive, learned abstractions.
Therefore, this does not involve mere identification; it is much deeper than that!
Most people merely see things with lazy eyes of delusion and separation.”
“I don’t quite understand,” said the student.
With a tender smile, Lo Zu warmly replied, “That is OK; maybe someday you will understand and no
longer be
just another one of the two-leggers.”  

 

 

Eastern Tailed Blue Butterfly … Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018

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A Poem About my Camera… (or The Perceiver is not separate from the Perceived)

July 20, 2018
37 comments

 

 

 

As it fell from my
hands into the river,
my second-rate, semi-waterproof
camera was drowning.
I tried to give it mouth-to-
mouth resuscitation
but then received a
massive jolt of electricity
into my flared chops.
As I remained passed-out
on the riverbank, 
sweet images of beautiful flowers
crawled in my head
and I smiled,
realizing that a camera
was no longer needed.

 

 

Wildflowers and Soldier Beetle… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018

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The Story of Lo Zu and the Young Firefly

July 13, 2018
32 comments

 

A young student asked Lo Zu, “When a firefly is full of light, does that mean that it is undergoing satori or full enlightenment?”

“No,” the sage answered, “Fireflies groom themselves often, making themselves orderly and spotless, but that is not enough for them — insects who live with separateness and competition — to receive immeasurable enlightenment.”

“What will happen if I receive such enlightenment?” the lad asked.

Lo Zu then answered, “If the limitless, unadulterated energy of the cosmos visits you and flows through you,  you will look slightly physically different but you will not physically glow and, additionally, the fingers of the hands may contract (making it difficult to move), but usually that visitation occurs when one is alone and not among others.”

“I see,” said the student.

“After the visitation,” said Lo Zu, “you will look just like everyone else and, of course, the hands will easily move again; however, your mind will be much different.  You will be glowing on the inside and will have seen.”

“Seen what?” the young lad enquired.

“Seen what is unseeable; met what is indescribable,” said Lo Zu.

“Is it the sacred?” the young boy asked.

With a tear in his eye and a concomitant smile on his face, Lo Zu answered, “Perhaps!”

Then Lo Zu graciously remarked, “Listen, Firefly, surpass fireflyness.”

 

 

Firefly Grooming Itself… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018