Express yourself completely,then become quiet.

Open yourself toheaven and earth,and be like the forces of nature:

when the wind blows,there is only the wind;when it rains,there is only rain;when the clouds pass,the sun promises to shine.

If you open yourself to insight,you are at one with insight,and you can use it completely.

Open yourself to heaven and earth,then trust your natural responses;and everythingwill fall into place.

~ Lao Tse

We are all connected to each other,in a circle, in a hoop that never ends.

How high does the sycamore grow?If you cut it down, then you'll never know...

And if you can only know one thing, be here now...

Three things in human life are important:The first is to be kind.The second is to be kind.And the third is to be kind.     ~ Henry James

See, it's all connected...

It's like Jim Jarmusch says...

It's not where you take things from.It's where you take them to...

Adam Rifkin responded:

How I got here...1. I started with the Great Wall of Facebook, and how Facebook had snubbed Google:http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/magazine/17-07/ff_facebookwall

2. So I began contemplating the role of luck...http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2009/01/29/how-to-make-your-own-luck/ http://www.rd.com/home-garden/how-to-get-lucky/article27664.html http://www.quora.com/What-traits-do-lucky-people-share

3. Which make me think about 101 variations on Rock Paper Scissors...http://umop.com/rps.htm

4. Which brought me to everything is everythang...http://ifindkarma.posterous.com/everything-is-everythang

Which brought me here.

And here I shall sit for a while. And reflect.

over 2 years ago(Facebook) responded:

Think I first found you in 1999 on sixdegrees.com, Adam. Fellow traveller since then...thanks for providing the path.

over 2 years agoAdam Rifkin responded:

Hal, cool, that's about a dozen years and a dozen social networks ago... And really makes me wonder what we'll be doing in 2022... :)

over 2 years agoAdam Rifkin responded:

Ancient master says: If you like everything, then you like nothing. But if you love everything, you have the world.Source: Kurt Thamshttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=500040414&v=wall&story_fbid=1511834582...

over 2 years agoAdam Rifkin liked this post.

over 2 years agoAdam Rifkin responded:

Five lessons on how to treat people:http://itstimtime.tumblr.com/post/1331369369/five-lessons-on-how-to-treat-people

almost 2 years agoAdam Rifkin responded:

“Enlightenment does not ask you to be perfect; it simply asks you to find perfection right where you stand.” Alan Cohen

almost 2 years agokamalravikant (Twitter) responded:

Beautiful, man. Just beautiful.

almost 2 years agoSeemaSugandh (Twitter) responded:

LOVE! SO happy to find kindred spirits in this world! XX :-)

almost 2 years agoAdam Rifkin responded:

Thank you both! :)

almost 2 years agoAdam Rifkin responded:

Before enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. ~ Zen proverbSource: http://thinkexist.com/quotation/before_enlightenment-chop_wood-carry_water-af...

almost 2 years agoAdam Rifkin responded:

"Put your heart, mind, intellect and soul even to your smallest acts. This is the secret of success." ~ Swami Sivanandahttp://ifindkarma.posterous.com/eighty-percent-of-success-is-showing-up

Work. What does the word mean to you? Is it something to be avoided? Is it a means to an end? Is it the only appropriate focus of your attention and energy? Is it a way to avoid the rest of your life? Is it a joy? Is it a part of your spiritual practice?

There is a Zen saying, "Before Enlightenment chop wood carry water, after Enlightenment, chop wood carry water."

What’s the difference? The tasks are the same. The need is the same. What about the frame of mind? Who is chopping? Who is carrying water?

When you labor, stay awake. Notice the frame of mind you bring to your work. Do you approach your work as if it were a nuisance? Do you remove your consciousness from work so that you are filled with resentment or worry? What would you need to do to be more fully present in your work?

Practice mindfulness in work. It does little good to attain clarity of mind on your meditation cushion if you lose it as soon as you become active. Start with simple activities like brushing your teeth, ironing clothes, or washing dishes. Be fully alert as you move. Notice the position of your body in space. Notice the feelings in your body as you move. Pay attention to the thoughts that enter your mind when you do the task. See if you can let them go and just focus on the work itself.

If you are cleaning a countertop, feel the sponge in your hand. Feel the wetness. Feel the texture. Observe how the sponge moves in your hand from the sink to the counter. Sense your movements as you scrub. What do your eyes see? What do you hear as you work? Clean that countertop as if it were the most important thing you could do. Move with fluid motions. Waste no energy. Allow yourself the grace of economy of motion. Be grateful for the countertop, the sponge, the water, the soap. Be grateful for the hand, the arm, the whole body that can move a sponge. Be thankful for the floor you stand on and the roof that protects you. Without letting your mind wander too far, be grateful for all the circumstances that put you where you are at that moment with that sponge and that water and that countertop.

We travel to the ocean or to mountains, rivers and canyons, in part to escape the mundane world of work, but also to experience the awe that arises more spontaneously in nature’s magnificence. We give ourselves an incredible gift when we can experience some of the same awe in the mundane world of our daily lives. The weed that grows in the crack of a sidewalk is a phenomenon as miraculous as the redwood tree that towers into the sky. The raindrops that streak the window are no less an occasion for awe than the spray that dampens our face at the waterfall. The fingers that tap a keyboard are as worthy of praise as the feet of a ballet dancer.

When we open awareness to the tasks in our lives they become lighter. When we are able to be in the moment, we no longer feel compelled to watch the clock. Whatever your work might be, bring all of yourself to it. When you are fully present, you may find that your labor is no longer a burden. Wood is chopped. Water is carried. Life happens.

Source: http://www.interluderetreat.com/meditate/chop.htm

almost 2 years agoAdam Rifkin responded:

"The farther one travels, the less one knows."~ Lao TsuSource: http://twitter.com/dailyzen/status/77885919318913024

And also "The Inner Light": http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/839/

almost 2 years agoAdam Rifkin responded:

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéryhttp://ifindkarma.posterous.com/you-become-responsible-forever-for-what-you-h

almost 2 years agoAdam Rifkin responded:

Before enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment; chop wood, carry water.~ Zen Proverb, http://thinkexist.com/quotation/before_enlightenment-chop_wood-carry_water-af...Life is like business. It's 20 percent what happens to you, and 80 percent how you respond: http://ifindkarma.posterous.com/life-is-like-business-its-20-percent-what-hap

over 1 year agoEric Barker liked this post.

over 1 year agoAdam Rifkin responded:

Only kindness matters in the end.http://ifindkarma.posterous.com/only-kindness-matters-in-the-end

over 1 year agoAdam Rifkin responded:

Be who you are, as hard as you can.http://ifindkarma.posterous.com/be-who-you-are-as-hard-as-you-can

over 1 year agoAdam Rifkin responded:

Everything will fall into place.http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150305719963717&set=a.243879578716.1...

over 1 year agoAdam Rifkin responded:

Be kind to people, and people will be kind to you.http://ifindkarma.posterous.com/kittie-heaven-is-mousie-hell

over 1 year agoAdam Rifkin responded:

Clear your mind, and what to do will be clear.http://ifindkarma.posterous.com/be-lucky

about 1 year agoAdam Rifkin responded:

Is it "a hoop that never ends" or "a loop that never ends"?http://ifindkarma.tumblr.com/post/16771236182/we-are-all-connected-to-each-ot...

about 1 year agoAdam Rifkin responded:

When I am silent,I fall into the place where everything is music.~ Rumi

http://ifindkarma.tumblr.com/post/17274824857/when-i-am-silent-i-fall-into-th...

about 1 year agoAdam Rifkin responded:

But without the dark, we'd never see the stars.http://ifindkarma.tumblr.com/post/15283543514/without-the-dark-wed-never-see-...

about 1 year agoAdam Rifkin responded:

The 12 Laws of Karma:http://pandawhale.com/convo/539/the-12-laws-of-karma