The Hua Hu Ching is a lesser known collection of the oral teaching of Lao Tzu of Tao te Ching fame. The version I have is translated by Brian Walker. It is short, excellent, and in my opinion a worthy part of every Mahayana Buddhist library.

It is Taoist in the sense there is no reference to Buddhism at all. It is Buddhist in that the content is clearly in alignment with important aspects of Cha’an and Zen Buddhism and their derivatives.

This reflection on useful delusions is admittedly a delusion of sorts, and it may not even be of the useful sort. Who knows?

I listened to a recent debate between Chris Hedges and Sam Harris on religion and politics. The Sam Harris rhetoric was in fine form, excoriating religion, and portraying it as the scourge of the earth. I think Chris Hedges did the better job, particularly if one is interested in arriving at truth rather than skewering religion. When I ran across Lack of Moral Imagination and Softness of Head from Woodmoor Village , the seed germinated into this article.

I’m coming to a conclusion to leave this mountain. While it has been useful to be here, its value to me seems to be dimming. And it has not seemed that useful to others in general. Within a few weeks, I will wind my way down to the plains below.

The intent of writing was always partly cathartic. In many ways, the articles reflect my journey towards Buddhism. Unlike some who see Buddhism as a neat philosophy or Zen as cool, I’ve viewed it seriously — perhaps too seriously at times. My postings were mainly a reflection of some struggles I’ve had with Buddhism, and some of the reconciliations that I’ve noticed.

I found this in a recent Lama Shenpen email teaching to one of her students.

Many people have this attitude of dismissing their own experience as of no consequence and it’s the biggest obstacle to progress towards Awakening.

You have to have confidence in your own experience and your own judgment and then just use other people’s experience and guidance in order to home in on it and hone it - but it always comes down to what you experience yourself.

Sometimes one can see where one needs to go, or where the path leads. Sometimes not.

On those occasions, when there seems to be a path worth commenting on, it will be posted here.