Sometimes we are reluctant to fulfill our purpose.
Pelican Passing
(Available original)
Nature is not benevolent; with ruthless indifference she makes all things serve their purposes . . .
- Lao Tzŭ
This passage from the Tao Te Ching reminds us that nature operates without sentiment. Each creature, each element follows its way—its tao—not by choice but by necessity. The pelican hunts. The heron wades. We too carry a purpose, though we may resist it.
. . .
Sometimes, we are reluctant to fulfill our purpose
Sometimes it takes a little tough love.
. . .
Lao Tzŭ, as quoted in The Wisdom of the East: The Sayings of Lao Tzŭ, translated from the Chinese by Lionel Giles, 1904. For the original text from which this is drawn, visit here.
. . .
Following versus subscribing. In the last two weeks, 198 people “followed” this work and thirty made it to the Substack follow list. The others, I think, got misrouted to a old, discontinued Substack I used to publish.
If you’d like to follow Zen Mountain Journal, it is best to subscribe. You can do that on Substack here or or this website here.
Prints of the original, 30 x 24 inches in size, are available here. ($175)
Posters, 20 x 16 inches in size, can be ordered here for $29. The poster is pictured just above.
PDFs of the poster are available here for $9.99. This is a high-resolution file you will receive, on checkout, as a high-resolution file that you can have printed by a local print shop.
The Tao Te Ching Journal: A Path To Inner Quiet
Zen Mountain Journal blends Taoist hermit poetry, contemplative art, and reflections drawn from a lifetime shaped by wilderness, solitude, and decades doing creative work on the outer boundaries of our culture. These journals are companions for seekers — guides in the reconnection with inner quiet, beauty, and the “soundless music” of a life lived with simplicity and meaning.
• Size: 9.25 × 8.5 inches — convenient size for desk or lap.
• Hardcover — the book can be written in without a table or desk.
• Double wire-o bound to lay flat.
• Printed on Mohawk Superfine, a premium uncoated paper for a beautiful writing surface.
• 160 pages.
