The unwanting soul
sees what’s hidden
and there finds peace.
While the ever-wanting soul
sees only what it desires.

The river reaches the sea
by yielding to rock and mountain,
and yet carves mighty canyons.
Inner peace is like water,
like day, like night.
Effortless being.

The thousand hidden things
speak in silence
The true nature of things
offers itself in quiet.
On the other side of desire
Treasures are revealed
That striving cannot dream.

Not forcing, not resisting, not refusing -—
the gentle rain that nourishes
roots of mighty trees
asks for nothing back.
There is no winning, no losing,
when action emerges naturally
from the quiet within.

. . .

In the ancient Tao te Ching, which was written before the advent of Buddhism and that later merged with Buddhism to form Zen Buddhism, we see the early roots of the First and Second Noble Truths, namely that “life is suffering, and the cause of suffering is desire.

A quality life, a relationship with inner worlds, depends in part on self-control.

. . .

Work is underway on a new Tao te Ching journal. Half the pages will be for reader notes, half will consist of art (in full color), poetry and journal reflections. The journal will be published in 2026. There will be both softcover and hardcover versions.

Also, early in 2026, Zen Mountain Journal will begin to offer two series of journaling classes, one on life journaling (using mediation and journaling to understand the patterns and potentials of one’s life) and one on creativity journaling (using journaling to access and understand the inner work underlying creative work). Sometime in 2026, these classes will also be available online.