More Taoist lessons in Feb '07

February 7
15
The ancient Masters were profound and subtle.
Their wisdom was unfathomable.
There is no way to describe it;
All we can describe is their appearance.

They were careful
As someone crossing an iced-over stream.
Alert as a warrior in enemy territory.
Courteous as a guest.
Fluid as melting ice.
Shapeable as a block of wood.
Receptive as a valley.
Clear as a glass of water.

Why are we (humans) always looking to the past as the perfect example? It doesn’t really matter, expect it makes me feel as if there is no one to turn to as a teacher today. Makes it seem less possible to achieve. Like it is all mythical, not a real objective. Anyway, all of these descriptions seem right to me except “shapeable as a block of wood.”

I can see – like in Christianity – being at the Universe’ disposal; saying, here, make of me what you will. So I guess I do get this. At first it seemed to contradict the lesson of trusting one’s own inner vision. But this isn’t saying to allow other people’s agendas to mold you, but to let Life shape you into the forms the Universe and Tao needs or wants, or , I guess, more like what would fit the pattern. Goes on:

Do you have the patience to wait
‘til your mind settles and the water is clear?
Can you remain unmoving
‘til the right action arises by itself?

Oh! This is so what I want and need. I don’t have the patience. I’ve got to learn it. And I can only see one way to do it – practice. I have to find time – make the commitment and meditate, so I can learn this.

The Master does not seek fulfillment.
Not seeking, not expecting,
She is present, and can welcome all things.

Boy, this turned out to be a really good one. To sit quietly, both literally and figuratively, and make or let one’s mind become empty, and let one’s heart let go of its hopes and desires and passions. Until one has zero expectations. Then let the right action arise by itself, and one can welcome whatever it is. I need this on my wall as a reminder of what to do.

February 8
16
Empty your mind of all thoughts.
Let your heart be at peace.
Watch the turmoil of beings,
But contemplate their return.

Each separate being in the universe
Returns to the common source.
Returning to the source is serenity.

The first couple of lines were an important reminder. My mind is full of turmoil as I think about all I need to do. And it is one of life’s biggest challenges, to watch the mess and pain of beings in this world and yet be at peace. Lao-tzu is saying that the way to do that is to remember that eventually all will find peace. As in Hinduism, it is comforting, and useful in daily interaction, to think that people are simply in different stages of their development, and that each soul that is a pauper today will in some life be a king. That what we’re seeing is that soul’s lesson. And ultimately, all will return to Oneness. As it says here, that return will mean serenity.

If you don’t realize the source,
You stumble in confusion and sorrow.
When you realize where you come from,
You naturally become tolerant,
Disinterested, amused,
Kindhearted as a grandmother,
Dignified as a king.

Immersed in the wonder of the Tao,
You can deal with whatever life brings you,
And when death comes, you are ready.

So true! When I forget the Source, as its called here – when I forget that we all come from it and will all return, I become overwhelmed with the sorrow of this world. The pain and terror are too great. It is a mass of confusion; it confuses the hell out of me, why such horrible things happen, why people are so cruel to one another, why everything in our own country is so broken. But all we have to do is step back, remember this is a journey we are all on together. That we need to be learning, not crying or beating our fists in rage. And if you can do that, then it makes sense that the rest of the stanza would apply.

I’m developing an idea of the One, the Source of all in this life. There is always the why question. Why did the Source spawn the universe? I think to learn. A super-intelligent, self-conscious being that is trying to understand what it is. So it can grow and improve. I don’t think I believe in an already perfect being. If God was perfect, what would It need us for?

February 9
We had a long talk about how we are actually better off than 90% of the world’s population in terms of income. I prompted that discussion, but it doesn’t take away my desire to be able to eat out, buy yarn, etc. And I worry about summer . . . As Jim pointed out, every time we are about to crash, something happens to save us. That is what we should focus on. And I am grateful for that. But I guess I‘m greedy, because I keep wondering why it is that we can only just barely make it. Why would it be so terrible for us to have just a little tiny cushion? I don’t buy the punishment idea. Lots of evil people are rich, and we aren’t bad people, even if we aren’t perfect.
I guess there is always more to learn about being hungry and poor, but I’d say Jim and I know more about it than most middle class people. And they have extra. I just don’t get it. I know life isn’t fair. But I’m asking for a pretty small thing in the scheme of things. Not to be rich, but just for Jim to have a job that pays above the poverty line. Above minimum wage, actually, but not by much.
Well, this is terrible. I didn’t wake up this way, but now I am full of bitterness about money. I need to cleanse myself of that. And I need to get busy.

18
When the great Tao is forgotten,
Goodness and piety appear.
When the body’s intelligence declines,
Cleverness and knowledge step forth.
When there is no peace in the family,
Filial piety begins.
When the country falls into chaos,
Patriotism is born.

Huh? I don’t get it. Maybe he’s saying – yes, I think so – that goodness and piety, cleverness and knowledge, filial piety and patriotism are not good things. Not good because they are pale substitutes for what really is good, or for what truly should be.

Goodness and piety – they seem like beneficial things on the surface. But they aren’t, because they mask the Truth, which is beyond the dualism of good vs. bad. Piety is unnecessary when you live fully immersed in the Tao. Similarly, cleverness and knowledge are poor substitutes for the wisdom of the body, that knows its limits, that is in tune with the seasons and the sun and moon and the earth. Filial piety is only there, only needed, when true love of one’s family, and harmony with them, is lacking. And patriotism – need I say more?

Okay, I get it. This is quite wise and makes so much sense. Especially when coupled with the next one, which I’m going to do, since I have a little more time this morning. On the next page Lao-tzu fleshes out this idea:

19
Throw away holiness and wisdom
And the people will be a hundred times happier
Throw away morality and justice,
And people will do the right thing.
Throw away industry and profit,
And there won’t be any thieves.

If these three aren’t enough,
Just stay at the center of the circle
And let all things take their course.

All of the institutions humans create, in an attempt to regulate and control the world, and the behavior and feelings/beliefs of people are misguided. You can’t legislate goodness. He’s right – and Jim and I were just talking about this – that people living in simpler societies, less economically or politically complex, do seem to have happier, more harmonious lives. And he lived at a time so much less complex than we do, so he’s really looking at foragers.

Well, we can’t go back to that. Not unless 7/10 of the world’s population was to die. There are too many people to feed to have anything but industrialized agriculture as the basis of our society. But might we not bend our technology toward truly making our lives simpler? Like in one of Card’s books, he has people who are far more advanced than us, but have returned to living in grass huts because it is easier on the environment, and they have designed electronics to be able to get wet, and to use less energy, etc. I mean, if that is what we valued, that’s the direction we’d be going.

If we were in tune with the Tao, we’d know how badly we were hurting the earth, the only earth we’ve got, and we’d care instinctively about every person in Africa the same way we care about ourselves.

You don’t need courts or preachers screaming about hell fire if people are living in the Tao, aware of their connections to the earth and other people. Now, if we threw out justice without throwing out industry and profit, people would not do the right thing and there would still be thieves. It all has to be done together, and then I think he might be right.

The problem is that these things – these requirements for following his suggestion, are not going to happen any time soon. I think we can try to work toward them, but in many ways our only choice is to do as he says at the end – stand in the center and let things take their course.

There is that fundamental contradiction again that I struggle so much with. Are we supposed to work toward a better future or sit back and let things take their course, be what they are, without even labeling them good or bad? My resolution of the conundrum for now is this:

We can work on ourselves. I can try inside myself to live in the Tao and not be pious, to not be taken in by cleverness, knowledge, or patriotism. Plus all the other things previously identified. And doing those things may/will be actions (non-actions) that might result in small changes around me. For instance, if I recycle, and agree to pay taxes for environmental causes, and vote in green ways then those actions, taken with others’ actions, might change some stuff. But I think overall Lao-tzu is saying, “don’t worry about the larger affects. Do what is right. That’s it.

Do what is right – which is a task hard enough to occupy all of one’s self for a lifetime. Do what is right and let the rest take care of itself.” Oh, and I forgot to say, do what is right and leave it. Don’t expect anything for it, don’t hope for things to come of it, don’t fear no one will notice it or worry that it won’t be enough. Just do it, and walk away, physically, emotionally, and mentally. And then let the world take care of itself. Let things take their course. Maybe enough other people will do the right thing. Maybe they won’t. but the great river, or Ocean of Tao will turn it all to something. Something beyond what I can imagine or see or articulate. Something beyond what we think of as good or bad. For me, the image that works is that of a being who learns something amazing from having had this experience, and then goes on to do the next right thing for it.

As I was saying yesterday, I am able to believe in that much more than in a god – an all-powerful God that yet is locked in battle with a creature he created, and whom he lets torture his more vulnerable creations. How does that make sense? Mom’s answer is always faith; that we don’t have to, and in fact cannot understand. And I agree, to a point. I can’t really understand what Brahman is, or the Tao, or the World-Soul. They are too big for my little human brain to grasp. But at least the idea of them makes sense to me. I can’t devote my life to an idea that not only doesn’t make sense, but seems wrong and repellent to me.

And sometimes people argue that in fact, if you look past this or that about the Judeo-Christian God, he really is very much like the World-Soul, or Brahman, or like Nirvana. Well, if that’s true, then why not just go with one of the others? No one has ever been able to explain satisfactorily to me why Yahweh created the universe and humans. The other religions don’t always clearly spell it out, either, but at least their versions are not incompatible with reason, logic, and their own tenets that there is no good or bad. It’s all about learning, for us, so why can’t or wouldn’t it be all about learning for It, for God, or the Absolute? I at least can wrap my head around that.

About meditation – I need to keep trying to carve time into my days for it. I only can think of going to bed earlier and getting up earlier, and then I’ll need to be sure I’m not spending too much time writing here. . .

While I was writing all that I thought of two things I want to write out. One was the reflection that I’m in the early summer of my life. It could be a useful meditation. I’m past that first pretty bloom, but that doesn’t mean the growing season is over – not by a long shot! The nutritious, valuable stuff is just now being planted. I may have 20-30 years of growing the corn, the beans, the wheat, the stuff of life, a long time before the harvest and the start of winter. It is a wonderful time of life – let me rejoice in it.