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Chapter of the Week: #54 [Archive]
I had no doubt you'd catch your mistake. If I ever make one, unlikely though that is, I'm sure you'll be there to catch it...
I also believe her tears were sincere, but see, I don't want sincerity after I'm dead, I want it now.
Sincerity now! Reminds me of Seinfield: 'Serenity Now!'
I also believe her tears were sincere, but see, I don't want sincerity after I'm dead, I want it now.
Sincerity now! Reminds me of Seinfield: 'Serenity Now!'
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Note: The Tao Te Ching can be obscure, especially if you think you're supposed to understand what it's saying! We find it easier and more instructive to simply contemplate how the chapter resonates with your personal experience. Becoming more aware at this fundamental level simplifies life. This approach conforms to the view that true knowing lies within ourselves. Thus, when a passage in the scripture resonates, you've found your inner truth. The same applies for when it evokes a question; questions are the grist for self realization.
Chapter 54
What is firmly rooted cannot be pulled out;
What is tightly held in the arms will not slip loose;
Through this the offering of sacrifice by decendants will never come to an end.
Cultivate it in your person
And its virtue will be genuine;
Cultivate it in the family
And its virtue will be more than sufficient;
Cultivate it in the hamlet
And its virtue will endure;
Cultivate it in the state
And its virute will abound;
Cultivate it in the empire
And its virtue will be pervasive.
Hence look at the person through the person;
look at the family through the family;
look at the hamlet through the hamlet;
look at the state through the state;
look at the empire through the empire.
How do I know that the empire is like that? By means of this.
What is firmly rooted hints at what it is. When I am quiet and peel away the layers of 'things' of which I'm aware, I sense something [chref=6]dimly visible[/chref]. This is like a [chref=14]shape that has no shape.[/chref] I can't describe it (as we all know), but yet it informs me of what isn't it... those shadows of the world that seem so real, yet when looked at closely are just reflections from within.
Seeing those reflections of myself as being the world out there comes so naturally. How was I to know that this was happening? No one taught me so in school. Although, look at the person through the person, does have a parallel folk saying about the need to walk in the shoes of another to truly understand. This is hard to do, for this goes against the innate sense that I am the center of the universe. Thus, I tend to look at the _____ through myself and my agenda, which arises from my personal fears and needs.
And so I can't get away from being subjective. Thus, objectivity is the illusion which feels real to me when I forget that what I'm seeing is my own reflection. In a typically ironic Taoist way, knowing my profound subjectivity helps me look at the ______ through the _______. It is like what occurs when I face my fears; they weaken. So too with my subjectivity. By facing it, it loses some of its 'hoodwinking' effects on my perception.
Just imagine what a curious place this world would be if we all knew that the world we see is simply a reflection of ourselves. Would we dig deeper to find it? And if we did, would we then know that this it is the same it in all, from the person to the empire?
MMmmm... Maybe we all intuitively know our it is universal, but we are too insecure to face it, for then we would have to give up our 'edge'. The irony is that whenever I give up my 'edge', I become more secure.
I find that I have a better sense of ?it? when I slow down and really pay attention. Pay attention to what my emotions are doing, pay attention to where my thoughts are taking me (usually down by-paths), and probably the most important, what?s really occurring for other people. To me, ?looking at the person through the person? is seeing them as the human being they really are. And usually I have very little information about what they?re really thinking and feeling inside. That?s where it works to have a questioning approach to people, instead of assuming I know what kind of person they are. Usually with a little more effort, I?ll find out that they?re not much different from me. They have fears, they have failings, just like me, they just may manifest those a little differently.
?What is firmly rooted cannot be pulled out? makes me think of faith. If I have true faith in something, I don?t get upset; I don?t get pulled out of a sense of integrity/centeredness. For example, I want my daughter to follow healthy eating habits. This includes having a fruit or vegetable with every meal. When my faith in this is secure, we don?t argue about do we need to eat that way. We just keep to it. On the other hand, if I?m not feeling centered, I may not stick to this, and there may be arguments about if we ?have to? eat that way. I?m not talking about blindly ?doing what I say because I said so?, but simply knowing deep down that this is something our bodies need to be healthy.