This chapter paints an accurate picture of the human experience.
If I have even a little knowledge
I will walk on the path of the great Tao
Straying from it is my only fear
This path is very smooth and easy
But people love to veer off on side roads
While the palace courts are splendid
The fields lie fallow
And the granaries are empty
People wear elegant clothes
And carry sharp weapons
Eating and drinking to excess
Hoarding their wealth and possessions
This extravagance is robbery
The opposite of the great path of Tao
I can’t help but notice the relevance of this chapter to today’s world. However, before we “veer off on a side road” talking about current politics or world crises, remember that this was written at least 2,500 years ago. This chapter has always been relevant because it speaks to the timeless human condition. The first Noble Truth of Buddhism is the fact of suffering. However, that is not the end of the story. As the saying goes, “Everything will be all right in the end. If it’s not all right, it’s not the end.”
All spiritual wisdom teachings offer a way to understand and engage with our human experience. (“Tao” actually means “way” or “path.”) All address this fact of suffering, and provide a framework for changing the way we relate to it, with the result that our suffering is eased if not eliminated.
A necessary component of this framework is an honest inquiry into the nature of our existence, and a recognition of our own participation in the reality that we perceive. Regardless of different concepts or vocabulary, the key is not so much the “answers” but our “willingness” to inquire honestly and listen.
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” ~Isaiah 30:21
So absolutely true about the human condition, Galen. When I read the OT especially, I see that how humans have been is so how we are today. We will veer off the God-given path almost every chance we get. Yet to walk in the straight and narrow is the way to true life and redemption. "Inquire honestly and listen." Ah! Perfect!
ReplyDeleteBlessings, my friend!
Thanks, Martha. You are back from your vacation--I hope it was restful and beautiful. The photo of where you stayed looked amazing.
DeleteThe human experience seems to have always been a type of human experiment, that is meant to determine or test something . We can only guess why we are here. We have all heard the saying 'we are spirit having a human experience'. When we inquire into all this, as all the spiritual wisdom teaching have done for thousands of years, we see that this world seems to be a place to learn, to grow and mature. It appears that Spirit takes on these temporal manifestation in form, in order to grow in consciousness, experience and intelligence. There seems to be indications that there may be a path of less struggle and suffering if we live a certain way. The Tao, Jesus, Buddha and so many others give pointers to this way out of suffering. We have the ability to chose a path of fear, based on belief, separation and illusion or we can walk a path of love which is based more on a realization of oneness and inter-being with all life. Meditation, centered prayer or contemplation seems to be the means we have been given to deal with mental suffering. It provides a liberation or salvation from a basic flesh/mental self to a greater sense of Spirit Self that is universally connected. I will leave it at that.
ReplyDeleteAnyway , good post, Galen.
You have perfectly described our choice, Brian -- To walk the path of fear or to walk the path of love. The Tao Te Ching describes the universe as a sacred vessel. There is nothing that is not held in this sacred vessel, including fear. When we see that all of it is held in perfect love, then even fear loses its power to cause suffering.
DeleteThere seems to be a healthy fear,needed to get out of harms way from an intruding, unhealthy force, wither it be animal, human, machine, technology or even some types of human ideologies. But, most psychological fear is not healthy or helpful for the human organism, it creates ongoing anxiety that keeps us in a constant fight or flight state. This dis-ease in our mental/biological body is what creates disease.Fear does lose its power when we become aware of the choice. We have been given the ability to turn off these stress chemicals before they do damage. Meditation/contemplation teaches us to see the mind body and spirit divide.
DeleteThe power of Love,joy,peace,gratitude,forgiveness,and humility, along with the ability to let go of the negative powers of fear, anxiety and unreasonable desire, releases us from much of the suffering we are subjected to. It comes down to a choice, to be subjected to fear or absorbed into Love.
I love the story of the warrior who asked Fear how to defeat him. Fear told the warrior "Just don't do what I tell you to do. Then I have no power."
DeleteSo, if we don't identify with, or respond to, what fear is trying to express to us, it has no power. This is good news. I read recently that most all people have underlying fear and anxiety stored in our emotional makeup. This is why I find the practice of meditation so helpful. The internal intuitive part of us can reveal these negative emotions to us and this allows us to look at it and let it go. You said in one of your post that meditation is about letting go, allowing things to come up, then its ....(your quote) '-releasing releasing releasing, until we think we have released everything we hold onto, only to discover that there is one more layer...and another....' This is good advice.
DeleteI said that?! That is good advice--I need to take it myself! In fact, I've been expanding my meditation practice this month--I have LOTS to release. In keeping with my fall focus of entering the mystery of darkness, I've been meditating in a dark room. Very different experience. I like it. Release that too....
Delete"This extravagance is robbery
ReplyDeleteThe opposite of the great path of Tao"
Several weeks ago, in studying Proverbs, I learned that God considers what we are called to give to the poor THEIRS and our failure to give robbery. The Teacher was "Not far from the Kingdom of God."
That's an interesting way of framing it, CW. I hadn't heard that before.
DeleteI like this one. It has a very familiar ring. As always, I enjoy reading your thoughts on what you are learning in this book.
ReplyDeleteSending happy thoughts and hugs your way!
Thanks, LeAnn. Glad you liked it.
DeleteTHis is a powerful chapter for todays world, Galen. I can so relate right now to what you say here ''A necessary component of this framework is an honest inquiry into the nature of our existence, and a recognition of our own participation in the reality that we perceive. Regardless of different concepts or vocabulary, the key is not so much the “answers” but our “willingness” to inquire honestly and listen.
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to do something like this after the death of my aunt and all the questions and thoughts and feelings that come with it. I've been trying to go with the flow of them all. There will be no answers, and I feel quite confused, but it feels like a very necessary process for the me of now and for the future me. Hope this makes sense. Cheers, Galen!
I found the end of your comment most intriguing, Lynne. Our thinking minds so want everything to make sense. We want the comfort of understanding, the security of certainty.
DeleteSo I get what you mean when you hope that your comment makes sense, and of course it does. But you have touched on the very challenge of entering the mystery beyond what our thinking minds can access.