The first part of this chapter carries its deepest meaning. It begins with a brief version of creation.
Tao gives birth to one
One gives birth to two
Two give birth to three
Three give birth to the ten thousand things
Using symbols, this progression can be illustrated by the movement from wuji, or unlimited potential,
to taiji, commonly recognized as the yin yang symbol.
It is the separation of oneness into the complementary energies of yin and yang that creates form from the formlessness of One. This reminds me of the Buddhist teaching: “Form is emptiness. Emptiness is form.”
The union of yin and yang then produces the manifested universe, referred to as the ten thousand things.
The ten thousand things carry yin and embrace yang
These two energies exchange in the middle creating harmony
The character for carry suggests carrying something on one’s back. Thus carrying yin and embracing yang (in front) give a sense of yin and yang circling through us and around us in perfect balance, one fading as the other manifests.
This also reflects our breathing. We breathe in and manifest; we breathe out and release. The point of exchange is that moment when we are neither inhaling nor exhaling. There is a moment of balanced stillness as the two energies meet in the center before exchanging places and repeating the cycle. Within that stillness is the eternal harmony.
In Shambhala training, this point between the breaths is called the gap. It is the gateway of the holy instant described in A Course in Miracles. Within that tiny portal in time is the transcendence of time into the vastness of infinity.
This is our practical way to practice something mysterious and indefinable. We breathe. And as we reach that point of exchange, when we have fully inhaled or exhaled and are poised to reverse , we can be aware of the perfect harmony in the stillness.
A law professor, speaking English as a second language, once gave us an instruction to turn to a particular page and “be amazed.” Our breath is like that. It seems ordinary and we take it for granted. But within each breath is all the wisdom teaching of the universe.
Be amazed.
I have taken notice of my breath only when thinking about it, or when meditating. It's true that we take it for granted,) when it is one of the most amazing wisdoms of the universe. Thank you, Galen, for reminding me to pay attention to it. :-
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, DJan. When I was meditating this morning, I tried to enter into that tiny gap between breaths. There was a sense of infinite expansion just for a moment. Amazing indeed. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteAs "Breathe" is my word for the year, I have taken particular care to focus on how I breathe, from the diaphragm, and how it makes me feel as opposed to shallow breathing. Your post here magnifies the holiness of that simple act, which all living things do by nature. Yes, I am amazed!
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Galen!
I keep forgetting that "breathe" is your word this year. How perfect. Indeed you are having a sacred year, Martha!
DeleteAlways enjoy reading this philosophy. I like the words breath, stillness and harmony. I often need more stillness and harmony in my life. I can relate to the breathing. In the little bit of meditation I have done; it is a key element.
ReplyDeleteI liked this quote I found recently; “If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.”
― Amit Ray, Om Chanting and Meditation
Lovely quote, LeAnn. Yep, breath is where the action is, spiritually speaking! Interesting how breath, stillness, harmony all go together. Our bodies know this and will teach it to us if we give them a chance. Meditation is one way to do that.
DeleteWonderful interpretation, Galen,thank you! I'm printing this out to insert into my copy of the Tao Te Ching as a lovely reminder of the core principles.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lynne. Glad you liked it.
DeleteTao gives birth to one
ReplyDeleteOne gives birth to two
Two give birth to three
Three give birth to the tens of thousand things
I had been reading recently, over the past year, on the Christian Mystic view of Trinity.This seems to be the general same thought from several of the mystic's. I will attempt to put in words what I got from them. From the unnameable comes the one which is the absolute (the Father). From the absolute Father comes the vibrational spirit energy (Mother or Holy Spirit). From the two comes the creation and matter (The Son of God). The earliest concept of the Christ Spirit is the cosmic Christ, this Spirit is manifested, in matter, in the tens of thousands (billions)of things. A son of man, Jesus embodied this Christ Spirit so well that he took on the identity of the Christ Spirit, he had no personal sense of ego or lower self. He became know as the Christ. He said the Father and I (Christ) are one. He then said that this Christ that is in him can also be in us. The apostle Paul continued to say the same "the Christ in you is the hope of glory" (Col 1:27) The hope of glory means the fulfillment of restoration for us and all creation.
Anyway it is an amazing way to look at it all and it gives me a new appreciation of Jesus , Christ , The Father and the Mother (Holy Spirit). It also gives me an appreciation of Tao which to me is the mystery underlying all concepts we could ever imagine on these things.
Great connection and explanation, Brian. Thanks for sharing this!
Delete"It is the separation of oneness into the complementary energies of yin and yang that creates form from the formlessness of One. ...The union of yin and yang then produces the manifested universe, referred to as the ten thousand things."
ReplyDeleteI like this statement so much and it fits with what I was attempting to express in the last post.