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Layer upon layer
She finds deep in her own experience the central truths of the art of living, which are paradoxical only on the surface: that the more truly solitary we are, the more compassionate we can be; the more we let go of what we love, the more present our love becomes; the clearer our insight into what is beyond good and evil, the more we can embody the good. Until finally she is able to say, in all humility, "I am the Tao, the Truth, the Life." S. Mitchell
Translation of the Tao Te Ching by Stephen Mitchell, Harper & Row, 1988. In keeping with copyright law only the chapter under study is fulltext. All other chapters show only the first stanza.
Study Group Contac: Lissa Lord:lissalord@gmail.com
Tao in WordLayers
Layer upon layer
Sam Hamill translation:
ReplyDeleteEverything under heaven is a sacred vessel
and cannot be controlled.
Trying to control leads to ruin.
Trying to grasp, we lose.
I know grasping. It happens when I am weak and needy. The biggest grasp in my life was trying to keep a marriage when my spouse did not. I couldn’t imagine any other way of doing it, of living my life. But, alas, I could not fix it.
Lesson learned: Stop looking for my happiness beyond myself. Let go of everything except that which does not release--my essential self.
So, I was thinking about the book, of how I could let it go for it feels like the center of my life. Will I ever get this book published? I dwell on it more than I write it.
Dwell. Isn’t this a form of grasp? Yes. To dwell on some thought is like grasping for a husband who is already gone. Like clinging to dreams and memories and the way things should be. How to let it go? Put the "object of grasp" in the care of the universe, no less. What happens next? I am free to write without thinking “this has to be good enough." I let go the outcome and enjoy the process of writing. I still have a goal, I’m thinking of self-publishing. I can be the editor, publisher, book designer, graphics and text expert. Contrary to my fear of losing, I have gained my book! I can leaf through the days of my life in colorful tones and enjoy.
The Master sees things as they are,without trying to control them.
She lets them go their own way,
and resides at the center of the circle.
By the way, that ex-spouse of mine? We are both happily married to good people. Go figure.