Do not honor the worthy,
So that the people will not contend with one another.
Do not value hard-to-get goods,
So that the people will not turn robbers.
Do not show objects of desire,
So that the people's minds are not disturbed.
-- Ellen Chen, Verse 1, Chapter 3, Tao Te Ching
"The legs are not in competition with each other." said Lao Tzu.
We were sitting in the stands watching Flagstaff runners in their evening practice on a school track.
"If we honored only one leg, the other leg would succumb to leg envy. Running, even walking, then becomes impossible." he continued. "The legs realize they are joined with a larger body. They run as one."
We sat quietly, musing over Lao Tzu's imagery.
"One of my favorite Zen sayings," I said, " is that the Buddha is a shit stick."
Lao Tzu laughed. "Yes. It's all an interflow. Setting something up is a set up. Roses grow out of muck. No muck, no rose."
"Don't just love a piece of it. Love it all." said Jesus. "And what is doing the loving is what is being loved."
The setting sun and the receptive clouds conjoined in dancing color.
We loved it.
So that the people will not contend with one another.
Do not value hard-to-get goods,
So that the people will not turn robbers.
Do not show objects of desire,
So that the people's minds are not disturbed.
-- Ellen Chen, Verse 1, Chapter 3, Tao Te Ching
"The legs are not in competition with each other." said Lao Tzu.
We were sitting in the stands watching Flagstaff runners in their evening practice on a school track.
"If we honored only one leg, the other leg would succumb to leg envy. Running, even walking, then becomes impossible." he continued. "The legs realize they are joined with a larger body. They run as one."
We sat quietly, musing over Lao Tzu's imagery.
"One of my favorite Zen sayings," I said, " is that the Buddha is a shit stick."
Lao Tzu laughed. "Yes. It's all an interflow. Setting something up is a set up. Roses grow out of muck. No muck, no rose."
"Don't just love a piece of it. Love it all." said Jesus. "And what is doing the loving is what is being loved."
The setting sun and the receptive clouds conjoined in dancing color.
We loved it.
These conversations are often beyond my ability to comment. When I can say something about them, I am not getting it. When I am getting it, I have no words. Your ability to convey in words that which cannot be spoken has always amazed me. Now it leaves me glowing with a big shit-eating grin across my face. The rose and the muck indeed!
ReplyDeleteI like the leg analogy. Good way to get the point across. Jamie M.
ReplyDelete