dung beetle

Without opening your door,
you can open your heart to the world.
Without looking out your window,
you can see the essence of the Tao.

The more you know,
the less you understand.

The Master arrives without leaving,
sees the light without looking,
achieves without doing a thing.
-- Stephen Mitchell, Chapter 47, Tao Te Ching

We were lying on our stomachs watching a dung beetle roll its ball of shit.

"What do you think it would say if we asked it what is the meaning of life?" asked Lao Tzu.

"To get all this shit done," I said.

Jesus laughed.

"It cannot see what we see," he said. "Nor can anyone in that frame of mind."

We sat up.

Lao Tzu looked at me.

"What is worth seeing?" he asked.

I sat silently, opening.

"The essence of all being and its expansion," I said.

"Not Disney World?" he asked.

I laughed.

"Where is it to be found?" asked Jesus.

"To quote a dear friend," I said. "The kingdom of heaven is within."

"The portal to the essence of all being is at your core," said Lao Tzu.

"What I said," said Jesus.