the power of non-contention

A good captain does not exhibit his martial prowess.
A good warrior does not get himself angry.
A good conqueror of enemies does not instigate a combat.
A good employer of people puts himself below them.

This is called the power of non-contention.
This is called using the strength of others.
This is called perfection in matching the heaven of old.
-- Ellen Chen, Chapter 68, Tao Te Ching

Jesus, Lao Tzu, and I were walking on a back trail of Observatory Mesa.

"I want to tell you a story," said Lao Tzu.

Jesus and I were expectantly silent.

We looked at him.

"An obnoxious drunk was bothering many people in an inn," he said.

"A martial artist sitting at a table began to be upset as well."

"The drunk was getting more boisterous, lurching around and aggressively bumping into people."

"The martial artist was about to jump him."

"At that moment, a calm but very clear voice said 'Hey!'"

"The drunk turned to look."

"It was a little old man with twinkling eyes."

"'Come here,' he said to the drunk. He patted the empty seat beside him."

"The drunk stumbled over and sat down."

"He was soon weeping and telling the old man his troubles."

"The old man gave him a handkerchief and they talked as if they were old friends."

We walked silently for a while.

"You were the little old man?" I asked.

"No. I was the drunk." he said.

the three

Some say that my teaching is nonsense.
Others call it lofty but impractical.
But to those who have looked inside themselves,
this nonsense makes perfect sense.
And to those who put it into practice,
this loftiness has roots that go deep.

I have just three things to teach:
simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and in thoughts,
you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world.
-- Stephen Mitchell, Chapter 67, Tao Te Ching

Jesus, Lao Tzu, and I sat on a bench across from the gargoyle church.

We liked the view.

A woman in bridal dress and man in suit emerged from the church.

Well wishers surrounded them.

"Have you ever been married?" I asked Lao Tzu.

"No," he said. "Have you?"

"Tell me about it," I said.

He looked at me and grinned.

I looked at Jesus.

"No need to ask him," said Lao Tzu. "He is married to everybody."

Jesus laughed.

"Everything is married to everything," he said.

"How about Nothing?" asked Lao Tzu.

"Nothing is single," said Jesus.

Lao Tzu laughed.

The couple got in a car and drove off.

After hugs and clamor and waves of goodbye, the others departed.

It was silent once again.

the people

All streams flow to the sea
because it is lower than they are.
Humility gives it its power.

If you want to govern the people,
you must place yourself below them.
If you want to lead the people,
you must learn how to follow them.

The Master is above the people,
and no one feels oppressed.
She goes ahead of the people,
and no one feels manipulated.
The whole world is grateful to her.
Because she competes with no one,
no one can compete with her.
-- Stephen Mitchell, Chapter 66, Tao Te Ching

"Below, behind, above, and ahead," said Lao Tzu.

"She has the people surrounded," I said.

"The people do not know whether she is coming or going," said Jesus.

"Neither does she," said Lao Tzu.

"Who do you think the people are?" asked Jesus. looking at me.

"I have a feeling you want to tell me," I said.

Lao Tzu thumped my ear.

"Don't get wise with Jesus," he said.

Jesus laughed and touched my ear.

It still hurt.

"That's because you are pouting," said Jesus.

The pain went away.

"The people are all the voices and images inside you," said Jesus.

"The Master allows them to rise and fall without engaging them," said Lao Tzu.

"They are happy because they think they are independent," said Jesus.

"And anything thinking it is independent has a short and isolated life span," I said.

"You got it," said Lao Tzu.

"The Master is detached, does not play the people's game," said Jesus.

"I can't hear a thing you are saying," I said.

Lao Tzu thumped my other ear.

I began pouting, then remembered.

apropos of nothing

We were in a store that sold secondhand clothes and other donations.

 I was looking at books.

Jesus was talking to the clerks.

Lao Tzu was looking at children's toys.

"Look at this," he said.

Jesus and I came over.

He had two wooden blocks.

One had a 1 carved into it; the other a 0.

"If you think you are 1, you are 0," he said.

My mind congealed.

I looked at Jesus.

Jesus said, "If you think you are something, you are nothing."

"There is no room in the In," said Lao Tzu.

Jesus laughed.

"If you know you are 0, you are 1," said Jesus.

"Plenty of room," said Lao Tzu.

"I see," I said, "If you know you are nothing, you are something."

"Yes," said Lao Tzu. "Here," he said, handing me the blocks.

"Buy these. Tomorrow we will get into 2 and 3."

mystical virtue

In the old days, those who were well versed
in the practice of the Tao did not try to enlighten the people,
but rather to keep them in the state of simplicity.
For, why are the people hard to govern?
Because they are too clever!
Therefore, he who governs his state with cleverness is its malefactor;
but he who governs his state without resorting to cleverness is its benefactor.
To know these principles is to possess a rule and a measure.
To keep the rule and the measure constantly in your mind
is what we call Mystical Virtue.
Deep and far-reaching is Mystical Virtue!
It leads all things to return,
till they come back to Great Harmony!
-- John C. H. Wu, Chapter 65, Tao Te Ching

Lao Tzu was lying on his belly looking at something.

"What is he doing?" I asked Jesus.

Jesus said, "Let's go see."

We walked across the meadow.

Lao Tzu was staring at a little plant.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Giving this plant advice," he said.

Jesus and I looked at each other and shook our heads.

"What advice?" I asked.

"How to be a plant," he said.

"It already knows how," I said.

"Well, I am further up the Emergence Chain than it is so I know better," he said.

"It gets all the advice it needs from its rooting and its opening to the heavens," said Jesus.

"I thought I could help it be more clever," said Lao Tzu. "And get a jump on the other plants."

"You want to jump start a plant?" I said.

"Well, maybe it will work with you," he said.

He got up and stared into my eyes.

"Do better! Get with it!" he said.

I burst out laughing and whirled him round and round.

We fell in a heap on the ground.

"Careful," said Jesus. "You are disturbing the plants."

scrabble

What is rooted is easy to nourish.
What is recent is easy to correct.
What is brittle is easy to break.
What is small is easy to scatter.

Prevent trouble before it arises.
Put things in order before they exist.
The giant pine tree
grows from a tiny sprout.
The journey of a thousand miles
starts from beneath your feet.

Rushing into action, you fail.
Trying to grasp things, you lose them.
Forcing a project to completion,
you ruin what was almost ripe.

Therefore the Master takes action
by letting things take their course.
He remains as calm
at the end as at the beginning.
He has nothing,
thus has nothing to lose.

What he desires is non-desire;
what he learns is to unlearn.
He simply reminds people
of who they have always been.
He cares about nothing but the Tao.
Thus he can care for all things.
-- Stephen Mitchell, Chapter 64, Tao Te Ching

Jesus, Lao Tzu, and I were playing Scrabble.

"That's no word," Lao Tzu said.

"It is too," I said.

Jesus grinned.

"I-R-R-U-P-T, irrupt!" I said.

"You spell erupt E-R-U-P-T, don't you, Jesus?" Lao Tzu said.

"You can't lean on Jesus in this game," I said. "We follow the dictionary."

Lao Tzu looked thoughtful.

"If you are a word in the language of the cosmos, what is your meaning?" he asked.

My mind went silent.

"And who is speaking you?" asked Jesus.

"The same one speaking you and Lao Tzu," I said.

"And your meaning?" asked Lao Tzu.

"To whip your butt at Scrabble," I said.

Lao Tzu erupted with laughter and laughter irrupted Lao Tzu.

"Play the dang word," he said.

the cosmos gym

Act without doing;
work without effort.
Think of the small as large
and the few as many.
Confront the difficult
while it is still easy;
accomplish the great task
by a series of small acts.

The Master never reaches for the great;
thus she achieves greatness.
When she runs into a difficulty,
she stops and gives herself to it.
She doesn't cling to her own comfort;
thus problems are no problem for her.
-- Stephen Mitchell, Chapter 63, Tao Te Ching

Lao Tzu said, "Let's go work out."

"Okay," said Jesus.

Lao Tzu looked at me.

"You will need to change your close," he said.

We arrived at The Cosmos Gym Of Vast Space And No Effort.

We went in.

"Be still and know the I Am," said Jesus.

I began flashing on scenes of my existing.

"Not the Me Am, you knucklehead," said Lao Tzu.

Me disappeared.

The Cosmos was formed of space with intermittent tiny bubbles.

All flowed with no effort, no effort at all.

After no time, Lao Tzu said, "There is another room."

"Come with me," he said.

We peered into the next room.

Concerned and frowning people were lifting heavy weights.

Each worked out alone.

"What are those weights?" I asked.

"They have amassed the tiny bubbles into Duty and Responsibility," said Jesus.

"Do they know the other workout room exists?" I asked.

"They think that's cheating," said Lao Tzu.

"I told them my burden was Light, but they don't listen," said Jesus.

"They love to eat their BST sandwiches," said Lao Tzu.

"You mean BLT," I said.

"No. Blood, Sweat, and Tears," said Lao Tzu.

We went out into the cool night air.

"Thanks for the workout," I said to Lao Tzu.

"No problem," he said.

the gateless gate

The Tao is the center of the universe,
the good man's treasure,
the bad man's refuge.

Honors can be bought with fine words,
respect can  be won with good deeds;
but the Tao is beyond all value,
and no one can achieve it.

Thus, when a new leader is chosen,
don't offer to help him
with your wealth or your expertise.
Offer instead
to teach him about the Tao.

Why did the ancient Masters esteem the Tao?
Because, being one with the Tao,
when you seek, you find;
and when you make a mistake, you are forgiven.
That is why everybody loves it.
-- Stephen Mitchell, Chapter 62, Tao Te Ching

We had finished breakfast and were sitting around the table.

I was lost in thought.

"Attend outside," said Lao Tzu. "What are you?"

"I am a particle in vast space,"  I said.

"Alone?" he asked.

"No. There's you, there's Jesus, there's all the other people, the animals, the plants, the earth, galaxies, all the other beings, objects, and things in the world."

"Attend inside," said Jesus. "What are you?"

"I am vast space with thoughts, images, emotions, feelings, all forming and unforming.

"Which one is you?" asked Lao Tzu. "The vast inner space that is particularizing or the particle moving through vast outer space?"

I flickered back and forth.

"Stop!" said Jesus.

I did.

"Where did you stop?" he asked.

"Between the inside and the outside," I said.

"Which way are you looking?" he asked.

"Both ways," I said.

"That is the gateless gate," said Lao Tzu. "Infinity is in every direction and its center is everywhere."

I gasped.

I looked "down." I had no body. I was the universe universing.

A breakfast cup rattled.

I solidified as George once again.

Jesus smiled.

"Now you are ready to begin," he said.

"You can start by doing those dishes, Mister Universe," said Lao Tzu.

We laughed and began clearing the table.

the trinity of self

When a country obtains great power,
it becomes like the sea:
all streams run downward into it.
The more powerful it grows,
the greater the need for humility.
Humility means trusting the Tao,
thus never needing to be defensive.

A great nation is like a great man:
When he makes a mistake, he realizes it.
Having realized it, he admits it.
Having admitted it, he corrects it.
He considers those who point out his faults
as his most benevolent teachers.
He thinks of his enemy
as the shadow he himself casts.

If a nation is centered in the Tao,
if it nourishes its own people
and doesn't meddle in the affairs of others,
it will be a light to all nations in the world.
-- Stephen Mitchell, Chapter 61, Tao Te Ching

We came out of the movie "Lincoln."

The air was crisp and fresh.

"A nation is like a self," said Lao Tzu.

"What is a self?" I asked.

"A mind made up," said Lao Tzu.

"It tightens itself into a knot," said Jesus.

"I have trouble with my mind," I said.

"Who is the I that has the trouble?" asked Lao Tzu.

I thought a bit.

"My mind has trouble with the I," I said.

Lao Tzu looked at Jesus.

"He doesn't know who I is," he said.

Jesus looked at me.

"Let not your mind be troubled and you will know who I is," he said.

"When you know who I is, I will disappear," said Lao Tzu.

"No I, no self," said Jesus.

"That makes me scared," I said.

Lao Tzu laughed.

"Now he has a me," he said.

"Add a mine and you have the trinity of self," Jesus said to me.

"You meet your self coming and going," said Lao Tzu.

"A hall of mirrors," said Jesus.

Lao Tzu slapped me on my back.

"Wake up!" he said.

We were coming out of the movie "Lincoln."

The air was cool and fresh.

walking

When Tao prevails in the world, evil loses its power.
It is not that evil no longer possesses spiritual power.
It is that its power does not damage men.
Indeed, it is not that its power does not damage men.
It is primarily that the ruler does not become harmful to men.
When opposites no longer damage each other,
Both are benefited through the attainment of Tao.
-- Chang Chung-yuan, Chapter 60, Tao Te Ching

We walked together through the little downtown park.

"Understand yourself and you understand the cosmos," said Lao Tzu.

"You are the cosmos walking," said Jesus.

"Walking is a model of all relationship," he said.

"Because we slow down and see what's going on?" I asked.

Jesus smiled.

"That and more," he said.

"In walking, which is going first, your left leg or your right leg?" asked Lao Tzu.

"One keeps going after and before the other," I said. "There is no first or last."

"One of them had to make the first move," said Lao Tzu.

"Doesn't matter which one," I said. "As long as they accept each other's invitation."

"Notice that your breathing is in between the two and partial to neither," said Jesus.

"Your walking is transporting your breathing," said Lao Tzu.

I laughed with the pleasantness of being breath walking.

"You are being breathed. You do not breathe yourself," said Jesus.

"The Tao, the Source is breathing you," said Lao Tzu.

We walked silently for a while through the little town.

Our Source was walking us and we were taking our Source for a walk.

It was a beautiful day.

light bulb

For governing a country well
there is nothing better than moderation.
The mark of a moderate person
is freedom from her own ideas.
Tolerant like the sky,
all-pervading like the sunlight,
firm like a mountain,
supple like a tree in the wind,
she has no destination in view
and makes use of anything
life happens to bring her way.
Nothing is impossible for her.
Because she has let go,
she can care for the people's welfare
as a mother cares for her child.
-- Stephen Mitchell (abridged), Chapter 59, Tao Te Ching

"Look at him," said Lao Tzu.

"He's a little aggravated," said Jesus.

"My body won't work right," I said.

Lao Tzu looked at Jesus.

"I guess he hasn't let go," Lao Tzu said.

Jesus looked at me.

"Which is more important, the light bulb or the light?" he asked.

"They are both important, Jesus," I said irritably.

Lao Tzu said, "Yep. He's in a dither."

"Foaming at the mouth," said Jesus.

"Will you stop talking about me like I'm not here?" I sputtered.

 "Light bulb or light?" asked Jesus.

"Light!" I said.

"Keep identifying with the light bulb and you are headed for the land fill," said Lao Tzu.

"What can we do to help you lighten up?" asked Jesus.

"Let's go wander around some," I said.

I started out the door.

"Bring your camera!" called Lao Tzu.

the library

When the country is governed through simplicity and leniency,
the people are genuine and honest.
When the country is governed through harshness and sharp investigation,
the people are more deceitful and dishonest.
From misfortune, good fortune is derived.
In good fortune, misfortune is conceived.
Who can determine the ultimate truth?
Or is there no ultimate truth at all?
As truth often turns out to be untruth,
goodness often turns out to be evil.
This has long confused the people.
Thus, when the wise deals with things he is firm in his principles,
yet not sharp.
He is pure, yet not harmful.
He is straightforward, yet not violent.
He is illuminated, yet not glittery.
-- Chang Chung-yuan, Chapter 58,  Tao Te Ching

Jesus, Lao Tzu, and I were in the library looking at the magazines.

Lao Tzu was scanning "Runner's World."

Jesus was checking out "Scientific American."

I was reading "The Atlantic."

"Jesus," I whispered. "What is the ultimate truth?"

Lao Tzu looked over to see what Jesus would say.

"Check out your body," whispered Jesus. "You have a right side and a left side."

"Yes," I nodded.

"Your spine is in between, neither left nor right, yet both," he said in a soft hush.

I nodded my understanding.

Lao Tzu was no longer absorbed in his magazine.

"On what does your spine sit?" asked Jesus.

"This seat," I said.

"And what is beneath the seat?"

"The floor," I said.

"And beneath the floor?"

"The earth."

"And beneath the earth?"

"Space."

"And beneath space?

"I don't know," I said.

"Exactly!" said Jesus.

Lao Tzu exploded in gales of laughter.

His laughter was contagious and uncontainable.

We whooped and wiped our eyes.

The librarian looked at us and shook her head.

"You gentlemen will have to go outside," she said.

We did. It was a lovely day.

the open meadow

Use directness to govern a country
use deception to fight a war
use inaction to rule the world
how do we know this works
the greater the prohibitions
the poorer the people
the sharper the weapons
the darker the realm
the smarter the scheme
the stranger the outcome
the finer the treasure
the thicker the thieves
thus the sage declares
I change nothing
and the people transform themselves
I stay still
and the people adjust themselves
I do nothing
and the people enrich themselves
I want nothing
and the people simplify themselves
-- Chapter 57, Red Pine, Tao Te Ching

Jesus, Lao Tzu, and I walked across an open meadow.

All of a sudden, each of us was encircled by a fence.

We stopped.

"Who are those people over there?" I asked.

"Interpreters of the meanings of the fences," said Lao Tzu.

"And those people over there?"

"Fence enforcers," said Jesus.

A third group was busy creating more fences.

"Here comes a fourth group," I said. "They look nasty and cunning."

"Fence violators," said Lao Tzu.

"And this fifth group. Who are they?" I asked.

"They come to sell us weapons," said Jesus.

"Why do we need weapons?" I asked.

"To protect us from the violators," said Lao Tzu.

"And from each other," said Jesus.

"I thought we were getting along just fine," I said.

"We are," said Jesus.

"What do we do now?" I asked.

"Do you have a loving heart?" asked Lao Tzu.

"Of course," I said.

"Then just keep on walking," he said.

The open meadow beckoned us once again.

the postures of your mind

Those who know don't talk.
Those who talk don't know.

Close your mouth,
block off your senses,
blunt your sharpness,
untie your knots,
soften your glare,
settle your dust.
This is the primal identity.

Be like the Tao.
It can't be approached or withdrawn from,
benefited or harmed,
honored or brought into disgrace.
It gives itself up continually.
That is why it endures.
-- Stephen Mitchell, Chapter 56, Tao Te Ching

"Cross your arms and legs," said Lao Tzu.

I did.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Obstinate and secure," I said.

"What else?" he asked.

"Defensive and protective," I said.

"Uncross them," said Jesus.

I uncrossed them.

"Now I feel open and aware," I said.

"An open conduit," said Jesus.

"Instead of a knot head," said Lao Tzu.

"These are the postures of your mind," said Jesus.

"When you refuse the flow of the Tao you become refuse," said Lao Tzu.

Jesus laughed.

"When I resist the flow of Spirit, I re-cyst," I said.

They looked at each other.

"You know. Become a cyst again."

 Jesus grinned. Lao Tzu rolled his eyes.

"Closed stance is a trance," said Lao Tzu.

"Open stance is a dance," said Jesus.

 "I much prefer the open stance," I said.

"Now you are talking," said Lao Tzu.

the direction of erection

He who is in harmony with the Tao
is like a newborn child.
Its bones are soft, its muscles are weak,
but its grip is powerful.
It doesn’t know about the union
of male and female,
yet its penis can stand erect,
so intense is its vital power.
It can scream its head off all day,
yet it never becomes hoarse,
so complete is its harmony

The Master's power is like this.
He lets all things come and go
effortlessly, without desire.
He never expects results;
thus he is never disappointed.
He is never disappointed;
thus his spirit never grows old.
-- Stephen Mitchell, chapter 55, Tao Te Ching

We sat gazing into the inner basin of the dormant volcano,
our backs to the vastness of the plains below.

Lao Tzu had something on his mind.

"What?" I asked.

"You know how people get into trouble?" he asked.

"How?"

"They inflate themselves into an erection," he said.

The imagery made me laugh.

"Regardless of gender," said Jesus.

 "Once inflated they wander through life looking for satisfaction," said Lao Tzu.

"And they don't get no," I said.

They looked at me.

"It's like putting a head on top of your head," said Lao Tzu.

"That bubble always bursts," said Jesus.

"Well, I guess we've got that figured out," said Lao Tzu.

"Your head is starting to show," said Jesus.

Lao Tzu laughed.

We got up and began our descent.