Only simple and quiet words will ripen of themselves.
For a whirlwind does not last a whole morning,
Nor does a sudden shower last a whole day.
Who is their author? Heaven-and-Earth!
Even Heaven-and-Earth cannot make such violent things last long;
How much truer is it of the rash endeavours of men?
Hence, he who cultivates the Tao is one with the Tao;
He who practices virtue is one with Virtue;
And he who courts after Loss is one with Loss.
To be one with the Tao is to be a welcome accession to the Tao;
To be one with Virtue is to be a welcome accession to Virtue;
To be one with Loss is to be a welcome accession to Loss.
Deficiency of faith on your part
Entails faithlessness on the part of others.
Often we misunderstand words – we treat them as mere
symbols, floating above the real action in the world, the world of concrete
people and things. But a word is a
phenomenon in itself, it has its own reality, and exists as truly in the causal
nexus as anything else. The sight of a fire
arises in the world, and the people run for water; the word ‘Fire’ arises and
the people also go running for the water.
The Word is a most potent thing!
Some words are so simple and inconsequential that they
escape the notice of men and women. Perhaps
it is because they are so simple that they are beyond comprehension. Yet it is words of this kind that are of
particular power. They too shall ripen
into reality as surely as the word ‘fire’, but by being unnoticed their
maturation goes unhindered.
What is the simple word?
It is the word of the simple person.
And the simple person is the one who is not perpetually lost in a
maelstrom of conflicting thoughts, opinions, hopes and desires. It is the word of the person who is not
chattering away the whole day long, and must therefore clothe his important
word in rash, melodramatic declarations in order to get it noticed.
The simple word is that which ensues from the mind that sees
clearly into reality and can therefore choose the right moment to say that the
word that needs to be sown and then ripened into action. Simple words are used sparingly, but when
they are used, they are so powerful that a quiet utterance is enough to get the
process going.
Who is their author? Heaven-and-Earth!
Yes, the word is a valid creation of the cosmos, and has its
legitimate place here along with all other phenomena. Words are not a by-product of man’s alienation
from nature. The word must not be
maligned so; it is the ignorance of the speaker, and his verbal incontinence,
that turns words into such a harmful distraction from the truth.
Even Heaven-and-Earth cannot make such violent things last long;
How much truer is it of the rash endeavours of men?
The rash, ill-thought out word is likened to a torrential
downpour, or a sudden freak tornado.
Their sheer energy ensures that the effects are powerful, destructive,
and short-lasting.
Just as freak weather events are a fact of life on this
planet, so too are rash and ill-conceived declarations made by featherless
bipeds. And it also happens to be a fact
that, if we wish to acquaint ourselves through spiritual practice with our
spiritual identities, we can stop loving life like a mad hurricane.
All things have their place in the universe, even human
ignorance. We must always accept and
endorse the regrettable ways of our fellow men, just as we must accept the ferocity
of the wolves in our forest. But we have
the choice not to be that way ourselves.
We have the option to rise above the haphazardness of everyday human
life. The Tao Te Ching was written for
those who wish to exercise that choice.
Hence, he who cultivates the Tao is one with the Tao;
He who practices virtue is one with Virtue;
And he who courts after Loss is one with Loss.
The universe is rational and lawful. Your thoughts and beliefs are active participants
in the causal chains that structure reality.
I think about visiting the shop, and before long the shadowy thoughts
are realised in the bright light of the present…I am in the shop!
What we think and believe, will eventually come to pass. This infallible law gets missed because we
imagine that we have some kind of personal will that determines which thoughts
will or won’t get realised. And because
we believe in this personal will, we are blind to the fact that any of our thoughts could manifest if
only we believed and understood how.
It takes great spiritual wisdom to understand that we have
the ability to create our reality. It is
such a lofty truth that it shall nearly always go unbelieved, or naively
misunderstood.
Most people’s minds are such a maelstrom of thought that
they cannot perceive those powerful truthful thoughts that are destined to ripen
and manifest. But when our thoughts decrease
– and it is disillusionment and withdrawal from the everyday world that brings
this about – only truthful thoughts present themselves with any power.
But those who are preoccupied with fear, vulnerability and
loss will create the situation they fear most.
Conversely, to be preoccupied with the Tao is to have transcended the
earth, and to transcend the earth is to have nothing left to preoccupy you but
the Tao itself.
To be one with the Tao is to be a welcome accession to the Tao;
To be one with Virtue is to be a welcome accession to Virtue;
To be one with Loss is to be a welcome accession to Loss.
I think the use of the word welcome is slightly ironic
here. But the point is: whatever you wish
for, the Tao will gladly oblige you. It
makes no distinctions; it does not seek to protect you from yourself. You want loss? You are truly welcome to it!
Deficiency of faith on your part
Entails faithlessness on the part of others.
As we have seen, the universe is rational and causally
lawful. Day follows night, follows
day. Thoughts exist in causal sequences
too – they are real, living, dynamic things.
Devote much thought to the mistrust of others, and people will certainly
and infallibly let you down.
If you are very mistrustful, then this process has the
certainty of mathematics. If you are only
sometimes mistrustful then you will only sometimes be let down.
If you are spiritually secure, don’t care if people deceive
you, and don’t give any thought to the matter…then you will never be let
down. Maths!
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