“How well do you know the Tao?” he asked.
“I don’t,” I answered.
“But you are the most renowned Taoist in the entire world,” he said. “How can you not know of it?”
“I never said that I did not know of it,” I answered. “You asked how well I know it. I answered you truthfully that I do not.”
“I am afraid I don’t understand,” his face was contorted in confusion.
“That’s good,” I smiled at him. “Then you know the Tao as well as I do.”
“But all I know of the Tao is its name.”
“If you know that,” I said, “then you know more than any that have come before you. If you know the name of that which man can not name, then you are the true master and I am your humble student.”
“I thought its name was Tao,” he said, still looking confused.
“Tao is a word that simply means the way. It is only a description, not a name. It is a failing of man that we try to force everything to be something that we can understand. There are some things that should never be understood.”
“But my greatest desire in life is to understand the Tao,” his expression was becoming pained. I could see that his heart was breaking.
“As long as you have that desire, you will never succeed. To understand that which can not be understood is the greatest of miracles. But only those that do not desire the understanding will ever find it.”
“But what should I do?” he asked.
I smiled at him. “You should live your life,” I told him. “Name only the things that can be named. Desire only those things that you can see. As long as you desire to see that which can not be seen, you will only see the earthly manifestations of your desires. You will never see what you truly seek.”
I saw his confusion once again. He was learning.
“The dilemma of desire is the greatest of all mysteries. It is darkness within darkness. Search the part of your heart that is hidden; find what it is that you truly seek. Then return to me.”
I could see the disappointment in his eyes as he bowed to me and turned to walk away. He had the potential, but time would tell if he had the ability to understand the true nature of sacrifice.
About Me
- Lilly
- There are a few things that I am passionate about. The arts are among those things. So, I spend most of my time either enjoying or creating works of art in one form or another.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Chapter 1 of the Tao Te Ching - The Name
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2 comments:
absolutely delightful! what a wonderful, thoughtful little story to begin what is sure to become a much frequented blog (at least by me). the way continues, of course, on a path that reveals itself "between" the words; by that measure alone, the journey toward which what you have written is both rich and enlightening!
Wow, thank you for your comment. Your words mean a lot to me. I am planning on posting on average of one chapter a week. But I will likely toss in other posts here and there along the way as well. As long as I have at least one person reading, I will be encouraged to keep this going.
I have added your feed to my Google Reader so that I will know when you have updated. I look forward to seeing more of your work.
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