Staying in tune with Heaven’s gift… what greater challenge and opportunity. It should remind us that life is simply a sojourn acknowledging our past, where we are now in the present along with the lessons, we are learning that carry us… our spirit… through eternity. As though we have made a pit stop to make either major or minor corrections that we need for the journey ahead.
Correcting past mistakes (karma), here to possibly experience places we knew before, or to meet up with past lovers and loved ones that our memories recall. Some would say we link up with others when we die, but without our memories how would that happen and who is to argue that our memories are not eternal traveling with spirit. Why learning to trust our memories is essential to the longevity or even livelihood of our spirit.
What I’m trying to say is that we should look to nature as our guide. Nature is basically the sum of everything happening in an ever-changing universe. This idea, often called the Tao, points to a reality that’s unknowable, mysterious, and beyond understanding. Still, it shows itself through universal laws that are steady and consistent, reminding us how language falls short in describing something so profound.
Taoism embraces a universal idea of “equality of spirit” where everything is seen as equal under Heaven. This view removes the concept of a “personal God” with human traits and favoritism. Humanity is simply one of the ten thousand things, raising the question: why would God favor one over another? It always makes me wonder how personal values could outweigh the absence or lack of virtue.
The sage has always been here to teach and guide through reform in every era. As things change, we need to adapt too. Still, there are timeless forces that are meant to keep everything in harmony with nature. Looking beyond the present moment helps us shape futures we can’t fully grasp yet. History reminds us that we’re all interconnected, part of Heaven, Earth, and everything in between. This is why our memories and history are so important, along with how Taoism influences the way we approach and conduct our lives.
My Travels with Lieh Tzu / Interpolations along the Way
Chapter One – Heaven’s Gift
14. That which does Nothing
Hense there are the begotten and the begetter of the begotten. (The creator and that which is created). Shapes and the shaper of shapes. (That which is molded, and he who molds it.) Sounds and the sounder of sounds. (That which is heard and the thing or person that made the noise.) Color and the colorer of colors. (The shade or tint of things and he who gives it a specific hue.) Flavors and the flavorer of all flavors. (The character of all things and that which gives it.)
What begetting begets dies, but the begetter of the begotten never ends (What is created ends, but the creator goes on forever). What shaping shapes is real, but the shapes have never existed. (What is molded is authentic and original, but he who molds it is never present.) What sounding sounds is heard, but the sounder of sounds has never issued forth. (The noise is made, however, that which made the noise did not make it.) What coloring colors is visible, but the colorer of colors never appears. (What is given a specific tint is never seen.) What favoring flavors is tasted, but the flavorer of flavors is never discovered. (That which is given, and character is known, but that which gives character is never known.)
All are the offices of ‘That Which Does Nothing’. It can make yin and yang, soften, or harden, shorten, or lengthen. Round off or square, kill or give birth, warm or cool. Float or sink, sound the kung note or the shang. Bring forth or submerge. Blacken or yellow, make sweet or bitter, make foul or sweet. It knows nothing and is capable of nothing.
Yet there is nothing which it does not know, or of which it is incapable. 1/8/95
Number fourteen of one hundred fifty-eight entries.
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