Tzu Kung was tired of study, and confided his feelings to Confucius, saying: 'I yearn for rest.' Confucius replied: 'In life there is no rest.'
'To toil in anxious planning for the future, to slave in bolstering up the bodily frame--these are the businesses of life.'
'Is rest, then, nowhere to be found? 'Oh yes!' replied Confucius; 'look at all the graves in the wilds, all the vaults, all the tombs, all the funeral urns, and you may know where rest is to be found.' 'Great, indeed, is Death!' exclaimed Tzu Kung. 'It gives rest to the noble hearted, and causes the base to cower.' 'You are right,' said Confucius. 'Men feel the joy of life, but do not realize its bitterness. They feel the weariness of old age, but not its peacefulness. They think of the evils of death, but not of the repose which it confers.'~ Book of Lieh-Tzü, from Book I ~
In a nutshell, for human existence, this passage underscores the ultimate yin and yang. Our lives are about activity, ever moving and never ceasing. When that life comes to its end, we rest.
The moment we first burst into the world we are, concurrently, beginning our trek toward our final resting place. For some of us, the journey will be long and winding. For others, it is very short and straight. Regardless of the length and time, it is a journey we all share.
The beauty of the yin yang symbol is that it represents the circular motions of the universe. Darkness melds into light as light melds into darkness. We see this same pattern play out in our lives. Death melds into life as life melds into death. We are enmeshed in both simultaneously.
The moment we first burst into the world we are, concurrently, beginning our trek toward our final resting place. For some of us, the journey will be long and winding. For others, it is very short and straight. Regardless of the length and time, it is a journey we all share.
The beauty of the yin yang symbol is that it represents the circular motions of the universe. Darkness melds into light as light melds into darkness. We see this same pattern play out in our lives. Death melds into life as life melds into death. We are enmeshed in both simultaneously.
Confucius was a jerk.
ReplyDeleteOf course we rest and take breaks. Plants go dormant in winter, too.
This is what Tao really tells us. It isn't all sunshine and roses. And even when it is, we might not be enjoying it. Sometimes you just need to tell everyone and everything to fuck off for a while.
So what? Take a break already. Who can study all the time anyway?
But during our breaks, we're not truly at rest. We're still interacting with and interpreting the world around us. Even during sleep or meditation, our subconscious is ever at work -- dreaming, scheming, processing.
ReplyDeleteGenuine rest comes from when we are done and there is no more. My two cent's worth.
Interesting. I believe as you said that there is always activity at some level, even in sleep. Activity and rest are two different things. I may be active while I rest and rejuvenate, however I am still at rest. I believe that this form may go to dust and rest, however our soul, our energy never truly stops. We are eternal beings which manifest in different forms along our journey.
ReplyDeleteMark,
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point!