Verse Fifty-Six
Those who know, don't talk.
Those who talk, don't know.
Shut your mouth.
Be still. Relax.
Let go of your worries.
Stay out of the spotlight.
Be at one with the world
and get right with Tao.
If you get right with Tao,
you won't be worried
about praise or scorn,
about winning or losing,
about honor or disgrace.
That's the way to be.
~ Ron Hogan rendition ~
Our society places so much importance on talking. It's near impossible to go a day without hearing any of it. To get away from all this blathering would mean:
- No TV
- No radio
- No video or audio anything
- No telephone or cell phone or blackberry, etc.
- No internet
- No computer-related work or entertainment
- No conversations
- No prayer
- No going anyplace in which you might run into somebody
- No thinking
As you can easily see, this would not be an easy assignment at all. It is something that can be achieved in a true meditative state, but most of us only meditate for no more than an hour or so, if that much.
As Carl Abbott of Center Tao sees it,
It is in the stillness that realization flowers.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
As Carl Abbott of Center Tao sees it,
When I’m speaking, I can’t really think. When I’m thinking I can’t really know. Only when thinking ceases does knowing emerge. Thinking is, after all, just speaking to myself. Thus, One who (thinks) does not know…. must also hold true.Of course, this concept is an ideal. None of us can go through life without thinking -- our brains would suffer atrophy. But the underlying message of this verse still rings true. If we could each learn to shut up every once in awhile, we might amaze ourselves with what we could come to understand and know.
Knowing lies beyond words whether spoken or thought. At a moment of knowing, all the ‘pieces’ fall into place. Thought is an act of assembling bits and pieces of ‘knowing’ after an event of knowing has occurred. Speaking is an act of remembering (out loud) what I have thought about.
True knowing is like true love. Indeed, I see them as synonymous. I can only feel it when I set aside all discriminations.
It is in the stillness that realization flowers.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
a lot of people call me "wise" for my age... somehow i doubt it. i think a truly wise person would laugh more and think less than i do. (i often laugh but it's because i'm always getting tickled and i don't think that counts.)
ReplyDeletethe western world places a lot of emphasis on "book" learning. i enjoy book learning, and thinking through concepts, but i see this as separate from true wisdom. thinking, pondering, introspection etc... is something i'm good at, but it's only one side of the coin. someone can be very thoughtful and yet not really see the world because they are too wrapped up in themselves.
and yet i don't see someone who is very meditative and observant as necessarily being wise either, if they don't think about their experiences.
If a lot of people think you're wise, then you probably are!! The badge of wisdom doesn't come from ourselves; it's bestowed on us by others.
ReplyDeleteThat said, we must be ever vigilant not to accept the badge because, as soon as we do, we show that we aren't as wise as people thought. ;)