Friday, October 9, 2009

Hua Hu Ching - Verse 13

Verse Thirteen
The tiny particles which form the vast universe are not tiny at all. Neither is the vast universe vast. These are notions of the mind, which is like a knife, always chipping away at the Tao, trying to render it graspable and manageable. But that which is beyond form is ungraspable, and that which is beyond knowing is unmanageable. There is, however, this consolation: She who lets go of the knife will find the Tao at her fingertips.
~ Translated by Brian Walker ~
From the perspective of one solitary human consciousness, the world around us seems so vast. If we look up in the sky, there seems to be thousands of stars. If we look in the ocean, there seems to be thousands of life forms of varying degrees. If we look at a forest, there seems to be thousands of trees and other plant life. If we walk on a beach, there seems to be countless grains of sand.

Yet, if there exists a consciousness higher than what exists on this orb and in this realm, what seems so utterly vast to us, may seem minute to it. The totality of creation may be nothing more than a curl of smoke from a chimney or a ball of dust rolling across the floor. What we call real and tangible may be nothing more than a wisp of breeze on a cloudless summer's day.

We believe that we are each independent actors on a universal stage; we may just be elements in someone's dream or everything that we are, feel, think and do may be a grand illusion.

When we grasp at the straws of definition and explanation, we are attempting to quantify and qualify that which cannot be contained. The illusion of objective truths may provide us with solace, but, in the end, all they entail are meaningless symbols. They are merely understandable representations of that which we will never understand.

It is only when we can let go of our need to hold life in the palm of our hand that we can live unfettered.

This post is part of a "miniseries". For an introduction, go here.

1 comment:

  1. That is so righteous it is like the Bible in the sense that it is ti acquire sustenance og the minds eye bcuz if unregulated its wild power becomes accessible to you'll become it . Yet if tamed you shape yourself well.

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