Verse Two
Men and women who wish to be aware of the whole truth should adopt the practices of the Integral Way. These time-honored disciplines calm the mind and bring one into harmony with all things. The first practice is the practice of undiscriminating virtue: take care of those who are deserving; also, and equally, take care of those who are not. When you extend your virtue in all directions without discriminating, your feet are firmly planted on the path that returns to the Tao.
Verse Three
Those who wish to embody the Tao should embrace all things. To embrace all things means first that one holds no anger or resistance toward any idea or thing, living or dead, formed or formless. Acceptance is the very essence of the Tao. To embrace all things means also that one rids oneself of any concept of separation; male and female, self and other, life and death. Division is contrary to the nature of the Tao. Foregoing antagonism and separation, one enters in the harmonious oneness of all things.
~ Translated by Brian Walker ~
Every living person breathes air. It doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, angry or happy, gay or straight, an utter pig or a neat freak, selfish or giving, murderous or life producing. Nature simply provides it for all.
Where does it rain? Rain falls on fertile soil and barren ground. It nourishes pristine meadows and nasty bogs. In some areas, it only falls as snow and, in other areas, it falls only rarely. But, like air, nature provides it to all.
When we only show kindness to those who are kind or civility to those who are civil or compassion to those who are compassionate or love only to those who love us, we are discriminating between left and right unlike Tao. We are creating separateness where none exists.
This post is part of a "miniseries". For an introduction, go here.
Where does it rain? Rain falls on fertile soil and barren ground. It nourishes pristine meadows and nasty bogs. In some areas, it only falls as snow and, in other areas, it falls only rarely. But, like air, nature provides it to all.
When we only show kindness to those who are kind or civility to those who are civil or compassion to those who are compassionate or love only to those who love us, we are discriminating between left and right unlike Tao. We are creating separateness where none exists.
This post is part of a "miniseries". For an introduction, go here.
this is something i have to remember constantly! it's hard to give when you are determined that the recipients "don't deserve it." however whether someone deserves your time, money, and attention is a question of judgment, and it is wise to be non-judgmental as much as possible. thanks for the reminder!
ReplyDeletealso, i should say that i do believe in the oneness of all things, but also the separateness of all things. one only has to look at nature to see that it behaves both as a unit and as a collection of individuals. there is competition, but the competition serves to balance the ecology and benefit the whole. individuals hold on to their identity, but they don't hold on for dear life. a prey animal will do its best to run away or fight for its life, but once caught, surrenders to the inevitable non-identity that follows. i don't believe competition is the enemy, but obsessive competition is. i believe there can be "harmonious competition" which seems like a paradox and it is! but i also think it's true.
ReplyDeleteAs humans, we see the process in nature as competition. But does nature itself view it this way?
ReplyDelete