Thursday, January 28, 2010

Wen Tzu - Verse 139

from Verse One Hundred Thirty-Nine
When vitality is in the eyes, they see clearly. When it is in the ears, they hear keenly. When it is gathered in the mind, then the thoughts are penetrating. Therefore when you shut the gate of the senses, you have no troubles all your life.
~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~
My wife says to me, "Oh darn, I left my glass of juice on the kitchen counter. Would you grab it for me?" "Where on the counter?" I ask. "It's right next to the dish drainer." I look near the dish drainer, but don't see it. I look at the surrounding counter space and I don't see it there either. "I don't see it on the counter," I report.

My wife comes into the kitchen and, in a very exasperated voice, points and says "It's right over there!" Sure enough, her glass of juice is on the counter, but it was several inches away from the drainer.

After it is pointed out, I realize that I did see it there, but it didn't register in my brain as the specific item I was looking for. In other words, my eyes saw the glass; my brain didn't. This type of scenario happens over and over again in my life. I'm certain it has to do with my autistic brain -- I take instructions too literally and, if what I'm looking for is just a tad removed from the given parameters, it simply doesn't register.

This is not to suggest that each time a situation like the one above occurs I can always pin the blame on neurology. Sometimes, my mind is too crammed full of other information and I only half hear the request. With only fuzzy information in hand, it makes the task that much more difficult.

This is what I think Lao Tzu is referring to in this passage; our basic inattention to life, in general. We're so busy going to and fro that we often don't pay attention to what we're doing RIGHT NOW.

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

5 comments:

  1. Not contesting your neurology, but I think this is a guy thing...my husband does this ALL the time...if something isn't where he expects it to be he either doesn't see it or can't find it.

    There's a joke about finding things in the refrigerator. ""I can't find the butter. It's BEHIND the milk?" I think it's a hunter/gatherer thing. Gatherers (berry pickers, more likely women) search for berries; hunters (men) find the spot the antelope last turned up and expect it to come again. (Hence, the duck blind...)

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  2. But you didn't really address this:

    "Therefore when you shut the gate of the senses, you have no troubles all your life."

    I think Chapter 139, is about meditation.

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  3. I don't think it's necessarily a "guy thing". I know a lot of fellows who don't have this problem at all.

    As to your second comment, you must remember that I'm not specifically explaining or interpreting these passages. I'm merely using them as jumping off points.

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  4. i don't think it's a guy thing either... because i have it, big time. and it frustrates the hell out of my husband. :P i don't know why i don't see some things until they are pointed out to me. but when something does catch my attention i ponder it for hours...

    :P

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