The Tao of Dark Sages - Chapter 1, Part 5

The Tao of Dark Sages
by Scott Bradley

So we find our beliefs and then eliminate them? How do we do that?

By stopping believing in them. And if you want to take the quick route, start with the ego-self. What is this ego-self if not a creation wholly predicated on a belief in its own existence. The ego is just one big belief and the mother of all beliefs. If we were to liken a belief to a snake, then the ego-self is a great serpent coiled around a veritable nest of serpents. Cut the head off the mother and all the little snakelets will die as well.

You said this is the active side of not-knowing. Is there a passive side?

Yes, though it, too, involves an act on your part. And that is the act of surrender. When you have emptied yourself of all belief, and above all, the belief in self, then you are open to the Unknown. And then you will realize the fullness that emptiness brings. Let go of all, even yourself, and surrender to All That Is. Here is freedom from the burden of existence. Here is the trust and joy that can only come when we melt back into the Source, when we return Home.

One thing I wonder about is how the Unknown gets involved in this process. I mean does the Unknown fill us with joy or does it come from ourselves?

That is a great question and one I cannot answer.

(Laughter)

One principle I like to apply to such questions is the So-what? principle or, put in another way, the Does-it-matter? principle. Does it matter whether the joy arises in me or is given to me? I don’t think so. What is important is that we experience liberation and joy. Personally, I avoid any assigning of active participation of the Unknown in the specifics of my phenomenal life. This includes being ‘chosen’ for enlightenment, being ‘led’ to do this or that, or any one of the numerous ways in which the Source is purported to get involved with little old me. When I say ‘Unknown’, I do not mean unknown because I don’t know the color of god’s beard. I mean Unknown. And please remember, when we talk about enlightenment, we are not talking about a spiritual experience. We are talking about a natural experience. We are talking about simply realizing more fully who we are as human beings.

Could you maybe re-iterate the stages in this process?

Yes, but I won’t. It is important to remember that, like any living experience, there are no stages, only the one spontaneous and self-nurturing process. All these ‘steps’ I have outlined are really just one organic whole. What are the stages of love-making? Though we might be able to outline them, it is much truer to its reality to see it as a wonderful self-evolving experience. And it is a lot more fun just making love.

If you're interested in reading more from this series by Scott Bradley, go here.