The Tao of Dark Sages - Chapter 7, Part 5

The Tao of Dark Sages
by Scott Bradley

Excuse me. I’ve been wanting to bring something up and I guess this is as good a time as any. I still have a problem with Sue-tzu’s deception. She just as much as told us that she has not experienced an awakening that led to a non-dual awareness and yet I am sure that she told us before that she had. She lied to us and now speaks of honesty. I have a problem with that.

Sue-tzu?

Yes, I did deceive you. But I did not deceive myself, and that is what truly matters. I deceived you for a reason. To help you to grow. I could say that I am sorry, but it would not be the kind of apology that would satisfy you. I am sorry that it is a problem for you.

Wrong? There is no right and wrong. Was it harmful to you or helpful? It was helpful and can only be helpful to you if you will let it. I could have hit you with a stick or twisted your nose, like a Zen master, but instead I chose to show you that belief is your enemy whether it be belief in an idea or a person.

I have to agree with Sue-tzu. Whether she was right or wrong in deceiving us, is entirely irrelevant to your feelings. Your feelings are yours because you choose to have them. They are a reaction and all reactions are of the ego-self. When we transcend that ego-self these feelings do not effect us.

Chuang-tzu said that a sage does not have typical human emotions and thus “does not allow either the good or the bad to have any effect upon him.”

What Sue-tzu did was to give us all a great opportunity to see the folly of belief. And you, now, have a great opportunity to not only see that, but also to understand more fully what it means to eliminate ego. This obstacle, any obstacle — and we all have many — is an opportunity and invitation to growth. So, I say, be thankful for these feelings; understand, and through them, grow. In the mean time, can you forgive Sue-tzu?

Yes. Thank you. And thank you Sue-tzu.

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