The Tao of Dark Sages - Chapter 8, Part 1

The Tao of Dark Sages
by Scott Bradley

This morning I must tell you that, however much fun playing your guru has been, I don’t feel comfortable any more with the role. So, perhaps Sue-tzu or Mark-tzu or someone else would like to take over.

I, for my part, have no desire to play guru again. In fact, I have decided that it would be best for me to move on and spend some time in solitude. But I would be interested to hear why you are not comfortable with the role.

Well, Sue-tzu, I’ve been feeling a real dis-ease with the trend of our discussions toward more content and intellectualization. I sense a gap developing between my experience and my ideas. I need to just dwell with experience for now. It’s not that I think what we have said is untrue, it’s just that I’m not sure it’s true in my experience. What about you Mark-tzu?

No thank you! I appreciate that you think me a candidate for guru-ship — I guess — but it’s not my thing. And to tell you the truth, this whole satsang cluster-fuck thing is not for me. No offense, but it seems to me that if the message is ‘find your own path’ then that is defeated in coming together to discuss it. I just came here to see you and Sue-tzu. And coming from the outside as I have, I sense a real fellowship among you, but also the beginnings of an institutional entity to which you could easily become addicted.

An institution has a life and inertia of its own and you might soon be controlled by it instead of the other way around. Chuang-tzu said that the fish cluster together when the lake dries up, but it’s much better when they can disperse and forget each other. Your lake is full. My advice to you is: Disperse.

I hear you. Our idea has been to be together as friends and help each other along in that way. But it’s a fine line between mutual assistance and mutual dependence. Some of us, not doubt, have crossed the line. And playing guru doesn’t exempt anyone from dependence—it just takes another form. So, what are we to do? I, too, have decided to move on. So, if you are to continue, you’ll all have to decide how you want to do it.

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