The Tao of Dark Sages - Part II, Introduction, Con't.

The Tao of Dark Sages
by Scott Bradley

Have I digressed? Perhaps. But my point is that though words—mere words—these transcriptions can be a finger pointing toward the moon, and shouldn’t be taken for a description of the moon itself.

But none of this answers the question as to my motivations in seeking out Sue-tzu and Mark-tzu or in transcribing their words. Is it to help you on your way? Why should I care about you or your way? And if I do, why do I? Frankly, I suspect that any ‘benevolence’ in your regard that I might entertain has a more fundamental motivation, namely, the authentification of my own ego-identity through achievement and fame. There, I said it.

Fortunately, I make no claim to enlightenment or spiritual ascendancy so I can to some degree live with the contradictions which arise from my present labors. Most of all, I have had to ask myself why I would gather together other interlopers and intrude on the privacy of two sages seeking to live in solitude. And my answer has been two-fold.

Firstly, I can live with the contradictions inherent in both seeking a teacher and writing, knowing that life is all contradiction and paradox. And, more importantly, the realization that the most valuable teachers one can have are those most reluctant to teach. Tradition has it that Bodhidharma wouldn’t give the time of day to Hui-k’e for years until finally the latter cut off his own arm and presented it to the master as a symbol of his earnestness.

And with that, the reluctant teacher accepted a disciple and the line of Zen patriarchs went on. And so, I made the somewhat difficult pilgrimage to the Kailash Valley as a sign of my own earnestness, however tainted by attachment.

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