Friday, January 13, 2012

The Wei Against the Grain

Ta-Wan


Flowing along the river today I found that my boat was going upstream and not down. I checked to the left and to the right and saw water rushing by. I looked to the front for ropes pulling me and to the back for anything pushing me. No, how strange, my boat was flowing up stream! I glanced up at the sun to gauge the time and saw it in the south! As the sky shifted hue towards green I could only imagine this was a dream or something had gotten in my food.

Several days later and with such sights as eight moons overhead, trees that moved towards the water to drink and fish sitting by the river singing songs to crocodiles as they sat chewing cud like cows, I realized I'd gone against the flow and, Tao had broken!

My efforts must now it seemed be to fix my ways, redress my alignment with Tao and in turn fix Tao. I pulled out my tattered copy of the Tao Te Ching and read a short line or two. I sat.

In days, the flow was still broken and so I delved into my memory banks for other Taoist teachings. I lifted my damp behind from the floor and began Tai Chi. Moving though I fell, in breathing I noticed the air following all wrong, a large in breath emptied me, breathing out I felt wind rushing in and drying my tongue. I collapsed..... And as I did, I floated upwards leaving my boat behind me. Tao was indeed broken I laughed to myself as I saw my boat, the river, the deep forest, the country, oceans, the world and its green sky, eight moons, sun, galaxy, and eventually entire star fields grow tiny to my vision. Oh dear, as blackness swallowed me, broken indeed.

Deep space gave me the impression of infinite time and I set my mind on a solution to fixing Tao or bringing myself back into alignment. There must be something I can either come up with, do or remember to realign myself. I tried, I tried so hard, for time I tried. I grew tired. Tiring I stopped, I just stopped.

I awoke with only one phrase in my mind. Wu Wei! I said as happiness filled my heart, I was back on my boat, it was going with the flow. Now lets see where she takes me. Ah, what peace.

You can check out Ta-Wan's other musings here.

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