Pink Shell With Seaweed, Georgia O’Keeffe
Tao is within us; Tao surrounds us.
Part of it may be sensed,
And is called manifestation.
Part of it is unseen,
And it is called void.To be with Tao is harmony,
To separate from Tao is disaster.
To act with Tao, observe and follow.
To know Tao, be still and look within.Tao is within us; we are Tao. It is also outside of us, it is all the known universe. All that we can know of ourselves and our universe cannot account for all that is Tao. What we know is merely the outer manifestation of Tao.
The ultimate Tao is called absolute. We cannot know it directly because it has no definitions, references, or names. Our normal minds are incapable of perceiving where there is no contrast. Yet it is precisely this colorless infinity that is the underlying reality to this life.
The only way to fathom it is to remove our sense of division from it. In essence, we must plunge into the mystery itself. Only then will we know peace.
How many people in your life do you know who are satisfied simply to be, to exist? Probably not too many. We all think we need to become something more than we are, that we have to achieve something, we don’t really know what but we think it might be this or that. And yet, we are already part of the marvelous existence around us, the universe that simply is. We don’t see ourselves as part of it, we see ourselves as somehow separate from it, as if the dog or the plant or the table or chair or the shell that surrounds us and is us was something other, when in fact we are composed of the same kinds of molecules and atoms and mostly empty space.
Life, any life, especially our own, is so much more wonderful and amazing than we give it credit for being. We take it for granted, take others for granted and ourselves, until we are some day hit up with the fact that one day it will be gone. And will we wish we had spent that day at the office, or gone to the beach, or visited the mountains, or seen that friend we’ve put off seeing? I bet few of us would long for more time in the office, really.
One Response
*smile* I love “360 Tao” *and* Georgia O’Keeffe, too. and I hate republicans and church. i’ve been working on “be” myself lately. this shell pic is one of my favorite O’Keeffe’s. Blessed be and keep on blogging. A kindred spirit, Ms. Pix.