Shadows and Glints

Several years ago I stumbled upon the Tao Te Ching. It is a short book of verses, dating back to the 4th century BCE.

It's very first teaching is to offer the understanding that labelling is always inadequate.

The Tao that is named is not the Tao
The eternal cannot be named
The ever-changing cannot be named

What came after can be named
The heavens, earth, and all material things

The Tao is the mother of all things
From her all that is flows
To her all that was returns
The eternal nature of creation

Free from the blindfold of the internal foe
One embodies the mysteries of the Tao
Enslaved by the chains of the internal foe
One is only her manifestation

Yet mystery and manifestation
Come from the same source
Some call it darkness
There are no words to call it other

The Tao needs no light or eyes to see

Fear not the darkness within
Fear not your internal foe
Its strength is one of illusion
A veil that appears as granite
With not the weight of mist

Fear not your internal foe
Enter into understanding

You label the shadows and glint and not the depths.

It is through the lens of the philosophical taoist I approached today's episode of Russell Brand as he was joined in conversation by Ricky Gervais.

(I know I shouldn't label myself either. LOL. But they can sometimes offer a place to start.

My response ...

A philosophical taoist comes along and goes, we sat in silence; we know something is there; but we also know there is no point in labelling it and even less point in arguing over its label.

In the same way it is obvious that something is there by the way you feel, experience; in the same way we know when kindness is absent.

Animals really know this and know when kindness is present too.

Alas no one can ever discover the divine for anyone else.

It's funny when someone tells me they are a certain religion, a lover of nature or knowledge, and I see them shine with 'knowing' and I think, oh look we are the same. They just took a different path.

To controlling other people's personal experiences; whenever I seek to control, I am a little off my own games.

Maybe I am wrong that sometimes the stakes are worth some stumbling. But we are called they way we are called.

But mostly I let people have their WAY.

With animals. Mimic nature's beauty and balance and add some finesse but not much more. Limit suffering because we can.

When dealing with an individual never attack the label they currently wear; that is not who they really are; address the harmful behaviour with empathy, try to identify the source of fear and soothe it. Offer better solutions.

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