Vanilla 1.1.9 is a product of Lussumo. More Information: Documentation, Community Support.
Each week we address one chapter of the Tao Te Ching. Chapter 26 was originally featured on the 1st week in July, 2004.
Note: The Tao Te Ching can be obscure, especially if you think you're supposed to understand what it's saying! We find it easier and more instructive to simply contemplate how the chapter resonates with your personal experience. Becoming more aware at this fundamental level simplifies life. This approach conforms to the view that true knowing lies within ourselves. Thus, when a passage in the scripture resonates, you've found your inner truth. The same applies for when it evokes a question; questions are the grist for self realization.
Chapter 26
The heavy is the root of the light;
The still is the lord of the restless.
Therefore the gentleman when travelling all day
Never lets the heavily laden carts out of his sight.
It is only when he is safely behind walls and watch towers
That he rests peacefully and is above worries.
How, then, should a ruler of ten thousand chariots
Make light of his own person in the eyes of the empire?
If light, then the root is lost;
If restless, then the lord is lost.
Of course, the heavy and the light produce each other as seen from a Taoist point of view. So, I wondered why this is biased in favor of the root and the heavy, i.e, If light, then the root is lost. ... and I observe that...
Life by its very nature is biased toward the light. Simply put, life is light and death is heavy. So, in life we would naturally tend to be unbalanced in favor of the light and the restless side of reality. No matter how sincerely we 'try', we will always be on 'that' side. Having attention drawn to this, our reality, helps me keep my feet on the ground, and informs me of where to look to come closer to a balanced and peaceful life. I'll best slow down and look deeply for the root instead of going off emotionally half cocked. That brings to mind the western equivalent... "hast makes waste!"
1 to 2 of 2