A Pause For Contemplation

Heather_in_spring.jpg
Woodland garden in spring – Black Forest.

What is of all things most yielding
Can overcome that which is most hard,
Being substanceless, it can enter in
even where there is no crevice.
That is how I know the value
of action which is actionless.

But that there can be teaching without words,
Value in action which is actionless
Few indeed can understand.

Lao Tzu (6th century B:C:)

Think about it!

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5 thoughts on “A Pause For Contemplation”

  1. Indeed!

    Maybe one for Leonard Cohen to reflect on? (see earlier posting re- ‘perfect offering’)

    In gratitude to Lao Tzu – and the Reverend Master Fuden

  2. (Warning – this started out as a short 4 word comment, and then spiralled a little out of control – probably due to slight insomnia due to small children and too much coffee earlier in the day…offered here slightly self consciously in the spirit of lobbing a rock into a lake and seeing what happens…)

    I love Lao Tzu, and have done since a teenager.
    Great to see him make an appearance here on Jade Mountains.
    I’m interested in where the common ground is between Taoism and (Soto Zen) Buddhism. Taoism sometimes seems to get a bit knocked in the writings of our school of Buddhism, but then I wonder whether that’s because it is quite varied in its forms: I remember visiting Malaysia in the early 90’s and visiting Taoists and Taoist temples that were almost Shamanic in their approach, seemingly a world away from Lao Tzu and the elegant philosophical clarity of the Tao De Ching…

    I am interested to know what you make of this, Probably because in the process of studying/practicing/reading about Zen one can begin to see things through the particular ways and frames of reference of one’s school; and in looking back over life a little I’m wondering whether some of the pearls aren’t on the same string (so to speak).

    Crikey, I’m not sure that makes sense… In summary I wonder whether there is the same thing that loves Lao Tzu that loves the sitting and the approach of something or other that I felt at home with the first time I visited Throssel some years ago and since, but that sometimes I get chopped up, lost in translation and disconnected from itself… ie. confusion, doubt, worry etc…?!

    _/\_

    Miles

  3. This is a long one to do justice to right now so I will wait until I have time and my own computer back again. In short what rings in your heart and mind you can trust, just as long as you let the bell be still so as to hear it when it rings again! Sound OK?

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