Number Fifteen: Ancient Masters

15

as thin ice cracks
step with the caution and grace
of an old master

Lesson #15

No one has ever
completely understood the Tao,
not even Lao Tsu.
But some lived
in alignment with it:
quiet, and self-effacing,
taking each step
as careful as if on thin ice,
alert as a predator on the hunt,
as simple as a block of uncarved wood,
as spacious as a broad valley,
accepting all that is.

From: 81 Lessons from the Tao Te Ching

Number Fifteen: Ancient Masters

In that ancient Golden Age
that we all imagined once existed
the wise ones were so profound
that they were unfathomable
Today all we can do is imagine how they acted

They were cautious
moving as carefully as though on thin ice
They were as alert as a soldier on patrol
They were as courteous and polite as the best houseguest
They could soften like ice as it melts
They were as simple and as open to transformation
as an uncarved block of wood
They were as spacious as a broad valley

Patient they wait beside a muddy pool until it clears
Tranquil they do not need to act until action is needed
Serene they do not need to fix anything
because they do not need things to change

NUMBER FIFTEEN

Of old, those who were leaders in good actions
examined mysteries with deep penetration;
searching deeply, they did not understand;
even Masters did not understand;
therefore their actions were void of strength.
They were timid, as those who cross a torrent in winter;
irresolute, as those who fear their neighbours;
grave, as strangers before their host;
they effaced themselves as ice that melts;
they were rough as undressed wood, empty as a valley,
confused as troubled water.
Who is able by quietness to make pure the troubled heart?
Who is able by repose to become conscious of Inner Life?
He who safely maintains his consciousness of Life
will find it to be inexhaustible.
Therefore he will be able, though not faultless, to renew perfectness.

Isabella Mears, The Tao Teh King, A Tentative Translation from the Chinese, William McLellan, Glascow, 1916.

Number Fifteen (commentary) How can I be like Lao Tsu?

The Ancient Ones; the Spiritual Super Heros, the all-knowing, all-seeing, mysterious ones!
Well, they probably never existed like we imagine them be. But if they did, they might look like this:
Moving slowly and carefully across a barely frozen lake, slipping through enemy lines like a shadow, as kind, gracious and as polite as the best houseguest ever, as flexible as ice just melting into water, as full of potential as an uncarved block of marble, as spacious as the desert sky.
They are so patient that they can sit and wait for that which is turbulent to settle.
They are so still that they can wait until they are called into action.
They are so serene that they do not need change or progress.

They are a figment of someone’s imagination.
Stop trying to be perfect. Start by noticing your breath.
It’s OK just to be you.

Tangent and Tool # 15, Thoughts on “The Golden Age”: A question and a reflection: “How is it going with trying to be spiritual?” “The ones who came before.” They inspire us and call us forth: Jesus, Mohamad, Buddha, Zoroaster, Moses and more. Many of us venerate one or more of them and even elevate them into godhood. Their teachings were all oriented towards helping us mortals, men and women trying to live a good life. But, when we try to be like the images that have come down through time, we can set ourselves up to fail. There was no Golden Age. At any time in history, people just lived, celebrated, suffered and died. Don’t try to be like Jesus or Buddha. They are the personification of ideals. You are a living, breathing real person. This is your time. Be the best you that you can be. Even if it is a little imperfect. No one else can do that job.