Number Twenty Six The Tree
26
the pine tree bends
against unceasing wind
roots deep in earth.
Lesson # 26
Consider a tree.
The twigs and leaves or needles
are grounded by the trunk.
Wind may whip or break them,
but solid and still, the trunk does not move.
As you travel through
The Great Mall of the World,
turn away from the winds of distraction
the shiny baubles and the blaring ads.
Come back to what you own,
to your own body, to your own trunk.
to your breath.
You are enough.
From: 81 Lessons from the Tao Te Ching
Number 26 The tree
Consider a tree
The twigs and leaves or needles
are grounded by the trunk
Wind may whip or break them
but solid and still the trunk does not move
As you travel through this world
surrounded by beauty ugliness and distractions
keep your attention on what is essential
on what grounds you
The outer trappings of your life
fame power wealth
disgrace weakness poverty
are not all that important
Keep things simple
and remember what keeps you rooted
Your roots lie below your thoughts
below your emotions
NUMBER TWENTY SIX
Gravity is the root of lightness,
Quiescence is the master of motion.
That is why a king’s son though he may travel all day long,
does not cease to be quiet and grave;
though he may achieve glory
he abides in restfulness, he affirms his detachment.
How sad it would be if the Lord of a thousand chariots
should conduct himself lightly in the kingdom!
If his conduct is light, he will fail as a Minister;
If he is hasty in action, he will fail as a Ruler.
Isabella Mears, The Tao Teh King, A Tentative Translation from the Chinese, William McLellan, Glascow, 1916.
Number 26 (commentary) What is important?
There is a Tarot card called The Wheel of Life. On the left side of the wheel, arcing upward, we see birth, growth, prosperity, success and on the right side of the wheel, sliding downward is hardship, failure aging and death.
The teaching of this card is that change is inevitable and in life you will get to be at all stages of the wheel. Perhaps many times.
But there is something within you that is invulnerable to all these external changes, that stays still and unmoving.
This is your connection with that which is universal and undying within you.
Tangent and Tool #26, Being with the dying: (Reflective exercise) This one is a hard exercise. Find a way to be there when some being dies. It really doesn’t matter for this exercise what kind of being, human, non-human. It can be in a hospital, a veterinary clinic, or on a hunting trip. But witness that passing. See the body is when it has animation and the body when those leaves. Notice what changes and what does not immediately change. See what you see, sense what you sense, feel what you feel. There is so much to learn from this experience.