Fifty Two Go Gentle

52
across the still pond
a water strider skips
now everything is different

Lesson # 52

To know the Mother of Everything,
first, you must know
her children. They are all around
you, this alive reality that we live in.
After that, make the choices that
bring you to knowing the Mother herself.
Close your eyes and come home to yourself,
rather than running around being busy.
Choose not to speak and instead listen deeply,
rather than filling up the world
with your nonsense.
Go gentle. Attend to the many
small miracles around you.
Relish life and stay close to your
stillness. This is the practice
of skillful attention.
.
From: 81 Lessons from the Tao Te Ching


Number 52 Go gentle

Everything was born of the Tao
It mothered the Big Bang
and everything that followed
Explore its creation
but return back
to the contemplation of what formed that creation
and that work will nourish you until you take your last breath

Let go of being a pontificating expert
moderate your greedy desires
and you will be able to face your death with presence

But interfere with others exploit others and grab onto everything you can
and your last moments will be terrifying

Go gentle
Attend to the many small miracles around you
Relish life and stay close to your stillness

This is the practice of skillful attention


NUMBER FIFTY TWO

While in the world gain possession of the Life-Spring
in order that you may become a World-Mother.
When you have attained to Motherhood you will know your children.
When you know your children you will retain your Motherhood.
Then, though the body may disappear, You will not be hurt.
Close the door of the mouth,
Shut the doors of the senses,
Throughout life your body will not be fatigued.
Open your mouth,
Increase your business affairs,
Throughout life your body will not be safe.
To perceive the small is called clear vision.
To guard the weak is called strength.
Follow the Light, you will reflect its radiance.
Neglect the Inner Life, your body will meet with calamity.
This is called the eternal heritage.

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


Number 52 (commentary) How can I put myself in context?

Every atom of every cell of your body was created 13.8 billion years ago.
Your sensations, your perceptions and your consciousness arise from the coordinated actions of 2,700 trillion cells in your body, synchronized by an additional 90 trillion nerve cells.
You are flying at 18.5 miles every second through a universe that contains 200 billion trillion stars in it.
So, hold the birth, life and extinction of one little critter, one [insert name here], within the context of this vast expanse and stop taking yourself so seriously.

Tangent and Tool #52, Creation timeline (Reflective exercise) Walk for one mile along a relatively flat surface. Start next to a tall standing object, easily visible from a distance. Pretend you are walking along the timeline of the creation of the universe. 2/3rds of the way (about the 15-minute mark) along this mile-long timeline, Earth was formed. At the very end of your last step, (20ish minutes for most) when your foot touches the ground, human beings first started walking the Earth. Recorded history is too small to measure on this timeline. Now, look back at your starting point. Your life is smaller than a speck of dust at your feet in comparison to everything that we can measure in all we know about the real world. This is the context in which you live. Lighten up.