Chapter 2
When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad.
Being and non-being create each other.
Difficult and easy support each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low depend on each other.
Before and after follow each other.
Therefore the Master
acts without doing anything
and teaches without saying anything.
Things arise and she lets them come;
things disappear and she lets them go.
She has but doesn’t possess,
acts but doesn’t expect,
When her work is done, she forgets it.
That is why it lasts forever.
Reflection
The first part of this section speaks to the concept of “dependent arising” - that happens naturally in the dualistic mind. When one concept or idea arises the other arises with it naturally, because its meaning is dependent upon its opposite (beauty and ugly, good and bad). This is the natural working of the ego mind, and yet, if we can rest our awareness in our soul or spirit this dependent arising does not have to lead deeper into dichotomy or the spiritual pitfalls of “grasping” and “rejecting.” If we can rest in the “pure witness” or in consciousness itself there is no need to react strongly by grasping onto that which arises as beautiful or good and no need to reject its opposite of ugly or bad.
The mind naturally judges and has opinions, it makes categories and assigns value. Then the ego seeks to consume or attach to that which the mind defines as good and it seeks to reject or push away that which the mind defines as bad. Either way, grasping or rejecting causes us to be bound and unavailable to the fullness of the moment. These ego-mind tendencies remove us from the flow of life and keep us in our “small selves.” The Master, the one who is able to be fully present to the moment and flow with the Spirit is able to:
have but not posses and
act but does not expect
What a beautiful dance that would be! The challenge and opportunity is not to “reject” possessing and expecting, because that is again to be caught in the dualistic self. The challenge is to rest in a more integrative place beyond duality. The opportunity, if we can say it that way, is to be identified with the Source itself – the source of the arising stimuli and the source of the possessing and expecting tendencies – which is the ego mind. To rest in the Source allows one to freely and appropriately respond – and not to react or grasp anything.
Good luck with the not grasping and not rejecting thing! It's hard as hell but central to the spiritual path.
Peace,
jud
