The
Tao is a paradox wrapped in a mystery that unfolds only to the one who puts
aside the need to see it unfold.
The Tao, the original way of harmony throughout the cosmos, gave rise to
the myriad things that exist (the ten thousand things) – the initial unity gave
birth to the multiplicity and still underlies it.
We
are called in today’s meditation to recognize that our words cannot hold the
mystery, any more than our desires can ever bring us to peace and harmony. It
is in letting go of our words and desires and all the other ways we force
things into categories that we enter into harmony.
The
reading takes us more deeply into this theme, telling us that life and death
are part of the harmony of existence, and that to fight either is useless.
Rather, we should contemplate the movement of the Tao in stillness, allowing it
to carry us to profound acceptance of the ebb and flow of life and death. |