 26 Feb 2010 @ 01:20
MUTENESS
The more you dwell in the spirit,
The farther you are from common ways.
If you want to speak of Tao's wonders,
Few will listen.
If you spend a long period of time in study and self-cultivation,
you will enter Tao. By doing so, you also enter a world of extraordinary
perceptions. You experience unimaginable things, receive thoughts and
learning as if from nowhere, perceive things that could be classified as
prescient. Yet if you try to communicate what you experience, there is
no one to understand you, no one who will believe you. The more you walk
this road, the farther you are from the ordinary ways of society. You
may see the truth, but you will find that people would rather listen to
politicians, performers, and charlatans.
If you are known as a follower of Tao, people may seek you out, but
they are seldom the ones who will truly understand Tao. They are people
who would exploit Tao as a crutch. To speak to them of the wonders you
have seen is often to engage in a futile bout of miscommunication. That
is why it is said that those who know do not speak.
Why not simply stay quiet? Enjoy Tao as you will. Let others think
you are dumb. Inside yourself, you will know the joy of Tao's mysteries.
If you met someone who can profit by your experience, you should share.
But if you are merely a wanderer in a crowd of strangers, it is wisdom
to be silent.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao
|
|
