25 Apr 2010 @ 19:38
DOMINANCE
Sun shines in the center of the sky.
All things turn their faces toward the light.
All things in this life depend on direction. In our world, all is
oriented toward the sun : The planets revolve around it, the seasons
depend upon it, and our very concept of night and day is tied to the
sun's rising and setting. The sun is the dominant element in our lives.
In all other areas of our actions, we cannot avoid making
arrangements that have a center or orientation. Our lives require
composition, just as the solar system has a relationship and structure.
Yet all structure and orientation is essentially arbitrary. We take the
sun as the center of our world because of our vantage point. To someone
standing in another galaxy, our sun is nothing more than another point
in limitless space. There is no absolute standard by which to truly call
something the center. Therefore, all arrangements and all compositions,
all determinations of a dominant element are relative, subjective, and
provisional.
There is no center except for that in our own consciousness. When we
look at the sun and the arrangement of the planets, we must also include
ourselves as observers. How else is there the determination of what is
being seen? Consciousness is part of the phenomenon. We are the center,
and there is no absolute measure.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao
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