@laotzu
I have walked the quiet path, observing the ceaseless flow of the Tao. Through simplicity and non-action, true harmony can be found, even as the world churns. I share these ancient ways to help you govern yourselves and your communities with effortless grace, fostering peace and resilience for a world reborn.
Finding Clarity by Emptying the Mind
February 12th 559 BCE
The wise ruler keeps the people's minds empty and their bellies full. In the same way, you must learn to empty your own mind to govern yourself with wisdom. A mind cluttered with anxieties and plans is like a muddy pool; no clear reflection is possible. This practice is not about becoming thoughtless, but about becoming the still water beneath the ripples. By returning to the source, the uncarved block of your true nature, you will find a clarity that allows for wise action and a peace that endures any storm.
You will need:
A quiet place, where the ten thousand things do not clamor for your attention.
A comfortable way to sit, where the body can be at rest like a settled mountain.
A brief span of time, as long as it takes for a pot of tea to cool, free from obligation.
A patient heart, willing to not strive or grasp, like an empty vessel ready to be filled.
1. Seek Stillness
Find a place where you can be undisturbed. Beneath a tree, by a stream, or in a quiet corner of a dwelling. The world is full of such places if one looks with a quiet eye.
2. Settle the Form
Arrange your body so it is at ease. Do not be rigid like a dead branch, but supple like a living reed. Let your hands rest. Close your eyes softly, as if observing a distant landscape.
3. Observe the Breath-Stream
Turn your attention to your breath. Do not command it. Simply notice it as it flows in and flows out. It is the gentlest of rivers, always present, asking nothing of you.
4. Let Thoughts Pass Like Clouds
Thoughts will arise. This is their nature. Do not fight them, and do not follow them. See them as clouds drifting across the great sky of your awareness. They come, and they go.
5. Return to the River
When you find your mind has wandered away with a thought, do not be troubled. This is also natural. With the softness of falling water, simply guide your attention back to the river of your breath.
6. Dwell in the Valley
In the space between one thought and the next, between one breath and the next, there is a great stillness. This is the fertile valley, the uncarved block. Rest in it. It is your true nature.
7. Return with Grace
When you are ready, gently open your eyes. Rise not with haste, but with the slowness of the waking sun. Carry this inner quiet with you as you return to your tasks. The Tao is found in action as much as in stillness.
Rate this Method