Recentering

I often think that monolithic god shattered into billions of tiny pieces and decided to experience life on the earth that He created. Living on earth, although very beautiful, was also very confusing so He — still almighty though in pieces— decided to make rules. He is still not sure if that was a good idea. (The pronoun “He” reflects the traditional teaching of major religions).

Once upon a time, in my continuing search for meaning, I stumbled upon a little bookshop called Watkins, near Leicester Square in London. There I found  Tao Te Ching, written around 4 BC, translated by Stephen Mitchell in 1988.  Reading those eighty-one revelatory chapters twenty years ago, shifted something in me. For example:

1

The tao that can be told

is not the eternal tao.

The name that can be named

is not the eternal Name…

Darkness within darkness.

The gateway to all understanding.

6

The Tao is called the Great Mother/

empty yet inexhaustible,

it gives birth to infinite worlds.

It is always present within you.

You can use it any way you want.

14

Just realise where you come from:

this is the essence of wisdom.

18

When the Tao is forgotten,

goodness and piety appear…

When the country falls into chaos,

patriotism is born.”

19

…just stay at the centre of the circle

and let all things take their course.

78

The soft overcomes the hard;

the gentle overcomes the rigid.

Everyone knows this is true,

but few can put it into practice.

81

The Tao nourishes by not forcing.

By not dominating, The Master leads.

Talking about paradoxes…

The images of softness, yielding, adaptability, openness, not forcing and effortless action stayed with me ever since and keep re-working my mould. They are especially helpful when old structures —internal and/or external— are crumbling and confusion creeps in. In the tension of  in-betweeness, some people tend to search for new ways; some desperately cling onto the old hoping that their wish will be their command and ‘things’ will continue as before. Some look for gurus, political or religious, who with clean yes-no statements, promise to wipe away the difficulties like an Old Testament god who purged the land from the non-believers.

When I later came across depth psychology, Jung’s questioning of dogma coupled with the idea of relocating the point of reference from the outside to the inside, reminded me of The Book of the Way. He encouraged people to search for their own truth— their  inner voice.

I trust that if we chose to listen to ourselves, really listen, the world would see less human-inflicted suffering. In the times of change, adaptability and patience seem like good companions. “Hold on to the centre” (Tao Te Ching, 5).

Your centre.

Chapters quoted from Tao Te Ching. The Book of The Way, Lao Tzu, Translated by David Mitchell. Kayle Cathie Limited, London 2000