Verse Twenty Six

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From: jimclatfelter
Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2008

Verse Twenty Six
Jonathan Star, 2001

The inner is foundation of the outer
The still is the master of the restless
The Sage travels all day yet never leaves his inner treasure
Though the views are captivating and beg attention he remains calm and uninvolved
Tell me, does the lord of a great empire go out begging for rice?
One who seeks his treasure in the outer world is cut off from his own roots
Without roots, he becomes restless
Being restless, his mind is weak
And with a mind such as this he loses all command below Heaven

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From: jimclatfelter
Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2008

Embarrassingly obvious, as Douglas would say. For me it's fitting too. Just now packing a bag for a long weekend in the desert. Palm Springs, that is. I'll be back next week. I look forward to your comments.

Love,
Jim

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From: Janet
Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2008

jimclatfelter wrote:
Verse Twenty Six
Jonathan Star, 2001

The inner is foundation of the outer
The still is the master of the restless
The Sage travels all day yet never leaves his inner treasure
Though the views are captivating and beg attention he remains calm and uninvolved
Tell me, does the lord of a great empire go out begging for rice?

One who seeks his treasure in the outer world is cut off from his own roots
Without roots, he becomes restless
Being restless, his mind is weak
And with a mind such as this he loses all command below Heaven

hi jim, and all,

well, i can remember a time as a child travelling with this inner treasure!

then, came a time of feeling cut off from my roots. the road seemed long and hard...where did it go? sometimes, the tears flowed like the rivers....but honestly, looking back, it wasn't my roots that had left me. maybe i just didn't recognize my roots right here. i mean, where else would these tears have come from...?

anyway, its good to come home again.....always.

love,
janet

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From: simon
Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008

Quote: The still is the master of the restless

I used to practice Ki Aikido, a form of (the expression makes me smile, now!) "self defence".
It involves complete agreement with the 'attacker' (no conflict, no aggression) just channelling the energy and physical movement.
For anyone interested, there are 4 "directions": keep one point,(the hara - just below the navel), relax completely, weight underside (- the weight is always on the bottom of the arm or leg etc) and to extend Ki in all directions.
The 'pitch' was "anyone can be still and peaceful in meditation, here we remain still in movement"

Just mention this as the above statement is nothing but the simple, plain truth.
It even works in street fights.
(Not that I have had to use it for the last 20 years, but it worked the last time it was called for!)
I am still waiting for a situation where "headlessness" is not the most apt !

Happy everything, everyOne
simon

PS: thanks for the reminder, Janet, yes as children we did 'know' this!
I invented an invisible friend to (perhaps) explain what my parents saw when looking at me.... I didn't know I was as limited as they imagined me to be!

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From: jimclatfelter
Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008

Hi Janet and Simon,

Those were interesting memories each of you had. Thanks for sharing them.

I like the first lines of this verse:
The inner is foundation of the outer
The still is the master of the restless

I think it's a good guide. As we've said before, these are the complementary pairs of inner stillness and outer activity. I find it hard to think of one as the master (or even the foundation) of the other, though I can see the intent of the statement. Inner stillness has been a luxury for most of our lives. Yet seeing brings it to even the most hectic moments.

By the way, things fell into place on this weekend trip for my partner and me to move to Palm Springs for our retirement. We bought a mobile home in a nice location. It's very hot out there in the summer, so it will be a big change. We're ready for a new phase. But the "root" won't change.

Love,
Jim

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From: Janet
Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008

hi jim,

great news for you and your partner! i know you've put time and thought into this plan. i'm happy its falling into place. best wishes, as always.

now a reply to your input on the verse. i find it difficult to separate the complementary pairs. as it is, it works perfectly and in unity for the whole. how can it be separated? if it weren't for action, how would you know stillness? and, vice versa. i have such trouble explaining the feelings that come from this view that is experienced.

even when neither side are recognised for its worth, it seems to me that one side or the other may stand out for a time in life, just for 'rebalancing purposes'.

something like that.

love to you on your new journey!

janet

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From: Luc
Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008

jimclatfelter wrote:
The inner is foundation of the outer
The still is the master of the restless

It reminded me suddenly - reading your reactions - of yin and yang in Chinese Medicin.
Qi - the energy in the body - is yang compared to the blood (Xue), which is yin.
Xue nourishes the body, Qi makes it move. If Xue is deficient, Qi won't flow because it is not nourished. If Qi is deficient, Xue will stagnate and stop feeding the body, because it is no longer moved by Qi. Both situations create disharmony and eventually disease.
We (or maybe just me) have a tendency to value Qi higher than Xue, because the movement is force, and the blood is 'only' nourishing, so inferior.
But that's not how it is considered in Chinese medicine. Each has its role and is complete as such, but depends on the other. Only harmony between them asures you of a good health.

As you said, Janet : if it weren't for action, how would you know stillness ?

Love
Luc

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From: Janet
Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008

this appeared to me to explain what i found difficult to explain. see what you think....

Events in time and space - birth and death,
cause and effect - these may be taken as one;
but the body and the embodied are not of the
same order of reality. The body exists in time
and space, transient and limited, while the
dweller is timeless and spaceless, eternal and
all-pervading. To identify the two is a grievous
mistake and the cause of endless suffering.
You can speak of the mind and body as one, but
the body-mind is not the underlying reality.

- Nisargadatta Maharaj

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From: jimclatfelter
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008

Hi Janet,

"To identify the two is a grievous mistake..."

Seeing points in both directions€to the transient and limited and to the eternal and all-pervading. I think Lao Tzu calls for a blending or harmony of the two. My problem was never identifying the two. It was almost complete ignorance of the eternal and all-pervading aspect. I only knew that side by hearsay. Seeing made it real for me. Pointing to no-thing made it real and alive.

Thanks for the quote.

Love,
Jim

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From: Steve Palmer
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008

Hi Jim

All the best with the new venture.

You mentioned chapter 25 was a favorite chapter.I just watched a short video you may find of interest on You Tube if you type in" Tao te Ching Lao Tzu ( chapter 25)"

Also on You Tube is" Boscutti's Way"
The Tao Te Ching in 10 second videos one per chapter.
Just a sentence, the sky and sound of the wind.
The abbreviated Tao Te Ching in 15 minutes !!

Regards

Steve

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From: jimclatfelter
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the good wishes. And thanks for the You Tube tip. I see there is a lot of material on Daoism on You Tube. I even saw some by Huston Smith, though the clips don't identify him by name. You've given me a new resource to explore.

Jim

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