Teachings of the Tao by Roshi Hogan
A long time student told the master that he felt he was close to becoming enlightened. “Have you been practicing a long time?” asked the master. “Yes, master“ replied the student. “Have you been diligent in your work?” inquired the master. “Oh yes, master. Very much so“ said the student. “One final question my student, have you felt you have made great progress?” asked the master. The student said “Yes, master.” The master smiled and said “Well, you better keep practicing then.”
“How can I help others to follow the Tao?” said a student to a master. “You cannot save the world until you save yourself. How can you encourage those to follow the path of the Tao if you are lost in the dense forest? If you yourself cannot swim, how can you save a drowning man? To do so is hypocritical and false. You must secure your connection to the Tao first, and then you may show others the way” replied the master.
I do my utmost to achieve emptiness
I hold firmly to stillness
The beings all rise together
And I watch their return
All returning to their separate roots.
“How do we learn the way of the Tao master?“ asked a disciple. The master said “True learning does not begin until we realize that our spirit is contaminated. If we do not believe this to be so, there can be no learning. The cleansing of the spiritual contamination is not the responsibility of the teacher, but of the student. The teacher only provides the tools to do so. It is accomplished by recognizing the truth of the Tao and all its resources and aligning your life with it.”
Of old he who was well versed in the way
Was subtle, mysteriously comprehending,
And too profound to be known
It is because he could not be known
That he can only be given a shadowy description:
Tentative, as if walking on thin ice in winter,
Hesitant, formal like a guest;
Falling apart like the castle made of sand
Thick like a dense forest of bramble
Vacant like a lot
As clear as mud
Who can be muddy and yet, crystal clear?
Who can be at rest and yet, forging ahead?
He who holds fast to this way
Desires not to be full
It is because he is not full
He can accept what he needs
A disciple once asked a master, “Why are so many people afraid of death Master?“ The master said, “Most are not prepared to face the reality of impermanence and death. It is because we have a delusion that are lives are not transitory, and we act and think as if we are going to live for ever. But, if we face the fact of death, the illusion will end and wisdom shall begin. We will then realize the folly of fighting when we ourselves are doomed to die, and thus peace shall overcome us.”
“There is a beautiful full moon tonight Master” said the disciple. “And soon, there will be no moon to see” replied the Master. “What does this tell us disciple Lin?” The disciple thought for a moment and said, “Is it yin and yang, Master?” The master smiled and said, “Yes, once the moon is full, it begins to wane. Once it has waned completely, it begins waxing once more. It is an established pattern that does not change. Yin becomes yang and yang becomes yin. The energy in the universe is complete, yet it begins again.”
It is in the shadows and in the light
it is a shape that has no shape,
The image that is without substance
Hold fast to the way of antiquity
In order to keep in control the realities of today
The ability to know the beginning of antiquity
Is called the path that runs through the universal way.
“Master, I do not seek many other disciples here. Why is that so?” asked disciple Wu. “It is so because it is not fashionable to follow the ways of the ancient Tao masters.” the master explained. “In order to be one with the Tao, one must renounce what is fashionable, embrace what is plain, honest and virtuous. This is impossible for the man who submits to his cravings, chases desires, seeks to follow the latest trends, and lives in an unending cycle of suffering.”
Hosted by Edublogs.
