The Pure Mountain Path

There is a saying “great wisdom is like ignorance”. Innocence is a form of ignorance, yet in this sense, it does not indicate a lack of knowledge or a display of stupidity. It means knowing what is needed and what is not needed. It is the difference between clutter and organization. There are many things that we really do not need to know or to carry around with us. Buddha once told a story of someone crossing a river with a raft. Once over on the other side, it was useless to carry the raft around. Lao Tzu said that to attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day. Think of if you were building a stone wall. Would it be wise to collect every small pebble, every large boulder you could find? It would be far wiser to only collect those stones that are the right size and shape for your wall.Thus, only collect what is useful. We gather stones of information every day. Discard what is not needed. Keep only those stones that bring harmony, balance, and unity with the Way. Lao Tzu said that to attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day. Think of if you were building a stone wall. Would it be wise to collect every small pebble, every large boulder you could find? It would be far wiser to only collect those stones that are the right size and shape for your wall.

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Lightning and thunder

Morning sky quite threatening

Quiet and darkness pervades