awareness - The Taoist Mantis

When talking about Taoism, at one point the Tao Te Ching (TTC) will come up as a key reference. For those of us that do not know how to interpret archaic Chinese characters, a translation would be the best place to start digging into its secrets. The interpretation of these ancient Chinese characters is not straightforward and therefore the TTC has been translated hundreds of times. Here’s a list of some English translations of the Tao Te Ching. And yes – literally every translation provides a different viewpoint on the same text. So then it makes sense to inspect at least a few different translations made by people with various backgrounds and agendas. Here’s a list that recommends some of these translations based on varying requirements.

The first chapter in the Tao Te Ching (TTC) is already a very interesting chapter, as it starts with a section that many interpret as a disclaimer for the rest of the book. It’s basically saying that we can talk about the Tao all we want (even write a book about it), but that has nothing to do with the experience of the Tao itself. We can try to understand the Tao and all its complexities and subtleties by studying texts, but this understanding does not translate to knowledge of the Tao. Here’s a translation by D.C.Lao (1963):

The way that can be spoken of
Is not the constant way;
The name that can be named
Is not the constant name.

The first few lines in TTC chapter 56 allude to the same idea, namely that there are those who talk about the Tao and those who know the Tao. And these groups of people are not the same. Here’s a translation by Derek Lin (1994):

Those who know do not talk
Those who talk do not know

So then the question becomes – how then, if not by studying the Taoist Canon, may we come to be ‘in the know’. And it so happens that the rest of chapter 1 is dedicated to explaining just that. Consider the next few lines of chapter 1 while using the Tai Chi symbol as a reference. If the nameless (emptiness, mystery, non-being or stillness) is represented by black then naming (fullness, manifestations, being or movement) is represented by white. When we empty ourselves of desire then we are filled with emptiness (darkness). In this state it is easy to observe how sensations manifest and eventually return to stillness. When we attach to sensations driven by desire or fear, we are filled with manifestations. So by observing the Tao we may learn about its inner wonders and its external manifestations. Here’s a translation by Stephen Addiss & Stanley Lombardo (1993):

Nameless: the origin of heaven and earth.

Naming: the mother of ten thousand things.

Empty of desire, perceive mystery.

Filled with desire, perceive manifestations.

The last few lines in the chapter bring everything home. As the Tao is the source of both inner mysteries and outer manifestations, we can trace any expression of the Tao back into the Tao – the darkness. We turn our attention into the darkness by freeing ourselves of desire and observing how every manifestation returns to the source, until there is nothing but darkness left and therefore we ourselves have become the source. Darkness within darkness. Here’s the famous translation by Stephen Mitchell (1988):

Yet mystery and manifestations
arise from the same source.
This source is called darkness.

Darkness within darkness.
The gateway to all understanding.

Many meditators will have started their practice with the inclusion of short concentrated meditation sessions in their daily routine. Most meditation tutorials will have the meditator sit cross-legged with a straight spine, relax, close their eyes and concentrate on something (breathing, thoughts, sensations, messages, mantras or visualizations) for some time. As their practice evolves, meditators will increase the time of meditation to around 20 minutes or multiples of 20 minutes (unit of meditation time - it’s the time it takes for an average incense stick to burn). There might not be much variation in the actual method of meditation.

There are many merits to having a daily meditation routine, regardless of the specific type of meditation one decides to practice. A person who sticks to their routine will certainly develop a higher level of calmness, awareness | consciousness and inner peace. During the rest of the day, when one is not meditating, the level of chaos in the mind will slowly increase but that’s acceptable. There’s always the rewarding calm of the next session at the end of the day or at the start of the next day. The meditation practice becomes a grounding beacon of stillness in the chaotic movement of everyday life.

There are many ways in which a meditator can deepen their practice outside of the dimension of session duration. For example, one can meditate in different environments with different levels of distractions that allow a practitioner to build concentration strength. One can play with doing their meditation outside in a park, where people walk by or eventually in a crowded mall where different smells, noises and the idea of interrogating eyes might pose interesting hurdles to overcome. One can decide to leave their phone notifications on and see if they can still attain perfect stillness. Sometimes I like to meditate in the same room where my children are playing and hear them argue about who owns what toy. This type of distraction is more personal compared to a busy mall and thus builds another level of detachment.

All this is very useful for a meditator but at this point they can still be identifying their meditation practice by using a certain method that is executed on a routine basis with a certain frequency. There is meditation time and there is no-meditation time. Many people refer to this no-meditation time as ‘real life’, which is an interesting idea as well. We might identify as a meditator for some part of the day and have some kind of profession during the rest of the day, for example. Effectively we’re still stuck inside a structure, a belief, a spiritual practice with an identity and are building an egoic structure around it, albeit a spiritual one. Wasn’t letting go and breaking down the ego the entire point of the practice? So how do we now break out of this new structure we just built around us?

At the end of the day - the routine execution of any technique will create a new structure. That’s fine, by doing this routine we have crossed over towards a platform where we can be still and concentrated for extended periods of time, where we can accept everything as it is and observe things keenly without being attached to them. Now that we have crossed that river, we are free to step out of the boat that brought us there - the practice itself.

It is now time to drop the boundary between life and practice - such that everyday life becomes meditation and meditation becomes everyday life. No more technique, no more practice. At the end of the meditation, open your eyes, start moving and continue the meditation. Stay aware of everything while going through the day. Accept everything that happens, whether you are observing some thoughts, whether your boss shouts at you or whether some calamity hits the city. Observe the yin and yang of things and never consciously stop the meditation - and when you realize thoughts have taken over - accept that and continue building awareness. Find the space between sentences and in any transition from here to there.

One might ask this question - am I ready? When do I start deepening my practice to this level? Should I not improve my awareness and stillness to a higher degree? A possible answer could be: in any event it is what it is and you are where you are. If you are interested in deepening your practice then arguably you’d have to start somewhere and sometime. What better place than here? What better time than now? Give it a try and then - stop trying.

Just realize where you come from:
this is the essence of wisdom.

Tag: awareness

Darkness within darkness

The named Tao is not Tao

Being and non-being

Darkness within darkness

Open Your Eyes

Open Your Eyes