A
symbolic Gourd serves as the crucible of Alchemical Transformation
Being away for the month of summer is refreshing. I spent time walking amongst the waterfall and the sands of a small lake. Sometime, we forget there are a whole universe that exists beyond our own realm of consciousness; as was in the case, when I swam right next to a snapping turtle. Its pre-historic jagged shell and head with its vertical slits gazed at me, wondering whether I was edible. "Too big" it must had thought; and it swam away.
The Spirit of Tao is to learn from other realm of existence to supplement our human's myopic addiction to self and self-aggrandizement. We are the lords and creator of everything is absurd. By being off centric, or eccentric, the spirit of Tao lets us look obliquely at the possibilities of other dimension of life and existence.
In the above illustration, the Gourd cooks the inner elixir of immortality. This is a wonderful pointer to how one can meditate in a very natural un-hurry way. Too often, the students want to rush the process, to get the result quicker without the natural ripening. Study a gourd, an apple, a peach and you will notice they all ripen in their own time. To sit with such naturalness, un-hurry, and simplicity is the spirit of Tao.
As Taoist practice of Taiji Quan, Qigong are transmitted in United States; it has become power, and speed fixated. How fast can I learn to become a Qigong master in two weekends? Or this extraordinary Taiji master can throw someone without ever touching him or her. For me personally, this is getting away from the very essence of the Tao. The miracle of Tao is in the very ordinary way of being able to take a single step on the lake and feel the sand between one's toes.
After thirty years of practice, ordinary simplicity of suchness is the most profound lesson that I have learned. Sadly, it could not be taught but one has to come to it willingly like a child, a baby with full innocence.
" I want my money back!" I can hear some of my beginning students started to scream loudly in the background.
" Pretty interesting." I can hear some of my intermediate students murmuring to themselves.
" Cool!" said a few of my advance students.
Well, I let the reader respond to this simple
truth of the spirit of Tao.
