Chapter 43 of an anonymous translation of the Tao Te Ching. 10 minute guided meditation followed by discussion.
I’m back! And coming back is not so easy. In today’s talk I begin with an update on my whereabouts and on how I’m doing.
Coming back to any practice or commitment after leaving it can give rise to shame. Shame is such a difficult state to endure that a standard response to it is avoidance – avoidance of the thing that causes the feeling of shame to arise, which in this case is the positive act of returning. Because avoidance worsens the original problem of leaving, it further magnifies the shame with every later attempt we make to return.
This has been my dilemma.
We sit, and I discuss judgments, as well as the value of softness in experiencing ourselves and interacting with the world.
* * *
43.
The softest is stronger than the very hardest
That which makes everything be what it is, penetrates everything
Therefore I know that it’s wise to leave and not do anything
That one doesn’t need lessons for it
That of all doings, leaving is where true happiness lies
In this world only a few understand this.
Intro chime credit: theveryrealhorst, Solfeggio Wind Chimes, MI 528 Hz Single Cut #2, freesound.org
Ending credits: felix.blume, Train passing by in the desert close recording, freesound.org
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS