Chapter 11, Tao Te Ching

"We put spokes together in a wheel, 

but it is the center hole 

that makes the wheel move. 

 

We shape clay into a pot, 

but it is the emptiness inside 

that holds whatever we want. 

  

We hammer wood for a house

but it is the inner space  

that makes it livable. 

  

We work with being 

but non-being is what we use."    

  

Tao Te Ching, Chapter 11 

Stephen Mitchell  

    

This seems to express the spirit of  Advent.  We light candles, but we let ourselves be filled with  silence.  In meditation and contemplative prayer, we empty ourselves to know God more.      

 

"God is spirit, and it is necessary to worship God in spirit and truth."  

John 4:24   

  

    

   

photograph:San Leandro,  November 2015

 

Chapter 10, Tao Te Ching

 "Can you coax your mind from its wandering

Can you coax your mind from its wandering and keep to the original oneness?   

Can you let your body become 

supple as a newborn child's?

Can you cleanse your inner vision 

until you see nothing but the light? 

Can you love people and lead them

without imposing your will?  

Can you deal with the most vital matters

by letting events take their course?

Can you step back from your own mind 

and thus understand all things?     

  

Giving birth and nourishing, 

having without possessing, 

acting with no expectation, 

leading and not trying to control: 

this is the supreme virtue."  

 

Chapter 10, Tao Te Ching 

Stephen Mitchell       

   

Here, I interpret suppleness as how we respond to the world.  Yesterday, Tyler and I went to Santa Cruz to spend some time with friends who had rented a small beach house for the holiday.  Yes, we wore masks all day and that got  tedious, but it was wonderful to be able to walk along the beach together and share a couple of meals.   Towards the end of the day we  stood  on a cliff  and watched close to one hundred, maybe even more, pelicans glide and  dive among the relatively gentle waves for their supper.  I felt such gratitude that those magnificent creatures  seemed to have been able to feast  abundantly.  We also watched two very  young children run as fast as their  short  legs could carry them as they dashed back and forth between  the water's edge and  their parents. They, too, were feasting abundantly in  the joy of play and adventure.  I believe all of us were responding with suppleness.  While my friends and I  are no longer young, and none of us are without some health issues,  our suppleness came in the guise of  gratitude. 

Today,  I have a deeper understanding of what it means to be supple.   

I took no pictures yesterday, but here is a photograph, taken on a previous year,  of the cliff where we were standing.  Yesterday, I was in the presence of another old friend, Villa Maria del Mar.  I was delighted to discover that my friends had rented a house that was one block away from that retreat house that I love.      

 

       

 

 

Chapter 9, Tao Te Ching

 "Do your work, then step back.  

The only path to serenity."  

 

Excerpt from Tao Te Ching, Chapter 9 

Stephen Mitchell   

   

 Tyler and I will be celebrating our 33rd wedding anniversary today.  Most Fridays we try to do something together, and today we will be with two friends who want to celebrate with us.  The photograph that is attached is from a trek a few weeks ago where we stopped at Ocean Beach.   Windy, but very beautiful.  

 

Stay well, everyone.     

  

Blessings,

Sue Ann    

      

Good Morning

 A beautiful poem that illustrates how prayerful cooking and baking can be.  Blessings on you day, and may all tables be a place of peace, sustenance, and gratitude.   

   

More than these greens tossed with toasted pecans,
I want to serve you the hymn I sang into the wooden bowl
as I blended the oil and white vinegar. More than honey ice cream
beside the warm pie, I want to serve you the bliss in the apples' flesh,
how it gathered the sun and carried its luminousness to this table.
More than the popovers, the risen ecstasy of wheat, milk and eggs,
I want to serve you the warmth that urged the transformation to bread.
Blessings, I want to serve you full choruses of hallelujah, oh so wholly
here in this moment. Oh so holy here in this world.

~ Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer   

via First Sip, Claudia Cummins   

 

  

The photograph that is attached is one of my earliest.          

    

   

Chapter 8, Tao Te Ching

 The supreme good is like water, 

which nourishes all things without trying to. 

It is content with the low places that people disdain. 

Thus it is like the Tao.  

 

In dwelling, live close to the ground. 

In thinking, keep to the simple. 

In conflict, be fair and generous. 

In governing, don't try to control.  

In work, do what you enjoy. 

In family life, be completely present.  

 

When you are content to be simply yourself 

and don't compare or compete, 

everyone will respect you."

   

This morning, as I sat with this chapter, I remember a day, almost two decades ago, that I spent sitting on the banks of a river.  Tyler and some friends went rafting, but I opted not to go.  I am sure I read some, and probably walked a bit. Those details I do not remember.  What I do remember was the continual interplay of water and light.  The light glistened and seemed to be lightly touching the water, almost like a gentle caress, as the river passed by.  I am grateful to be reminded of that tranquil day of solitude.        

 

I do not have a picture of a river.  This photograph was taken at Lake Chabot.  I had just finished physical therapy for my knee, and I so loved being able to do a short hike on a beautiful day.  I believe a hike is in order later today.           

Chapter 7, Tao Te Ching

 "The Tao is infinite, eternal. 

Why is it eternal?  

It was never born; 

thus it can never die. 

Why is it infinite? 

It has no desires for itself; 

thus it is present for all beings.  

   

The Master stays behind; 

that is why she is ahead. 

She is detached from all things; 

that is why she is one with them. 

Because she has let go of herself, 

she is perfectly fulfilled.     

 

Tao Te Ching, Chapter 7 

Stephen Mitchell  

  

   

I am finding much comfort in Lao-tzu's ancient writings.  I am also encouraged in learning that it is one of the most translated books we have, second only to the Bible.  Can we truly practice non-grasping  so we can then hold all of life?   I am finding these chapters both austere and deeply satisfying.   They lead me to a silent and sacred temple and I find peace. 

   

  

photograph:  San Leandro, November 2020  

Chapter 6, Tao Te Ching

 "The Tao is called the Great Mother: 

empty yet inexhaustible. 

 

It is always present with you. 

You can use it any way you want."   

 

Tao Te Ching, 

Chapter 6, Stephen Mitchell  

    

  

Here we have the foundation of spiritual maturity and also the lack of it.  How to use such freedom is the human dilemma.  

  

    

 

photograph:  San Leandro.  I am  uncertain  of the date. 

Chapter 5, Tao Te Ching

"The Tao doesn't take sides; 

it gives birth to both good and evil. 

The Master doesn't take sides; 

she welcomes both saints and sinners. 

 

The Tao is like a bellows; 

it is empty yet infinitely capable. 

The more you use it, the more it produces; 

the more you talk of it, the less you understand.    

  

Hold on to the center."       

 Tao Te Ching, Chapter 5 

  

The existence of evil has long been discussed by minds far sturdier than mine.  What I take away from this is to be wary of labeling, especially the labeling of people.   What one person views as evil, others may not.  Jesus understood that those labeled as sinners had enormous possibility, but he had little patience with those in power who abused that power and trapped others in powerless lives.      

 

I  appreciate Mitchell's comments on this chapter:  "The Master sees all beings arising from the same source, working out their karma (usually with great suffering) and returning to the source.  And since people are in constant flux, she understands that at any moment they are capable of the most astonishing transformations. Why should she pin them into motionless with a judgment of 'good' or 'bad?'"   This is an insightful question.  If a person is continually labeled as "bad," he or she may very well live into that role, often with much mayhem and sorrow.  Let us give one another room to grow with grace.      

 

Keep loving each other like family. Don't neglect to open your homes to guests, because by doing this some have been hosts to angels without knowing it. Remember the prisoners as if you were in prison with them, and people who are mistreated as if you were in their place.     

 Hebrews 13:1-3   

 

photograph:  San Leandro, November 2020    

  

photograph:  San Leandro, November 2020    

  

Chapter 4, Tao Te Ching

The Tao is like a well:

used but never used up.

It is like the eternal void:

filled with infinite possibilities.  

   

It is hidden but always present. 

I don't know who gave birth to it. 

It is older than God."   

  

Chapter 4, Tao Te Ching 

Stephen Mitchell 

  

Last night I dreamed of Jesus. I remember only walking alongside the ocean with him.  The memory of the dream, while short on details,  strengthens my intent to walk with him on the journey through the Tao Te Ching.

 Stephen Mitchell comments on the last line of this chapter: "There is no God when there is nothing but God." At this point I run out of words.  So I shall sing one of my favorite Advent hymns:  

   

"With joy draw water from the spring;

 salvation's living well. 

The Holy One is in your midst; 

glad praises sing and tell!"     

 

With Joy Draw Water 

Anne McKinstry        

     

 

photograph:  San Mateo, 2015? 

Chapter 3, Tao Te Ching

 "If you overesteem great men, 

people become powerless. 

If you overvalue possessions, 

people begin to steal.  

 

The Master leads 

by emptying people's minds 

and filling their cores, 

by weakening their ambition

and toughening their resolve..."   

     

With the guidance of  my yoga/qigong teacher, I have been concentrating on strengthening and balancing my core muscles. It is a slow process, but I believe it is an important one.  My teacher calls these muscles (abdomen, pelvis, hips, thighs,buttucks and hamstrings) " muscles of independence".  Yes, the practice  is toughening my resolve to be able to sit, stand, and walk under my own power for as long as possible.  Self-discipline has never been one of my strengths, but sooner or later, most of us learn to put aside at least some of our assumptions that the body will just take care of itself.  Our bodies are miraculous. We should be astounded every day.  We each must learn to accept and live in our own body until our soul needs it no longer.    

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?    

1 Corinthians 3:16    

  

photograph:  San Leandro, a few years ago

Chapter 2, Tao Te Ching

 I am one who at times has trouble in just letting things go.  I will try to hold on to what is troubling me, but I will also try to hold on to what seems to be going well.  I will cling to both criticism and praise, so I risk identifying myself with what I am hearing, or think I am hearing.  Jesus would call this worrying.  When I hear him ask, "Who among you by worrying can add a single moment to your life (Matthew 6:27)?",  I have no answer. I am amazed I have made it this far. 

  

I will include Chapter 2 in its entirety.  Sometimes The Master is given a masculine pronoun, sometimes feminine.  Stephen Mitchell writes that the Chinese language makes no such distinction.   

   

When people see some things as beautiful, 

other things become ugly. 

When people see some things as good, 

other things become bad.  

 

Being and non-being create one another. 

Difficult and easy support one another.   

Long and short define each other. 

High and low depend on each other. 

Before and after follow each other. 

   

Therefore the Master 

acts without doing anything

and teaches without saying anything. 

Things arise and she lets them go. 

She has but doesn't possess, 

acts but doesn't expect. 

When her work is done, she forgets it.

That's why it lasts forever.        

 

   

photograph: San Leandro, November 2020
    

   

Chapter 1, Tao Te Ching

I have decided to return to the reading of the Tao Te Ching, as translated by Stephen Mitchell (Mitchell advises that it is pronounced, "more or less" as Dow Deh Jing.)  The book I have has a copyright of  1988.  I will share my musings here, along with a short portion of the  daily reading.  

Very little is known about the author, Lao-tzu. I think I first heard about him when I was taking a night class in World Religions at Laney College in Oakland many years ago. The textbook, Religions of the World (also copyright 1988) I still have. In it is a picture of a wonderful incense burner that depicts Lao-tzu riding on a water buffalo.  Lao-tzu is sitting on the water buffalo cross-legged.   He is facing the viewer, while the buffalo continues on his way to the right. I remember writing about this image that still speaks to me of great calm, trust, and balance.   Something so needed today.    

When I first perused Mitchell's translation, I did not know at the time I would eventually try to walk a Christian path.  Yet, I hear Jesus' voice in this book.  I am taking a Qigong class via Zoom, and last week my teacher said, "We are at a time when all the world's faith's are sharing their jewels." I believe this, and it is my hope that we can come together in love.        

 

Chapter 1  

The tao that can be told 

is not the eternal Tao.  

The name that can be named 

is not the eternal Name.  

  

The unnamable is the eternally real. 

Naming is the origin 

of all particular things.     

   

What is God's name? I do not think we really know. Jesus was content to address  God as  Father.  God refuses to be a particular that can be clung to, but yet we are held.  We are all children of the Divine Mystery.  

       

photograph:  San Leandro, November 17, 2020, before the rains came.       

   

          

Note To My Self

 See the world as your self.  

Have faith in the way things are.  

Love the world as your self; 

then you can care for all things.  

 

Tao Te Ching

Stephen Mitchell    

  

photograph:  San Leandro, August 2017  

  

        

Pass It On

May the poor find wealth, 

Those weak with sorrow find joy. 

May the forlorn find new hope, 

Constant happiness and prosperity.  

 

May the frightened cease to be afraid, 

And those bound be free. 

May the weak find power, 

And may their hearts join in friendship.   

 

An Open Heart, The Dalai Lama   

    

I found this book in one of our Little Free Libraries.  I am not sure that it had ever been read, but I hope so.  We are in a time, and maybe we always have been, when we need to say, "This is what I have learned.  Pass it on."    

 

I have not been at ease since the election, and at times my prayers have not been as gentle and wise as the Dalai Lama's beautiful prayer.  My impatience has overflowed more than once.  Yet,  in a Zoom worship with a care community on Thursday, I felt my thoughts and feelings untangle.  In this service, I talked about prayer, and how many of the psalmists would start out with a sense of frustration, despair, and even fear.  However, as they worked their way through prayer, most Psalms conclude with a surrender to gratitude and praise.  A surrender to God.  And as I talked about my own prayers, that sense of gratitude made its way into my heart.  I knew God had been quietly listening to me, but yesterday, I felt it deeply.  I reminded myself and those gathered with me that our prayers do not need to be noble, eloquent, or gentle.   However, they do need to be honest, or we cannot grow.  

  

This is the value of coming together in community.   If you are struggling with what it means to be a Christian in this time, I do suggest a beautiful book that was recommended to me, Following Jesus, Finding Our Way Home in an Age of Anxiety, edited by Gabrielle Earnshaw.   In this book, which is a compilation of six lectures given by Nouwen, he says, "And contrary to popular opinion, we are not called to imitate Jesus. We are called to form a community of people who through different ways reflect the great love of Jesus. Not one of us can reflect the fullness of that love."  When we come together to talk, pray, laugh, and sometimes cry, Christ is made known.  Then, and maybe only then, we can pass that great love to others.  We can pass it on.  

     

    

    

 

A Short Note

"Be joyful though you have considered all the facts... "   

from " Resurrection" by Wendell Berry 

  

This photograph was taken in August of this year.  I am reminded of our neighborhood birds, who always seem to have much to say to one another.  I eavesdrop often, and will, at times, interrupt with "Excuse me, what are you talking about?"  They generally  ignore me. In some ways, that is comforting.  I fill the bird bath, and carry on.       

   

Looking Up

 This poem came in this morning's emails from First Sip.   Last night as I was drawing in my journal, I realized that I always draw a friendly sky. Yes, I know storms come and go, sometimes doing considerable damage.  However, we must not succumb to not bothering to looking up.  We do share the sky with all of creation.  If we tend to the earth, the whole sky responds.  I love the reminder that we do not need a passport to look up.  I shall give it a go on my walk this morning when there is so much going on.   I have voted.  I believe I voted for earth and sky.  If you have not voted yet, consider doing the same.   The grandchildren will thank us.  

I hope you are tending to your dreams.  

Love, 

Sue Ann 

We plant seeds in the ground
And dreams in the sky,

Hoping that, someday, the roots of one
Will meet the upstretched limbs of the other.

It has not happened yet.
We share the sky, all of us, the whole world:

Together, we are a tribe of eyes that look upward,
Even as we stand on uncertain ground.

The earth beneath us moves, quiet and wild,
Its boundaries shifting, its muscles wavering.

The dream of sky is indifferent to all this,
Impervious to borders, fences, reservations.

The sky is our common home, the place we all live.
There we are in the world together.

The dream of sky requires no passport.
Blue will not be fenced. Blue will not be a crime.

Look up. Stay awhile. Let your breathing slow.
Know that you always have a home here.
~ Alberto Rios