Welcome to part 3 of Reading the Doubting Jane.
Before we start,
I'd like to mention something.
From the outside,
We think of the Zen mindset as something like being unmoved by the extreme of life,
Attained by no emotion,
Impassive like a stone.
We have this mythical and unattainable image of mysterious monks hiding on mountaintops,
Far from civilization,
Meditating all day in odd postures.
And we want to find out their secret.
We want to be Zen.
So we climb mountains,
Retreat from society,
Stop eating for days,
And practice asceticism.
All that,
To find something that was inside of us since the beginning.
Since the beginning of all.
We are the universe.
We have to let it come out of ourselves.
And since it is already doing it,
We don't have to do anything about it.
It just happens.
Let it.
As Alan Watts said,
The only Zen you will find on mountaintops is the Zen you bring up there with you.
What is being Zen?
It is simply allowing yourself to be.
Accepting who you are without fear and resistance.
And knowing that you are not merely your sole identity.
You are merging into the world.
The world merges into you.
There is no distinct separation between things.
Therefore all that you see is you.
Or none of it.
Both are true,
Since there is no you.
There is no right or wrong way of being Zen.
There is just Zen,
And that's it.
By not seeing that we already have what we were looking for,
We are getting away from it.
We are estranged,
And we don't know why.
But we do it to ourselves.
We keep searching every corner of the world for something that we can't quite identify.
That thing is inner peace,
And it comes from within.
Nothing and no one can give it to you,
For you already have it.
And it is not a possession,
But a state of things.
The ultimate reality behind every illusion.
The Doubting Part 3.
If you over-esteem 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.
He helps people lose everything they know,
Everything they desire,
And creates confusion in those who think that they know.
Practice not doing,
And everything will fall into place.
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.
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.
The Tao is called the Great Mother.
Empty yet inexhaustible.
It gives birth to infinite worlds.
It is always present within you.
You can use it any way you want.
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.
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,
Everybody will respect you.
Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt.
Chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench.
Care about people's approval and you will be their prisoner.
Do your work,
Then step back.
The only path to serenity.
That was today's message.
Thank you for listening.
I'll be seeing you soon.
