Being Nobody, Going Nowhere

Lao Tzu, the famous Chinese philosopher accredited with writing the "Tao Te Ching" wrote how the life of a sage is one of daily diminishing, not adding. Bruce Lee also spoke of peeling back non-essentials of the martial arts in order to reveal 'the truth' of self-defence training.

Looking at ourselves, as a people, we love to gather certificates, diplomas, trophies. We accumulate things, like cars, houses, books, and so forth. Why? For most of us it is a sense of security through identity. Deep down, we don't know who we are or why we are here on this planet. In an attempt to find this security or identity we try to find it through 'outer things' such as titles, materials possessions and relationships.

As martial artists, most of us have studied about five to six different art forms looking for the 'the truth' or ourselves. And, guess what? They do satisfy, but for only a short while, because as you know, all things are temporary. So we keep searching.

If we would really listen to Lao Tzu, we can see we are like an onion. If you begin to peel back the layers of who you think you are, just like the onion, you will find when you get to the middle, that there is 'nothing' there. Yes, you are nothing, going nowhere! (LOL here!)

Being nobody, going nowhere is our truest nature....it is Ku or Emptiness. We are emptiness in form and form in emptiness. If you remember, Ku is the unfolding field of limitless possibilities only waiting for a thought to manifest into form. At your truest inner self, because you are No-body you are All things. You are infinite with unbounded potential. How cool is that!

So, as you look at yourself, Peel back the layers of who you identify as you. Throw away the labels, the security, the diplomas, the sense of importance and just watch. Meditate. Learn to just be and your inner self of Being Nobody, Going Nowhere is there. Then you can have a great laugh and play in this wonderful universal field of 'energy'...which is what I am off to do now.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

No Rush

Those who work at their studies increase day after day:
Those who have heard the Tao decrease day after day.
They decrease and decrease till they get to the point where they do nothing.
They do nothing and yet there's nothing left undone.
Lao Tzu (Ch. 48)


In my last post Narda's situation of starting Kobudo training later in life made me think of this quote from Lao Tzu. One reason for studying Budo is to cease the struggle of battling our own Ego-driven lives. Our ego's, at least I know mine works this way, loves to gather knowledge and show it off. Our ego also gets to feeling insecure if it senses it might not know enough. It begins to grasp after knowledge like a drowning man reaching for a life preserver. It begins to 'work'.


A follower of the Way, one who has heard the Tao, does not rush, does not 'work'. She decreases not in knowledge, but in Ego. It is Ego that gets chipped away by the study of Budo. There is no rush in the study of any Martial Art. It is the Ego that wants more and more and feels rushed and works harder gathering more and more. It is this rushing that actually strengthens Ego. Taking your time and just being here is the practice of Ego-lessness and Budo. This is the daily decreasing I believe Lao Tzu was referring to. It is similar to that old Zen saying that there really is nothing to gain and no place really to go.

Good teachers like Narda's know this. For those who come to Budo later in life it is no big deal. The Tao recognizes no such thing as time or age. It is only Ego that measures it. Ego loves comparisons. So, just carry on with 'everdayness' of your practice. As you do this, the daily decreasing of Ego happens naturally and you enter into that wonderful area of doing nothing, yet everything gets done.

Hope these ramblings make some sense.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen