January 29th

Scars


Markings in dry clay disappear
Only when the clay is soft again.
Scars upon the self disappear
Only when one becomes soft within.

Throughout our life, but especially during our youth, many scars are inflicted upon us. Some of them are the results of violence, abuse, rape, or warfare. Others arise from bad education. A few come from humiliation and failure. Others are caused by our own misadventures. Unless we recover from these injuries, the scars mar us forever.Classical scriptures urge us to withdraw from our own lusts and sins. But scars that have happened through no fault of our own may also bar us from spiritual success. Unfortunately, it is often easier to give up a bad habit than to recover from the incisions of others' violence. The only way is through self-cultivation. Doctors and priests can only do so much. The true course of healing is up to us alone. To do this, we must acquire many methods, travel widely, struggle to overcome our personal phobias, and perhaps most importantly of all, try to acquire as few new problems as possible. Unless we do, each one of them will bar us from true communion with Tao.

Personal Interpretation

Some of us bear physical scars. Many more of us come to carry scars that are invisible to the naked eye. Some are the result of crimes others perpetrate against us, and some are the result of crimes we commit against ourselves. We must work to heal from the injuries we sustain if we hope to move forward. Self-cultivation is key. Our teachers and mentors can only do so much for us. We must take ownership of our own lives.

Healing takes time but is well worth it in the end, as it opens the passage within ourselves that is attuned to Tao. We must be prepared to devote our entire lives to the cultivation of the self, the healing of the soul, and the reaching for Tao. Only then can we be fulfilled.

The passage above notes that markings in dry clay disappear only when the clay is soft again. We must confess the existence of the scars that mar us. This takes great courage. To steel ourselves and fight against the truth will get us nowhere. Admission of weakness is the first step on the road to acquiring great strength.