August 10th

Be

Tao is within us; Tao surrounds us.
Part of it may be sensed,
And is called manifestation.
Part of it is unseen,
And is called void.
To be with Tao is harmony.
To separate from Tao is disaster.
To act with Tao, observe and follow.
To know Tao, be still and look within.

Tao is within us; we are Tao. It is also outside of us; it is all the known universe. All that we can know of ourselves and our universe cannot account for all that is Tao. What we know is merely the outer manifestation of Tao. The ultimate Tao is called absolute. We cannot know it directly because it has no definitions, references, or names. Our normal minds are incapable of perceiving where there is no contrast. Yet it is precisely this colorless infinity that is the underlying reality to this life.
The only way to fathom it is to remove our sense of division from it. In essence, we must plunge into the mystery itself. Only then will we know peace.


Personal Interpretation

We have no hope of knowing the entirety of Tao. We don't have the faculties to perceive it all in its glory. We can only know its manifestations in this world, in our lives. Tao is both within us and beyond the bounds of our minds and hearts. It is everything and it is nothing. The only way to know it is to allow ourselves to plunge deeply into the abyss. As long as we separate ourselves from the rest of creation, peace will elude us. When we see that we are one with everything, there is no division and harmony can reign supreme.