Written Messages

 

                                      Moscow
 13 May 2013

 

Chapter 1

The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao
The name that can be named is not the eternal name
The nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth
The named is the mother of myriad things
Thus, constantly without desire, one observes its essence
Constantly with desire, one observes its manifestations
These two emerge together but differ in name
The unity is said to be the mystery
Mystery of mysteries, the door to all wonders

Truth is not verbalised; if it is done, it is merely an idea or information, or information pollution. All ideas are 'I', 'I', 'I' and 'You', 'You', 'You' - the activities of the separative psyche, not the sanctity of perception. So Silence or Truth may be elegant and egalitarian, but it may also be an escape or evasion. That is perhaps why Shibendu keeps on travelling and 'shouting' on TRUTH. When the un-nameable, the nameless is named; it produces pretention, pride and pleasure of knowledge but knowing or perception may get covered up generating beliefs, bigotry and battles!

 

In conspicuous divisive consiousness, the manifested material universe is seen through 'Laksha'; whereas in the inner being, the 'I' – the false fragmentation or the mind – the myth is observed through 'Aksha', that is without the dichotomy between the observer and the observed! And then, the division between 'Laksha' and 'Aksha' may also disappear for the wonder & mystery of the unique unity to be. The stimulus and response are then revealed as a unitary movement in the inner being.

 

Chapter 2

When the world knows beauty as beauty, ugliness arises
When it knows good as good, evil arises
Thus being and non-being produce each other
Difficult and easy bring about each other
Long and short reveal each other
High and low support each other
Music and voice harmonize each other
Front and back follow each other
Therefore the sages:
Manage the work of detached actions
Conduct the teaching of no words
They work with myriad things but do not control
They create but do not possess
They act but do not presume
They succeed but do not dwell on success
It is because they do not dwell on success
That it never goes away

'Beauty' of pleasure movement of the mind is the perversion of Life's perception. 'Love' of the mind is indeed the camouflaged hate. 'Happiness' of the mind is an invitation to sorrow. The so-called 'good' of the mind is the cultivated opposite of evil and therefore still evil. Goodness flowers when the evil is utterly ceased through the fire of Awareness Holistic, without any duality whatsoever. Vibrations (Dance of Shiva) of the 'Big Bang' created the 'God particle' and consequently the manifested Universe too, to disappear again in the 'Black Hole' of the Holy! All opposites contain the elements of their own opposites! Is it possible to be available to actions without a single hidden motive or without a single image about oneself or the other? Can one live without any burden of any 'religious' belief-system or without any bondage of a shit 'spiritual' idea? Teaching from Emptiness brings about a radical transormation and fundamental change in the separative psyche of 'I-ness'. Can there be a control without a shoddy little controller – the 'I', the ego? Can there be only 'Is-ness' – not any 'I-ness'? Can there be some necessary possessions only, without any possessivness whatsoever? Can there be profound and intensive actions without any perversion and investment from the 'I-ness'? Success happens naturally and effortlessly when 'no-I', 'no-mind', only the energy of life and its understanding is in command!

Chapter 3

Do not glorify the achievers
So the people will not squabble
Do not treasure goods that are hard to obtain
So the people will not become thieves
Do not show the desired things
So their hearts will not be confused

Thus the governance of the sage:
Empties their hearts
Fills their bellies
Weakens their ambitions
Strengthens their bones

Let the people have no cunning and no greed
So those who scheme will not dare to meddle

Act without contrivance

And nothing will be beyond control

 

Glorification of the 'I' through mundane activities, unnecessary acquisitons of worldly articles and exhibition of material possessions are the root causes of disorder in the society. Let mind be empty for nourishment of life to be. No schemers  with contrived cunning calculations can flourish among humans with simple and straight forward energy of understanding. Then there can be a perfect order and natural control in the society.

Chapter 4

The Tao is empty
When utilized, it is not filled up 

 So deep! It seems to be the source of all things

It blunts the sharpness
Unravels the knots
Dims the glare
Mixes the dusts 

So indistinct! It seems to exist
I do not know whose offspring it is

Its image is the predecessor of the Emperor

 

Emptiness (no-mind but full of life) is the wholeness, the holiness. It does not seek fulfilment through fancy and fantasy of the mind. It serves only facts.

Emptiness weakens the wicked activities of the mind, ends all complications and conflicts, and also dims the depressions of the mind which are various expressions of the 'I-ness'. Thus, simplicity and energy of understanding is lost! 

Divinity (Emptiness, non-divisive awareness) is indeed the predecessor of all Emperors

 

Chapter 5

Heaven and Earth are impartial
They regard myriad things as straw dogs
The sages are impartial
They regard people as straw dogs

The space between
Heaven and Earth
Is it not like a bellows?
Empty, and yet never exhausted
It moves, and produces more

Too many words hasten failure.
Cannot compare to keeping to the void

 

 Impartiality – not psychological investments (positive or negative) – is indeed the door to the Divinity. Emptiness is the Immeasurable. It is the beginning and end of all things. It is beyond all cause and effect. It is the real doer, but without any doership whatsoever. Is it possible to listen beyond words, behind words? Then many words are unnecessary.

Chapter 6

The valley spirit, undying
Is called the Mystic Female

The gate of the Mystic Female

Is called the root of Heaven and Earth

It flows continuously, barely perceptible
Utilize it; it is never exhausted

6) Prakriti – Nature – is feminine. All our energy is from our mother. Intelligence (Chaitanya) – Purusha – penetrates into the Energy to be available to the Integrated Whole – the Yoga – the ChitiShakti or the 196th Sutra of Sage Patanjali.

Chapter 7

Heaven and Earth are everlasting
The reason Heaven and Earth can last forever
Is that they do not exist for themselves
Thus they can last forever 

Therefore the sages:
Place themselves last but end up in front
Are outside of themselves and yet survive

Is it not due to their selflessness?

That is how they can achieve their own goals

 

One who lives in Compassion and Comprehension never dies – although his mind dies to be in Yoga and body 'dies' to appear in new streams of life! 'I am the last man' uttered Jesus Christ. Selflessness (no-'I') is life. Selfishness is mind. Universal Intelligence is in command in the dimension of selflessness. Stupidity operates when 'I' is activated either through excitement or through depression.

 

Chapter 8

The highest goodness resembles water
Water greatly benefits myriad things without contention
It stays in places that people dislike
Therefore it is similar to the Tao

Dwelling with the right location
Feeling with great depth
Giving with great kindness
Speaking with great integrity
Governing with great administration
Handling with great capability
Moving with great timing 

Because it does not contend
It is therefore beyond reproach

 

8) Goodness flows like the water of wisdom. Wicked mind dislikes wisdom! Wisdom is always right, has a tremendous depth. It is very kind and compassionate, it is in Yoga (not the Viyoga of mind). It performs in excellence, proportion and perfection and is also in meticulous movement. Wisdom is not touched by antagonistic reaction.

 

Chapter 9

Holding a cup and overfilling it
Cannot be as good as stopping short
Pounding a blade and sharpening it
Cannot be kept for long

Gold and jade fill up the room
No one is able to protect them
Wealth and position bring arrogance
And leave disasters upon oneself

When achievement is completed, fame is attained
Withdraw oneself
This is the Tao of Heaven

 

When shoddy mind is full of borrowed knowledge, wisdom cannot be filled in! Unlearn in order to learn! Awakening does not happen in arrogance. Craving for security brings forth the disaster of insecurity. Craving for prosperity invites the overall curse of poverty. Degradation thrives clandestinely beneath the facade of glamorous development. Withdrawing righteously is the wisdom. Retirement may result in reformation.

 

Chapter 10

In holding the soul and embracing oneness

Can one be steadfast, without straying?

In concentrating the energy and reaching relaxation

Can one be like an infant?

In cleaning away the worldly view

Can one be without imperfections?

In loving the people and ruling the nation

Can one be without manipulation?

In the heavenly gate's opening and closing

Can one hold to the feminine principle?
In understanding clearly all directions
Can one be without intellectuality?

 

When Life (soul) is in-charge, there is steadfastness and stable living. And when one is in mind, there is disarray and disintegration. Innocence of infancy is not an ignorance of important practical knowledge for performing daily tasks. One can be innocent without being ignorant. Innocence is not imperfection. Manners should not be brought about through manipulation. Can one be in feminine passivity rather then in masculine pursuits? Passivity is patience and perseverence. Pursuit is paradox and perversion. It is not understanding – it is merely yet another mental undertaking.

 

Chapter 11

Thirty spokes join in one hub
In its emptiness, there is the function of a vehicle
Mix clay to create a container
In its emptiness, there is the function of a container
Cut open doors and windows to create a room
In its emptiness, there is the function of a room

Therefore, that which exists is used to create benefit
That which is empty is used to create functionality

 

11) Emptiness with its concomittant bliss of the energy of understanding generate basic action whereas material undertakings supply the required facilities.

Chapter 12

The five colors make one blind in the eyes
The five sounds make one deaf in the ears
The five flavors make one tasteless in the mouth

Racing and hunting make one wild in the heart
Goods that are difficult to acquire make one cause damage

Therefore the sages care for the stomach and not the eyes
That is why they discard the other and take this

 

The lure for the more in the dimension of the mind destroys the lore of the core of life. Damaging the living body and its organs demonstrate an utter disregard for the Divinity connected in a live-person. It is wise to let the body live long by taking care of the food. We should eat for a healthy stomach and should not be a victim of the marketeers and racketeers of the food market proliferating only greed whereas the natural hunger only must prevail.

 

Chapter 13

Favor and disgrace make one fearful
The greatest misfortune is the self
What does "favor and disgrace make one fearful" mean?
Favor is high; disgrace is low
Having it makes one fearful
Losing it makes one fearful
This is "favor and disgrace make one fearful"

What does "the greatest misfortune is the self" mean?
The reason I have great misfortune
Is that I have the self
If I have no self
What misfortune do I have?

So one who values the self as the world
Can be given the world
One who loves the self as the world
Can be entrusted with the world

13) Fear is a mental pollution and it may consist of falling from the favors of others and getting into disgraceful situation. And misfortune is the 'I-ness'. When 'I' is in command, the chances are that the things would go wrong. But when no-'I' is in control, everything will be in total order. This 'non-I-ness' is Life and the whole humanity.

 

Chapter 14

Look at it, it cannot be seen
It is called colorless
Listen to it, it cannot be heard
It is called noiseless
Reach for it, it cannot be held
It is called formless
These three cannot be completely unraveled
So they are combined into one

Above it, not bright
Below it, not dark
Continuing endlessly, cannot be named
It returns back into nothingness
Thus it is called the form of the formless
The image of the imageless
This is called enigmatic
Confront it, its front cannot be seen
Follow it, its back cannot be seen

Wield the Tao of the ancients

To manage the existence of today

One can know the ancient beginning
It is called the Tao Axiom

 

 

'That-ness' is neither known, nor unknown – 'It' is unknowable! 'It' is unnameable! 'It' is immeasurable! 'It' is un-limited – without any beginning nor with any end! 'It' is beyond all opposites. 'It' is an enigma – can not be captured within the structure of experience  -– the ego-frame. 'It' is the vitality and veracity of Existence!

 

Chapter 15

 

The Tao masters of antiquity
Subtle wonders through mystery
Depths that cannot be discerned
Because one cannot discern them
Therefore one is forced to describe the appearance

Hesitant, like crossing a wintry river
Cautious, like fearing four neighbors
Solemn, like a guest
Loose, like ice about to melt
Genuine, like plain wood
Open, like a valley
Opaque, like muddy water

Who can be muddled yet desist
In stillness gradually become clear?
Who can be serene yet persist
In motion gradually come alive?

One who holds this
Tao does not wish to be overfilled
Because one is not overfilled
Therefore one can preserve and not create anew

 

Persist in Life without any pursuit of the mind! Seek not from 'I' but from serenity of 'no-I'! Hold to the truth of 'no-I' without the travesty of 'I'! Be available to the sacred motion of Life without getting into the sacrilegeous motives of the 'mind-I'! There is no creator for Creation itself is the everlasting Creator! There is no duality in this vastness of unimaginable Vitality of Creation! There is nothing old and therefore there is nothing new too!

 

Chapter 16

 

Attain the ultimate emptiness
Hold on to the truest tranquility
The myriad things are all active
I therefore watch their return

Everything flourishes; each returns to its root
Returning to the root is called tranquility
Tranquility is called returning to one's nature
Returning to one's nature is called constancy
Knowing constancy is called clarity

Not knowing constancy, one recklessly causes trouble
Knowing constancy is acceptance
Acceptance is impartiality

Impartiality is sovereign

Sovereign is Heaven

Heaven is Tao

Tao is eternal

The self is no more, without danger

 

Root is tranquility. Keep returning to the root which is our natural state. In natural state the body is under the command of 'no-I'. Thought does not interfere as interloper. It does not generate psychosomatic disorders. Thought is discontinuous in the natural state of humans. It comes into being only when a task has to be performed. It then returns to 'no-thought' when the task is over. Divinity is in this natural state of existential living – not in the mischiefs  of the mind-thought network postulating 'God' as the 'Chairman & Managing Director' of the 'Heaven Company'! Choiceless Awareness, the Impartiality is Divinity, Heaven and Tao wherein the separative psyche 'I' gets dissolved and therefore is no more. 

 

Chapter 17 

The highest rulers, people do not know they have them
The next level, people love them and praise them
The next level, people fear them
The next level, people despise them
If the rulers' trust is insufficient
Have no trust in them

Proceeding calmly, valuing their words
Task accomplished, matter settled
The people all say,
"We did it naturally"

 

Highest ruler is the Life Divine. Other rulers are at various levels of mind. Trust is the real ruler. Natural state of life is the real doer.

 

Chapter 18

The great Tao fades away
There is benevolence and justice
Intelligence comes forth
There is great deception

The six relations are not harmonious
There is filial piety and kind affection
The country is in confused chaos
There are loyal ministers

 

When Life, Tao is dormant; the mind, the division, the deception is dominant. When relationship is based on mind and its images, there is misrule and disorder. Be loyal to life -– not to the mind which masquarades as 'king'.

 

Chapter 19 

End sagacity; abandon knowledge
The people benefit a hundred times

End benevolence; abandon righteousness
The people return to piety and charity

End cunning; discard profit
Bandits and thieves no longer exist

These three things are superficial and insufficient
Thus this teaching has its place:
Show plainness; hold simplicity
Reduce selfishness; decrease desires

 

Simplicity, plainness, reduction of 'I-ness', decrease of desires are worthwhile teachings -– not the social morality which is immoral promoting superficial sermons.

 

Chapter 20 

Cease learning, no more worries
Respectful response and scornful response
How much is the difference?
Goodness and evil
How much do they differ?
What the people fear, I cannot be unafraid

So desolate! How limitless it is!
The people are excited
As if enjoying a great feast
As if climbing up to the terrace in spring
I alone am quiet and uninvolved
Like an infant not yet smiling
So weary, like having no place to return
The people all have surplus
While I alone seem lacking I have the heart of a fool indeed – so ignorant!
Ordinary people are bright
I alone am muddled
Ordinary people are scrutinizing
I alone am obtuse

Such tranquility, like the ocean
Such high wind, as if without limits

The people all have goals
And I alone am stubborn and lowly
I alone am different from them
And value the nourishing mother

 

 Worshipping mother earth is wisdom -– not destroying  this beautiful planet by profane and exciting activities of the mind. Tranquility is the treasure.

 

Jai Lao Tzu