Hi all,
My name is Christopher Willmot, a 54 year old from Durham, UK. I've been hanging around with the good people at http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk for the last few months. Noticed some of the interesting discussions here from Google Reader, and would like to be more than a passive viewer here, too.
Brief history
The book that has most frequently been at my side since I was 16 is probably "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" by Shunryu Suzuki. I discovered Taoism at 18/19 but a year later became a Christian (and you know what University Christian Unions think of Zen, Taoism and That Sort Of Thing!). I lived for several years in a Christian Community, got married and had children. While earning my living as a schoolteacher, I was also a Methodist Local Preacher until 1995 but haven't been involved with the church since.
In the last six months or so I've (re-)discovered the I Ching, and have been reading Thomas Cleary's translations of Lui-I-Ming's commentary on the I Ching and "Awakening to the Tao". This has reminded me of something I read when 18 and made a big "that's me" sort of impression. Attributed to Confucius:
At fifteen I set my heart on learning (the Tao);
At thirty I took my stand;
At forty I had no doubts;
At fifty I was conscious of the decrees of Heaven;
At sixty I was already obedient to those decrees;
At seventy I just followed my heart's desire, without overstepping the bounds (of the right).
And today
Although I hadn't really thought of this during my twenties, thirties or forties, this has been an accurate description so far. It is especially interesting that in my fifties I have tuned in to the Mandate of Heaven (the Yijing) in a new way -- flashing lights and all. I recognise I'm a latecomer and there's very little I can do except live simply, day-to-day. But being time-rich (I'm retired) is an opportunity to practice "being in the moment" and enjoying each day. As the Beatles once said, "It's Getting Better All The Time".
