Why is the sage so useless?

[9th]

One day Chu Chuai Tzu said to his teacher, Chang Wu Tzu, “I have heard Confucius say that a sage does not get involved in the world. A sage does not seek gain or try to avoid loss. A sage does not seek anything, and does not even cling to the Tao (the Way). A sage does not use words and when speaking has nothing to say. In this way, a sage is able to go far beyond this world of dust. Now, Confucius thinks these are empty and fancy words, yet I feel they are much like the mysterious Tao itself. What do you think?”

 

Chang Wu Tzu replied, “I think these words would confuse even the Yellow Emperor . . . The sage floats with the sun and moon and joins the universe, embracing it as one great whole. A sage has no use for distinctions and ignores social status. Ordinary men toil and struggle while the sage seems stubborn and dull-witted. To the sage a thousand years is one, the myriad beings of the universe are but one, forming a great whole.

 

“How do we know that loving life is not a delusion? How do we know that in fearing death we are not like someone who gets lost on the way home like a child?

 

“Lady Li was the child of a border guard who was taken prisoner by the Duke of Chin. When first captured, she wept so much her clothes were soaked. But after she adjusted to her new surroundings and luxurious new life, she regretted her tears. How can we know that the dead do not regret their previous longing for life? One who dreams of drinking wine may in the morning weep; one who dreams weeping may in the morning go out and hunt. When dreaming we do not now we are dreaming. We may even dream of dreaming a dream. Only when we awaken do we know it was a dream. Only after our great awakening will we realize that this is the great dream.

 

“And yet fools dream and think they are awake. They pretend to know what is going on, and distinguish between kings and slaves. How stupid! I think both you and Confucius are dreaming. Of course, I am dreaming, too. My words may seem like nonsense, but after ten thousand years, a sage may come along who can explain them and then it will seem like morning.”

[Marblehead]

I especially like the last paragraph.

 

And know, I do not know if there is anything beyond death and no, I cannot see beyond the beginning.

 

But really, there are some things we shouldn't even know.

[silent thunder]

...snip

 

I'm telling you, if we want to carry on with this cultivation lark, we have to get used to being thoroughly unfit for nearly all of what gets called useful and practical work, And we'd better develop a thick skin too, because in this day and age people only recognise outward fruits and will strongly criticise anyone who dares to abstain from work and do nothing that the world calls productive.

People say nothing's impossible. But I do nothing every day.

 

Winnie the Pooh

[Nikolai1]

Don't get me wrong. I love work. It fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours!

 

Jerome K. Jerome

[C T]

How can we know that the dead do not regret their previous longing for life? One who dreams of drinking wine may in the morning weep; one who dreams weeping may in the morning go out and hunt. When dreaming we do not now we are dreaming. We may even dream of dreaming a dream. Only when we awaken do we know it was a dream. Only after our great awakening will we realize that this is the great dream.

 

“And yet fools dream and think they are awake. They pretend to know what is going on, and distinguish between kings and slaves. How stupid! I think both you and Confucius are dreaming. Of course, I am dreaming, too. My words may seem like nonsense, but after ten thousand years, a sage may come along who can explain them and then it will seem like morning.”

 

“To this I replied, "I still think that my body is not merely a sensory appearance, for surely it came from my parents, who were its cause and condition."

 

He said, "If you think that your body came from your father and mother, then what are the beginning and end of these parents? What are their source, their location, their final destination? Tell me!"

 

I answered, "I think that they exist, but I am not aware of what they are. It seems to me that a physical body without parents is not possible."

 

He retorted, "Consider this. Who are the parents of the body in a dream, in the bardo, and in the hell realms?" With that, I arrived at the decision that this body has never existed, being simply a sensory experience.”

― Dudjom Lingpa, Buddhahood Without Meditation: A Visionary Account Known as Refining One's Perception

[Marblehead]

And I would reply: "Holy cow!"

[GrandmasterP]

And I would reply: "Holy cow!"

 

I echo that sentiment whilst thinking more along the lines of 'bull'.

[9th]

I echo that sentiment whilst thinking more along the lines of 'bull'.

 

The tree on the hill is its own worst enemy.

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

http://wakeup-world.com/2014/10/02/it-really-is-time-to-wake-up-world/


"Animals do not think, they live in the moment, the place of life, of energy, of conscious intelligence. We live in our thoughts, out of the moment, the place of the subconscious intellect. And if you dispute this, remember that you cannot think your way into the moment, you can only think your way out of it . . ."