Five

The space between heaven and earth is like a bellows.

The shape changes but not the form;

The more it moves, the more it yields.

More words count less.

Hold fast to the center.

I decided to take selective paragraphs, because some of the lines are obvious.

But this one is a good one.

The afterlife is really a deduction, because once you know Eternity (God, Awareness, Absolute space) you know both sides of the equation, and figuring out the zone sandwiched in-between here and Eternity, which I call the afterlife is simply a process of elimination.

“The space between heaven and earth is like a bellows.”

In this realm one is faced with a level of uncertainty and confusion, seemingly lost with no help around you finding your way out is the only recourse. Following the leads before you just makes matters worst when common logic doesn’t apply to anything anymore and your life translates into hopeless images. 

“The shape changes but not the form;”

When you live and die your shape changes until it dissolves, but your visual form continues in the Afterlife. 

“The more it moves, the more it yields.”

Anything that moves here and in the Afterlife is understood as false to the Self-realized teacher, and in the afterlife any movement just leads to more movement and more problems,  relentless issues that you can‘t take with you flash before you. Let it continue and do nothing about it and it will only yield more. If you don’t apply the brakes your vehicle has no reason to stop. The faster the ride the harder it is, and the slower it is the easier it is.  

“More words count less.”

The uttered word is from manifestation and although the verbal expression is different in the afterlife the words will still be understood, similar to a dream. Dialing down to a wordless realm is finding the Eternal realm, so the more words the further you are away from dismantling the show and moving on. Words can also be classified with movement, because they are part of the same moving dynamics of energy and time. 

“Hold fast to the center”

The center here is the center of your being or the Self. The afterlife forum is linked together because of you and you keep it afloat and active with your attention, so you’ll have to purge the scene by withdrawing your attention. When you hold fast to the center your attention is drawn in and away from the images and this will surrender any and all burdensome attachments. These images represent your whole identifiable life, which is now your nemeses and must be dealt with accordingly. Holding fast to the center is your quickest way out and this in essence is meditation.

In the afterlife dreamlike visuals play out before you and although the shape of things may change and defy reason, it’ll still be identifiable and relevant to you. The uncontrollable drama before you maybe strong and impacting at first, however energy is always changing revealing the emptiness of your personal self-incarceration. The basic components of this realm will be the same for all and ceaseless, it will seem like there’s no way out, but this form of purification has a byproduct that can release itself when the time is right. Once the host surrenders everything by retreating and focusing on its center the drama looses its main character and support, causing the host to break free from the afterlife. 

Two

Under heaven all can see beauty as beauty only because there is ugliness.

All can know good as good only because there is evil.

Therefore having and not having arise together.

Difficult and easy complement each other. 

Long and short contrast each other;

high and low rest upon each other;

Voice and sound harmonize each other;

Front and back follow one another.

Therefore the sage goes about doing nothing, teaching no talking.

The ten thousand things rise and fall without cease,

Creating yet not possessing,

Working, yet not taking credit. 

Work is done, then forgotten.

Therefore it lasts forever.

Obviously he’s pointing out the dichotomy of life were everything flows between opposites in a nonstop pattern, which no one really has much control of. The only thing we can do is except the pattern as is, because our limitations tell us to stop looking for ways to control it and start looking at another way to see it. Opposites actually need one another to survive, so if you’re emotionally attached to one the other side will always be showing you how polarized you are. And, if you look at life from a different angle by letting life happen without a judgment on the way it should be, then your ego has nowhere to plant its teeth. Looking at duality as part of the whole and not as separate opposing entities gives you the bigger picture of completeness, because one actually sustains the other and gives us the many qualities in life, and without it there would be no universe. That eventually translates into finding a harmonious balance with them and a inner peace results from accepting them as a necessary part of the whole, and without them no life, so it’s absolutely necessary. 

Accept credit as part of your identity than you have accepted demerits as part. Why not do the best you can and don’t take stock in whatever befalls you whether good or bad, and don’t look for excuses or glorification, just look ahead or remain neutral in the moment, and know that living with imperfection is a must and it’s no reflection of who you really are! In fact, it’s a totally false representation of the truth and any ideals wrapped up in the way it should be is born to disappoint. Oscillating between opposites is what this place does and it will never stop, just observe it and when you’re on the top don’t let the ego in to claim any ground and when you’re on the bottom do the same. It all has nothing to do with the real you! 

The real you is unscathed by the drama, however the mind thinks it knows who you are and because of that your emotions are tied up in what you perceive, thus you perceive harm. The Soul watches everything and follows that identity lead which the mind naturally takes up, because the mind rules down here and the Soul is always the silent observer. And when you work on your Self by focusing on the Self the power slowly returns to its rightful owner, but the mind will fight back, because taking a backseat to a silent observer is unnerving, however in the end the Observer reigns supreme.     

One

The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.

The name that can be named is not the eternal name.

The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth.

The named is the mother of ten thousand things.

Ever desireless, one can see the mystery.

Ever desiring, one can see the manifestations.

These two spring from the same source but differ in name;

    this appears as darkness.

Darkness within darkness.

The gate to all mystery.

Everything in manifestation has a name and definition, which causes separation and discrimination according to personal likes and dislikes. You can’t properly translate a feeling or experience, especially when describing something bigger than life to someone who hasn’t seen or heard of it. Words in general fail to capture the beauty of a special moment, and anything that is uttered is immediately altered within each mind and downgraded. Words fall short when explaining anything that’s experiential, but that doesn’t mean we remain silent for there are words that come close and it helps to inspire. In fact that’s what this book is trying to do in their special way and a very good way at that. Each teacher will have a different approach according to their background and no two approaches will be identical unless mimicked. So, originality will be obvious even though teachers use a lot of the same words. It will also depend on the intellectual restrictions of their time and the overall psyche of the people. I think this book is the first one of its kind (besides maybe the Rig Veda) to actually try and capture the characteristics of Eternity compared to the characteristics of life, and written in a very beautiful and original way. 

In Eternity there is only silence, no words need to be or can be uttered, it’s beyond all words, meanings, appearances and names or beyond any imperfect understanding that causes separation and disharmony. On the other hand the named is the cornerstone of manifestation and the fundamental property of the living dichotomy, but the silent unnamed is the cornerstone of Eternity and the fundamental principal of the Source. 

“Ever desireless one can see the mystery” When Self-realization dawns the world of attractions and attachments loose their sway over the mind, because the body and mind lost it’s domination over the Self. Your eternal identity now restored and in the forefront has lost its need or interest in unnecessary desires, for they no longer provide any comfort for the ego/mind as they did before. They are seen through the clear light of reasoning that takes a resounding precedence over anything that doesn’t last and is prone to hinder.

‘Ever desiring’ and ever caught up in the glitter and gutter of manifestation one has a hard time breaking free from the compelling drama in order to see clearly.

The next three lines speak of the characteristics of Eternity and the darkness of the dim light that prevails there at the Source. Everything springs from That and returns to That which started the cosmos and consciousness. ‘Darkness within darkness’ is another way of saying the unmanifested within the manifested, because the Eternal Darkness and the still soft light of Awareness is blanketed over by particles of manifestation, which is referred to here as the dark (universe). 

One dark provides the mystery and the other Dark solves the mystery.   

I was looking at old books of mine when researching for this site and one book really struck a cord with me, so much that I decided to break it down one verse at a time. One of the greatest books of all time written some 2500 years ago in poetic stanzas by a Realized Master, which is perfect for me reading in-between the lines. This will be a lot of fun for me and keep me spiritually active, and help others in understanding the way. I am happy to present: The Tao Te Ching by Lao Tsu, translated by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English.  

Nisargadatta

What does this mean to you?