Body Mind Spirit

Stephen Mitchell’s translation:

In the beginning was the Way.
All things issue from it;
all things return to it.

If you close your mind in judgements
and traffic with desires,
your heart will be troubled.
If you keep your mind from judging
and aren’t led by the senses,
your heart will find peace.

Seeing into darkness is clarity.
Knowing how to yield is strength.
Use your own light
and return to the source of light.
This is called practicing eternity.

Lisbeth’s interpretation:
The more you dwell in the spirit,
The farther you are from common ways.
If you want to speak of The Way’’s wonders,
Few will listen.

If you spend a long period of time in study and self-cultivation, you will enter The way. By doing so, you also enter a world of extraordinary perceptions. You experience unimaginable things, receive thoughts and learning as if from nowhere, perceive things that could be classified as prescient. Yet if you try to communicate what you experience, there is no one to understand you, no one who will believe you. The more you walk this road, the farther you are from the ordinary ways of society. You may see the truth, but you will find that people would rather listen to politicians, performers and charlatans.

If you are known as a follower of Way, people may seek you out, but they are seldom the ones who will truly understand Way. They are people who would exploit The way as a crutch. To speak to them of the wonders you have seen is often to engage in a futile bout of miscommunication. That is why it is said that those who know do not speak.

Why not simply stay quiet? Enjoy The Way as you will. Let others think you are dumb. Inside yourself, you will know the joy of The Way’s mysteries. If you meet someone who can profit by your experience, you should share. But if you are merely a wanderer in a crowd of strangers, it is wisdom to be silent.

YH’s comment: it is really difficult to explain about the “curtain” ( Hijab) that hinders everyone to see things as they are, except for seasoned meditators..:). So it is agreeable when Lisbeth advise to be mute in some circumstances.:):)