For some reason, human beings want to be special, gifted, accomplished, respected, and well paid. OK, let's be honest. I want to be special, gifted, accomplished, respected and well paid. But when I read the Daoist sages, it is clear they have a different perspective.
If you want to be a conduit for the divine energy that created the universe (or, more accurately, that IS the universe), you need to be an empty vessel. You must empty yourself of all preconceptions, of all judgments, of all desires, of all opinions, of all concern for self in order to be useful to the divine. You must empty yourself if you want to be filled.
It does make sense. How can you be guided by the subtle voice of the divine if you have already made up your mind where you are going, what you want to happen, and how you are going to accomplish it? How can you follow the subtle movements of the divine flow if your opinions are already set in stone? (Ahem. I know, I am the most opinionated person I know. Well, except for maybe Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh.) Opinions close the door of your heart. Can you imagine living life without any set ideas? Without any judgments about how things should be? A good meditative practice.
I was reading through Steven Mitchell's translation of the Tao Te Ching this morning to start my day off right. I was searching for a quote that embodies this blog entry, and found myself browsing through his explanatory Notes at the end of the book. I ran across this:
"There is no God when there is nothing but God."
What could I possibly add to that?
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