Post by Kivawolfspeaker on May 18, 2006 10:09:41 GMT -5
Tao Living
The Shields
by Derek Lin
A warrior was out for a stroll one sunny day. As he made his way through the woods, he saw another warrior also taking a walk. They greeted one another in friendly fashion.
Then, a glint of reflected light caught their eyes. They saw two shields lying on the ground not too far away. One was silver and the other was gold. Even from a distance they could tell that the shields were of extremely high quality.
"What a find!" the first warrior exclaimed. "I shall take the golden shield. You can have the silver." He started toward them.
"Nay, I saw them first. The golden shield belongs to me. I can grant you the silver shield." The second warrior walked faster toward the shields, and the first warrior picked up speed to match.
"Thank you for your generosity, but it is not necessary. I voiced my claim before you did, thus the golden shield is mine by right. You should be glad I am willing to let you have the silver." They both began jogging.
"Your claim does not matter, for I outrank you. Therefore it shall be as I command: Gold for me, silver for you." It became a race. Both men ran full-tilt toward the shields.
"Your rank means nothing, for we serve different lords. These woods belong to my lord. I shall retrieve the golden shield for him; the silver shield is a fitting tribute for your lord." It was becoming apparent that they were well matched in speed. Neither would get to the shields before the other.
"These woods belong to no one. I am the superior swordsman and I say the golden shield is mine. If you wish to contest my claim, you must face my sword." The warrior drew his weapon, and his opponent did likewise.
A fierce battle ensued. The two warriors discovered that they were also well matched in swordsmanship. Neither could gain the upper hand over the other. It became a contest of endurance – the first to tire and falter would lose the fight, and thus the golden shield.
Unfortunately, the two warriors were also well matched in stamina. After fighting for more than an hour, both became equally exhausted. Still they persisted, until neither one could remain standing any longer. Both collapsed to the ground at the same time, panting and gasping for breath, but still eyeing each other warily.
They looked at the cause of their conflict. From this lower perspective, they could see the shields edgewise. The golden shield looked like it had a silver side underneath, and the silver shield...
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" One of the warriors asked the other.
"We should take a closer look."
"No tricks."
"Agreed."
In unison, each warrior reached out with his sword to flip a shield over. It was as they suspected: The two shields were identical – gold on one side and silver on the other!
The warriors came to the realization that their battle was meaningless. All along, the shields were the same, and each of the them could take one and be perfectly satisfied. All that effort and strife, all the verbal jousting and physical combat, was for nothing.
Aren't we just like the warriors sometimes? We struggle against other people, trying to get ahead or gain an advantage, but for what? When we are exhausted and stressed out by all the contention, conflict and competition, will we also find that the objective we strive for is completely meaningless?
Another lesson from this tale is that hostility and ill will often come about when we can only see one side of an issue. Discord rears its ugly head when both sides of a dispute are totally convinced of their own righteousness. Each side stubbornly clings to its own perspective while refusing to – or perhaps unable to – see the other side.
What would happen if we can see more than just our side? By being able to perceive how others look at the same thing, we can understand how the conflict began in the first place. This better understanding leads to a better solution – most likely one that does not require contention or violence! And that, in turn, leads to greater peace and harmony.
This is why Tao cultivators always seek more than one perspective. They know that when they can view something from many different angles, they gain greater understanding and wisdom. Then, just like the warriors, they will come to the realization that struggles and strife are the opposite of wu wei – and completely unnecessary!
from truetao.org
The Shields
by Derek Lin
A warrior was out for a stroll one sunny day. As he made his way through the woods, he saw another warrior also taking a walk. They greeted one another in friendly fashion.
Then, a glint of reflected light caught their eyes. They saw two shields lying on the ground not too far away. One was silver and the other was gold. Even from a distance they could tell that the shields were of extremely high quality.
"What a find!" the first warrior exclaimed. "I shall take the golden shield. You can have the silver." He started toward them.
"Nay, I saw them first. The golden shield belongs to me. I can grant you the silver shield." The second warrior walked faster toward the shields, and the first warrior picked up speed to match.
"Thank you for your generosity, but it is not necessary. I voiced my claim before you did, thus the golden shield is mine by right. You should be glad I am willing to let you have the silver." They both began jogging.
"Your claim does not matter, for I outrank you. Therefore it shall be as I command: Gold for me, silver for you." It became a race. Both men ran full-tilt toward the shields.
"Your rank means nothing, for we serve different lords. These woods belong to my lord. I shall retrieve the golden shield for him; the silver shield is a fitting tribute for your lord." It was becoming apparent that they were well matched in speed. Neither would get to the shields before the other.
"These woods belong to no one. I am the superior swordsman and I say the golden shield is mine. If you wish to contest my claim, you must face my sword." The warrior drew his weapon, and his opponent did likewise.
A fierce battle ensued. The two warriors discovered that they were also well matched in swordsmanship. Neither could gain the upper hand over the other. It became a contest of endurance – the first to tire and falter would lose the fight, and thus the golden shield.
Unfortunately, the two warriors were also well matched in stamina. After fighting for more than an hour, both became equally exhausted. Still they persisted, until neither one could remain standing any longer. Both collapsed to the ground at the same time, panting and gasping for breath, but still eyeing each other warily.
They looked at the cause of their conflict. From this lower perspective, they could see the shields edgewise. The golden shield looked like it had a silver side underneath, and the silver shield...
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" One of the warriors asked the other.
"We should take a closer look."
"No tricks."
"Agreed."
In unison, each warrior reached out with his sword to flip a shield over. It was as they suspected: The two shields were identical – gold on one side and silver on the other!
The warriors came to the realization that their battle was meaningless. All along, the shields were the same, and each of the them could take one and be perfectly satisfied. All that effort and strife, all the verbal jousting and physical combat, was for nothing.
Aren't we just like the warriors sometimes? We struggle against other people, trying to get ahead or gain an advantage, but for what? When we are exhausted and stressed out by all the contention, conflict and competition, will we also find that the objective we strive for is completely meaningless?
Another lesson from this tale is that hostility and ill will often come about when we can only see one side of an issue. Discord rears its ugly head when both sides of a dispute are totally convinced of their own righteousness. Each side stubbornly clings to its own perspective while refusing to – or perhaps unable to – see the other side.
What would happen if we can see more than just our side? By being able to perceive how others look at the same thing, we can understand how the conflict began in the first place. This better understanding leads to a better solution – most likely one that does not require contention or violence! And that, in turn, leads to greater peace and harmony.
This is why Tao cultivators always seek more than one perspective. They know that when they can view something from many different angles, they gain greater understanding and wisdom. Then, just like the warriors, they will come to the realization that struggles and strife are the opposite of wu wei – and completely unnecessary!
from truetao.org