The urgency for seeking the Way
What strikes me each time I study the works of Taoist luminaries of the past is a sense of urgency for seeking Tao - the Way. Let me share some paragraphs taken form works of these Enlightened beings:-
What people value is life; what life values is the Way. When people have the Way, it is like fish having water. A fish in a dry rut will still seek a bucketful of water, but weak and dying worldings do not even have the sense to take to the Way.
[Si-ma Cheng Zhen - a Tang Dynsaty Tao master] *translated by Thomas Cleary
Alas! A human body is hard to obtain while human life is passed in a flash. While no one is certain of how short or long his life is going to be, he is certain to reap the karma of all his actions in this life and all the previous lives. If he hasn't woken up to reality earlier in his life time, all he can do is waiting for the end to come. If, at the time of death, his mind is lured into the three vicious planes of fire, beast or ghost in a moment of unawareness, then his soul is going to be trapped in kalpas of suffering with no hope of escaping. No amount of regretting or lamenting is going to be of the least help in moment like this!
[Chang Po Tuan (Song Dynasty) - Forward to Wu Chen Pian (Understanding Reality)]
Such a sense of urgency is echoed in most other Taoist alchemy classics. The message, I think, is loud clear - wake up to reality NOW and start working on your own salvation this minute!
What people value is life; what life values is the Way. When people have the Way, it is like fish having water. A fish in a dry rut will still seek a bucketful of water, but weak and dying worldings do not even have the sense to take to the Way.
[Si-ma Cheng Zhen - a Tang Dynsaty Tao master] *translated by Thomas Cleary
Alas! A human body is hard to obtain while human life is passed in a flash. While no one is certain of how short or long his life is going to be, he is certain to reap the karma of all his actions in this life and all the previous lives. If he hasn't woken up to reality earlier in his life time, all he can do is waiting for the end to come. If, at the time of death, his mind is lured into the three vicious planes of fire, beast or ghost in a moment of unawareness, then his soul is going to be trapped in kalpas of suffering with no hope of escaping. No amount of regretting or lamenting is going to be of the least help in moment like this!
[Chang Po Tuan (Song Dynasty) - Forward to Wu Chen Pian (Understanding Reality)]
Such a sense of urgency is echoed in most other Taoist alchemy classics. The message, I think, is loud clear - wake up to reality NOW and start working on your own salvation this minute!
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| Couldron is a symbol for the human body in Taoist alchemy. |
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