The sages are still
not because they possess
the aptitude of being still.
Nothing can disturb their mind—
that is why they are still.

When water is still,
it reflects the eyebrows and the beard.
It is a perfect level and the craftsman takes his rule from it.
If still water has this clarity, how much greater is that of the spirit?

The still mind of the sage is the mirror
of heaven and earth reflecting all things.

Vacant, still, tranquil, simple, quiet, silent, and inactive –
This is the equilibrium of heaven and earth
and the perfection of the tao and virtue.

…Vacancy, stillness, tranquility, simplicity, quietude, silence and non-action
are the source of all things.

By stillness men become sages;
by movement they become rulers.
Without acting, they are honored and
their complete simplicity is unsurpassed.
To see clearly the virtue of heaven and earth
is the Great Root,
the Great Origin.

Zhuangzi by Zhuang Zhou, trans. Hyun Höchsmann and Yang Guorong, The Way of Heaven

At a Christmas party over the weekend, Pete and I were exchanging our stories about life. Somehow “water” was mentioned. I offered that water was a pivot point often referenced when describing the ancient Taoist view of life in the world. Water typically flows, coming from the “heavens” water moves lower and lower to the sea. But a most striking state of water is that of a still lake. It is impossible to forget viewing a body of water early in the morning, absolutely still, not even a tiny ripple. I remember as a kid this felt sacred. These are moments which language fails to adequately describe; not even the most carefully chosen words can transmit the feeling of still water and light…

The advocate of the tao proposes a state of mind, mirror like, no different than the stillness of a lake surface. Stillness, a perfection of reflection. Nature is alive, and the current is subtle, sometimes without a single ripple. Water like. Clarity. 

One becomes, is the Great Root, the Great Origin.

Should that transformation occur, I doubt the moment will emerge in awareness!

So shall we enjoy a song? This one has captured my mind and heart. The Killing Moon by Echo & The Bunnymen. The contest between fate and human will. — fate always prevails, when the cards are turned over and you wonder what has just happened. That killing moon again. A taoist anthem.