Cover calligraphy „Non-Beginning“ created for this book
by Zen Master Shodo Harada,
Roshi of Sogen-ji Temple in Okayama, Japan
Translated from the German by Mark Albin
Edited by Doris Hüffer-Schott
Typesetting and Cover design by Marion Musenbichler
Cover illustration © fotolia.com/Balint Radu, ryanking999
Original Title: “Der Taoist“
© 2014 first published by Edition Spuren,
Bahnhofsplatz 14, CH-8400 Winterthur
ISBN: 978-3-7460-3947-3
© 2018 by Mario Mantese
www.mariomantese.com
First Edition in English
Printing and Production by BoD – Books on Demand GmbH, Norderstedt
Those who uncover the light behind the printed words in this book unite faultlessly with the unfathomable, original Tao.
This book of wisdom is intended for you. Absorb as deeply as possible all that is possible for you to grasp, and it will transform you!
If you read this book merely out of thirst for external knowledge, you will then diverge, and be unable to distinguish the true radiance illuminating this work.
Recognize that that which exists before all that is - is you!
Free of compulsion and striving, the path into the unfathomable reveals itself to one who is pliant and free of aspiration as she merges with the Origin.
But obstinate human beings relentlessly seek out their own satisfaction, following their own conceived notions in order to realize these goals. It is these self-created forces of the will which undermine the secret of non-doing and non-being, twisting and turning the heavenly powers of the heart.
Forces of will deprive human beings of their ease and serenity. Their unrestrained pushing and tugging create countless multitudes of illusory worlds, dark worlds where humans are their own prisoners. Here, the gate shuts, the gate that leads into the eternal heavens. Human beings remain outside, and stuck here they forget their true, pre-worldly being.
Reality is not that which is experienced through the body and the senses. It is important to recognize this and to know that the concept of reality is certainly not reality itself.
The Eternal does not allow itself to be packed into words or definitions. The word God is primarily a reference to something deeper, something impossible to conceive of or explain, something prior to the word. It is a reference to a heavenly power which is the foundation and essence of all being.
Words are indications which help us to understand more deeply the frontal side of consciousness where inner and outer worlds appear and disappear. The physical form itself is a part of this externalized and internalized illusion.
Self-seeking clings to all that is perceived and everything that is experienced, and this leads to the downfall of human beings time and again. For this reason one should not be seduced and led astray by what can be perceived and experienced through the senses. Prior to the utility of the external world something deeper exists, something beyond all human thoughts and feelings.
One who awakens lives independent of all appearances in external and internal worlds. She lives in the limitless freedom of non-being. The inner and outer facets of the world are transcended in the immeasurable emptiness of non-being.
To endow the unknown or the incomprehensible with a name is actually inappropriate and confusing. Nameless, formless non-being and non-activity touch upon our true divine origin, the essential root of immortality.
Before anything came to life we were without name or form, without motive or activity. But we were never nothing.
Starlight only illuminates the sky at night. During the day it remains concealed to the eye. During her journey through the night the traveler unexpectedly discovers the light of dawn, and knows then that the day is breaking. The harmony which abides in true being hidden to the senses penetrates into the wanderer as if through an open window. She senses the peace, clarity, and purity which underlie divine being.
She is aware of the unity of all existence and experiences nothing other than herself. Formless, she is aware of myriad forms. And she is deeply aware of her unalterable presence. Free from coming and going, she lives within the one source, rooted in the Great Silence. Her presence is as open as the vast sky.
One doesn’t determine what is determined. Why should one worry about it? The riverbank accepts the water coming towards it and allows it to flow on. How much water will flow by is not determined by the riverbank. Why should it worry about it?
Life lives itself. Why should we create worries, why pressure ourselves, why strive so much? One who worries diverges and loses her direction.
Ever since consciousness was born on earth there has been life and living beings, and they were never anything but an expression of this consciousness. The entirety of evolution is nothing but a mental process functioning within world consciousness.
Individual beings forget and are not aware that, in reality, they are impersonalized functional consciousness. Individual beings exist merely as an externally directed image in consciousness. But what were we before consciousness was born?
There was never a unified collective consciousness in China, The Middle Kingdom, an enormous country of great ethnic diversity. This has led to a multiplicity of intellectual and spiritual currents moving through the land. In spite of the many difficult political shifts through the centuries, the high cultural achievements of the people there have been extraordinary. Exceptional also are the many wise sages who have lived throughout the ages in this tremendous country. Their brightness never diminishes.
Many of these wise people lived reclusive lives in the mountains and forests, detached from the world. Others lived within society. They performed their worldly duties, but they were never separated from their elevated way of life. They were established in the Tao. Internally, they no longer looked externally. They were always aware of their true source.
These high masters abided in the heavenly powers of the Tao, and for living beings still trapped in unconscious forces their presence induced boundless awakening. They were encompassed in a mysterious silence which absorbed all human virtues and beliefs, and dissolved them within the fathomless origin. Their being was the Tao; formless, mysterious, unborn. Never interfering with the unity of life, they lived in equanimity and harmony with nature.
The events of this book took place during a time when political turmoil and famine reigned throughout China. Changes were coming, but a new order had not yet emerged. Conflicts and upheavals through the centuries had led to signs of decline. Dynasties had arisen quickly and then disappeared again, leaving space for the next reign of warlords. Signs of a new way of life arose time and again, but ultimately violent disputes brought the people only suffering and servitude. The longstanding rulers were interested in extending their power, and subordinating those who were weaker. Hardly anyone took an interest in the prosperity of the people.
This book tells the story of Master Wang and his student, Miss Li. Master Wang was one of those high Taoist masters who had ascended above the floods of time and beyond all human boundaries and limitations. He was one of those wise old sages who lived secluded in the silence of the forest. An adept of internal secrets and an equally proficient master within the external order of things, he lived in harmony and equilibrium with all living beings. But his presence was founded in pre-worldly power. His abode was there where nothing had ever taken place.
He never wanted students. But then at a certain converging point in his life, Miss Li appeared. She was exceedingly ripe and so ready for learning that he could not send her away. Blessed with reverence, modesty, and a broad perceptivity, she encountered him without knowing who he was.
She never intended to stay in the forest with this stranger. And he never thought she would stay. But these particular events were prompted by the heavenly powers.
The Master lived far beyond the outskirts of a small mountain village, located in the eastern province of vast China. He was an older man, dignified and cultivated, who spoke learned Mandarin.
The modest little hut where he lived was a hermitage. It sat at the very back of a valley on a small elevation in a forest of pines. The nearest village was several-hours’ walk, but he was seldom seen there. He would occasionally go there for shopping or make visits to farmers, whom he would help with reading and writing letters. In exchange he would receive rice, vegetables, tea, and other supplies.
About 160 people lived in this small village. No one knew the exact number, and no one seemed to care much. The farmers were poor and had little money. Thus, they exchanged wares with each other and supported one another however they could.
This mutual consideration was of utmost importance for the relations of the villagers. It was the foundation of their solidarity and was maintained in the family as well as within the larger community. Indeed, the conduct of each person had implications for the fragile balance of the entire village. They had gained this understanding through the experiences of earlier generations. Thus, heeding the well-being of the community was considered common knowledge.
Master Wang was highly esteemed in the village. In one conversation he had helped the eldest citizen of the village to deeply understand that only the power of clarity allows life to blossom, and that a penetrating order is in resonance with heaven and earth.
Standing in front of his hermitage, he looked through the trees and down into the valley. In the luminous rice-fields stalks swayed to and fro, pushed and pulled by a gentle wind. A landscape of lush grasslands surrounded the fields. Powerful old trees grew in this silent, fertile region, grandly stretching out their branches to the heavens. Between blooming flower bushes in the undergrowth were huge stones covered with moist, bright green moss. Mute and motionless, those boulders had persevered in their stations for centuries.
Every morning the Master sat in front of his hermitage on a weathered wooden chair and drank tea. He abided within and observed his surroundings: the swallows who skillfully constructed their nests under the roof, and a blackbird that would feed its younger ones in a nearby bush. He delighted in nature and felt deeply connected with it.
Master Wang lived in seclusion, but he had nothing to hide. Seclusion was a natural expression of his way of being in the world. He was never the head of a household. He was a guest in this world, and he found serenity in this way of living. This was his calling. He found contentedness in stillness where he took his repose, though he enjoyed the vitality in movement as well.
His life was free of striving, haste, pressure, and polarities. He lived consciously in the consciousness of the world, and was conscious prior to the consciousness of the world. His being was rooted in depths where neither an inside nor an outside existed. He lived in the silence of the Tao.
His breath was as deep as the ocean. He absorbed life-energy and nourished his body through movement. But he had long transcended the borders of the breathing form. Within, he was silent. His pure and powerful presence of being was always in resonance with the original heavenly power. Neither life nor death dared come near him, for his journey through time had ended long ago.
The unfathomable was no longer unfathomable for him. The great mystery had been de-mystified. He no longer clung to life, and life did not cling to him. He was Tao.
One day a young woman came to the hermitage. She approached Master Wang respectfully and apologized for disturbing him. Of course, she had no idea who was sitting in front of her.
She introduced herself in a soft voice and explained that while journeying through the mountain forest, she had lost her way. She told him how relieved she was to meet someone else in the forest that might be able to help her find a path to the nearest village. She explained that she had left the feverish activity and turbulence of the city behind for a few weeks. Her life was at a crossroads, and the landscape of her soul had been shaken out of balance.
Miss Li was suddenly anxious. She could not explain to herself why she had told all of that to this strange man, one she had only known for a few moments. But she was unable to stop telling her story. She told him things about her life she had never told anyone else. What was happening was extremely embarrassing for her, and when the flow of her speaking had finally come to an end, she would have liked to crawl right back into the forest. What could this man sitting there listening so calmly think of her now?
Master Wang had noticed immediately that she came from a good family. Thus, it was even more surprising that this young woman was traveling alone through such an impassable region. She didn’t realize that people around here were often attacked and robbed. Poverty and hunger frequently provoked rogues to such actions.
He sensed her insecurity and how she tried very hard to conceal it. He said to her in a soothing voice, “Please wait a moment, young lady,” and went inside his hut. He brought out a second chair and told her, “Please sit down, you look tired. I will go into the house and cook some tea. That will do you well.” Soon, the fine scent of jasmine blossoms was floating through the air. The Master stepped out of the house and carefully set down a bright blue porcelain teapot and two matching tea cups on a wobbly wooden table he had also brought from inside the house.
The precious hand-painted utensils were a pale milky blue color. It was exactly this blue that one could see on certain days through the thin layer of mist gracefully hovering underneath the morning sky. They sat in silence and drank the hot tea. No words arose. The air of early summer gently caressed their cheeks and murmured over the treetops. Lemon-yellow wildflowers were blooming under the old trees next to lean ferns. Nature was in harmony with the heavenly power which permeated it.
There was a silence present which dissolved hours and minutes, and made space for an inconceivable fullness. The entire region was immersed in this silence, steeped in this fullness.
The Master had deeply understood the condition of the young woman’s soul. He also discovered an unspoiled candor and great spiritual potential in her. She was a ripe fruit just waiting to be picked.
So, he began to speak. He wanted to see how deeply his words would penetrate into her.
“When the mind no longer interferes with the worldly, it abides in itself. Then it is like oil floating on water. What does not mix does not need to be separated. What exists in clarity does not move around in the external world. It doesn’t breach its many layers. One who does not wander also does not leave his home.”
All of the sudden, Miss Li was aware that she was sitting across from an old Taoist master. She could also sense that this all could hardly be coincidence, her getting lost in this forest and coming upon this hermitage.
She listened to his words with bewilderment and asked him, “You say, one who does not wander does not leave his home. Don’t you ever go to the village or to the city?”
“Of course,” he responded, “but I am here and always remain here. That which forms dualistic concepts and appears outwardly as a body moves around, but my being does not. The seeing and the direction determine the point of view. What moves about leaves the order of things and loses itself. What stays in the order of things cannot get lost.”
More words unexpectedly bubbled out of her, an outburst which surprised the woman herself.
“Revered Master, please allow me to stay here with you for a few days. A power from the heavens has led me to you. Please help me to put my ‘I’ to rest. I have tried on my own and have failed again and again. Mental games have always prevailed and led me back into confusion. They have chained me to the lights and shadows of this world.
“I can feel it. In your presence the old ‘I’-fever cools down. The boundaries of human experience dissolve. Please don’t leave me behind in the oceans of the world. Open the gateway within me that ends this continuing and prolonging.”
Master sat for a long time without speaking a word, composed and quiet within himself. The silence that surrounded him radiated through the entire forest.
Then he gently explained to her, “The sources of the world have their own energies. Most people drink from these sources and poison themselves without being conscious of it. They journey through thousands of births and worlds until their consciousness awakens in boundlessness, and they can drink from the pure source which never runs dry.
“Prior to all appearances there is a heavenly breath which does not involve itself with changes of increase and decrease. But it does bring forth equilibrium, and those who have retreated from the world take repose close by.
“Young lady, please bring some firewood from the forest. The fire in the hut needs nourishment.”
He never answered her question, and she was unsure whether he had even heard her request. Without a moment’s hesitation she stood and walked toward the undergrowth of the forest. She was again bewildered. He had not accepted her nor had he sent her away. But his scarcity of words carried an immense power of resolve and clarity. He avoided any waste of verbal energy; a placid pole beyond polarities. His behavior was unconventional and extremely elusive for the calculating mind.
His being was noble, simple, and supple. At the same time he was strict and uncompromising. She had noticed this immediately. But she was ready to accept his decision without any complaint. Her trust in him was already limitless and she was free of the any doubt. She was deeply aware that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet such a master, and she hoped in her deepest heart that he would accept her as a pupil.
She no longer wanted to be pulled around by outer appearances; she yearned to finally stop following the road of life and death. This was how she viewed her purpose and the significance of her present journey. For years she had searched for understanding and a meaning for her existence. But she had seen through the problem of searching; namely, that recognition was always dependent on something existing outside of her. Her search for answers in the external world always bared space for misunderstanding and confusion to spread.
She was deeply convinced that this master could open her eyes to a true internal vantage point, and she believed he would show her the secret gateway to the original source.
Magnificent trees stood high, densely covering the broad mountainous area behind the hermitage. The Master had told her that she should collect firewood there. Miss Li climbed up the steep slope almost without making a sound. She didn’t want to disturb the silent atmosphere of the forest which was draped in boundless peace. The powerful beauty of the trees communicated something primal, something untainted. The air was infused with the most diverse array of scents. It smelled of moldy wood, of mushrooms, of grasses, and of rosy red blossoms which clung to the thorny bushes arrayed in scattered patches over the ground.
Birds of all varieties were cheerfully chirping in the forest. They could be heard, but remained unseen high up in the treetops. The forest and its inhabitants lived in their own world, far away from the noise of human beings and their villages and cities.
It seemed to Miss Li that her life was now proceeding as if it had already been written down, that she was playing a role she had not studied and was not at all familiar with. Indeed, a higher power was guiding and protecting her life. She could sense this very deeply. She felt connected, but did not know what she felt connected to. She could sense her spiritual heritage, but could not grasp it factually or rationally. Still, this lack of understanding did not bother her. She was conscious that the Tao is inconceivable and unattainable for the human intellect. An immaterial dynamism was directing her without forcing her. A power impossible to explain that knows no individual entities was escorting her on her way.