Sit

Chapter 43 of an anonymous translation of the Tao Te Ching. 10 minute guided meditation followed by discussion. I'm back! And coming back is not so easy. In today's talk I begin with an update on my whereabouts and on how I'm doing. Coming back to any practice or commitment after leaving it can give rise to shame. Shame is such a difficult state to endure that a standard response to it is avoidance - avoidance of the thing that causes the feeling of shame to arise, which in this case is the positive act of returning. Because avoidance worsens the original problem of leaving, it further magnifies the shame with every later attempt we make to return. This has been my dilemma. We sit, and I discuss judgments, as well as the value of softness in experiencing ourselves and interacting with the world. * * * 43. The softest is stronger than the very hardest That which makes everything be what it is, penetrates everything Therefore I know that it's wise to leave and not do anything That one doesn't need lesso