Contemplations of Liu I-Ming...

Dead Trees, Cold Ashes

     When a tree is dead there is no flame when you burn it; when ashes are cold there is no warmth when you stir them.  What I realize as I observe this is the Tao of transformation of temperament.

     When people become temperamental, the harm is very great; the slightest offense sets them off into a rage.  It damages nature and inures reason, so that they are unaware of their own greed and passion, they do not understand their own narrowness, they do not care about essential life, they are not mindful of life and death.  The troubles this causes are not simple.

     If one can master oneself and exercise restraint, turn back from inflexibility and become yielding, sweep away all anger, resentment, and annoyance, get rid of all contentiousness, change the aggressive and violent nature back into a gentle taciturn nature, concentrate the energy and make it flexible, empty the mind and nutrure the spirit, be selfless and impersonal, not discriminate between self and others, view one's own body as having no such body, view one's mind as having no such mind, have no discrimination and no knowledge, and be empty and open, this like dead wood not flaming when burnt, like cold ashes yielding no warmth when stirred.

     One can thereby be in the midst of Creation without being influenced by Creation, be in the midst of yin and yang without being constrained by yin and yang.

...

Drawing Water with a Well Sweep

     When a well sweep draws water, the bucket goes down empty and comes up full, drawing water in a continuous cycle to water the fields.

     What I realize as I observe this is the Tao of the twin functions of emptying and filling.

     If people can empty their hearts and be humble towards others, they will receive benefits that will fill them within and elevate them beyond others.  The more they become empty and humble, the more they are fulfilled and elevated.

     Continually becoming empty, continually being fulfilled, continually becoming humble, continually being elevated, so that one is empty yet full, full yet empty, low yet high, high yet low, one attains to a state in which above and below are in communion, emptiness and fulfillment correspond.

     Filled with the qualities of the Tao, those who reach this state never fail to ascend to lofty and clear perception.

                                                                                              -Liu I-Ming  (~1737 - ~1830)

                                                                                                translated by Thomas Cleary