When I started to think about what I was going to write about the topic of today's chapter I was a little stuck, for in the words of this chapter is everything I wanted to say. Sometimes in the simplicity the real teaching comes from your own stillness.
The Sage Does Not Infringe
After the meditation one morning, when all the students had gone back to their homes, only Huo had stayed behind with the old sage to help him clear up the space they had used in the Pagoda and clear the energy from the meditation; sometimes even after the meditation, the unclear thoughts that had dropped away from the participants needed to be cleared away from the sacred space to allow anybody who used it later to find a space that was open and clear of any negativity. The old man always made sacred anything he did. It did not matter whether it was getting dressed in the morning or teaching a student; everything the old man did, he would do it in a sacred way - for to do any less would mean that something was less than the other.
The young man had not understood it at first, but as he began to practice the technique of making everything sacred, he soon realized that it was what connected him with everything. It was in the act of judging something to be less important or less sacred that disconnected him from the One or the Tao. It was interesting to watch his own life, to observe the difference when he did things in a sacred way.
He remembered the first time he had created a sacred space before he meditated. At first it felt silly and uncomfortable, but of course that was only because he was coming out of judgement and the reason he was judging it was that he did not yet understand that everything is sacred. It was that one realization that changed him forever. Just like the old sage, he was now doing everything in a sacred way, and the most surprising thing was that because he made everything sacred - even things like washing, dressing, and eating, which had been mundane - they had now taken on a new quality: a quality of freshness.
The world had come alive for him. When he put on his clothes in the morning, he could sense, almost feel, the man or woman who had made the garment and what they were feeling at the time. As he would give thanks to the person who had created the garment for him, he started to realize how abundant he was. Others would see him as a penniless young man because they came from their own judgement, but if they could only look deeper, they would see a young man who had all his needs met. Huo was so in touch with the Tao that he wanted for nothing; it was in his gratitude that he understood that he was receiving so much.
In clearing the space in the Pagoda, he could see what energy the students had left behind, which would instruct him and the old sage on what to teach the students the next day. He looked across at the old sage, who was sweeping the space they had used, ensuring that on all levels it would cleaner and clearer than when they first entered it. As the old man swept, a beetle crawled into the space. To anyone else it would have been a nuisance, but not to the old sage, who saw it as one of God's creatures and an extension of himself. He picked up the beetle and took it out to the garden, where he spoke gently to it before putting it down on the ground.
When the young man, who had followed him out into the garden, questioned him on what he had said to the beetle, the old man replied, "I thanked the beetle for allowing me to have a break from my cleaning and experience the beauty that existed in the garden. It is easy for us get caught up in our own world, and sometimes it takes the beauty of nature to show us that we are all connected. And to do some kindness - to even something that appears as insignificant as a beetle - can return to you a bounty far in advance of the act you performed. Look at the garden: it is teeming with life, all the plants and insects working together to create the moment we are now experiencing, which is a moment only you and I can share. It is only by living in the now and treating everything as sacred that we get to see the beauty in the world. It is through non-judgment that we can truly see the beauty that is inside us all, then experience it when it is reflected in the outer world."
"Chung Fu, you are the wisest person I have ever met, and each day you deepen my wisdom and knowledge of the Tao, but I never see you sharing this wisdom without being asked. Many times, I am sure you could have helped people when they needed your assistance. Why is that?”
That was the first time in many years he had called the old sage by his name. It was good that Huo had gone beyond the master-apprentice relationship because the old sage could see that the young man was already a very wise sage himself.
"I was going to answer that question, but then the spirit prompted me to ask what you think."
Huo's ego was immediately taken in by the compliment, but the real Huo - the eternal, immortal and infinite Huo - understood that it was now time for the teaching to come totally from within. By going beyond the need to judge, he allowed a higher awareness to come through.
In that moment, he understood that he was no longer the apprentice. He answered his own question by saying, "I know that one word from you could change a person's life, a person's evolution. Who are we to decide what a person has incarnated in this life to learn? To give them help without asking is infringing on their journey. It is to treat them as a finite being, rather than the eternal, immortal, and infinite being that they are."
The young man stopped for a moment as he allowed another impression to come forward; he knew it was time. Before he could even voice the words, he had felt it when Chung Fu had suggested that he answer his own question.
"I have defined our relationship as you are the Master and I am the apprentice, but now it is important for me to experience life rather than be defined by our old relationship. It is time for me to move on. I am sure I could learn much more from you, but in my heart I know that I am to become my own teacher. It is time for me to wander the lands and learn from my interactions with all the aspects of the Tao. I thank you from my heart for all that you have taught me, but it is now time for me to go."
Tears escaped from both their eyes as they both knew it was time for Huo to go. Chung Fu had chosen well; the student was now the teacher. The old sage reached into his pocket, pulled out the dragonfly pendant, and gave it to the young man.
Huo took the pendant, which was now more special than ever, for when he held it or looked at the pendant it would now remind him of more than his parents; it would remind him of his time with the old sage. In losing the pendant, it had become an even more sacred object.
After saying his goodbyes to the old sage, he went to find Qing. She was in the kitchen, preparing their breakfast. He took her in his arms and kissed her full on the lips. At first she tried to pull away, not because she did not want to kiss him (she had wanted it more than life itself), but because it had shocked her that he had been so bold. After pulling slightly away, she eased back towards him and joined him in a passionate kiss. During the kiss, she could feel that they had come closer together, but on some level further apart. She looked at him for some kind of explanation; he could feel it, too, and he explained to her that although he loved her with all his heart, he had to leave her and the old sage so he could continue his inner journey. He promised he would come back for her one day, but he was not yet ready; his journey was leading him elsewhere.
She tried to talk him out of it with talk of their life together and what their life would be like, but she soon realized that she may as well have been taking to the wall of the Pagoda; his spirit was already on the journey, and it was his body that needed to catch up.
That evening, they held a banquet in his honour, but before the speeches were finished, he had quietly slipped out the side door, collected his small pack, and walked away from the town.
He looked back a few times, but only to remember what the town looked like; the people, Chung Fu, and Qing were forever in his heart, and he would never forget them.
Blessings and Peace and infringe no one.
Blessings and Peace
Geof
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The 33rd Sage and the 33rd Sage and the Initiate are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Watersons, Xlibris, a number of online book stores and on my websites.
The Way of the Initiate will be published late 2013
Twitter @GeofSpalding
Official Author Blog - the33rdsage.authorsxpress.com/
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Book Websites 'The 33rd Sage,' at www.33rdsage.com
'The 33rd Sage and the Initiate,' at www.the33rdsage.com
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