After contemplating Chapter 1 of the Tao te Ching, this is the resulting mandala. As I worked, different thoughts would come to me, even as my mind stilled:
Living the Way
We must live our lives in tandem with upholding the value of service and humility. In fact, I think asking, “how can I be of service,” helps to guide us to our truest selves.
I think that’s why Lao Tzu started with this chapter. Once there was no universe, and now there is, and humans live in it. As part of the human experience, we live and interpret the world around us. If we get caught up in physical desires – the desire for materialism and other unhealthy addictions – we risk losing our way.
We can always find the Way – the path – but earthly – not spiritual pursuits – can lead us on a path we don’t want.
Consumerism
I live in a society that thrives on consumerism. I have played my role in it. In my adult life I have taken measures to simplify and not focus on things, but gaining experiences. I don’t go out a whole lot so I can have money to travel to sacred places. When I have just focused on “me,” or what I want to do, that’s when I feel utterly disconnected.
I once quit a job to spend time writing and it as to fulfill a personal need. In so doing, I quickly burned through savings, and encountered some of the loneliest days of my life. But when I pursue creative projects now, I make sure it’s in tandem with a higher purpose, with the end result being to share.
Turning toward the way
I also think about how if society would just back off from its relentless consumerism, we could see the overall impact of what we’re doing – to ourselves, to animals, to the planet. One day, we must wake up and understand that to exist in harmony, we have to serve a greater purpose.