Off the Hook

Entering the Tao requires that all mile markers be erased in favor of mere presence. This seems obvious to the heart, yet the head will have none of it. I decided to spend today at rest. Once I made that decision, the silence spilled all over the room. Everything was coated in it. The phone dared not ring. The TV remained off. Well, I did turn on the radio briefly in my bedroom, but it didn’t stay on long.

The point I want to get across is that there are no points. Even on newly sharpened pencils of the intellectual variety. All points wear down or break eventually. Even the Alps and Everest are susceptible to erosion.
We are horrified when our lives break down. We scream and yell and try to “get things done” to remedy whatever situation it is. And these situations cause us unmentionable sufferings. The mind persists in trying to handle them.

For some reason, my life is preternaturally quiet right now. I am choosing silence and it is choosing me. I write these words in a quiet room. It feels new but it is ancient in its origin. It requires nothing from me because it is me.