I
The tao that can be told
is not the eternal tao.
The name that can be named
is not the eternal name.
The tao is both named and nameless
As nameless it is the origin of all things.
When named it gives life to all things
When you have no desire you can
see the mystery
When you have only desire
you see only the manifestations
Mystery and manifestation
are created in the same place.
When you use both
together
you open the gateway
to all wonders.
If you are a diver, you like me will remember the first time you ever went scuba diving. For me it was at the Club Med in Turks and Caicos. Up until then I had just a vague imagining. Scuba Diving was a thing I had seen on tv. Images in my head from stories told of my great grandfather lost at sea in his bell helmet off the coast of Africa. Other than having a few snorkel masks as a kid and ample amounts of time in the water, scuba never seemed an option or ever really showed up in my life until it did. Funny, because I was a water baby. A water pre-teen, A water teenager, A water 20 something. You get the point, The water it cast it's spell on me early in life, If I was near it, I wanted to be in it. Scratch that, I was in it. The years I lived away from it, many times I could feel a longing for it. Never a person who cared to trade the map for the territory, seeing it in pictures or on tv never moved me as much as experiencing it. Pools, ponds, whatever, boats were good but diving boards were better. The day I realized it was more enjoyable to walk in the rain than to run from it was probably my first aha moment.
Yes, I like the water!! So what? I remember that day in 2003 very well. the day I first put on scuba gear. During the early part of the day I found myself having a dull time on the beach. So I entered the surf. I remember thinking. Whats under the surface. I felt uneasy. I had images of sea creatures stinging me, sharks attacking me, and my father's favorite the Kraken dragging me down into the depths. Ok it wasn't that dramatic, however enough to leave me with an uneasy feeling. One of those feelings that you know isn't right. One that you know deep down, doesn't belong to you.
Within a few hours a Club Med G.O.(Gentil Organisateur) came by and asked me if I wanted to do an introductory scuba course in the pool and then head out into the ocean the following day. There was no question. Little did I know at that time, that the adventure had just began.
From there I went on to love diving. Today it is a major part of my life. Through embracing Scuba Diving I have been lead down a path of great exploration. An exploration above the surface, below the surface, and within myself.
So, the Toa that can be told is not eternal. It is just my story and one day it will have an ending. Long after I am gone there will be divers, and long after there are no more divers, there will still be seas, and ponds, and things that are wet. As long as these places exist there will be the opportunity for someone or something to give it meaning.
But I am not gone, so I will wonder and explore, catch myself from thinking I know it all and catch myself when I am distracted by what I can manifest.
To live in the mystery of life, AND to create, is where the fruit is.
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