I) Prayers for preparation - Homage to Lao Tse
I.5 All Things Pass
All things pass
A sunrise does not last all morning
All things pass
A cloudburst does not last all day
All things pass
Nor a sunset all night
But Earth… sky… thunder…
wind… fire… lake…
mountain… water…
These always change
And if these do not last
Do man’s visions last ?
Do man’s illusions ?
During the session
Take things as they come
All things pass
I.6 The Message Of Posture
During the session
Observe your body
Mandala of the universe
Observe your body
Of ancient design
Holy temple of consciousness
Central stage of the oldest drama
Observe its structured wonders
Skin… hair… tissus…
Bone… vein… muscle…
Net of nerve
Observe its message
Does it merge or does it strain ?
Does it rest serene on sacred ground ?
Or tilt, propped up by wire and sticks ?
On tiptoe one cannot stand for long
Tension retards the flow
Superfluous noise and redundant action
Stand out-square, proud, cramped
Against the harmony
Observe the mandala of your body
II) The experience of elemental energy - Homage to the atom
II.5 Sheating The Self
The play of energy endures
Beyond striving
The play of energy endures
Beyond body
The play of energy endures
Beyond life
Out here
Float timeless
Beyond striving
II.8 Hold Fast To The Void
Notice how this space
Between Heaven and Earth
Is like a bellows
Always full, always empty
Come in here, go out there
Breathing…
Silence
This is no time for talk
Better to hold fast to the void
II.9 Take In-Let Go
To breathe in
You must first breathe out
Let go
To hold
You must first open your hand
Let go
To be warm
You must first be naked
Let go
III) The experience of seed-cell energy - Homage to DNA
III.3 Clear Water
The seed of mystery
Lies in muddy water
How can we fathom thi muddiness ?
Water becomes clear through stillness
How can we become still ?
By moving with the stream
III.8 Fourfold Representation Of The Mistery
Before Heaven and Earth
There was somethig nebulous
Tranquil… effortless
Permeating universally
Revolving soundlessly
Fusing
It may be regarded as the Mother
Of all organic forms
Its name is not known nor its language
But it is called Tao
The ancient sages called it "great"
The Great Tao
Great means in harmony
In harmony means tuned in
Tuned in means going far
Going far means returning
To the harmony
The Tao is great
The coil of life is great
The body is great
The human is designed to be great
There are in existence four great notes
The human is made to be one thereof
When you place yourself in harmony with your body
The body tunes itself to the slow unfolding of life
Life flows in harmony with the Tao
All proceeds
Naturally
In tune
III.10 This Is It
The seed moves so slowly and serenely
Moment to moment
That it appears inactive
The garden at sunrise breathing
The quiet breath of twilight
Moment to moment to moment
When we are in tune with this blissfull rhythm
The ten thousand forms flourish
Without effort
It is all so simple
Each next moment…
This is it !
III.11 Gate Of The Soft Mistery
Valley of life
Gate of the Soft Mystery
Beginnings in the lowest place
Gate of the Soft Mystery
Gate of the Dark Woman
Gate of the Soft Mystery
Seed of all living
Gate of the Soft Mystery
Constantly enduring
Gate of the Soft Mystery
Enter
Gently…
III.12 The Lesson Of Seed
The soft overcomes the hard
The small overcomes the large
The gentle survives the strong
The invisible survives the visible
Fish should be left in deep water
Fire and iron kept under ground
Seed should be left free
To grow in the rhythm of life
IV) The experience of neural energy - Homage to the external senses
IV.1 Seeing
Open naked eye
Light… radiant… pulsating…
"I’ve been blind all my life to this radiance"
Retinal mandala
Swamp mosaic of rods and cones
Light rays hurtle into retina 186,000 miles per second
Cross scope
Retinal scripture
The Blind I
Recoils at glittering energy
Impersonal, mocking
Illusions of control
"Too bright ! Turn it off !
Bring back the shadow world !"
The Seer Eye
Vibrates to the trembling web of light
Merges with the seen
Merges with the scene
Slides down optical whirlpool
Through central needle point
IV.2 Hearing
Sound waves, sound waves
Uncover lotus membrane
Trembling tattoo of
Sympathetic vibrations
Float along liquid canals
Single piano note
Meteor of delight
Collides with quivering membrane
Eternal note
Spins slowly
On vibrating thread
Ear you are
Sound waves
V) The experience of the chakras - Homage to the internal senses
V.1 The Root Chakra
Can you float through the universe of your body
and not lose your way ?
Can you dissolve softly ?
Decompose ?
Can you rest
dormant seed-light
buried in moist earth ?
Can you drift
single-celled
in soft tissue swamp ?
Can you sink
into your dark
fertile marsh ?
Can you spiral slowly
down the great central river ?
V.3 The Heart Chakra
Can you float through the universe of your body
and not lose your way ?
Flow with fire-blood
Through each tissued corridor ?
Can you let your heart
pump down red tunnels
stream into cell chambers ?
Can you center on this
Heart-fire of love ?
Can you let your heart
pulse for all love
beat for all sorrow
throb for all pain
thud for all joy
swell for all mankind ?
Can you let it flow
With compassion
for all life ?
V.4 The Throat Chakra
Can you float through the universe of your body
and not lose your way ?
Breathing
Can you drift into free air ?
Rise on the trembling vibration
of inhale and exhale ?
Can you ascend the fragile thread of breath
into cloud-blue bliss ?
Can you spiral up through soft atmosphere
Breathing
Catch the moment between in-breath and out-breath
Just there…
Can you float beyond life and death
Breathing
V.6 Ascending Ladder Of Chakras
Drift along your body’s soft swampland
where warm mud sucks lazily
Feel each cell in your body communicating
in serpent-coiled rainbow orgasm
Feel the sensuous rhythm of time
pulsing life along the arterial network
Bring the ethereal breath of life into
the white rooms of your brain
Radiate golden light out to
the four corners of creation
VI) Re-entry : the experience of the imprinted world - Homage to the symbolic mind
VI.1 The Moment Of Fullness
Grab hold tightly
Let go lightly
The full cup can take no more
The candle burns down
The taut bow must be loosed
The razor edge can no long endure
Nor this moment re-lived
So now…
Grab hold tightly
So now…
Let go lightly
VI.5 The Lesson Of Water
What one values in the game
is the play
What one values in the form
is the moment of forming
What one values in the house
is the moment of dwelling
What one values in the heart
is the beating
What one values in the action
is the timing
Indeed
Because you flow like water
You can neither win nor lose
VI.6 The Utility of Nothing
The Nothing at the center of the thirty-spoke wheel…
The Nothing of the clay vase…
The Nothing within the four walls…
The goal of the game is to go beyond the game
You lose your mind
To use your head
You lose your mind
To use your head
VI.10 Illustration Of A Tao Imprint
He stands apart
serene
curiously observing
He stands quietly
looking forlorn
like an infant who has not yet
learned to know what to smile at
He is a little sad for what he sees
While others enjoy their possessions
he lazily drifts, a homeless
do-nothing, owning nothing
Or he moves slowly close to the land
While others are crisp and definite
he seems indecisive
He does not appear to be making his way
in the world
He is different
A wise infant nursing at the breast
Of all life
Inside
VI.11 Keep In Touch
The Tao flows everywhere
Keep in touch
Be at home
Everywhere
He who loses the contact
Is alone
Everywhere
Keeping in touch with the Tao
Is called
Harmony
IV.13 The Conscious Application Of Strength
Force recoils
But
The time comes
When there is nothing to do
Except act consciously
With courage
VI.14 Victory Celebration
Celebrate your victory
with funeral rites
for your slain illusions
Wear some black at your wedding
VI.15 Along The Grain
The Tao is nameless
Like uncarved wood
As soon as it is carved
There are names
Carve carefully
Along the grain
VI.16 He Who Knows The Center Endures
Who knows the outside is clever
Who knows the center endures
Who masters others gains robot power
Who comes to the center has flowering strength
Faith of consciousness is freedom
Hope of consciousness is strength
Love of consciousness evokes the same in return
Faith of seed frees
Hope of seed flowers
Love of seed grows