Thirty-Eight

"Why scurry about looking for the truth?
It vibrates in every thing and every not-thing, right off
the tip of your nose.
Can you be still and see it in the mountain? the pine
tree? yourself?

Don't imagine that you'll discover it by accumulating
more knowledge.
Knowledge creates doubt, and doubt makes you
ravenous for more knowledge.
You can't get full eating this way.
The wise person dines on something more subtle.
He eats the understanding that the named was born
from the unnamed, that all being flows from non-
being, that the describable world emanates from an
indescribable source.
He finds this subtle truth inside his own self, and
becomes completely content.

So who can be still and watch the chess game of the
world?
The foolish are always making impulsive moves, but
the wise know that victory and defeat are decided by
something more subtle.
They see that something perfect exists before any move
is made.

This subtle perfection deteriorates when artificial
actions are taken, so be content not to disturb the
peace.
Remain quiet.
Discover the harmony in your own being.
Embrace it.

If you can do this, you will gain everything, and the
world will become healthy again.
If you can't, you will be lost in the shadows forever."

I had a good day today, but there were lots of mistakes in it, too. I find most of my mistakes occur when my self-doubt finally becomes too much to bear in a given moment. I'm still learning to ask for support, and find I'm pretty good at "listening out" once the mistake has occurred and I can't fill my own head with second-guesses anymore. I still have a long way to go in terms of tuning in to the fact that I have the resources I need to do all the right things and prevent mistakes when needed.