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Newsletter - January 2025

​​​​​​Above The Clouds

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The title above refers to the quotation “It’s always sunny above the clouds.” I’ve always liked those words even though, when you think about it, they say something so obvious it’s hardly worth saying. Of course it’s sunny up there. How could it not be? If you’ve flown in an airplane above cloud level, you’ll know it’s true.

 

Be that as it may, for the purpose of this newsletter, I’d like to note three things. First, above the clouds, it’s not just slightly sunny in patches; it’s brilliantly sunny everywhere. Second, it’s always like that. Third, how could this observation apply to the sunshine we experience, or do not experience, in our lives? I think this is where Lao Tzu has something to say. Let’s explore.

 

In his Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu refers to a Master who seems to live in the sunshine all the time. Lao Tzu describes him (or her) as follows: “The Master arrives without leaving, sees the light without looking, achieves without doing a thing” (chapter 47). If he sees the light without looking, does that mean he’s living in the sunshine? Yes, I think it does.

 

What’s more, the sunlight shines right through him. “The Master, by residing in the Tao, sets an example for all beings. Because he doesn’t display himself, people can see his light” (chapter 22). “The Master keeps her mind always at one with the Tao; that is what gives her her radiance” (chapter 21).

 

These quotes tell us how he lives in the sunshine. He does it by “residing in the Tao." And how does he do that? “Because he doesn’t display himself.” And how does he do that? “The Master keeps her mind always at one with the Tao.” The message is clear. Let go of your self, keep your mind always at one with the Tao, and you too will live in the sunlight.

 

Sounds simple. So why don’t we do that all the time? I think it’s because our self gets in the way with its desires for the way things “should” be. Our desires, and all the thoughts that go with them, are in effect the clouds that block the sun. So, the reason it’s not always sunny in our lives is because we are often not “above the clouds.” Instead we’re busy creating clouds for ourselves and then living inside them. No wonder it’s often not sunny.

 

Lao Tzu knows exactly where we’re coming from when he says “Can you cleanse your inner vision until you see nothing but the light?” (chapter 10). Using another metaphor, he compares our thoughts with mud when he says “Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear?” (chapter 15). Either way, the message is the same. If we’re not seeing the light, or the water is not clear, then it’s up to us to “cleanse our inner vision” or have the “patience to wait” until our mud settles.

 

How about we make all this a bit less abstract. Let’s come down from forty thousand feet, as it were, and see what this looks like at ground level. In other words, how can we use these ideas in everyday life?

 

An example that’s true for me is when I want to move forward, as it were, but I don’t know which way to go. What happens is that my mind takes over by starting to identify the different options, and then evaluating the pros and cons of each of them. Do I have my answer yet? If not, what I tend to do is think harder. I look for more options, more pros and cons, perhaps a different measurement scale. For some things, this approach is useful—but certainly not always. Sometimes, instead of getting closer to a solution, frankly all I’m doing is simply stirring up more mud.

 

What’s a better solution? Lao Tzu suggests it is to stop stirring! “Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself?” (chapter 15). Really? Is that the way to go? My self-important mind doesn’t find that a tasty idea to chew on.

 

Now, when I suggested thoughts are like clouds I didn’t mean we should live without thinking. Thought does have its place and time. It can certainly help us see more clearly as long as we know when to stop. The point is that, for me, the time to stop is often a good bit sooner than I think.

 

To be honest, I find it a bit humbling to think that the “right action” could arise “by itself” as opposed to being the result of my thinking. So, what’s the message for me in Lao Tzu’s words? I think it's humility and patience. Humility, in this context, means accepting that perhaps the "right action" is not something I can figure out, and trying harder is simply not the way to go. And patience, in this context, means accepting that perhaps the solution will reveal itself in its own good time, as we like to say, rather than on the timetable I have in mind (which is usually “now”).

 

How about you? Do you feel you live mainly in the sunshine or mainly in the clouds? How many of the clouds do you think we create for ourselves? Note I’m not suggesting we create all of the clouds, as it were, because many of the things we need to respond to are not of our own making. Note too that, as we select our actions, thought does have its place and time. I’m simply suggesting that perhaps it’s not everywhere and all of the time. Does that sound fair?

 

If so, then perhaps being aware of this can help us dispel a few clouds and experience a little more sunshine in our lives.

 

If you have any thoughts you’d like to share, you can get in touch with me by:

  • replying to this e-mail (which will include this newsletter)

  • sending me a new email, i.e., without this newsletter

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Thanks for reading. Please feel free to share this newsletter.

 

Francis

 

IN OTHER NEWS...

 

Past newsletters are here: www.francispringmill.com/newsletter-archive

 

In Harmony with the Tao: A Guided Journey into the Tao Te Ching is available here. There Is No Somewhere Else: Insights from the Tao Te Ching is available here.

 

Synopses and reviews for both books are on www.francispringmill.com/books

 

If you have enjoyed my books and have a spare couple of minutes, I'd love it if you could leave an Amazon review so more people can discover them. (The customer review link for In Harmony with the Tao is here, and for There Is No Somewhere Else is here.)​​

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