Weight is the root of lightness, stillness is the ruler of recklessness.
-> In the phenomenal world, weight anchors lightness. In the spiritual world, stillness (in and of the center) persists over recklessness.
Therefore the Sage at all times stay centered at the weighted wagon.
Although in luxury and glamour, (he) remain transcended and nonattached.
-> Seeing the temporariness of phenomena, Sages identified him/herself as the center that give rise to the changing world.
How could the lord of the world rule with a lightness?
-> lightness here means not knowing the center, and attached to the changing. How can someone who does not know its center rule his/her life?
Lightness will cost one’s foundation, recklessness will cost one’s lordship.
-> When we follow our attachments, we are led away from the center. When we are away from the center, we lost our foundation. Like tree without root but attempts to rule the entire tree, we become reckless and lost our true lordship and mastership.
* * *
Chapter 26 discussion:
We often describe spiritual masters as being grounded. At where do they ground themselves to? Laozi suggests grounding to the center. When we realize our identity beyond, and underneath the changing body-mind-self, we realize our deeper identity as the non-personal witness-consciousness-awareness-Self, which is the stable reality underneath and beyond the changing phenomena. When we realized this, we will not be confused by the lightness of the peripheral, and will know our everlasting home in midst of the changing phenomenal world.
bilingual text of Chapter 26: http://www.lisiming.net/philosophy/chinese-philosophy/daoist/daoist-philosophy/dao-de-jing-core-33-chapters/ddj11-3/
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