Alo and De Footprints #102
(PD) Alo and De Lake on Land.
Copyright ©2018 December 27, 2018
Yan: An interesting quote... 'Zhang enquire, good man him way... master reply 'Not walk-on footprint, also not enter in room''... the first portions are easy, the last portion not easy...
Alo: Agreed... 'not walk on footprint', is obvious... follow no one else's path... not follow rut...
Yan: The last portion... the core concept appears to point to not enter one's path by what can be learned within a room... the last four words, could also be arranged as 'not enter from room'... also, 'not enter out-of room'... choice of interpretation, depends on one's own understanding, of one's own path...
Alo: Agreed... might also, imply, 'not enter path in regard to room'... or, 'not enter room where path ends'... or, 'not walking path if person remains in room'... still has similar parallel meaning... several different ways, but, each way, is interpreted by one's own understanding of one's own walk...
Yan: Agreed... also, if we chose a slightly different sentence structure, then the word 'also' could be at the end of a sentence, and merely imply the end of the sentence... then be like 'Not walk on footprint. Not enter in room.'... and there again, we are brought back to the underlying concept that a good man's path does not arrive from, nor end within, a room.
Alo: Yes, agreed... within a modern point of view, to me, the idea of a 'room' implies where a person learns knowledge... all outsider beliefs, all have rooms... students, enter rooms, memorize words... believe words... then follow rut... not good person, if walk rut... not good person, if walk knowledge...
Yan: Agreed... for me, I will remain curious of which meaning was meant, of which meaning the master implied for the 'room'... although, perhaps, he might have implied a similar concept as ours... a concept that encompasses all meanings together...
Alo: Yes... many concepts, observed from different angles... but still, one concept, combined of many... compound small concepts, create larger concept... return to plain...
Yan: Agreed...
Alo: Curious to me... outsiders so often believe, that following teachings, can enable a path... outsiders do not appear to be conscious of the changes... if, taught, knowledge, then the person's walk is composed of belief... the person's choices, are composed of following... the durational curves, of choice, then have different purposes of origin... cause, different results... the compound of ingredients, cause, walk on footprints... once knowledge is learned, then, always exists false choices... might never be able to heal the harm...
Yan: Yes... choices must be one's own, not what someone else teaches... if, following a knowledge learned, then, one's own inner self must always be false... not a true heart and expression of one's own... except, of course, it being a true outward expression of a bad inner self...
Alo: Agreed... walk not on footprint... just saying that, that alone, causes harm... the knowledge, has already become a difficulty to overcome... if, the words had never been spoken before, then I would not speak them now...
Yan: My own path... I looked at many different paths, studied how different paths existed... I finally let-go of attempting to find a good path... I then chose my own path... so, now, my own path is flavored of a knowing of outsiders' paths, plus an emotional distaste of their paths... now, I have appreciation for my own, and a stronger dedication to achieve a better, stronger, more clean way of life...
Alo: Me also... many years, it had seemed, rational, that surely at least one outsider teaching would be good... but I found none... maybe, some of the original masters had walked a good path, but, the path was their own, and cannot be followed... the masters' students, dirtied their own ruts... the only standard, that I could find to be of honor, was Nature's standard... and now, I share some similar ingredients as yours... a distaste for outsider paths, and a deep appreciation for my own path... the years, of searching, were not wholly wasted...
Yan: I can now see, how important my previous errors have been... they led me here... they, enabled me to become, good enough, for Jun to accept my being in her presence... that, to me, is reason enough to endure any hardship...
Alo: Imagine, if we both had followed outsiders' ruts... where would we be today? I, would likely be living in a city... have, big home, fast cars, many possessions, and an empty life... my life would be, a slave, to material things... and no happiness... no love... no beauty in life... contrasted to today, the city life would be as a fiery abyss... so, no... I value my hardships, deeply value all, because they taught me what was wrong... I made the choice... I chose, harmony... creative harmony... not walk on footprints...
Yan: Similar for me... I have seen city people, each following same rut of life... all, hunger for more possessions... hoard, everything... no, beauty... no love... their happiness, is as, merely, a brief calming of hunger... but, like all hunger, fill the stomach, be hungry again within hours... insatiable... my, now thinking of myself, if living that kind of life, my eyes water... my compassion for my imaginary self, it hurts... my heart hurts for what my life could have so easily become... if not for Jun and our community, then, my life, would now be like that...
Alo: Morning Dove, and the other elders... they chose what was proper... they did not know, that they would be saving many lives from the abyss... we now honor, and deeply respect, the elders, and their choices... the elders, not walk on footprints...
Yan: Good men... all of them...
Alo: Yes...