Most of the quotes I have recently posted from Charles Eisenstein have shimmered for me to share with others, this one is more of a bookmark for myself.
“Here is another story from Book IV of the Liezi (translation Thomas Cleary):
Lung Shu said to the physician Wen Chi, “Your art is subtle. I have an ailment; can you cure it?”
The physician said, “I will do as you say, but first tell me about your symptoms.”
Lung Shu said, “I am not honored when the whole village praises me, nor am I ashamed when the whole country criticizes me. I look upon life as like death, and see wealth as like poverty. I view people as like pigs, and see myself as like others. At home I am as though at an inn, and I look upon my native village as like a foreign country. With these afflictions, rewards cannot encourage me, punishments cannot threaten me. I cannot be changed by flourishing or decline, gain or loss; I cannot be moved by sorrow or happiness. Thus I cannot serve the government, associate with friends, run my household, or control my servants. What sickness is this? Is there any way to cure it?”
The physician had Lung Shu stand with his back to the light while he looked into his chest. After a while he said, “Aha! I see your heart; it is empty! You are nearly a sage. Six of the apertures in your heart are open, one of them is closed. This may be why you think the wisdom of a sage is an ailment. It cannot be stopped by my shallow art.””
Charles Eisenstein – The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible
… and I, after many years of wondering about my inability to experience happiness (even when I am “up”) directly (only through others), have recently begun moving not towards an answer but rather towards a wider question … realizing that I don’t seem to experience sadness (even when I way “down”) either …