This piece reminds me of meditation, specifically Zen meditation. Zen is hard to describe because it has many meanings such as, clearing your mind and body for inner peace, experiencing and connecting to the world around you and experiencing that world in the present. As well as appreciating life and everything that surrounds it.
The poem incorporates many of the aspects of Zen, starting with inner peace, “empty yourself of everything, let the mind become still.” Many times during meditation instructors usually say the best way to peace is by relieving yourself of anything and everything that is on your mind and just focus on nothing and become one with yourself.
Once this peace is achieved it is like being connected to the world on a high spiritual level and it makes it easier to appreciate the world no matter what state it is in, “The ten thousand things rise and fall while the self watches their return.” Which shows it is best to appreciate everything no matter what state it is in because nature goes through the same phases every time. If you appreciate a blooming flower also appreciate the wilted one which will disappear soon after, because it will once again bloom. “They grow and flourish and then return to the source.”
The poem is very spiritual and encourages inner peace through meditation, like Zen meditation. Then will we be able to fully experience and appreciate the world around us.
Your response is very insightful, especially how you have connected the poem to Zen meditation. In current times we live busy lives and often don’t really have the chance to stop and attempt to achieve inner peace. However, it is essential that we do find the time and put in the effort so that we can be able to demonstrate the good qualities mentioned in the poem. One begin by having an open heart so that one can act royal to others, thus achieving divine and be at one with Tao. Eventually when our bodies die those good qualities that we have attained will last until eternity as stated in the poem “And though the body dies, the Tao will never pass away”.