A Jinn is, of course, a mythological creature reported in the ancient tales of
Arabia and some other cultures. They are said to be able to fly; are magical;
and have a strong affinity for jewels, precious metals and other secrets hidden
in the depths of the Earth.
"Genie" is another way of pronouncing the word 'Jinn.' According to Arabian
legends, King Solomon (the wisest man of his times) knew Jinns, and received
much of his wisdom from them. Aside from the familiar Aladdin and his lamp-Jinn
of the Arabian Nights tales, King Solomon of Israel is the best-known westerner
reputed to have 'captured' (or perhaps it was 'harnessed') a Jinn for his own
service and profit.
When, during the Industrial Revolution in the West, a machine for separating
cotton from it's seed-pods was invented, it was naturally named 'the Cotton
Ginne;' which has survived in the modern word 'gin' used to describe any type
of industrial machine performing the extraction of useful parts from a natural
substance (or, as in the case of 'the Spinning Jenny,' the work of forming an
extracted cotton fiber into thread.)
In all cases, the Jinn or Ginne is some form of CONSTRUCT; a 'machine' or may
be a 'system' or 'structure' which OPERATES ON IT'S OWN; having a sort of will
or volition imparted to it, which allows it to perform a certain type of work
without much human supervision.
When the ancient scholars in China discovered any 'system' or 'structure' that
operates of it's own volition much like a 'machine' (even if they secretly had
suspicions that it might also be 'alive' much as Arabians suspected about the
Genie) they naturally also named it a 'Jinn.'
Perhaps you have been told that Chinese is 'a foreign language' unrelated to
either Arabic or English? Alas, this slander has been much repeated; but no
Chinese person would allow you to repeat it in their presence, for they know
that we are all one people, and any seeming of 'foreign-ness' is but a false
impression (perhaps due to nothing more serious than a strange accent, or the
effects of too much or too little rice wine.)
I am but an ordinary little fellow like THOU; my family were far from as rich
as Solomon nor am I more than they; and yet I have been blessed by the company
(I might even say, the Friendship) of a number of Jinns. Perhaps you too may
know one or two. It in not something to boast of.. (for surely there are some
who know more than you or I).. but it is something to be GLAD about or at least
to make note of in one's diary.
I note from my own diary that I first met the 'YE' Jinn around the age at which
young men begin to sulk about the house wishing for something Wondrous to get
involved with; yes, I was in my late teens. It had been the good fortune of my
eldest brother to meet and wed a lovely lady whose own father was a Sage.. I am
not inventing tales, I assure you; the man truly WAS 'great' and looked-to by
many as a Font Of Good Advice. He had himself written books for some fourty
years without running out of ideas. Perhaps he had an Idea-Jinn for a friend;
I do not know. But as I approached my Eighteenth Year, I was ESPECIALLY sent
for by the sage father of my eldest brother's wife; for he had heard that I
was afflicted with Books.. which is to say, I could not get my fill of them,
yet none of them seemed to slake my appetite for more. It was as if my thirst
was either too great for all Libraries, or I had yet to find the one flavor of
drink which could slake the thirst. Being a man of Wisdom, my eldest brother's
sage father-in-law felt it his duty to explore my affliction, and prescribe for
my relief some cure for it.
After observing me for several minutes, he prescribed two volumes, and said he
would send them to me someday soon. His daughter delivered them; one was an
early translation of some of the Dead Sea Scrolls (which was so dry that almost
it dried up my thirst for books,) scrolls written by 'the Essenes,' a small but
significant group of early Judeo-Christians; and the other book (so wet with
refreshments that my thirst was actually redoubled by the first taste, though
only for more of the same) was the 'YE' Jinn.
This YE Jinn proved to be a book organized around a system or structure which
one did not 'open and read' but rather one was forced to (either) randomly
divide-up a stack of some fifty yarrow-reeds and count them over until some
mathematical sums were arrived at, which told you which specific pages and
lines therein to read in answer to ones question; or one had to toss three
little coins a number of times, until the same sums were arrived at for the
same reason and with the same effect. This extraordinary methodical Jinn-book
has the uncanny trait of answering any question you might put to it, with the
most remarkable accuracy and at the same time, the most gallingly inscrutable
sagacity of intent. Asked what it itself was, this Jinn answered that it is
a device or appliance much like a well; from which I might draw endlessly for
my education. Asked why it had bothered to come to me (rather than some other
book) it answered that a young fool asked too many questions! Asked who (or,
to be very honest with you about my self-doubts) WHAT I myself might happen to
be, it mentioned 'the Kuei-Shen' (a phrase denoting 'a Spiritual Being') and
then further specified that I was such a Being of the precise type it called
'Hsien' (a word which amazingly-enough may be pronounced 'Essene.')
This little story is not merely intended as entertainment, for every part of it
has a bearing on the subject of this book. That a Sage should know after only
a few minutes acquaintance with me that the cure for my affliction was YE JINN
and the writings of that obscure little Essene community of Qumran in the Dead
Sea is neither accidental nor out of keeping with the subject of 'the Tao;'
for it is precisely such men and women that the YE JINN both attracts to it
and helps to shape. In fine; part of his own sagacity was the direct product
of this wondrous Jinn. Did it tell him directly that I was part of it's own
community?.. or did it's long residence in his mind make the intuition occur
by instinct? I never had the chance to ask him, alas; but that this is the
general manner of operation of the Jinn I certainly have learned in the thirty
or more years since that first introduction.
Over the years that followed, I would find myself very actively seeking-out
and absorbing the wisdoms of Tao.. other 'chance meetings' connected me with
Dame Ursula Greville, whose studies at the late Imperial Academy of Medicine
in China she happily passed-along to me, cut-down to fit the size of my own
applications of it; while yet other chance meetings handed me the book of the
Rector of the Taoist Conservatory of Hollywood, California, the author of an
innovative volume entitled 'The Eleventh Wing' (the venerable Khiegh Alx Diegh)
whose work with calendrical systems lead to my own re-discovery of astrological
elements within the YE JINN.. and by the time I was grown from teenager to man,
I would find myself as much at home within the Tao as any Welsh/American-Indian
could ask. And yet, such is the 'magic' of the Jinn that however fervently I
sought-out the Tao in an effort to understand my 'Kuei-Shen-ishness' within it,
the Essenes seem to have as fervently sought out ME. The result is that what
I present to you here as 'Hsien Tao' (which it certainly is, though not a very
"Chinese" form of it) is in truth ESSENE Taoism; an intimate living of the
'Tao of Magic and Immortality' from within western rather than Asian roots.
In case you are unaware of the similarity between them, let me note that the
Essenes of Israel and the Hsiens of China were and are both MYSTICAL rather
than 'religious' movements; which is to say, they both practice METHODS OF
ENLIGHTENMENT rather than 'creeds' or doctrines. Called by the Greeks 'the
Essenoi,' the Essenes arose originally alongside or within Judaism around
200 BCE, and for the next four centuries they were at the very center of the
Messianic Movement; they actively 'woo-ed' or sought to bring-about what all
Israelites officially expected for the future; a world-savior-King who would
end their domination by foreign powers, and restore the ancient grace of their
culture. Apparently they either 'produced' or 'found' him; for it is a fact
of history that the Essenoi were the only 'Hebrew sect' which transferred all
of their loyalties to the Christ. The Essenes are thus the only real 'bridge'
between the Judeo-Christian worlds; and it is for this reason that they stand
in a place of such significance for western scholars, and their Scrolls hold
such value for both parts of that equation. As the only verifiable link be-
tween ancient Hebraic spirituality and modern Rabbinical Judaism (which they
predate) as well as the Christianity which arose literally from their ranks,
the Essenes are the very crux of western history itself. All of this is well-
known to western scholarship.
What is lesser-known (except to those acquainted with the 'received Teaching'
called Cabala, Qaballah or Kaballah) is the fact that the Essenoi lived much
as any modern Kaballist might.. and their way of life represents the first
sociological embodiment, publicly, of that mystical Path of God-Consciousness
which is Kaballah.. the Teaching received directly from WITHIN THE SOUL'S
OWN STRUCTURE rather than from scriptures ABOUT the Soul.
Might it interest you to learn that the official meaning of the word 'Hsien'
in Chinese is "Mutual Influence" as in 'the woo-ing of a spouse;' and that
it's closest Asian equivalent is the Hindi word 'Tantra?' Tantra Yoga is the
Method or Practice of assimilation of oneself into the society of 'the gods'
through self-transformation. Put into Chinese terms, that is the very spirit
of Hsien Taoism also; AND a perfect description of the life of the Essenoi.
I mention these facts in order to explain to you that my personal quest for
the 'Tao' has been from the word 'Go' a quest for an 'Essene-Hsien' Tao; and
that I found it in the Practice of Kaballah. I could no more seperate my own
Tao from the Hsien or the Essenoi than I could seperate the two lobes of my
brain and remain whole. This book is a 'bridge' between those two worlds
which are called 'East' and 'West;' and (mister Kipling to the contrary) in
the Tao, the twain DO meet and become one.
There are throughout Asia to this day thousands of Hsien Taoists, practicing
perhaps hundreds of specialized applications of our Tao. They must speak
for themselves in saying what magic the Jinn have given them. But it may be
of value even to them to know that the Path which they walk is broad enough
and filled with enough wonder to cross-over into other cultures, seeding into
yet other societies a way of life which can (apparently, in my case at least)
survive un-changed even rebirth in a strange land in a distant future.
Throughout the chapters that follow, I will provide not only a free-reading
of the traditional texts of the two Jinns who set me upon my own Path, but
also my own observations, to help the novice find as quickly as possible some
added depths which they might not otherwise easily notice. These will be
titled 'ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY' not only to identify them as my own work but
also to honor the profound insight of my own first Master.. whose knowledge
of my future life's work was apparently as deep as his knowledge of the Tao.
Such are the handiwork of Jinns; ordinary people, indiscernible from others
except in the secret depth of their roots in the Source from which all things
flow. I do not know what these 'appliances, like a well' may draw-forth from
your own depths; but such is the wonder I still keep at their effect upon my
own life, that I do not doubt it will be MAGIC. I bow east, and begin.
Before moving on to an actual re-telling of the Teachings of that great book
traditionally written-about as 'the Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu' it is necessary
to dispel yet a few more presumptions of 'foreign-ness' starting with that
famous word 'Tao' which is half of the Teaching of this wonderful Jinn.
'Tao' (which is the central concept underlying the philosophy of 'Taoism'
in it's many forms) is claimed or stated to be 'the Way Things Are' on such
a cosmic scale and in so universal an applicability that (reportedly) any
human being, plant, animal or mineral should be able to find themselves in
it. Surprising, then, to be told over and over by those merely 'translating'
the WORDS of this famous book (rather than conveying-afresh it's MEANINGS)
that 'Tao' has no literal equivalent in English or ANY OTHER language. The
UNIVERSAL that can only be known fully in Chinese?! How very odd.
This oddity is, fortunately or naturally-enough, dispelled by a glance at
the Chinese 'ideogram' or written "picture-symbol" which denotes it on the
previous page. If you squint just right you may be able to observe that it
is composed of a stylized human head standing between the gateposts or sign
posts of a Road, Path or Highway. This is the 'traditional' and 'authentic'
explanation of this symbol.. and from it we can quickly see that it means
something which we CAN grasp immediately with English-speaking minds.
What has always been slightly mis-spelled 'Tao' (for Chinese has neither
spelling nor even letters with which to spell) is A PERSON, ON A PATH.
It being understood immediately that the Path is simply your LIFE and how
you 'progress' or travel-through it, the transliteration of the meaning of
'Tao' is some form of the word for 'you.' YOU, however, are shown by this
ideogram 'Tao' symbol as being INSIDE or UPON a larger 'Way' or 'scene' in
which you must search for directions or comprehension of the Way to travel.
Thus, though it still IS 'you' that is the 'Tao' it is also something larger
than your 'little, direction-seeking' self which walks within or upon it.
Every writer from western societies who has tried to write about the 'Tao'
by merely translating it's words has concluded that 'Tao is not what western
peoples call 'God;' for it is described as a non-authoritative, unconcerned
and non-judgemental Thing which simply happens to 'contain' you without in
any way trying to order you about.
Well, if that is not what western peoples call 'God,' what sort of a mean-
spirited and tyrannical Thing IS their 'God?' At least one of the West's
spiritual Teachers has said that his 'God' could be found 'WITHIN YOU.'
With all due respect, I can only explain the ungodly reputation and behavior
of the western 'God' by surmising that THAT must be what was (at least once)
WITHIN YOU. None of this mean-spiritedness will you encounter in 'Tao Te
Ching.' Here you will learn of both the 'Little, Direction-Seeking' You, and
a 'Larger, All-encompassing Serene Spirit' which is both WITHIN YOU and yet
also ALL AROUND YOU.
Because it is WITHIN YOU, we must refer to it as YOU; yet because it is AROUND
YOU as well, we must refer to it as your more 'honorific' and Greater and some-
how 'holier' magnitude.. and STILL somehow allow it to be ITSELF within which
or by the 'grace' of which you have your 'little, direction-seeking' finiteness
of being.
The English word by which all of these requirements can be met is well-known;
used throughout English-speaking history to denote 'God' in all His Goodness;
and yet also is simply YOU trying to find the right Way to live within it all.
That word is "THOU.'
This Jinn which we shall study here is the Jinn or 'mechinism' by which 'you'
may attain that understanding and magnitude which will make of you a THOU.
If in so doing it should happen to dispel some false impressions about 'God'
and your place within it all, then perhaps you too will someday sing as some
before you have, "THOU LEADETH ME BESIDE THE STILL WATERS: THOU RESTORETH
MY SOUL."
The next in our short list of Chinese phrases which we must transport into
English conception has traditionally been spelled 'Te' or 'Teh.' Like 'Tao'
it has been said to have no western equivalent, though we shall find other-
wise.
'Te' is pronounced like the English word 'day,' and is said to mean 'Virtue'
in it's philosophic sense; and at the same time the sort of 'magical' force
commonly called 'Miracle.' It is the Teaching of Chinese Taoists that by
taking-on the traits of THOU as a spiritual rapport, one becomes a vehicle
of sudden improvements, alterations and happenings that other cultures from
around the world also report as 'miracles.'
Thus, 'Te' is the nature of a spiritual mystic AND the magical or miraculous
force which such a spirit either generates or attracts to them.
There may very well NOT be a word in the English tongue which perfectly
expresses all of this; but there certainly IS a western root-word common
to all western societies which does transport 'Te' directly. That word is
from the Latin language (one of the several root-tongues of which English
is composed.)
DEI is pronounced exactly like 'day' except that an 'ee' is added to the
end of it; like this 'day-ee.' As a root, DEI forms the basis of the word
'deity,' or divinity.. and from it we receive all the meaning of the word
'Te' in Chinese; virtue, Primal Truth, the cosmic Being which is the source
of all things and which works through such wondrous ways that we can only
call it 'magical' or 'miraculous.' Just as in any OTHER spiritual philosophy
Taoism teaches that human beings who cultivate a rapport with this cosmic
force are then rather automatically 'caretaken' by it with little need for
self-concern. The Latin phrase 'DEI EX MACHINA' (originally used to denote
the classical Greek concept of 'God Out Of A Machine' or AUTOMATED BLESSING)
is one fine way of understanding how DEI works.
'Tao Te Ching' (which we now know to properly transliterate as THOU DEI JINN)
is thus the Jinn (or engine) by which THOU may be attained, leading to that
state of grace or spiritual magnitude in which such miraculous improvements
and happenings may occur in your own life, by the grace of DEI-ty.
This is the 'claim' of THOU throughout the 25 or more centuries during which
it has been among the greatest of Teachers of China, southeast Asia and in
recent centuries the west as well.
As we read the old text of this great Jinn you will see what it's Teachings
are on an intellectual or rational level; and you may also begin to FEEL
and EXPERIENCE in your own life any such DEI as this Jinn actually DOES have
the power to bestow of it's own volition, into your more subtle or less in-
tellectual parts or regions.
Those more subtle parts or regions of THOU which one must learn-of in order
to fully comprehend intellectually the Teachings of THOU and the YE as well
are most often spelled 'Yin and Yang.' They are said to be a polarity built
into Reality, by which THOU operates throughout Reality. Let us meet them!
This is the subjective world in which initially only the 'observer' can be seen
to exist. The realm of mystics where-"IN" they see the many things unknown
to those with their eyes merely open, IN is the 'mother-land' of THOU where
all of it's wonders are first observed. That any long exposure to this state
inevitably WILL lead to discovering another 'world' composed of oneself and
OTHER 'subjects' of the Subjective Cosmos is attested-to by the many mystics
of all lands who have left us relics of their Inner Journeys.
Plato is said to have been the wisest of the philosophers of the late period
of Greek civilization; anyway he was among the greatest. His Teachings
live on, and they are where any westerner must begin in understanding the IN
or Yin principle of THOU.
'The Cave Of Impressions' was Plato's Magnum Opus, philosophically. Certainly
he made headlines with other concepts.. such as Atlantis (he is the only one
of the classical writers to have mentioned it.) Asians nod at this but sadly
observe his total ignorance of MU or Lemuria, the oldest home of our species,
and of which Atlantis was but one late colony. Plato may not have known of
our Pacific-basin Motherland, but he did discover and perfectly describe our
IN-ner Motherland. He called it 'The Cave Of Impressions.'
Having set himself to 'explain' the MOST 'true ground of Being' which forms
the infrastructure of Reality itself, Plato said it was a CAVE; dark, with
absolutely no other definable traits except a uniquely 'receptive' or maybe
'placental' type of walls to it. According to the Greek philosopher, this
Cave's walls have the trait of pliability or impressionability such as we
know silver salts to have in photographic film; any light which reaches
them 'makes an impression' or leaves a mark exactly corresponding to the
true shape of whatever the light is reflecting.
Sitting in this Cave (with-"IN" himself) Plato discovered the Five Platonic
Solids.. the pure regular three-dimensional shapes out of which all other
shapes are formed. That in itself is a great discovery, and he deserves the
thanks of the world for it (and has received them.) But, while westerners
have in general missed the importance of 'The Cave Of Impressions,' Chinese
philosophers recognize that it forms exactly HALF of the Primal Cause which
brings about all else that we can know of. In the silent 'gateway' opening
called 'The Mother Of Ten Thousand Things' which is the Cave of Impressions
or "IN" one may sit silently and WITNESS the 'arising' of the OTHER HALF of
THOU: which is the light itself, carrying upon it the Five Solids of Plato
(though Chinese culture calls these 'The Five Elements' instead of Shapes.)
"IN" as an idea or concept originates from the primary 'vision' of Taoism;
which is LIGHT from the Sun shining upon a mountain-peak.. while all else
is still cloaked in SHADOW. That Dark half of the primary vision is IN, the
principle of BEING HIDDEN FROM VIEW. As such, it represents to westerners
the "Unconscious" parts of Psyche. "IN" is the 'material' of which is formed
the Id of psychotherapy (described as the 'reservoir' of the Libido or one's
personal Psychic Forces.. the most famous of which is sexual appetite.) But
to this, Taoism adds the further detail; that "IN" is ALSO the raw material
of our EGO (or Conscious Mind.) While western psychotherapists may frown on
this saying, it must be admitted that there are details of the EGO-identity
that are every bit as 'primal' and Unconsciously MOTIVATED as the Id itself.
Furthermore, it is a well-know trait of the EGO that it is most of the time
unable to 'see itself as others see it;' yet another indication that it too
arises along with the Unconscious Id from the SHADOW-land of 'Yin' or IN.
As 'Yin' or IN is described by the Chinese classics as 'dark, receptive, and
productive like a womb,' it's complimentary opposite-half (commonly spelled
'Yang') is described as 'strong, creative, originating and correct.' In fact
it's oldest description in China is as SUNLIGHT as it falls upon the peaks of
a mountain. IN is the 'dark' side of the Peak: ANKH is the side being touched
by Sunlight.
In fact, while there is no literal English word for that Light-Principle
called 'Yang' in China.. for it has been thousands of years since any west-
ern culture knew much of it.. the word 'ANKH' or 'the Life-symbol' of Egypt
IS well-known and familiar-enough to all western societies, to pass for a
'modern' western word; and ANKH is in fact EXACTLY what 'Yang' MEANS.
Biological LIFE.. including everything we commonly call it's 'materiality'..
comes to us directly or indirectly from the Sun. The other half of YOU
YOURSELF is THE SUN ITSELF; for ANKH is the raw material of both your
Super-Ego (described by psychotherapy as the Conscience and Ethical Force
which guides the psyche) and your LIBIDO or Psychic 'Energy' and motivations.
Throughout this volume we will use the terms common to psychotherapy, when we
discuss the portions of the Self described by the Chinese originals. While
there are certain differences between the two traditions, both Taoism and
psychotherapy agree upon so many of the central issues as to make them for
all practical purposes ONE TOPIC, slightly differently-worded.
It is the work of mystical self-discovery, to quiet the Ego-chatter of human
mortality long-enough to meet and merge our conscious awareness back into the
Soul-deep identity which the Libido caretakes.. and in so doing, fulfill our
in-born nature. So doing is DEI, the Path Of Divine Forces.
What mystics know from experience.. though psychotherapy has yet to fully
admit-of and integrate.. is that Super-Ego is not just 'Conscience' but in
fact a BEING, one for whom Conscience is an essential trait which it seeks
to impart to us through our life-journey. Call it 'God' if you wish; call
it (as Tao does) 'The Father Of The Masses' if you wish; someday, somehow
you must meet it, too; and then you will truly KNOW what Divinity MEANS.
What we are thus left with is a picture of Incarnate Life composed of two
FORCES called dark or instinctive ID and EGO.. and living Light displayed as
Super-Ego which we most often call 'God' or 'the Creator,' and it's offspring,
Libido which (though nurtured initially within the Id) THOU DEI JINN explains
as our Light-Form or TOTEMIC SOUL-IDENTITY.. which we are here to educate into
a fully conscious 'partner' for the Solar Parent. The diagram shown just above
depicts these Four Greats of incarnate life, in the single most famous symbol
of the Taoist philosophy.
THOU DEI JINN also depicts for us in it's verses a Unified Trinity that can
only be called ETERNITY.. composed of three of those four Greats. According
to THOU DEI JINN this three-part Cosmic Self is what we each WERE before we
were born, and to it we will return when our time in The Four Greats of In-
carnate Life is over (for now!) In the illustration you see just above this,
note that this Trinity is composed of "Id" and "Super-Ego" depicted as the
two 'arms' or branches of a Tree, the trunk of which is composed of CONSCIOUS
LIBIDO.. for it is into the Incarnate Libido that the Ego merges at death,
to 'deliver-up' it's experiences and wisdoms gained in 'life' and thus make
itself FINALLY really 'useful!' A study of the Tree-illustration will reveal
exact similarities to the Black 'Godess' coupling with her White 'God' from
Tantric Buddhism.. as well as the Black and White pillars of the Tree Of Life
of Hebraic Kaballah.. and in the Tree-truck 'Self' which is their Union you
see 'Enlightenment' as depicted by both of those great mystical philosophies
as well as Taoism itself.
Our two illustrations may prove useful as reference-material, as you read
the profound lines of the ancient Chinese Classics that lie ahead of you..
for (as the Jinns themselves repeat over and over) MYSTERIOUS AND SUBTLE IT
IS, YET WITHIN IT THERE IS AN ESSENCE WHICH IS VERY REAL.
Exactly who wrote THOU DEI JINN and YE JINN? Quoting the 'official' answer
is easy. Making 'sense' of it may not be quite the same!
It is easy to say that THOU DEI JINN was written somewhere around 500 BCE by
'Lao Tzu;' this teaching is universally quoted as 'fact.' Tzu as a word may
be said to mean 'a man; an upright post in the ground (a phallic symbol;) or
an office-holder.' Tzu should really be spelled, therefore, as either "Sir" or
('It)'s.Who' in English. 'Lao Tzu' is usually translated as 'Old Boy;' and should
therefore be transliterated into English as "Lad Sir." It is said in
traditional old Taoist tales of him that Lad Sir was "thirty months"
(I have even heard thirty YEARS) in the womb; and was born with long white hair..
and thus named 'Old Boy' to explain all of this.
As I say, it is easy to REPEAT the traditional explanations. It is harder to
'believe' them; for I have asked many physicians to comment on a thirty-year
or even a thirty-month pregnancy, and I am not prepared to transliterate the
answers into polite words. Bluntly, such a thing is 'miraculous.'
If you have patience and stay with this until we view the text, you will read
in the JINNs the answer to these riddles.. for 'thirty years' or ANY thirty
periods of time ("YE") completes the 'First Wing' or the 'natural' human half
of any incarnation (which is followed by a 34-year period of 'super-personal'
or "Gestalt" experiences.)
'Lao Tzu' is AT THE VERY LEAST a Taoist 'legend' or myth explaining how it is
with ANY 'OLD BOY.' Born like all the rest of us PHYSICALLY after at most a
year or so in the womb, 'Lao Tzu' then realized at around thirty that he was
still BEING born SPIRITUALLY; white-tinged of hair; "old" yet very "new" all
thirty-one year-olds emerge from the womb of EGO into their OTHER HALF, and
it is this 'Spirit birth' of which the mythic legend speaks.
That there probably WAS someone called 'Lad Sir' I do not doubt; nor do I
question the dates given for his lifetime. But, like ALL great mystics down
through time, all of his doings are shrouded now in legends and marvelous
tales that must be read as PARABLES.
It is said that Lad Sir was Court Librarian in China, and that after a long
and respected career, he left China by crossing the Great Wall into that vast
land governed by 'Quan Yin' in the far North. 'Quan Yin' (the "goddess of
Mercy" in Chinese folklore) is recognized in Tibet as the female form of the
'Boddhisattva Aveloketesvara' or Buddha Of Compassion 'channeled' through the
many incarnations of the Dalai Lama, titular head of Tibetan Tantric Lamaism,
one of the most ancient forms of Buddhism. It is thus the teaching of this
Parable, that Taoism wandered into contact with early Lamaistic Buddhism by
the end of Lad Sir's life (which coincides with the spread of Buddhism into
Tibet and most other nations surrounding Buddhism's homeland, India.)
It is from this departure of Lad Sir from China in search of the Quan Yin that
Hsien Taoism (ESSENE THOU-ism) emerged.. and it is mostly Hsien Taoists who
KNOW this, for 'contemplative Taoism' remained behind in the capitol, reading
the Book that Master Lao wrote for them at the request of the Gatekeepers who
last saw him on his way out of China.. or (like the famous Master Chuang Tzu,
they went fishing, permanently.)
Within a few generations of the official dates for the life of Lad Sir, there
arose in China the 'Chan' Masters; a Taoist-flavored Buddhism practicing that
'Tao' which migrated from China into Japan, where it became known as 'Zen.'
All of this is the 'official history' of Asian Philosophy, and we must either
accept it as such or begin denying things (which THOU DEI JINN specifically
warns against, as you will see in the text we shall read from soon.)
By the time Chan Buddhism existed alongside Contemplative Taoism in China,
there also existed two other important philosophies there, too. The most
famous of these is 'Confucianism' or the 'religious practices of Confucius.'
Confucius.. in the older transliteration, 'K'ung Fu-Tse'.. should properly
be spelled 'Confer.It's.He,' and he is a fairly researchable, ordinary human
being well-documented in the literature of his times.. he is among the very
FIRST really documentable or HISTORIC characters in Chinese philosophy. His
teachings include a reverence of the Emperor as a living embodiment of the
Will Of Heaven; the practicing of Rites by which to insure the blessings of
Heaven upon oneself and the Empire; and a careful attention to proper respect
for one's ancestors. Confucianism became the official or state religion of
China for obvious reasons.
The other but lesser-known philosophy of Chinese antiquity is 'Hsien Taoism;'
which is called 'the Tao (or Path) of Magic and Immortality.'
ESSENE THOU as it should be rightly spelled is China's most 'flexible' and
pragmatic philosophy. When it met Chan, it Chan-ed. When it met Indian
Tantra, it Tantra-ed. When it met western philosophies and spiritual paths,
it 'translated.' I am an 'Hsien Taoist' steeped in the same pot with Chinese
and Southeast-Asian 'Essenes,' and yet I practice not only Indian Tantra Yoga
but also western Alchemy and the Hebrew Kaballah. Is that strange? If so,
all of the history of Hsien Tao is strange.. for we have never ceased adapting
to changing times and changing needs. Having long ago met through Buddhism
the 'Quan Yin' as a Bodhisattva, and adaptively incorporated Buddhist ideals
into our Path, it was only natural for us to also hold dear the Buddhist idea
of a future Buddha called 'Maitreya' (predicted by Guatama Buddha as his own
successor-to-be) who was predicted to usher-in a 'Heaven Of Satisfied Gods'
that would complete the Enlightenment of humanity.
It is my assertion, based upon personal experiences, that it is in such mystic
practices or methodologies as Kaballah that the 'Heaven Of Satisfied Gods' of
Buddhist prophecy can be found, and for this reason I call myself a Maitreyan
Essene Thou-ist; practicing ancient folk-healing arts from which Acupuncture
derived, the YE JINN and THOU DEI JINN as sources of personal teachings, and
such western sources of 'magic' as Kaballah and the science of Alchemy. This
specific mixture is 'unique' to my own Order of Maitreyan Hsien Tao; yet by
it's very eclecticism and world-embracing Holism, it defines by example the
Path of the Divine Immortals which is 'Hsien Tao.' Throughout Asia one can
meet many other 'adaptations' of our Path; some practice mostly Indian Yoga
techniques, some mostly Chinese folk-wisdoms and health sciences, some have
specialized in Alchemical studies much like those popular in Europe during
the Middle Ages.. but we all share the one common theme of UNIVERSAL HOLISM
and knowledge of the Immortal part of human identity. Most Hsien Taoists will
admit to memory of MANY lives spent at their practice of our Path.
So much for the Taoist philosophy's history. Now, how about the YE JINN?!
Again, it will be easier to SAY the official history than it will be to either
prove it or 'believe' it.
To begin with, when I tell you that the basic linear Images of the 'I CHING'
(the trigrams) are officially said to have been devised by the same being who
'dried the land' and replanted civilization on earth after 'the flood' (in
other words, China's version of Noah!,) you will begin to see what I mean
about 'believing' things. Fortunately for me, I am quite comfortable with
Mythology as a source of insight (long before I read any of the works of
Joseph Campbell.) To me, such tales are 'accepted' rather than 'believed;'
because they are parables, I glean EXAMPLES OF REALITY from them, and leave
it for others to decide what is 'fact.' There is in fact no other way of
coping with the reported history of YE JINN.
Long, long after the original Trigrams are said to have been created, other
people took up the YE and added to it. The first of these was 'King Wen,'
one of the so-called 'mythological Kings' of Chinese antiquity. Wen is said
to have been the first ruler of the Chou Dynasty which supplanted the first
Dynasty of China; and both that first and the several following Emperors are
called 'mythological' by historians. So, from Noah we pass on to something
like Abraham; and we learn that this mythic King wrote the text appended to
each of the sixty-four Hexagrams which form the main body of YE JINN.
The son of Wen is usually called 'the Duke of Chou,' and it is said that it
was he who wrote the text appended to each of the six Lines within each of
the sixty-four Hexagrams.. and thus from Noah to Abraham we reach something
like Isaac, and must call it 'history' at least in mythic terms.
The YE JINN then passed from hand to hand within the ruling Court of China,
reportedly, from that 'Isaac' to the last Emperor (the decidedly non-mythic
Pu Ye who succeeded the Dowager Empress and brought to a close the whole
epic of China's really incredibly ancient Empire.) During those thousands
of years, the YE was the 'State Oracle' of the Empire, and lavished with
all the scholars money could buy. It can truly be said that no single book
except the Judeo-Christian Scriptures has had so much attention from so many
scholars, each of whom added at least a footnote to it's now 'mythic' texts.
That no reference to YE JINN can be proven to exist earlier than around the
same time as the beginning of the Chan, Confucian and Contemplative Taoist
movements is ANOTHER historic 'fact.' Does that mean that the legendary
history is 'false?' I DO NOT KNOW, OR EVEN CARE. Being Mythic, this story
is at least true as a Parable.. from which we can glean the teaching that
YE JINN is IN INSPIRATION as old as China itself, and a part of the very
fabric of her marvelous history.
As we delve into YE JINN and THOU DEI JINN we shall hear over and over tales
of 'The Ancient Masters.' Even during the reign of 'King Wen' and his son,
the Ancient Masters were remembered and revered. 'Subtle and Mysterious were
the Ancient Masters! Who is there among us today who can fathom their Wisdom
or equal their greatness?' Over and over we meet this enigmatic Teaching..
and I must close this section without answering the great question of WHY
China has been so deeply enamored of her antique past. Perhaps Confucius
was right in saying that nobody could really be Chinese without 'ancestor
worship' as part of their make-up? Personally, I feel that it is more than
that; and in the Ancient Masters of Chinese legend we hear an echo across
tens of thousands of years; the echo of that Lemuria, MU, which Plato knew
only through her colony, Atlantis in the Western Seas. If in truth we were
all one people, once, long before any seeming of 'foreign-ness' arose to
divide us; and if that one people had any wisdom such as Heaven may have
handed-down to them from on high, it is my 'acceptance' rather than a belief
that those wisdoms would resemble THOU DEI JINN and YE JINN the Book Of
Change.
Westerners have their Pyramids to gaze upon and be amazed by; with a perfect
symmetry and bigger-than-life magnitude, the Pyramids shade the Sphinx which
is every bit as profound a work of 'Ancient Masters' as anything Asia has to
compare with it. And yet in China, the great Monuments of the Ancient Masters
SPEAK.
In the texts that follow you may hear them.. and decide for yourself whether
they carry YOU back to a time when Spirit in the Flesh received the Wisdom of
Eternity to preserve and embellish throughout time.
THOU DEI JINN
ALL JINNS HAVE TWO WINGS WITH WHICH THEY CONVEY THEMSELVES.
THE 'FIRST WING' OF THIS JINN 'JINN-ERATES' ACCESS TO 'THOU.'
1
The Finite cannot be all of the Infinite!
THOU by any specific name is not all there is to THOU.
The un-nameable is the Father of the myriads of things.
The nameable is the Mother of it's own myriads of things.
Therefore; never wanting, one may observe the wondrously subtle;
Desiring, one may witness the manifestations.
Both of these are attributes of the same Source.
They have different 'nameabilities' but the same designation:
Mystery of Mysteries,
the Gate of all wonders!
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: EVERY finite form is bonded as if in matrimony with the one Infinite,
formless and nameless Spouse. Like the western description of humanity
as 'the Bride of Heaven' THOU DEI JINN begins it's revelations with an
introduction between the Self and it's Source: Libido is the 'Desiring'
half; it's Source-Parent-Partner is the 'Desireless' half. Western
psychotherapy names this larger-than-personal half "SUPER-EGO" or the
Conscience and Ethical Urge which governs Ego. Super-Ego or God as it
is most often called is an un-namable Mystery. Libido, it's Child,
is the Namable Mystery: SOUL. Together they are IDENTITY itself.
2
The recognition of an 'ideal' of Beauty
requires 'Ugliness' to compare it with.
The 'ideal' of Goodness require 'Badness' to compare it to.
Bodily Life and Bodiless Life give birth to each other.
Difficult and Easy give birth to each other, in turn.
Long and Short; High and Low; Tone and Voice; Front and Back;
each give occasion for the other. It must always be so.
Therefore; the Sage does nothing much very personal,
and carries on a Discourse beyond personalities:
one allows the myriads of things to arise, but does not demand of them.
One acts, but not very 'personally;' one does one's work,
but without self-importance.
Simply because one 'Mothers' things instead of 'commanding' them,
one's offspring never leave you.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: Learning to live in the true security of THOU implies knowing that
you are as 'alive' when 'dead' as you were when 'alive;' and knowing
that you are as 'lovely' when you are 'ugly' as you were when you were
'lovely.' Reconciling all dualities within one's own timeless and
infinite journey through the Realm of Adjectives removes much of what
people call 'suffering.' Recognizing that whatever you have brought-
forth in the moment is but the Offspring of Today, to be replaced in
but a short while with the Offspring of Tomorrow, one finds PEACE in
what otherwise seems 'chaotic' or 'chance' occurences. And, as for the
'Discourse Beyond Personalities' spoken of, keep it in mind! We shall
learn much more of it soon.
3
Not praising the Ego prevents people from competing fiercely.
Not hoarding-away the rarest treasures prevents people from stealing.
Not making a forbidden 'icon' of what the people enjoy prevents revolution.
Therefore; Sages, in 'ruling' make themselves ordinary;
they satisfy all appetites, and fulfill everyone's Libido.
They build-up the people, soundly; and slake every need with reward.
They insure that what is taught does not cause violence;
and THAT IS ALL that they insure-against.
Thus, their 'rule' is universal.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: The almost 'traditional' concern of Taoists with the wise State
emerges here for the first (but not the last) time in THOU DEI
JINN. Only truly wise and benevolent intellects bother studying
this Chapter.. and those are few, in all of human history. Any
who would create a wise and lasting society are enjoined not
to 'govern' or 'rule' but to FULFILL and SERVE the natural
interests and desires of every citizen. Only insuring that
violence is not propagated as an example for the people to
follow, such a wise society would grow as the people grow,
not as some state-planners would suggest. We note that this
Chapter introduces us to the 'Ego;' another of the primary parts
or divisions of the Self. We shall meet more of them soon.
Meanwhile, we are told how to keep the Ego healthy and wise,
through wise social FREEDOM. The western word 'Ego' comes from
the Latin word for 'I or ME,' and it denotes the CONSCIOUS MIND or
ordinary 'human' behavior. THOU DEI JINN specifies clearly that
the Ego has a natural 'virtue' to it, which SHOULD be encouraged
to develop naturally, but which CAN be corrupted through examples
of violence, it's worst enemy. We are here also introduced to the
'Libido' or DESIRE-NATURE born in us each. It too has a natural
virtue to it, and (if we cultivate it's natural virtue) it can add
greatly to our happiness.. though it TOO can be corrupted by unwise
or violent example, and must be protected against such influences.
"Not praising the Ego prevents people from competing fiercely" is
one of this Chapter's most potent statements. Western psychotherapy
needs to study this line DEEPLY!.. for Ego currently holds far too
honored a place in the psychotherapeutic view of Self. THOU DEI
JINN considers the Ego 'ok' but JUST BARELY! It needs far more
CONTROL from the Super-Ego than from the Ego to produce a healthy
and happy life.. and it is only in Libido, the SOUL, that true Self-
knowledge exists in a form both as 'personal' as the Ego, yet capable
of surviving even our body's death.
4
Id is 'empty' yet does not 'refill' with use.
Fathomless Id is; like the ancestor of the countless things.
Id wears-down all sharp edges,
unravels all knots,
diffuses light,
mingles with dust.
Id lies submerged, seeming barely to exist at all.
I know not whose child Id is!.. only that it seems to be the Womb of God.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: In this Chapter we meet another part of Self; the ID or UN-
conscious mind. Id UNDER-lies our nature, submerged into the
lowliest of things, and yet from within it we shall see there
emerge wonders of both benevolence and great power. The ID is
'dark' and unfathomable. It is mostly in Dream-states that we
can know of it's powers, at all. As we progress through THOU
DEI JINN, we shall learn more about it. Meanwhile, we recognize
it already as where 'God' gives birth. The ID is the personal
tense of IN; IN is a principle which we each contain in our ID.
Both Taoism and Kaballah teach that our personal ideas of 'God'
are shaped by our own needs, sensed by the ID and manifested in
reflex response.. though this is NOT all there is to the notion
of 'God;' but HERE is Super-Ego's WOMB. 'Id' as a word derives
from the Latin word for 'It'.. the exact term found over and over
in THOU DEI JINN when describing 'It!'
5
Id and Super-Ego are not 'human.' They treat all things as
'Totemic Symbols.'
The Sages, too, are not merely 'human;' they too treat all creatures as
'Totemic Symbols.'
This relating between Id and Super-Ego: how like a bellows it is!
Empty but inexhaustible, the more it pumps, the more comes out of it.
Most Ego-speech is merely exhausting. Better to remain with 'Totemic
Symbols!'
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: The interaction between the Super-Ego or Spirit and the ID or Un-
Conscious Mind is described here as like a bellows, pumping-out
whatever is needed; yet it knows of those needs not by our
human words but by SYMBOLS. A 'Sage' is one who has learned
how to 'pump' the bellows, using symbols to inform the Super-
Ego (whose symbol is 'Heaven' or the Light Principle) of what
it should tell the ID (whose symbol is 'Earth' the Dark Principle)
what to bring-forth. This cannot be done with words; but THOU
DEI JINN assures us that it CAN be done, if we know how the bellows
speaks. It is through this Totemic Symbolization.. which is that
'Discourse Beyond Personalities' noted earlier.. that the mind (or
Ego-self) of the individual can hear the Discourse between Heaven
and Earth (Id and Super-Ego,) and participate in the Discourse, too,
as Libido's 'assistant' in the Bellows-Pumping or 'magic' of Taoism.
"STRAW DOGS"
The actual Chinese WORD translated here as 'Totemic Symbols' is
'Straw Dogs.' A straw dog is a Totemic 'Effigy' or Animal-form
used in ancient folk legends and 'rites.' Anyone who wishes to may
learn that 'dog' is the Totemic Symbol for FRIENDSHIP. 'Straw Dog'
does not mean 'something worthless' but A FRIEND, SYMBOLIZED.. some-
thing of great value indeed; and yet this Straw Dog Parable has
been used to justify many inhumane, cold and unloving behaviors
toward animals and mankind as well. That is because some people
listened to the 'EGO' WORDS of this passage rather than it's Totemic
Symbolization; hearing that everybody in the world is 'a straw dog'
to Heaven and Earth, they felt that meant 'value-less' when actually
the INTENT or MEANING of the Symbol is 'Friendship, Symbolized.' It
is for this reason that THOU DEI JINN reminds us that what it means
here is not WORDS but TOTEMS. If you do not understand Totems yet,
you may enjoy reading the first Chapter of our other book, "THE SHINING
TREE Self-Work-Book" which deals with interpreting Totemic Symbols so
as to be able to understand and participate-in the Discourse Beyond
Personalities which Heaven, Earth and Sages speak among themselves.
6
The Valley Spirit never dies-
Id is called "ANIMA; our Mystical Femininity."
The Portal of the Mystical Female is called
"The Cave Of Impressions."
Like gossamer, Id is seemingly insubstantial;
yet never consumed through use.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: Here we meet for the first time "IN" or 'Yin' as the Dark Principle
itself, rather than it's personalized forms, which are the IDs of
the many beings in Nature, and the even smaller thing which forms
our Ego, the Foetus Of Id. This gossamer-threaded Mystery-stuff of
which the 'Cave Of Impressions' within every mind is woven may be
the 'continuum' itself; it certainly has the characteristic of
giving 'time and space' in which Images or Impressions may solidify
into experiences and other manifestations. While THOU DEI JINN is
implicit in it's statement that every Ego-Self and Id are formed of
this 'Mysterious Female,' we are also told that this Stuff is itself
greater and more universal than any Self could contain. Being the
Mother from which all ID's are fashioned, IN or Yin may be meet-with
in such varied things as types of food, even-numbered groupings of
things, and even in every dark corner in our world. While recog-
nizing it all as part of our primal Self-stuff, we are also told
that we may use it, both inside and outside of ourselves. We do
this within the Cave Of Impressions.. by allowing the Light Principle
to impregnate it with those things which we have received agreement
upon, in our symbol-dialogues with the Light. THAT IS 'PUMPING THE
BELLOWS OF HEAVEN AND EARTH.'
7
Heaven is endless, and Earth is durable. They are durable and endless
because they do not take anything 'personally.'
The Sages therefore overcome their Ego-interests, and their Souls speak;
they do not think of themselves as their Egos, yet those remain present.
Being beyond their purely Egoic motives, they can accomplish their goals.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: The idea of 'transcending the Ego' or somehow ceasing to HAVE one,
is not to be hoped-for. Ego is part of the structure of life; and
we would cease to 'live' without Ego to hold is together like glue!
THOU DEI JINN says, however, that we could cease to call ourself
"Ego" and become our LASTING Self-Identity.. the Libido or SOUL.. if
we wished; and through it, we could accomplish everything needed
by the Ego, without having to personalize it. How is this done?
By seeing our Ego as simply 'THE CONSCIOUS OBSERVER' within our
mind, who has preferences, traits, habits and sometimes 'silly'
ways, we can allow it to exist like a little child who holds our
hand as we walk the Path; yet we, as it's Elder, speak and choose
what we know to be good for it. This we KNOW (rather than merely
having to 'guess' or 'prefer' as the Ego would) because the Soul
or Libido is bonded forever to Super-Ego or SPIRIT; and in the
dialogues between Self-Light and Father-Light, we receive from our
Spirit-parts the TRUTH which Ego can only hope for or long to attain.
8
The Great Benevolence is like water;
it benefits the myriad things, yet seeks to occupy the lowest places,
which are not wanted by the Egos of the people.
Therefore it is nearby to people like THOU.
The Virtue of an abode is it's location.
The Virtue of the heart is it's depth.
The Virtue of giving lies in trusting others.
The Virtue of wise rule is orderliness.
The Virtue of enterprise is skill.
The Virtue of action is timing.
It is precisely because one does not 'struggle' that there is no blame.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: And now we are introduced to yet another part of THOU.. DEI or
DEITY-like Benevolence. We have much to learn of it! For now,
here we are told that a Sage is defined not by a seeming of Great-
ness, but by resembling The Great Benevolence, whose symbol is
WATER. Living much as water behaves, a Sage is happy to occupy
whatever space others vacate; in doing so, they prove themselves
to resemble DEITY, and are loved for their reflectivity and their
life-giving properties. In the symbol of water we are given the
key to Virtue and Sagacity, all at one time. WATER is the 'Straw
Dog' of DEI, DIVINE VIRTUE or The Great Benevolence of Spirit.
9
A bow kept taut will weaken.
The sharpest of swords will lose their edge in time.
Too much wealth cannot be safeguarded.
Haughtiness draws misfortune upon itself.
Withdrawing when JUST ENOUGH has been done;
that is the way of Heaven.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: The operation and nature of the Light Principle (whose symbol is
Heaven) is here explained. Light merely casts itself upon the
darkness; it does not seek 'overkill' by chasing-away all of the
darkness. Anyone who would resemble the Fatherly Light in it's
vastness of power and creative skill must learn to act as Light
does: shine JUST ENOUGH, and you will succeed. Shine too much,
and you will burn-away the gossamer-like possibility in things.
Super-Ego, whose symbol is LIGHT, merely shines into Id, whose
symbol is Darkness.. and out of this gentle penetration, NATURE
and Balance arise.
10
While:
Cultivating the Soul and embracing it's Source-Twin,
can you keep them from seeming 'seperate?'
Focusing your breath into gossamer-like serenity,
can you still be as simple as a baby's Libido?
Cleansing the mirror of mysteries,
can you locate and remove your own illusions?
Loving people and uplifting the society,
can you do so without being 'cunning?'
Opening and closing the Cave of Impressions,
can you remain The Bride Of Heaven?
Reaching-out with clarity in all directions,
can you refrain from acting 'personally?'
THOU gives birth to them and nurtures them.
THOU gives birth to them but does not 'own' them.
THOU rears them but does not 'command' them.
This is called 'Motherly Virtue.'
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: The 'Life of the Bride' is here explained as the primary 'Role'
of the Sage. We must learn to accept the fact that we are not
the Fatherly Light in it's totality. Yes, we DO contain Light;
our Libido or Psychic Light-Form is a localization of Light..
but this arises within us because of our being penetrated by
our 'Fatherly Spouse' with whom we are bonded. Learning that
we are each 'Mother of our own ten-thousand things' begins our
education in how to live the life of a Soul. Here we find listed
a number of the great test-issues which each emerging Soul must
deal with. A study of this list is advantageous!.. for surely
we must each LEARN each of these Test Issues through EXPERIENCE.
11
Thirty spokes converge on the single hub of a wheel,
but it is the empty hole in the middle which makes a cart possible.
Clay must be shaped with skill to make a pot,
but it is the empty hole in the middle which makes it useful.
Cut doors and windows into four walls to make a room,
but it is the empty space between them that makes it comfortable.
Therefore, while benefits may be derived from something,
it is in EMPTY NOTHING that we find usefulness.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: Here again we are reminded that we have within our own incarnate
minds the most potent forces of creation; Being (which is Light
expressed as Super-Ego and Libido) and NOTHINGNESS (which is the
Id and it's foetal extrusion, the Ego.) And of these portions of
Self, it is the emptiest, Id, which gives Usefulness.. for it can
be 'programmed' or 'triggered' to bring-forth what we need in life.
The methods of so doing are 'magic' in it's almost countless forms,
ranging from Yoga to Hsien Tao to Kaballah and 'neo-paganism' as
well as the venerable tradition of Tantric Lamaism and the simple
yet powerful 'magic' of tribal totemic 'animisms' the world over.
But, in all such systems, Light 'pumps' material out of Darkness.
12
The five colors can blind the eye.
Racing-about on Quests can drive you MAD!
Hard-won goals can make one falter on the path.
The five flavors can dull one's taste.
The five tones can deafen the ears.
Therefore, in 'ruling' the sages satisfy LIBIDO's instead of 'Ego's.'
They down-play the one, and satisfy the other.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: Chasing-after mere Longings.. such as an idealized appearance,
taste, sound or 'sport'.. is here said to 'weaken' one. Better
to stay focused upon what is most truly hungered-for. Learning
to satisfy hungers and appetites rather than 'ideals' of what
might seem 'perfect' to our Egos, is the way of Sages.. for that
is how the LIBIDO (or our in-born and uniquely-personal Psychic
Natures) are discovered and refined into a non-egoic Personality
that both the Id and Super-Ego can 'respect' and provide-for.
And what can the Ego do about all of this? ONLY OBSERVE! That
is it's real destiny.. to grow through patient Observation into
a WISE SAGE who knows from experience what really MATTERS.. before
being re-melded (at death) back into our more durable Libido.
13
Being 'favored' is a shocking disgrace.
Being 'honored' is as great an affliction as the body.
If one were never 'favored' disgrace could not touch you.
If one were not embodied, there could be neither 'honor' nor affliction.
Therefore, when one merely minds one's own affairs
rather than 'taking care of the universe'
the universe may be entrusted to you;
and when one does not afflict oneself while 'taking care of the universe'
then a universe can be safely delivered over to you.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: And finally THOU DEI JINN elaborates on how to become that 'pivot'
around which the manifest world (spoke of in Chapter 11) can be use-
fully 'harnessed.' It is thus: merely MIND ONE'S OWN BUSINESS,
AFFLICT YOURSELF WITH NO SUFFERINGS, AND YOU WILL BE 'TAKING CARE
OF THE UNIVERSE' PROPERLY. This is a thing to experience before
it may 'make sense' to you! It is implied that one needs to learn
what one's own 'business' really is..
14
Look; Id cannot be seen.
It is 'subtle!'
Listen; Libido cannot be heard.
It is 'unique!'
Reach; Super-Ego cannot be grasped-upon.
It is 'serene.'
These three are unfathomable;
They are bound together into a Unity.
Concerning your Unity:
It's height is not 'distant;'
it's depth is not 'blurred.'
Extended infinitely, it merges with NOTHING PERSONAL.
This is "the Form of the formless:"
the 'business' that is Non-Personal.
This is "Disembodied Form," or YOUR SPIRITUAL IDENTITY.
Looking backwards, you cannot see it's beginnings.
Looking forwards, you cannot see where it leads.
Adhering to the Business of Today,
managing the actualities of the moment,
you may comprehend your primeval beginnings.
THIS IS THE VERY STORY-LINE OF YOUR BEING.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: Through all the little moments of our lives.. composed more of
what we call 'happenstance' than anything 'personally chosen'..
there is a STORY-LINE which (by careful reflection) you can see
as simply 'given you' to live. It will differ not at all from
your current daily 'business of living;' for it has neither
a visible beginning nor any foreseeable end, but is simply THERE
for you to live. This is your Path. In it alone can you find
anything to 'do' that is not egotistical folly. In it alone
THOU DEI JINN recognizes you as 'real' in a universe made mostly
of NOTHING. In the Story of your Soul's unique 'business' such
as you may discover through the 'happenstances' of your life,
the REASON for your original creation is made clear. This alone
THOU DEI JINN calls true 'Knowledge.' Knowing it, one knows at
last what type of a 'Straw Dog' or Totemic Symbol YOU yourself are,
though you will learn even more of it soon! And the Ego? Again
we are told that it is REALLY but a tiny part of Libido, extruded
like a foetus into the womb of Id during incarnate life, giving
it a direct link to it's 'mother' so the incarnate Self may gain
conscious understanding of what is in essence Unconsciousness
itself.
15
The Ancient Masters like THOU
were subtle, profound, mysterious and perceptive;
so deep they could not be 'identified.'
Now, because they could not be 'identified,'
one can only describe them with difficulty;
hesitant, as though crossing a stream in winter;
careful, as though conscious of every nearby stranger;
solemn, as though guests in someone else's house;
self-diminishing, like ice melting away;
plain as an unhewn log;
intermingled-with like turbid waters;
as expansive and welcoming as a broad valley.
If turbid waters are stilled, they become clear.
If something still is set in motion, it gradually becomes more 'lively.'
Those who perservered in this Way did not wish to be over-full.
Now, simply by not wishing to to be over-full,
they could be like gossamer; hard to 'identify.'
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: According to the lore of Asia, the ancient Lemurians were barely
'physical' when they first came into being; more Spirits than
'biological life-forms.' Because of this ephemeral beginning,
they retained the ability to 'go gossamer-like' and ephemeral as
a cloud, even after they solidified into very solid flesh. From
this ephemeral state we have inherited the subtle, indefinable
charm of plain naturalness which typifies Sages throughout Asia.
THOU DEI JINN thus identifies the Totemic Symbol of Sagehood as
that GOSSAMER 'thread' which is the ectoplasmic 'cloud' from which
solid bodies are set in motion, as need requires. Can you attain
the state of Gossamer-like simplicity, and attain Sagehood? SURE!
This Chapter is the JINN which can so instruct you.
16
Attain utmost emptiness; practice utter stillness.
The myriad creatures arise paired together;
thus Egos observe their Resurrection.
Heaven's creatures abound,
but each returns to it's roots, which is utter stillness.
This is called 'Karmic Reward.'
Karmic Reward is perpetual-
to know the perpetual is to be enlightened;
not to know the perpetual is to be 'reckless.'
Recklessness breeds 'Wrong.'
To know the perpetual is to be tolerant-
tolerance leads to Hieratic FAIRNESS;
Hieratic Fairness leads to Royal Monism,
Royal Monism, to Heaven,
Heaven, to THOU,
THOU to everlastingness.
Throughout ones days, one may remain unimperiled.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: That all of the sciences called 'Yoga' in India are also common to
even those most ancient Chinese is attested by this Chapter; for
in the 'renewal of fate' called Karmic Reward in India we meet at
the beginning of this Chapter 'Karma Yoga' or the conscious practice
of seeking-out one's "karmic partners" and deliberately submitting
to their influences.. which in it's final stages is called 'Tantra
Yoga' in India. From Tantra this Chapter moves on to describe the
'Raja Yoga' or Royal Way of India, which leads to discovering one's
'Hieratic Service,' which in turn leads to the 'Jnana Yoga' or Way
Of Inner Wisdom denoted by tolerance and fairness. That all these
lead in the end to Divine Monism (Brahmanic Unity, in India) shows
that even the writer of this Chapter, a purely Chinese philosopher,
knew as well as any Indian Guru the process of evolution from Ego
to Godself which is "Yoga" in the Hindi language. Since we all come
from the same Source, the Light-Father called ANKH, we may return to
it and experience ourselves as that.. which is like merging with the
Sun. This level of THOU (or Yoga, depending on your language) has
been called 'living as the Solar Logos' in western traditions. THOU
DEI JINN explains that we attain that state by so perfecting our own
'Straw Dog' Hieratic Office, that we become an adept at ceasing to be
'personalized'.. and we simply 'slide' into unity with our original
Source, as water 'slides' into a valley.
Another extremely important teaching of this Chapter is the statement
that what is called 'evil' is 'WRONG' (spelled 'Wang' in the older
transliterations) or simply IGNORANT RECKLESSNESS. 'Wrong' actually
MEANS 'recklessness' rather than 'evil' though when someone has been
injured by a reckless person, they MAY call them many 'bad' names!
THOU DEI JINN recommends that we drop the whole idea of 'Good and Bad'
and see them both as simply KARMIC REWARD being played-out for people
to learn by. Ceasing to have either 'enemies' or 'personal greatness'
makes it possible for us to slide into unity with Heaven more easily.
Is it not interesting that the same 'IN' or EMPTY DARKNESS-WITHIN by
which we attain full union with our own Cave of Impressions should
ALSO lead later to merger with ANKH, the Fatherly Light?! That is
one reason why 'Tao' is so profound a Teaching; it's single principle
of EMPTY STILLNESS leads to all of our future evolutions. Yoga uses
the same Principle, of course, as do all other meditative practices;
but in THOU we find the principle expressed quite succinctly.
17
Preeminent is One whose subjects barely know that He exists.
Next follows one whom the people feel close to, and praise.
The next is one whom the people fear;
and the lowest, they despise.
When a 'Ruler' is not trusting,
he is not trustworthy.
But, if carefully he measures his words,
when his work is done and his affairs completed,
his subjects will say,
"this is like being left to ourselves."
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: Here we see the consequences or Karma of 'Wang' or RECKLESSNESS as
'Wrong Government.' People will despise and mis-serve any ruler
who does not trust them to do things 'right' on their own. Likewise
they will feel close-to and praise anyone who is close to Heaven in
their rule. But the true Ruler who rules from within the Light itself
the people barely know anything about at all. In fact, HE PREFERS IT
THAT WAY!.. for the only reason for His 'government' of the world is
to let the people be themselves, and grow into similarity to Him.
18
Therefore;
when the Heavenly Way was forgotten,
there arose 'humaneness' and 'righteousness;'
when cunning and Wit arose,
there came great falsity;
when the loving relations between people, as if all of one family,
was lost, there arose Religions in the world.
Once the state and royal house were in disarray,
there arose 'upright ministers!'
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: SOUND FAMILIAR?! But this too shall pass; all falsity is but the
karmic reward of RECKLESSNESS.. and eventually the reckless melt back
into the still and silent Source, and natural beings will again live
the great Way intended by that Light shining even in this darkness.
19
Such ideas as "Abolish Sagehood and all other Cleverness,
and the people will benefit a hundredfold;
Abolish humaneness and forbid any reference to Righteousness,
and the people will again be filial and kind;
Abolish 'politics' and abandon profit,
and bandits and thieves will be no more"..
Are 'prime principles' inadequate as a civilized doctrine.
Let this be added to them:
Celebrate the 'plain-ness' of Gossamer;
Propagate the simplicity of an un-hewn log;
Disavow egotism,
Diminish idealisms,
Abandon absolutisms..
and there will be nothing left to worry about.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: Here we see lessons still unlearned by the 'modern' nation of China!..
which has sought to abolish Sagehood.. as well as most other nations.
'The Stone that the builders rejected' or "the natural man" unfalsified
by ideologies yet guided by simple, plain old commonality is the only
material upon which to build a worthy state or it's citizens. THOU DEI
JINN likens such a natural state to a cloth woven of 'plain gossamer;'
(though some translations make this 'threadbare silk' or 'homespuns')
none could be better clothed, yet none more simply. As for that unhewn
log, we shall meet it again!, as THOU unfolds.
20
Between "Oh, Certainly!," and "Definitely Not;"
how much difference is there?
Between beauty and ugliness, how great is the distinction?
One who is feared cannot but be fearful, themself.
How confusing! There is no end of it all.
Libidinally joyous are the masses, as though at a feast,
or as if courting on a terrace in the springtime;
Yet motionless is Ego like a baby before it's first cry,
how dejected!, as if there were no where to turn.
The masses have more than enough,
but Ego alone is bereft.
Ego has the heart of a fool. How muddled!
Everyone else seems bright and clear;
Ego alone seems confused.
How nebulous, like the ocean!
How blurred, as though without boundaries.
The masses all serve noble Super-Ego's cause;
but Ego alone is stubborn and uncouth.
Ego is 'different.' Ego is nourished in the Great Mother.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: And now we are instructed in the Fourth Part of Self, thus-far only
mentioned in passing.. the EGO. Depicted as the black 'dot' within
the Light half of the Yin-Yang circle-symbol, Ego is composed of the
same Darkness as the Id.. indeed, it is Soul's PERSONAL Id-half, but
'trapped' during incarnate life within the Light-Field within which
it must learn to function and grow. Like a Foetus within the womb,
the Ego is 'out of it's element' and LOST in Super-Egoic Light. Being
Dark and Nebulous like the Id, it must learn to grow into similarity
to the Light, and (by LOGIC and DISCIPLINED EFFORT) merge itself back
into the Light of Libido from which it emerged at birth. This process
of Self-Discovery is a necessary part of every Soul's training; for
it teaches us through EXPERIENCE who we are, our relationship with
each part of ourselves AND incidentally what our own parental Light-
Father experiences.. by making us dependent upon the Motherly Dark-
ness of Id, just as our maker is dependent upon it to bring-forth
what HE wants (US!)
21
The nature of great DEI-ty is that it grows within Id alone.
Taken by itself, objectively, Id is 'blurred' and 'nebulous.'
How nebulous and blurred!
Yet within Id there are IMAGES.
How blurred and nebulous!
Yet within Id there are OBJECTS.
How cavernous and dark!
Yet within Id there is an ESSENCE.
It's Essence is quite real;
Within Id there are TOTEMS.
From the present back to the ancient past, Id's identity is imperishable.
Through Id, we conjoin with the Father of the masses.
How do I know what the Father of the masses is like? THROUGH THIS!
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: Our Eternal Trinity (or the structure of Psyche before and AFTER
incarnate life) is composed of Id.. which is a Mysterious Womb that
brings-forth whatever Light wishes.. and the two forms of Light we
can know of; Libido which is our unique Form as a being, and Super-
Ego which is our Cosmic Parent-Twin. Id both 'seperates' these two
forms of Light (allowing them to remain 'distinct' from each other)
and UNITES them.. for Id is the principle of the productive WOMB,
through which these Cosmic Twins give love to one another constantly.
The finite individual CONTAINS Id, and is therefore the 'wife' of
the Infinite Source. Thus we can truly KNOW the Father of the masses
because through our Id we conjoin with him as a wife does with her
husband. HOW? By going with-IN we can feel and see and hear him
in our meditations.. speaking to us in Totem-speech, guiding us and
providing for us by 'pumping the bellows' of the Womb of Darkness,
by 'exciting' our Libido with Totemic Images that it may choose from..
which causes our Id to bring-forth what we have chosen, 'physically.'
Furthermore, once we actually MERGE our Ego back into Libido through
either death or Yogic Enlightenment, we find ourselves to be that
same 'gossamer' stuff of which our first Parent was made; half IN
or Id-material, and half ANKH or Libido-material.. and in the process
we gain the Wisdom and ETHICAL CONSCIENCE which we call Super-Ego or
Divinity.
22
IF..
it is bent, it will be kept intact;
if it is crooked, it will be straightened.
it is sunken, it will be filled-up.
it is worn-out, it will be renewed.
it has little, it will gain more.
it gets too much, it may get confused!
THEREFORE..
The Sage remains in Unity,
and serves as the shepherd of all under Heaven.
Not being self-interested, one shines-forth;
not being an exhibitionist, one is distinguished;
not being egotistical, one has merit;
not flattering oneself, one may long endure.
Now, simply because one is not competing, none will compete with you.
The old saying about the flexible being preserved is right on the mark!
Truly, one will be returned, intact.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: The un-integrated or 'isolated' Ego is a competitive 'show-off' with
almost no 'redeeming social value.' But, once it realizes that it is
REALLY only half of Self and sets-out to 'marry' or merge with Libido
(it's "better half!,") the re-integrated Ego loses all of that show-
offishness and competitive exhibitionism. This makes one WHOLE again,
capable of wise service, and one becomes 'the shepherd of all under
Heaven.' This ability to STEER and CARETAKE the myriad things and the
masses of creatures is called 'Hsien' in Chinese, and 'Essene' in the
west. You may learn more of it in YE JINN, Chapter 31.. but for now,
isn't it good to realize that, after journeying into this Cave for your
help and refreshment (however many weighty matters you may shepherd in
doing so,) afterwards you shall be returned, intact? IN, the Motherly
Darkness which fills up your ID, and ANKH which is the Fatherly Light
within that darkness are YOUR shepherd; and you WILL be preserved and
well-caretaken. It is also an interesting fact that both THOU DEI JINN
and the west's major spiritual traditions all speak of a 'Shepherd' as
part of DEI-ty and it's effects upon us.
23
To be sparing of speech is natural.
A whirlwind does not last all morning;
A downpour does not last all day.. and who causes THEM?
If Heaven and Earth cannot express such things ceaselessly,
how much less so can human beings?!
Therefore, in pursuing his own affairs;
A person like THOU identifies with THOU.
A person like DEITY identifies with DEITY.
A person who fails has identified with failure.
To one who identifies with DEITY, THOU awards divinity.
To one who identifies with failure, THOU awards failure.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: This Chapter describes some of the challenging aspects of relating with
the real powers of Self.. AND the power of the Ego (with it's tendency
to despair) to subvert the natural happiness of the Self. Identify
with Id, Libido and Super-ego.. and let Ego LEARN that it is only here
to help the Libido to grow into Super-Ego's magnitude of wisdom.
24
Who is puffed-up cannot stand.
Who is self-important has not importance.
Exhibitionists do not really shine.
Egotists have no real merit.
Flatter yourself and you will not last long!
As for THOU, we may say it sees all such things as 'extra baggage.'
The Fatherly Light does not reward such trivialities. Therefore, one who
aspires to THOU does not abide in them.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: In case you have gone to the Cave and 'worked the bellows' but gotten
nothing back for your effort, HERE IS WHY!!
25
Without form, and 'void,' yet whole and complete;
born before Heaven and Earth;
Silent and ephemeral, it stood alone and unchanging.
We may regard it as the Mother of Heaven and Earth.
Not knowing it's name, I call it THOU.
If forced to 'describe' it, I would call it 'Great.'
Greatness implies infinity; infinity implies recoiling upon itself.
THOU art Great.
Heaven is Great.
Earth is Great.
The King, too, is Great.
Within our Cosmos, there are Four "Greats,"
and the King is one of them.
Humanity patterns itself after IN, the Earth.
Earth patterns itself after ANKH, Heaven.
Heaven patterns itself after THOU.
THOU patterns itself.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: Here we read the 'Cosmogenesis' or Creation Epic of THOU DEI JINN.
It states that THOU or the Cosmic Spirit preceded all else, and
'begat' both IN and ANKH.. which it patterned after itself, using
the idea of 'recoiling' or Karmic Law to establish the basic dual
principle called 'Yin and Yang.' But, had you thought that THOU
is only a 'spiritual force' with 'nobody home in it?!' Here THOU
DEI JINN bluntly informs you otherwise.. for within our Cosmos are
Four Greats (the Tetramorphs of western traditions) ONE OF WHICH
IS A KING. It is He who is 'Preeminent in ruling' as mentioned in
Chapter 17; and it is to become like Him that is our task in Being.
What shall you call Him?! I do not care.. though, having met Him,
I call Him THE FRIENDLY LORD, which is pronounced 'Maitreya' in the
ancient Sanskrit language (for that is what the Buddha said He would
be called, and I like to see Buddha turn-out to be right.) But He
is also 'Allah, the Most High' and every other name of Divine King
throughout history. If you think that 'pagan China' knows nothing
of your 'Lord King of Heaven,' here is the proof you were missing.
As for 'what' He is, THOU DEI JINN explains that He is THOU before
the birth of IN and ANKH, expressed for us each ever since then as
Super-Ego.. within and all around us.
26
Dark is the root of Light. Calm is the ruler of motion.
For these reasons,
The Super-Ego may travel the whole world
without leaving their own vehicle behind;
though inside a walled courtyard of a busy inn,
one may placidly rise above it all.
How, then, should a King with ten-thousand chariots
take themself lightly before Heaven?
If a King takes themself lightly,
they lose their taproot;
if they are hasty, they will lose their Kingship.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: And who IS this Divine Monarch spoken-of in the two preceding Chapters
of THOU DEI JINN? Well, there is One who is the 'prototype' or Pattern
after whom we are each modeled, in part; and there are the Many who are
patterned after that One. Here we learn WHY we tend toward 'self-impo-
rtance' and 'taking oneself seriously;' for we each contain a 'seed'
or 'root' which is part of the Divine Monarch of Heaven, and that part
of ourselves 'knows' this intuitively. NOW YOU UNDERSTAND THE ORIGIN
AND NATURE OF LIBIDO. Train it into a Wise Monarch, and 'Reign' in
peace over your own Domain. Do not be rash or you will lose (for that
while) your Kingship.. until your rashness or recklessness is corrected
and improved-upon. That Libido is neither a 'monster' nor a stupid
fool is a comforting idea, is it not? Now all you have to do is train
it to NOT be stupid and STOP being foolish. Of course, you cannot hope
to do this without the help and example of YOUR King. Get to know the
King of Heaven, real soon.. your Libido's FATHER, the Eternal Light,
into whose magnitude each of our Libidos has been planted in the dark
Id to grow into similarity to. As the Ego is a Foetus within Id, so
Libido is the Child of the Eternal Light.. and it is THIS partnership
or 'twin-ship' which is the real PURPOSE for which the original Source
begat the womblike darkness in which to grow it's Children.
27
A skillful woodsman leaves neither tracks nor traces;
a skillful speaker is quite flawless in their delivery;
a master mathematician needs neither tallies nor counters;
a master joiner needs neither lock nor key, yet their work cannot be opened;
a master binder needs neither rope nor cord, yet what they bind is permanent.
Therefore, Super-Egos are always expert at saving others, and abandon none;
nor do they miss the chance to serve. This is called 'Inmost Sincerity.'
Therefore, 'good people' are teachers for 'good people,'
'bad people' are foils in the Super-Ego's hand.
One who values not their teacher and loves not their foils,
though they be quite 'knowledgeable,' is nonetheless greatly deluded.
This is what is called 'the Mystic Essential.'
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: And now THOU DEI JINN begins to hint at the unfurling of the Second
Wing of this great Jinn; for this Chapter informs us that Mastery
of great proportions lies before you, soon to be glimpsed. Here you
are given a first taste, and basic instruction begins in how to find
and attain your impending Mastery. If you wish to read Hexagram 61
in the Second Wing of YE JINN (Book Two,) you will see an example
of how Mastery works upon Nature; but all you need to do is look at
the handiwork of any master craftsman, to understand the Essential..
which (however 'lowly' the craft or trade may seem TO YOU!,) is the
Mystic Essential, employed. The Cosmic Super-Ego has crafted you to
become a unique and useful part of it's domain. In the Straw-Dog
or Totemic Symbol of your own Libido-identity lies the raw materials
of that Mastery.
28
Know ANKH, the Masculine, but remain with-IN, the Great Mother;
be a Womb for all under Heaven. By being such a Womb,
Super-Ego will never desert you. If Super-Ego never deserts you,
you will remain forever Libidinally-newborn.
Know that you are Innocent; remain steadfast if insulted;
be a welcoming valley for all under Heaven.
By being a welcoming valley for all under Heaven, Divinity alone will suffice.
If Divinity alone suffices for you, you will remain a simple un-hewn log.
Know whiteness but remain in the dark, and be a model for all under Heaven.
By being a model for all under Heaven, Divinity cannot miss it's mark.
If Divinity does not miss it's mark, you will remain with the Infinite.
When an un-hewn log is cut apart, it is made into tools;
when Sages are put to use, they become the chief of officials..
for-
GREAT SCULPTING CUTS-AWAY NOTHING.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: Living the life of a Master.. a King in their own domain, even while
here in the world with the masses.. requires attention not to 'skills'
so much as to Divinity. Learning that our Libidinal self is like an
un-hewn log or a new-born child, we are encouraged to perfect our
ability to REMAIN in that simple innocence. We will then be useful;
and our King will find services for us to perform. All of this, of
course, requires that we remember always that White is White but we
occupy a dark cave; Father is Father but we will forever be his Bride.
From that un-hewn simplicity, nothing needs be removed to make us what
the King requires of us. The greatest Art is to remain PURELY THOU.
29
Of the many who wish to grab the universe and 'use' it,
Ego has never had even one success.
Now, the universe is a Divine Alembic, not something to 'use.'
Who strives to 'use' it will be defeated; who grasps it will fail.
Of Creatures; some march forward, others follow behind;
some tremble in silence, others are puffed-up;
some are agressive, others are meek;
some build things up, others collapse them.
For these reasons, Sages avoid extremism;
avoid excesses;
avoid being grandiose.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: Had you thought perhaps that the universe was 'yours' to do with as
you might wish? IT IS NOT. The universe is a magical device like
the Alembic of an Alchemist; in it the Fatherly Light brings forth
myriads of creatures each PERFECT of their kind. Sages, knowing of
this Divine Begetting for which the Universe exists, do not impose
any extreme action upon the universe; they do nothing to excess,
so as not to harm a perhaps timid, weak and seemingly 'insignificant'
new creation.. for they know that it may be that very shy, gentle and
unassuming creature who will decide the fate of worlds. NO; IT IS NOT
OUT OF 'AUSTERITY' THAT SAGES ACT GENTLY AND WITHOUT EXTREMISM. IT IS
OUT OF REVERENCE FOR THINGS TOO DIVINE TO DISPLAY THEIR MAJESTY OPENLY.
30
One who guides a human ruler with THOU does not use force upon the universe.
Such a course is likely to rebound upon it's source.
Where armies have been stationed, briars and brambles tend to grow.
A good General attains the defense, and THAT IS ALL.
They attain the defense, but not 'proudly.'
They attain the defense, but do not boast.
They attain the defense only because THAT IS WHAT MUST BE DONE.
If something grows old while still in it's prime,
that is called 'Not being in accord with THOU.'
Not being in accord with THOU leads to untimely ends.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: That there are sometimes conflicts caused by the ambition and cruel
greed of (always 'foreign!'..) Egotists, is a fact of history. That
defeating such a tyrant and then boasting of it, leads usually to
becoming a tyrant oneself is ANOTHER fact of history. Thus come to
men and nations untimely ends. Better to remain in accord with THOU
and not pride oneself in strength of arms.
31
Now, weapons are instruments of ill omen; Divinity abhors them.
Therefore, one who abides in THOU does not abide weapons.
The Superior Person, at home, honors the more powerful Left-side;
on the battlefield, the more gentle Right-side;
they put Peace above all else,
and refuse to glorify weapons.
If one glorifies weapons, this propagates killing.
One who delights in killing people has no influence with Heaven.
On occasions of celebration, one honors the Left-side;
on occasions of grief, the Right-side is honored more.
A Deputy General stands on the Left side;
their Commander stands at the Right..
in other words, they stand in the order of their gravity of offense.
The killing of masses of people we ought bewail with sorrow and grief.
Victory in battle we ought commemorate with mournful rites.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: 'Gratitude' and 'celebration' are often allowed to set the tone for
public commemorations after times of war. This glorifies weapons,
and propagates killings to come. THOU DEI JINN enjoins us to make
only public MOURNING after any battle; in so doing, we will glorify
LIFE and PEACE, and proper honor will be done the dead. As for the
repeated references to Left and Right, these are truths in themself.
The Left Side of the body houses the Heart, and therefore has the
greater strength; while the Right side houses the Liver, and holds
the place of 'Right' rather than 'Might.' We are enjoined to make
'Might' the way we Celebrate; and make 'Right' what we Honor.
32
THOU art eternally nameless.
Because the un-hewn log is small, none care to subjugate it.
If Kings and rulers had it, the masses would gladly serve them.
Heaven and Earth unite to bring-forth sweet dew.
Without 'governing' the people, natural equality ensues.
As soon as one carves-up Nature, 'labels' arise.
Once there are labels, one should know that it is time to STOP.
Knowing when to stop, one may avoid peril.
In Totemic terms, the relationship of the universe to THOU
is 'Valley Streams flowing back into the River and the Sea.'
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: We have been told over and over the 'wrongness' of such labels as
'good and bad' and 'beautiful and ugly;' now THOU DEI JINN goes on
to say that ALL labeling except Totemic Symbolization is HARMFUL.
Have you been told that something is 'healthful' or 'exciting' or
perhaps 'ideal?' If so, THOU DEI JINN says it is time to STOP.
All such labels create CONFLICT, for they divide Reality into two
opposing camps, which MUST then make war upon each other. As for
how to view such things without labeling them, THOU DEI JINN says
we can wisely see everything as IT'S OWN LITTLE STREAM-LET flowing
it's own little way into it's closest-related River and then into
the ONE SEA which is Totality. Rather than 'bad' or 'ugly' all of
the things not LIKE you yourself are simply ANOTHER STREAM, FLOWING
HOME. That is where to stop all labeling.
33
Understanding others is Knowledge.
Understanding oneself is Enlightenment.
Conquering others is Power.
Conquering oneself is Strength.
Contentment is Wealth.
Forceful conduct is Reckless.
Not losing one's rightful nature is Immortality.
To 'die' but not the perish
is to be eternally present.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: And now THOU DEI JINN addresses the subject of 'dying.' We all know
about it, yet we know little of it at first. What part of us 'must'
or DOES 'die?' Here we are told that it is only our own RECKLESSNESS
born of a struggling Ego seeking the skill Libido needs, to be a King.
As we attain ourself as we were 'intended' to be at our creation, we
'die;' in that the reckless little 'tyrant' is forever tamed. And
yet we live on!.. for our Libidinal/Super-Egoic Hierarch (the Holy King
in western symbolisms) is truly an Immortal. THIS YOU CANNOT KNOW
EXCEPT BY EXPERIENCE, so do not take my 'word' for it!! You must do
your own living and dying, and then you will by 'eternally present,'
one more of the many, many 'Kuei-Shen's' or 'Tulkus' or 'Ascended
Masters' who serve THOU by passing down the great River Valley of Id
when it serves THOU to have such a servant in such a place at such a
time. Having lived our time here as if it were a cradle for Libidos,
we may return to many times rock the cradle for others. Is this
not a lovely and wonderful purpose underlying the Divine Alembic we
call 'Nature?!'
34
Rippling art THOU, to the left and the right!
All tasks completed, all affairs finished,
still it does not claim them for itself.
The myriad creatures return to it,
but it does not act as their ruler.
Eternally without 'personal motivations'
it may be named among the small;
the myriad creatures return to it
though it does not 'order' them to.
It may thus be named among the Great.
In this way, Sages can achieve 'greatness;'
by not acting 'great:' therefore they may be named among the Great.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: And here we see the Totemic Symbol of the Source itself;
THOU in it's original totality is THE SEA, to which all
rivers return. But it is a Sea of Gossamer.. made not of
water but Spirit-Light. One can only know of water by seeing
it and touching it. So also with the Spirit-Sea; you must go
to it to know it. By resembling what we see once we find it,
we may each attain it's own everlasting greatness. What could
be better than knowing that our own Libidal 'drop' of Self-hood
will someday RELATE with the Sea of Light from which it sprang?
That is the Spirit-Marriage spoken of by the mystical traditions
of the world.. the 'destiny' and purpose of our creation.
35
Hold fast to the Great Imagery, and all under Heaven will come;
they will come and not be harmed by contact with your Libido;
they will rest in safety and peace;
music and fine food will make the passerby halt.
Therefore, when THOU art expressed in mere words,
people say 'how bland and tasteless it is!'
"We look for it, but there is not enough to be seen!"
'We listen for it, but there is not enough to be heard.'
Yet, when put to use, it is inexhaustible!
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: That Great Imagery mentioned in the preceding Chapter is THOU
in each of the Totemic Symbolisms we have learned so far, which
together give rise to all of the inexhaustible 'riches' described
here. That mere WORDS 'about' it are worthless (except perhaps
as 'poetry') is clear.. or everyone who has ever read THOU DEI
JINN would already be Enlightened. No; it takes APPLICATION,
or 'putting it to use' to bring-forth it's bounty. You have
already received the materials you need. The rest is your WORK.
36
When you wish to contract something, you must first briefly expand it.
To weaken something, you must first briefly make it stronger.
To reject something, you must first momentarily join with it.
When you wish to seize something, you must first NOT be grasping it.
This is a 'subtle' insight!
The soft and the weak conquer the strong.
Fish cannot be removed alive from their watery depths;
the profit-making instruments of State cannot be shown to the masses.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: Here we learn WHY the Great Imagery must be shrouded in certain
'mists' or symbolisms; full access to it is like opening the
doors of the Treasury to the masses.. and the treasury would
soon be empty! Mahatma Ghandi once said that Nature can
provide for all of the needs of the people, but not all of
their greeds. One who has entered-into THOU fully is like a
fish in the Source-Sea. Having left behind the purely mortal
world of un-harnessed Ego and Libido, Sages use the knowledge
of it's way of operating, to make themselves 'comfortable' only;
they take only what they need, nothing of greed.. and then, as
if by 'magic,' passersby will stop along the road, and draw
near, as if hearing music from beyond the world, inviting them
to a Feast. And as for the "subtle insight" mentioned here, it
is this- that ONLY BY FIRST 'TRAPPING' IT IN THE DARKNESS OF
THE ID COULD THE FATHERLY SUPER-EGO BRING EACH OF IT'S CHILD-
LIBIDOS INTO SELF-AWARENESS SUFFICIENT TO MAKE IT AN 'EQUAL'
worthy of relating-with. In the 'sea of light' which is it's
own original form, the Parent-THOU had to create a Motherly
Womb of Darkness in which to 'seperate' it's offspring from
itself long enough to grow into DEITY. A subtle and wonderful
Truth indeed!
37
THOU art eternally nameless.
If rulers and Kings preserved it, the masses would transform.
After transformation, should they wish to rise-up,
I could restrain them with the nameless unhewn log.
Should I so restrain them, they would not feel disgraced;
they would be still, whereupon Heaven and Earth would right themselves.
ESSENE THOU COMMENTARY: Now the First Wing of this great Jinn ends its beating with the final
reminder that what you seek.. the full potential of an enlightened
nature.. is both powerful-enough to govern nations, AND as simple
and easy to 'use' as an unhewn log. There is nothing more for THOU
DEI JINN to tell us of THOU; be that simple, whole and unpretentious
natural thing you were created as; and the universe will run smoothly
all around you. Having flown you thus far on it's Wing Of THOU, this
great JINN now raises it's twin, and the Wing Of DEI lifts, to teach
you how to live in the world, as one of it's Divine Hierarchs.
And, since the JINN has already explained to you WHY it has so cloaked
it in gossamer symbolisms.. to protect it from over-use.. I will also
end my own beating-about-the-bush concerning that LOG, that unhewn and
plain and yet ever-present log of THOU. It is easy, really; for, what
IS an 'unhewn log' but A TREE?
A log is called a log only AFTER the felling of it as a tree. Hewing
down a tree to form a log cuts it up into mere 'material' to be used.
Such is THE SELF: a living SYMBOL, A TREE; one unique 'Straw Dog' or
Totemic IDENTITY which we can learn to 'climb' and pick fruit from
for our endless self-education into DEITY-similarity.. with the help
of our Father-Light and Mother-Womb with-IN.
In Kaballah, my own Essene Thou-ism has found it's 'Tree Of Life.'
Any who wish to learn of it may read our other book, 'THE SHINING TREE'
but I will not presume you to need it or anything else outside your
own 'tree' which we earlier illustrated as 'THE TRINITY-SELF' diagram.
You may find it a useful doorway into the Great Imagery of The Unhewn
Log which is forever and for all peoples, THOU alone.
