According to a Taoist legend, during the reign of Wenhui, there lived at court a cook who was good at cutting beef and had a wonderful knife. Every movement she made, the touch of her hand, the tilt of her shoulders and the stamp of her foot all corresponded to certain melodies. The sound of cutting was rhythmic and resembled dance moves. The Emperor Wenhui praised Cook Ding’s skill very highly. ‘How can one achieve such a state?’ Ding put down her knife and replied, ‘I live according to the Dao, which goes beyond the search for skill. When I was a beginner, I struggled with the whole ox, but three years later, I no longer saw the ox. Now I no longer must look with my eyes, but only feel and understand with my mind. I turn off all my senses and only my mind works. When I cut in the direction of the ox’s veins, I find no obstacle. That’s why the edge of the knife remains sharp, even though I’ve used it for nineteen years and have cut thousands of oxen with it.’
I was a little worried when choosing the tale whether the butcher analogy might not trigger a dislike in readers, but if you’re reading these lines, I hope you’re over the dilemma and looking forward to the sequel.
What is this story about, what message does it have for us? What makes most butchers lose their knives? The unnecessary effort they put into cutting up the whole ox. But there is a way to achieve the same result more easily. Interestingly, Chef Ding did not talk about how she acquired or honed some techniques, but about how she brought herself to a state of mind where she could make an obstacle that at the beginning seemed insurmountable into her ally, her partner.
Of her own inner journey of development, she says: ‘I live according to the Dao.’ What is the Dao? In Taoist philosophy, the Dao is The Way (the teachings), and Taoists put great emphasis on physical and spiritual cultivation and transformation through these practices. It is not enough for disciples to “know in their heads” the teachings, they must also live them.
One of the most frequently quoted Taoist concepts is Vu-vei, or action without effort, which after the experiences of my journey so far, I would translate as “Act but don’t fight!” With whom do we fight our biggest battles? With ourselves. We can find ourselves in a situation where, despite all our good intentions and knowledge, something goes wrong, or when a project takes an unexpected turn due to external circumstances. In such a situation, it is very important how we experience it, what our “inner story” will be, because we will then use this as a basis for our comments and decisions, often reacting on instinct. If we accept our inner story as true, we are more than likely to face even more serious consequences afterwards. In most cases, our inner experience speaks to us in the voice of our unprocessed fears, and a part of our personality immediately jumps out, which is not at all sure that it lives in the present and ‘sees what is’.
If there is a part of us that does not live in the present, is there a part of us that does? If so, how can we also hear his voice?
You can read about it in the 2nd part of the article. Stay Tuned!
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