Virtue

[Thomas McConkie, Mindfulness Teacher] The concept of virtue in Daoism is that we touch into a kind of vacuousness, great openness and emptiness, the Dao, and from this great openness, emptiness, springs forth spontaneous, selfless, non-egoic qualities in the human being. So in this next exercise, I want to touch into what one of my teachers calls the still point, and out of the still point, what non-egoic behaviors and attitudes, AKA virtues, pour forth. Let the body relax. Soften. Let awareness be alert and bright. Sense in to the rest that is deeper than the body knows, deeper than the mind can comprehend. Absolute rest, beyond time, beyond space, too subtle for any human faculty to perceive, to the extent that you become aware of the activity of the self, thoughts in the mind, feelings in the body, sounds in the environment. Just keep letting go. Notice these objects and awareness coming up and continue to let go, returning again and again to this placeless place that you could never possibly leave. If you think you know it, it's not it. Good. Relax. Let the experience of the activity of the self start to arise in awareness, not losing the taste of the Dao, the unnameable, the formless, boundless, even as you start to allow the world of appearance and form to come into awareness. And feel the way in this particular posture with one foot in, one foot out, so to speak, one foot in the absolute, one foot in the relative, both being two sides of the same coin. Notice qualities that become available through the body, mind, heart, soul, spirit. Notice the quality of reverence, genuine awe and reverence for creation itself. What a marvel that we experience anything at all, what a marvel that there is anything at all to experience, and here we are, embodied, sensitive, awake, alive. Feel your aliveness and your reverence for what is and a sense of gratitude. Feel the fullness, the fullness and emptiness of all things that's utterly present to be tasted, to be experienced, enjoyed, participated in. Feel a gratitude for no thing in particular, but gratitude itself as your very own body. Your very own being is a being of gratitude. Feel a sense of love, a deep resonance, a connection, a commitment, an embrace of all things, not a small self trying to be loving, trying to embrace more, but love itself. Love itself. Feel your basic nature of humility. You don't even actually exist in a substantial sense. Every moment, you come into being as you pass away. And how is it that that could be so? By what powers, by what forces, by what laws and principles are you sustained, even as you pass away? Feel your utter dependence on who knows what, utter humility. Finally, you can connect to a sense of absolute wonder. It's too full for words, too beautiful to describe. This cosmic flow, this stunning activity of manifestation. You are the very wonder that animates it all, the big mind, big heart, in and through all of it and none of it.