Into The West
All trouble begins in the mind. 
If we cultivate a mind that’s still and calm,
spacious and open,
we can deal with trouble before it starts.
A tree grows naturally, without effort,
beginning with a tiny seedling.
A thousand mile journey is taken, without effort,
beginning with a single step.
So don’t let a restless mind
lead you to aggressive action.
If you force events, you will fail.
Be patient.
Let your actions emerge from a quiet place.
In this way all beings will be blessed.
The Tao Te Ching – Chapter 64 – trans. William Martin
There are two images that the phrase, “Into the West” evokes in my imagination. One is the haunting song by Annie Lennox that concluded the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. These poignant lyrics echoed a sense of the soul’s final journey, not to an end, rather to something entirely new and wonderful; a leaving behind the known lands and venturing into the green hills of a new beginning. Plaintive and sad, it is also affirmative of a passing into something marvelous.
The other image is one that has been with me for decades, formed by several classic paintings: “Lao-Tzu travels into the West.” Tradition has it that the founder of philosophical Taoism, after many decades of teaching a peaceful and natural “way” of living, became so disillusioned with the politics and economics of his culture that he mounted an ox and withdrew into the West. “West,” for him was out of the Capital city and through the Han Gu Pass over the mountains. This pass was guarded and the border sentinel recognized the sage and refused to let him pass without leaving his written teachings behind. Lao-Tzu resisted, saying, “If I write it down, it won’t be the Tao.” Eventually he relented and wrote the eighty-one brief poetic chapters that became the Tao Te Ching – perhaps the most translated book in history outside of the Bible. He then left the country and was never heard from again.
The Passage into the West is an essential journey for each of us. It must be taken, gladly and willingly or with great resistance and frustration. Without such a journey we become trapped by the illusions of culture and end up failing to find the kind wisdom, inspiration, and encouragement that is necessary for cultural transformation. Lao-Tzu had to leave before his true gift to the world could be passed on. He had to step outside of the illusion in order to have the final clarity he needed to write his classic masterpiece.
The Passage into the West is unique for each of us. There are some general signposts, but each person must travel a somewhat different road. There are, however, many pilgrims on the path whose fellowship and encouragement is available. The general direction of the journey is away from the honeyed cultural traps that would immobilize us and drain us of our life force and natural initiative. Our path turns us away from the fantasies, illusions, and downright lies that have motivated us for so long. It is a difficult passage, much like the legendary journey of the Israelites out of Egypt into the desert. When faced with the realities of desert life, most of the escaped slaves wanted to turn back; “At least we had something to eat in Egypt.”
I know the feeling. Nancy and I are at the Han Gu Pass and feeling all the hesitation and resistance. But freedom is available and we are not going to turn it down. Like Lao-Tzu, perhaps the greatest contribution any of us can make to society will come from a vantage point that is, at least to some degree, outside of the myths that society. Of course we are still “in” society in many concrete ways. We use money. We buy and sell. We depend on a web of commerce to some degree. We find that the Han Gu Pass is really a place in the mind through which a person passes and is then able to be free of the conditioned demands, the fears, the distractions, the gladiator games of politics and entertainment, and the bread and circuses of a dying culture. These things exist, but no longer have any power in our moment-to-moment experience of life.
Lao-Tzu could have been accused of abdicating responsibility. Even the sentinel’s pressure was part of the cultural myth, “You must remain within the given paradigm or you will be a pariah, an outcast, shunned. It is your duty to remain.” By “remain,” the myth means; continue to believe the lies, continue to participate in the games, and continue to support the systems. In fact, the only responsible act is that of stepping away from the co-dependent life, the life of continually hoping that if we just try harder we can make the addictive system function once again. Once we’ve gone through the Han Gu Pass, we can begin to see what actions are truly needed. Until then we see only dimly, weighed down by myths and assumptions, fears and fancies. The Pass is located in your mind. You don’t have to travel to pass through it. You simply have to take that single step, that internal step, away from the illusory safety and comfort of the known, and start out on your own journey Into the West.
Happy Trails,
Bill
Some potential fellow travelers:
Rob Greenfield – A Dude Making a Difference
Colin Beavan – No Impact Man
