It's never-ending analysis that wounds us.
Why not circle away in the seasons, adrift
on the great transformation, riding its vast
swells without fear or delight?
-- T'ao Ch'ien
(from, Form, Shadow, Spirit; translation by David Hinton)
The impression one gets is that the great transformation is like an indescribably massive ocean! We are adrift; i.e., we are going with the flow of Dao, thus our experience with this enormous energy is neither frightening nor thrilling.
When we are not in the flow of this powerful energy then we face our terrors and our ecstasies! This seems to be counter-intuitive! However, after meditating on these lines, it is revealed that the fear and the delight are related to going against the cycles and patterns of Dao.
When we go against the grain or try to move in discord with the seasons, then do we encounter the polarities of our emotions. To ride the waves of Dao with awareness and intention is to be in-synch, to be in harmony with Dao. Our emotional states are indicators of our relational state with Dao. Extreme states of emotion indicate when we are fighting against the great transformation.
The first line quoted above provides insight into this puzzle.....simply stop analyzing everything continuously! Analysis sucks the life and the vitality out of things. It reduces wonder, awe, and imagination to cold, dead laws. It seems as though some people choose to analyze in order to create a visceral, emotional,sensational response. They may feel more alive or energized or connected, but they are simultaneously resisting the great transformation.
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