Read time 3 minutes. Balance and Harmony is a stand alone article in our Everyday Zen series.
This practice of looking within, subtle and nuanced as it is, leads to balance and harmony. Over time, it deepens into a recognition of the balance and harmony already present all around us. But to realize transformation, one condition must be faced directly.
In Letting Go of Illusion, I emphasized that we must be willing to turn the inner glance toward positive thoughts and emotions as much as negative ones. At first, this feels like spoiling the fun. Why would Zen teach us to let go of everything? Because clinging—whether to hope or despair—always ends the same way: fixation, attachment, the rollercoaster of expectation and disappointment. What we mistake for control is actually life controlling us.
Emulate Tao: Oneness, balance, and harmony
The middle way begins by emulating Tao. Its qualities—oneness, balance, harmony—are already woven into the fabric of the universe. Tao is the first cause of all manifestation. Every thought, every event, every circumstance—arises equally from it. Tao does not create things only to despise them.
The moment we try to eliminate or change what we don’t like, we step into fantasy. Acceptance allows for a fuller, more authentic experience of life. Seeing equality in all that arises is not passivity—it is alignment.
The baggage of the ego
The ego has its own plans. It plots, calculates, hopes, fears. And into every moment it drags its baggage—history, experience, bias. Good or bad, pleasant or painful, the baggage is applied equally. The ego calls this knowledge. But as Jiddu Krishnamurti pointed out:
“Intelligence is the freedom from the known.”
“The ability to observe without evaluating is the highest form of intelligence.”
“When you abandon the illusion of a separate self, you come face to face with a clear and direct perception of reality.”
The separate self cannot see clearly because it interprets everything through distortion. It believes it alone can control and condition the world. It seeks meaning in experiences, when in truth it is experience itself that carries meaning. The ego loves illusions, because illusions affirm its own illusory existence.
Letting go of illusion
I have often written about the vicious circle of the imaginative/emotive loop: the ego stirs thought and feeling, which stirs more thought and feeling, which validates the ego further. The result is restlessness and illusion. Oneness and harmony are lost.
Here, though, another circle emerges. Letting go of illusion decreases the role of ego. As ego recedes, the true self comes forward. Experiencing our true nature makes us more willing to let go. Letting go opens presence; presence opens letting go.
This is why even daydreams carry a cost. While they may offer temporary sweetness, the price is high: presence sacrificed, authentic experience dimmed, true intelligence eclipsed. In indulging illusion, we forfeit the possibility of lasting peace.
Zen is not taking the fun out of life. It is freeing life from the rollercoaster of clinging. Balance and harmony do not need to be manufactured. They are already here, waiting, the moment we stop insisting that things be otherwise.
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Jiddu Krishnamurti was a fascinating individual. More philosopher than guru, Krishnamurti was just the sort of no-nonsense teacher that really speaks to me. His ideas are direct and unrelenting. At the same time, they are free of religious dogma. Perhaps, most important of all, Krishnamurti encouraged each of us to discover truth directly, for ourselves. When in doubt, keep it simple. “This is my secret – I don’t mind what happens.” For those interested, this short biography of Jiddu Krishnamurti also links to a wide array of his work.
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