Lao Tzu (604-517 B.C.)
Chinese silk painting, British Museum

THE ENLIGHTENED SAGE

The enlightened sage sees and experiences
the entire universe in all its glory.
He's in harmony with everything around him,
and everyone feels his actions of compassion.

The sage is impervious to heat or cold,
impartial to praise or blame,
infallible with his advice,
indifferent to fortune or fame.

He discerns people at a glance,
the arc of their lives—
past, present, and future
transparent to him as daylight.

He walks in crowds unknown to all,
but children and birds sense his holiness—
and so will you in his presence
when you feel the joy of peace.

His steps are light as if walking on air,
traversing space in the twinkling of an eye.
He works as if there are no barriers to time,
completing each task with the simplest of ease.

He grants no boons for good luck,
but to make you realize the infinite.
He offers no elixirs to prolong your life,
but to make you aware of the eternal.

His erudition knows no bounds,
no libraries could contain his wisdom.
Yet he plays the fool or the jester,
his words enshrouded in mystery.

If you wish to find him, be alert and attentive—
he or she may be a parent or child or friend.
Better yet, be still, for deep within you—
the Enlightened Sage is always ready to blossom...

            — Peter Y. Chou
                 Mountain View, 7-2-2006
                 written in a dream at 6 am