Mud

As Chuang-tzu was fishing in the river P’u, two high officials arrived from the king of Ch’u and said, “Sir, the king requests that you come to the capital and serve as his prime minister.” Without turning his head, Chuang-tzu answered, “I have heard that in Ch’u there is a sacred tortoise that died three thousand years ago. The king keeps its shell in the temple, wrapped in silk and encased in a golden box. Now if you were this tortoise, would you prefer to be venerated in such a way, or would you rather be alive again, crawling around in the mud?” “The latter, certainly,” said the officials. Chuang-tzu said, “Give my compliments to His Majesty, and tell him that I am happy right here, crawling around in the mud.”

-Chuang Tzu-

This quote above has a hidden "greatest good", the ultimate quality of life which is symbolized by remaining in the "mud". Chuang didn't want a manmade title of superiority. He wanted to feel the superiority of the freedom to live as a common man. To live a natural, un-hyped life. He wanted true substance, not appearances. For the greatest human happiness one must embrace the true reality of the human experience. True human joy is not found in pretending to be superior to others, but in realizing that we are all truly one in our human nature. To be a common man is to be a real man, to be fully human. When we assume superiority over others in order to appear as a better human being, we in fact de-humanize ourselves and we will never find true peace and joy in this way. Even if we agree to this concept and wish we did not behave this way, we will find, if we look closely at our thoughts and motivations, that this is a constant temptation throughout our day. There is no true advancement for a human being in stepping on others. Instead we become an outwardly pretty, yet empty, shell of a person.

Acknowledging the mud we all wallow in is what Jesus termed as "taking up your cross" in order to follow him. When you say to those who run the show, those who claim to be superior (and take great advantage from that pretended superiority), "you are just like everyone else, and I can prove it", they will not take it lightly. They will slander you, injure you, and possibly kill you. All because you are exposing the "mud" of human reality. This is the connection between the concept of "mud" in the above Chuang Tzu quote, and Jesus' own statement of the necessity of "taking up your cross". To say "take up your cross and follow me" means, "accept the criticism and rejection that comes from exposing the universal human condition (the mud) to the light, both in yourself and in the world around you."

Jesus is famously known for having a brown-nosing man coming up to him and saying "good teacher, what good thing may I do that I may have eternal life?", Jesus responded, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone."

Shut down, big time.

Jesus wouldn't play that game. The "good" student, in his goodness, claims to know the "good teacher". "Nope, sorry" Jesus says, "you came to the wrong guy, I don't play that game." But why is it called "taking up your cross? Because "the man" the "authorities" of Jesus day were the Romans, and they had an established order of society and control based on a rat race/dog eat dog model. If you didn't play by their rules, they would take you out. Not quietly mind you, but in a death sentence that involved public shaming: crucifixion. To embrace the cross is to embrace hostility and public mockery from those who hold power in the world.

Acknowledging the "mud", and exposing it, and suffering for exposing it, would be proof to the early Christians of "Christ in you", meaning it was proof that the driving force of your actions was the spirit of God. The "mud" is repulsive to shallow people who seek to live by appearances. They deny being soiled by the mud, or claim that they are much less soiled than others. Those who claim that all people are greatly soiled and that no one has the right to judge another, are persecuted for their words. In Christian terms this would be the "cross", meaning public disapproval or a general societal disgrace. The "cross" of a Christian is what causes them to be estranged from the ever-dominant worldly culture. A Christian without their own personal "cross" is not a Christian at all. The cross, the acknowledgement of the "mud", is that which allows the true seeker entrance into the presence of that which is Holy. Chuang Tzu found this holiness with fishing pole in hand looking out from his local river-bank. Every real fisherman has experienced this: Out in nature on a beautiful day, birds singing, surrounded by lush greenery, the river flowing endlessly in front of them... it's heaven... now drop that and come and put on a tie and debate with all the other stuffed shirts! Not likely!

Jesus presents this holiness as being found in humble service to one's fellow man, and in challenging and exposing the ugliness of ego hidden deep within each one of us. This is the cross. The cross is, "I am not good, I am not better than anyone else, I, like all others, am covered in 'mud'". This is not about false humility, nor does it stem from "believing" it as an idea. It comes from knowing it to be true from looking deep inside oneself. In a dog eat dog/rat race society this message is shunned by the vast majority of people. The mud is a "reality", a "truth", and nothing to be ashamed of. Acknowledging it is key to knowing God. It is embracing your true place in the world, and your true relation to the world around you. Truth is key.

When we recognize what we really are, when we see we are covered with "mud" and embrace this reality, we find entrance to the Holy, or if you will, to the "Holy One". We find the place of God, the place of Jesus. We find entrance to the Famous One:

The Muslims have a traditional saying attributed to Muhamad (peace be upon him).

"Paradise is surrounded by things disliked"

Indeed, this truth is deeply interwoven in the message of Jesus as well. If you want to get close to the ultimate "Famous One" you better be ready to embrace a soiled nature. There are guards in place that won't let you get anywhere near him otherwise.