Welcome to this Taoist Reflection.
Before the story begins,
Let yourself arrive,
Not by effort,
Not by understanding,
But simply by noticing that you are already here.
Let your body rest as it is and let your breath move without direction.
There is nothing you need to solve,
Only to listen.
Just listening is enough.
The Story and the First Telling Long ago,
The Taoist sage Zhuangzi lay down to sleep.
As he slept,
He dreamed.
And in his dream,
He was a butterfly.
It wasn't Zhuangzi dreaming of being a butterfly,
But a butterfly fully and completely.
He fluttered among the flowers,
Moved effortlessly on the breeze.
He felt no weight,
No name,
No concern.
There was only flying,
Only being.
At this time,
He did not know he was Zhuangzi.
He did not remember a human life.
He was simply a butterfly.
Let that image linger.
The wings moving gently,
With no effort,
No question,
Just being.
Awakening After some time,
Zhuangzi awoke.
He lay still and the feeling of wings were fading.
And a question arose.
He wondered,
Was I Zhuangzi who dreamed he was a butterfly?
Or am I now a butterfly,
Dreaming I am Zhuangzi?
Between those two questions,
He could not say.
So,
This story is not meant to confuse your mind.
It is meant to loosen it.
Taoism does not rush to decide what is real.
It asks instead,
What if reality is not as solid as we think?
What if identity is more fluid than we imagine?
The second telling listening more closely.
So,
Let's return to the dream.
The butterfly did not question itself.
It did not analyze its existence.
It flew.
And only when Zhuangzi awoke,
Did any questions appear.
Meaning arrived with separation.
So,
Just reflect for a moment,
Who are you really?
How much of who you believe yourself to be comes from memory,
From labels,
From roles?
And what remains when those fall quiet?
The Tao does not insist on a single answer.
It allows the mystery to remain alive.
So,
You do not need to decide whether you are the dreamer or the dream.
But just notice that awareness is present.
It's not owned.
It's not fixed.
But like the butterfly,
Appearing,
Moving,
Changing.
As this story settles,
Stay with the quiet it leaves behind.
Notice your breath.
Notice your body.
And just notice how your identity loosens when it is not gripped.
You do not need a final answer to live gently.
You do not need certainty to belong.
Because life is happening through you,
Whether it is named or not.
So,
If questions arise about who you are or where you are going,
You may remember the butterfly.
It was flying.
It was unconcerned.
And it was beautifully whole.
So,
When you are ready,
Let your eyes open softly and carry this with you.
You do not need to define yourself to be alive.
Sometimes it is enough to simply fly.
Namaste,
My friends.
