— Ah, it’s been a long time since we did a Lo Zu story. Don’t you feel that we should passionately jump into one? —

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— Note: Any resemblances between Lo Zu’s utterances and Thomas Peace’s philosophical stance may be purely coincidental. — 😉

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It was a quiet summer day; it was one of those breezeless days when the tree leaves were still and not doing their usual dancing. Lo Zu was sitting, as he often did in his old age, on a large, aged boulder; of course, his sinuous walking stick, his meandering cane, was resting there with him. He was sitting there for quite a long time, and often his mind was as still as the summer day. Occasionally, he would ponder on deep things, but often his mind (i.e., what others referred to as “his mind”) was of a great, immeasurable stillness.

As he looked around, a few youthful students came by. These were the intelligent, truly inquisitive students who would often visit to ask Lo Zu penetrating questions. As the students approached Lo Zu, they all sat on the ground near him. For a while, they all sat together in silence. Then, one of the students asked, “Please, Lo Zu, can you tell us about how one can be the master of one’s thoughts?” Lo Zu smiled and then quietly said, “No, I definitely cannot tell you anything about that. However, I can tell you about the falacious notion of a central ‘controller’ who is in charge of thoughts.” “Yes, please tell us,” the students replied. The students realized that Lo Zu emitted profound insights that were far different from what the mundane, local adults would spill out.

Lo Zu leaned back a tad, and then went on further explaining, “There is no ‘owner,’ ‘controller,’ or ‘master’ of one’s thoughts, simply because these ideas or notions are protrusions of erroneous thinking. The ‘controller’ is a projection, a fabrication, of thought/thinking. So there is no true internal, central agent who can legitimately claim the thoughts as being his or hers. In other words, in terms of psychological control of the house of thought/thinking, no one (actually) is home. However, do not despair, for there still exists the beauty and immense integrity of a healthy, orderly mind. Understanding and love have no central (selfish) center. That is the immense beauty of deep understanding and selflessness. That understanding and love radiates with (and “as”) eternity. Then, when the old folks and the orthodox neighbors think that they know you — as they mentally pin you to a wall like an old, stagnant picture in their minds — you can smile while realizing that great wisdom and living mystery cannot be known by those who cherish falsities to (and “in”) their very core. So this speaker can, thank goodness, say that he is keenly aware that, for him, ‘no one is home.'”

The students went on to ask Lo Zu other questions, which we won’t elaborate on now, but may elaborate on in the future, perhaps.