Maybe So, Maybe Not

I lived at a yoga sanctuary in my early twenties, and I remember the morning I was about to begin my first four-day silent meditation retreat there. As the sun rose and the group gathered, someone handed me a copy of the Tao Te Ching. He suggested I open it at random and choose a single line to contemplate throughout the retreat.

I opened to Verse 2 and landed on these words:

“Things arise and she lets them come.

Things disappear and she lets them go.”

Those simple lines set in motion a deep inner journey for me during that retreat, and Taoist wisdom has truly remained a trusted friend and quiet guide for me ever since.

To experientially understand the Tao is a lifelong practice, a continual return to living in harmony with the natural flow of Life.

Recently, while listening to Alan Watts speak on the Tao, he shared a parable often called “Maybe So, Maybe Not.” It really moved me and helped the wisdom of the Tao sink in even deeper.

It goes like this:

A farmer’s horse ran away.

His neighbors came to console him and said, “What bad luck.”

The farmer replied, “Maybe.”

A few days later, the horse returned, bringing several wild horses with it.

The neighbors said, “What good luck!”

The farmer replied, “Maybe.”

Later, the farmer’s son tried to ride one of the wild horses and fell, breaking his leg.

The neighbors said, “What terrible luck.”

The farmer replied, “Maybe.”

Soon afterward, the army came through the village, conscripting all able-bodied young men to go to war. Because the son’s leg was broken, he was not taken.

The neighbors said, “What good fortune!”

The farmer replied, “Maybe.”

And so the story continues, reminding us how little we truly know about the meaning of any moment while we are living it.