There Was Once a Butcher…
There was once a butcher...
...the butcher had worked in the kitchen for Prince Wen Hui for many years where he was famous for his ability to cut up an ox without ever sharpening his knife.
Oxen after oxen he butchered and yet his knife, almost magically retained the razor sharp edge it started with. He would move his shoulder just so and the meat would simply fall away from the bone. Smooth and effortlessly.
Again, swish, swish… He moved his knife smoothly and rhythmically; it was as though he were conducting a fantastic symphony and all the while meat simply dropped away from the bones.
“Entranced, Prince Wei asked the butcher the source of such mastery.
”
The butcher laid down his Cleaver and looked at the prince. “It is simple my Lord, I am a follower of the Way in everything that I do. When I first began to cut up an ox all that I could see was the part of the ox in front of me. It took me 3 long years before I was able to see the entire ox in one glance. I no longer see it with my eyes but with my spirit."
Tracing his knife down the oxen, the Butcher continued, "In this way I am able to let the knife itself follow the grain of the meat on its own. I let the knife slice its own way through the hollows of the ox, never touching the tendons or ligaments, much less the bone."
A mediocre butcher hacks and chops at the meat and needs to sharpen his knife every month.
A good butcher cuts forcefully through the meat and needs to sharpen his knife every year.
A Master Butcher adheres to the natural way (The Tao), letting the knife do the work on its own.
My knife, on the other hand has not been sharpened in 19 years ago. And it is as sharp as the day I adopted The Way as a Master Butcher. There are spaces in the ox that the thin blade can cut through as if through air. There is plenty of space there for the blade to enter and move freely. This is why my blade is still so sharp after cutting up thousands of oxen.
Sometimes I come upon a difficult cut. Instead of wielding my blade harder I stop completely and meditate upon the situation. I look very closely at the joint and move my blade very, very slowly, using no force, until the meat falls freely to the ground. Then I stop and look around me to see if I am still in accord with the Way. If I am, then I am happy. Then I wipe my blade very carefully and put it away. Finished.
The Meaning of this parable to Me
The first time I ever heard the famous story of Prince Wei’s butcher I was attending a retreat with Wendy Palmer. Her work uses the concepts of Aikido to train and expand your energetic capacity (simply put).
She uses this parable to lay the conceptual framework for her practices. A system of training focuses on developing primordial energy and self-cultivation by several techniques that I call movement meditations, and it wasn’t until recently that I heard this story again and found out that it is a famous Taoist story.
"The work of Wendy Palmer uses concepts of Aikido to expand your energetic capacity."
Inside the parable of the ox butcher… the meaning
First, the story reveals the 3 stages of development on the Taoist path, seeing the parts, seeing the whole and seeing with spirit or energy. It also is a fantastic vivid example of the Taoist concept of effortless action (wu-wei).
Sometimes in order to move through difficult obstacles in our lives we could be more effective by applying this principle of no force. Then just like the meat falls away form the bone for the master butcher, our own obstacles fall away before us when we are able to see the whole, be the Way…
The story also tells us that this practice can take some time to cultivate. It took the cook 3 long years before he was able to look at an ox, not with his eyes, but with his spirit or energy. Anything of great value can take a long time of practice and cultivation to attain. It is impossible to gain mastery in a weekend seminar or by simply reading a book on mindfulness.
Several years of practice leads to self cultivation, and continual practice is the Way. Over the years I’ve tried dozens of mind body integration practices. They’re useful in suspending my normal conceptual framework in order to be more open to what is possible.
I would love to share some of the practices that I have learned over the years from Wendy Palmer through her books, personal instruction and the application to every area of my life over nearly 2 decades.
DOWNLOAD A GUIDE TO BASIC PRACTICE HERE
It was amazing and humbling to see this famous story again nearly 2 decades after hearing it for the first time. Wendy’s teaching was my first experience with serious mindbody training and I am forever grateful to have experienced her work.
Was the story about an actual butcher masterfully cutting up an actual ox? I love to kid around with metaphor. Is the story about the man who built his house upon a rock about an actual man building an actual house on an actual rock? I think it is, or is it?
Stories, myth and metaphor are such powerful ways of learning new concepts. I love this story, and I am reminded of it every time I carve up a piece of meat. I think about the art of mastery and wonder why I sometimes have to hack and chop when serving others with gratitude.
I have searched relentlessly for spirit with my mind, and I’ve only experienced glimpses of it through my body.
Would YOU like to learn more about these mind body practices?
Spiral Breath Meditation
Centering Practice
Masculine / Feminine Energy Exercise
