Look for it, but not see it

14

Look for it, but not see it;
we name it invisible.
Listen for it, but not hear it;
we name it inaudible.
Reach for it, but not touch it;
we name it intangible.

These three are beyond reckoning,
so we bind them together as one.

As for this one,
there is nothing above it for us to see,
there is nothing below it for us to hear.
We reach for it, but it is beyond names.

It returns to non-being.
We name it the formless form.
We name it the invisible image.
It is an elusive state.

Follow it, though it has no back.
Meet it, though it has no front.

Hold to the way of today
to manage the reality of today
and to understand ancient beginnings.

This is called the thread of the way.