The Translucence of the Body
Solala Towler articulates his vision of Daoist cultivation in terms of a connection to the cosmos. He describes pursuing this connection in two important ways. The first is the "thinning of the envelope" or gradually dissolving the barrier between self and world to attain some sort of mystical unity with the universe. This unity or connection he views as the solution to the alienation or lack of connection felt by "mass America."
The second metaphor Solala uses is that of the "astronaut" of "inner space" in which this connection to the universe is pursued, paradoxically, by entering into the depths of the self. This vision of connection is thus predicated on the Daoist view in which the inner depth of the body is equivalent to the broad expanse of the cosmos. Thus the inner body is imaged as mountains, streams, stars and planets. Cultivating connection thus does not involve a movement out of oneself but rather a deepening of the awareness of the reality within. The Daoist adept thus attains an internal translucence and connection to the cosmos.
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