Two trees sit in a field, one alive and the other dead. One produces life, the other stands silent like a skeleton upon the road, reaching its bony fingers toward passersby. The living tree gives fresh green leaves and then beautiful flowers and finally delicious fruit. The dead tree remains still and motionless, giving no growth, no flowers, no fruit. The living tree participates in life--indeed, many forms of life dwell within and upon it. The living tree is connected to man, comforts man, and feeds man. But the dead tree gives only a hollow and dreadful feeling.
The Master of Time knows these two trees well. It is time itself that reveals the growth of
the seed. It is time that witnesses the
greenery, delights in the flowers, and brings forth fruit when
appropriate. It is time that makes the
living tree familiar to us all, sought after for its beauty and bounty. But it is also time that eventually brings
the tree to death. Time, as he marches
relentlessly forward--zig-zagging this way and that, back and forth, to and
fro--dictates the terms. Time says, “Now
you live. Now you die. Here you bear life and fruit. Here you walk with the Shadow.”
But none of this matters to the Master of Time--time’s
master. The Master of Time is always
here, wherever “here” is and whenever it is.
He does not march to and fro. He
does not run from this extreme to that.
He does not acknowledge the terms “life” and “death.” He remains on the Path of the Arrow, straight
and true. There are no comparisons to
him, no light or shadow, no alive or dead, no opposites.
The Master of Time knows that these two trees are the same
tree, the photos taken only at different aspects on the road. They are one and the same. It is alive and dead at the same time. To the Master of Time, this tree is a seed, a
whip, a full-grown tree, a heavy bearer of fruit, and a dead and bony
wraith--all at the same time, all at once.
The tree has no beginning or end.
It is simply part of the path.
The Master knows that everything that will ever be has already been.
