-Lao Tzu
Why is it that we are the only species on this Earth that require schooling? Let us examine geese for a moment, they are perfect, requiring little to no guidance or instruction. They know their purpose and their task at hand through instinct and following example. Tao is always with these creatures, even though they are not actively seeking it. They do not need to be aware of the Tao's existence, as they have no rational consciousness to divorce themselves from the Tao.
It is only humanity that constantly separates itself from the Tao. We require different methods in order to reintegrate ourselves into the Way. We must go beyond the interference from our own internal ego, so we may know the Tao with the same constant intimacy as geese.
Whether you know or not, we cannot be anything other than ourselves. We don't require knowledge and schooling to know who we are. A rock is a rock, regardless if the rock knows it. A tree is a tree, even though guidance was never given to it. Knowledge is not needed for being, and often we miss who we are because we are desperately searching for this knowledge as if it were a hoarded secret.
An ancient Zen proverb states, "Beware of Buddha. If you meet him on the way, kill him immediately." There is a human tendency to become imitators, and this Zen proverb illustrates the point perfectly. There is only one Buddha, and he has transcended. Existence would become boring if we all imitated Buddha. Existence wants somebody new, something original. It wants you, and it wants you to be yourself.
