“A bridge is really one of the marvels of human ingenuity. Not only have some been engineered to span far reaches in places of unstable weather or difficult terrain, but some are also of great beauty. Slender arches, masterful roadways adorned with statues of heroes, simple wooden structures gracefully allowing admiring views of a garden––bridges everywhere have been wonderful structures.

But the attitude that leads us to build bridges cannot necessarily be used to know Tao. We might be tempted to say: “The two shores are Yin and Yang and Tao is the bridge.” With that we have solved all philosophical problems! But that would be mistaken.

Tao cannot be so simplistically grasped. It cannot be neatly accounted for and a solution engineered. Accessibility can only be gained on an individual basis and not en masse. Why? Because accessibility occurs in the mind of the individual. No bridge can span that enormity.

Bridges are a wonderful path to walk on with our feet. But the path of our mind can know no bridges: only leaps.”

––Deng Ming-Dao, Everyday Tao, Living With Balance And Harmony (Harper-Collins, 1996), p. 233.