The Great Pearl: Tao

Remember that you & those you choose to judge, share one thing in common:  The Great Tao.         

Religious and civic groups which try to make an exclusive club--over shadowing the whole of their integrity--by claiming some are better than others--this attitude is a break away from the Tao.  Verse 5 of the Tao Te Ching encourages us to live in harmony.  For that which divides us is not of Tao/God if you will, while the unification of the Tao makes for a fulfilled and satisfying life.

Offer your teasures to everyone as you ask one of the most Tao-centered quesitons, "How may I serve?"

General Observations (Te of Piglet-B. Hoff 11-23)

Man should live at peace with all life forms, viewing them as teachers and friends, forthworth wisdom and divine presence.  Respect for the nature of earth is a major tenet of today's Taoist.

It is a way of living in harmony with Tao, the Way of the Universe, the character of which is revealed in the working of the natural world.  Taoism could be called either a philosophy or a religion, or neither since it does not match up in Western ideas or definitons in some of its points.  Taoism deals with the individual's relationship to the world.

Chinese medicine, science, gardening, landscape painting, and nautre poetry--are all contributions of Taoism.  Key Principles of natural simplicity, effortless action, spontaneity, and compassion are all elements of Tao as well. 

Taoism is happy, gentle, childlike, and serene---its favorite symbol: flowing water.

Te is written with 3 Chinese characters representing: "upright," "heart," "stepping out":  virtue in action; Virute That Steps Out.

Te is a quality of special character, spiritual strength, or hidden potential unique to the individual--something that comes from the Inner Nature of things


 

A Thousand Paths to Tranquillity (D. Baird) i

"It is important to realize that tranquillity is less of a destination than a manner of traveling."

Sitting in medatative contemplation is what is usually conjured up in the minds of those who understand tranquillity in a very limited way. While it is true that one can seek to find tranquillity via a quiet inward search, it is just as true that functional tranquillity is that which assists us in our moment by moment walk through this life.

Functional tranquillity is a realization that we are responsible for the quality of our journey. We can make it adventuresome--rather than drudgery. We can look on adversity as a challenge--rather than a defeat.

Belief in ourselves; creating opportunities rather than waiting for them to present themselves; acceptance of the journey of others; focusing on the diversity of truth rather than the interest of one person, one group, or one race; having the confidence to disagree with the opinions of others; doing your best to make the most of yourself....these are the multifarious benefits of tranquillity.

The rich blessings tranquillity offers to those who would seek to learn and live in Tao are awaiting our acceptance and reception.

We all live in the same hectic world--our religious paradigm determines how we relate to it. Tao offers tranquillity for the journey, not harsh self-righeous judgment of others as they strive to find their way.

Our tranquillity and our happiness depend on ourselves. How goes your journey?

Pain is Gain

Remember that phrase from your high school gym days? Now its application to the current generation remains the same: if you want to better yourself, physically from their perspective, but spiritually as well: you will experience discomfort.

Your breathing becomes labored, your muscles ache with fatigue and fire as new demands are physically required by them. New physical movements--or a marked increase of physical movements--tax your body. It is uncomfortable to be sure, but in the back of our mind we know it is "good for us."

So to the spiritually and emotionally level does growth cost us. Our foundational precepts become inconsistent with new, challenging thoughts. We ponder and examine and question those ideals which we have held dear. Emotionally we become hurt as those who we thought would be ever-loving, suddenly fade away into the past as we are abandoned to our new fellowship. New names, new personalities, new thoughts, all clamor for our attention. Discomfort and uncertainty become our new fraility.

Rejection by friends and family shock us. New ideas replacing foundational precepts shock us. Romanticist's single truth is exploded by post-modern's multiple approaches to a new universal truth. Violent reactions from within us as we strive to simply grow: indeed, growth comes with a shock at all levels of our being.

But at the end of the day, after the tumultous experiences within and without--we rejoice that we found the fortitude within us to dare to grow regardless the cost.

How Can This Be Bad?

Taoism teaches us that life is a concentric circle. Nothing stands still--we all are evolving souls. On different points in our journey (hence the reason NOT to deal harshly with those not a your point of the journey)differing in our paradigms, in our emotional maturity levels, in our spiritual evolution: make no mistake, in our universe nothing stands still.

New learning opportunities are not always pleasant: crisis in our life. Christianity uses Romans 8:28 to explain the purpose and source of hardship; Taoism uses the world as instructors: instead of multitudes embracing despair, these folk pick themselves up, dust off their pants, set new goals, and follow their dreams--no matter how tattered they become. People of Tao adjust to life's changes rather than meeting adversity with pride and rigidity.

When problems do arise, people of Tao discover the solution to the problem long before the question of who is responsible is answered. The solution, not the blame is the goal.

We are challenged to accept responsibilities for our life choices.

We are to walk as peacefully as is possible with all people.

"It's all good!"

A follower of Tao would recognize that phrase as being an exclamatory statement of a principle from the Tao Te Ching.

We can make the negative events be our teachers. They can be turned into positives, when we ask ourselves, "what is it that I am to be learning from this unpleasant situation?"

Walking in Tao is a deliberate way of appreciating, learning from, and working with whatever happens in our everyday life. The result from such deliberations? Happy serenity! This is a deep, satisfying celebration within us as we successfully learn that which was meant to instruct us.

Taoist understanding changes what others may perceive as negatives to having them transform into positive changes for us as we grow in our spirituality.

Slowly learning to switch my thinking,
j

Contentment: how?

"Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are."


Self-satisfaction is certainly a rare commodity.  A satisfied  countenance will begin when you learn that we all already have plenty of stuff.  We need to stop wanting other things, and realize that we have added quite a bit of materials into our lives already:  TV screen bigger than 19 inches, what about a cell phone, or do you have a microwave?  Take an inventory as if you were starting off in a new apartment, suddenly what you already have will multiply itself---be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are---don't go running around desperately seeking to add more to your stockpile.

As you accept that you are well-stocked:  greed, dissatisfaction, envy, pining for more ("other" is hell, Satre tells us:  wanting it and fighting for it is not pleasant!), relax in the Tao, be thankful for what you have.  Appreciate it and suddenly contentment replaces the lust for materials slips away.  As the Tao opens the way to peace, accept it and be pleased with where you are materially and continue your spiritual evolution.

Rejoice in the way things are materially, seek spiritual growth and it will become your source of a happy countenance,
j