Tao De Ching

[Master Yoda]

Hello

Of late I have been through some consecutive, and simultaneous experiences that some would say are unpleasant. These experiences have ranged from just annoying to rather devastating if I was to pass judgement from an everyday modern human perspective.

Rather than stew in misery and feel sorry for myself (done enough of that already). I wish to look within and rekindle an old personal project of mine which will shift my focus to a better place. And I wish to do that here where all feed back and criticism is welcome.

The TAO DE CHING is a very old book that originates from China from an author by the name of Lao Tze (Translated as Old Man). Not sure if there was such a person that ever existed. This book is compiled from scrolled texts that dates as far back as 4th century BC. This is a brief book made up of 81 short poetic verses.

I wish to call upon the wisdom of the TAO DE CHING and put meaning to it according to my life at this point in time. Writing is something that I find a lot of joy in and often learn a lot as it draws content from my subconscious that seem foreign to me.

It may seem strange that I write about such a topic here. If I offend anyone, kindly remind me. If anyone has any wisdom and light to share, please do so.

Lets see if all 81 verses can be visited. I have no attachments to completing this or not. There is no real purpose in doing this exercise accept for experiencing the process.

Thank you Maryanne for providing this space. And thanks to the readers that may bring insight and motivation to this journey.

 

[Joopdoderen]

Yoda, i'm interested in reading the verses, so please post. Cant help you with translating i'm afraid, unless the are in Dutch, german or french. Cheers, Joop

 

[Lilly Sweetheart]

Isn't it Tao Te Ching?

Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know.

One of my favs

 

[Master Yoda]

Verse 1

The tao that can be told
is not the eternal Tao
The name that can be named
is not the eternal Name.

The unnamable is the eternally real.
Naming is the origin
of all particular things.

Free from desire, you realize the mystery.
Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations.

Yet mystery and manifestations
arise from the same source.
This source is called darkness.

Darkness within darkness.
The gateway to all understanding.


There is a theme is these 14 lines of translated text that jumps out at me. This theme is Attachment. By what do I mean what do I mean when I say attachment? In my experiences it is when I have expectations when something has to be a certain way within my perspective of how things should be. It is when I enter into a conversation or engagement and I have an outcome that I want to make happen. Some would call this vested interest. When I have an attachment I become tunnel visioned and often exclude all other possibilities, and often exclude the benefits and perspectives of others. There are times when this is appropriate, but often it provokes the selfishness in my actions.

What do I make TAO mean? I see it as THE WAY OF DOING THINGS THAT SERVES THE GREATER GOOD. On the first 4 lines:

The tao that can be told
is not the eternal Tao
The name that can be named
is not the eternal Name.


We human beings are an ever evolving species. Collectively we evolve. As individuals we evolve. Especially as individuals our outlook on life, and interaction with those around us evolve. In this part of verse 1 see that each of us have a way of doing things that serve ourselves and others. We are forever changing and learning. At different different episodes of our lives our choices of actions that we label as GOOD only works for those particular episodes in our lives. For example, a genuine act of kindness from one teenager to another in getting out of trouble with parents would be a very different place of a parent guiding a child in learning some fundamental life skills.

I believe that an intention of serving the greater good is present in all of us and has to be activated. And because of the the every changing nature of our perspective during our time on earth, this intention can only be expressed according to what we have at the time.

Thus there is no generic way. There is no way that can be told and named. For those of us including me that identify statically a certain way of doing things is the be all end all, we may find that the world moves on and our way of doing things becomes outdated without our realising. And that will show through in the results. I for one have been guilty of acting like a child or teenager when dealing with adult matters that require more consideration of others.



The unnamable is the eternally real.
Naming is the origin
of all particular things.

To me the unnameable and eternally real is the intention of knowing that its not always about me, and the openness to evolve my ways according to situation. The best way I have been able to do this at my better times is to let go of judgement in the way other people do things, and see the intention rather than action of others.

The intention of kindness is boundless and cannot be named. Once it is named it may become

-sympathy
-in the name of The Lord
-codes of conduct
etc

There is no harm in any of that, however when these good intentions are labelled and then placed on a shelf there is a chance that they can be misused. Much blood has been shed throughout human history in the name of this, that, or the other.



Free from desire, you realize the mystery.
Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations.


Desire. This comes in many forms, wanting, obsession, possession, attachments, etc. In my experiences being free from the bounding effects of attachments is having an open mind. And from that place there is so much more to see. At this time of turmoil in my life. Letting go of the grim views that is so easy to fall into has shown me endless opportunities and a lot of kindness from those around me. I could have just as easily become pissed off and depressed and stayed there for a season or a lifetime.

If I chose to be caught up in what I call shit thinking. What is the likely result? I would likely manifest more of what I am thinking about and shut out all necessary and wonderful manifestations. Do you know of someone that had done this before?


Yet mystery and manifestations
arise from the same source.
This source is called darkness.

Darkness within darkness.
The gateway to all understanding.


The Darkness that Lao Tze speaks of is a really intriguing one. The word darkness itself triggered a negative response at first. But after letting go of that attachment I was able to contemplate and find a meaning within myself of what this means.

Here's my take on it. Darkness is an absence of light. Lets just say it is THE ABSENCE OF. And when all is absent it means its a clean slate. And a clean slate is a pure potentiality where all can be built. have a look at this and see if you know what I mean. Watch this clip of Bruce Lee teaching a student about emptying his cup of knowledge before being open to receive new knowledge. WATCH THIS CLIP FROM 2 MINUTES AND 30 SECONDS.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cuDZU-kSybE


What I make the last 2 lines of verse 1 mean is that being open and letting go of attachments, judgements and experiences puts us into a state of openness. In this state we are geared to new understandings.

 

[viper]

The way of virtue. Something to meditate on.

 

[svengali]

I have studied the Tao Te Ching at some length during martial arts training and found some very profound, as well as some very confusing thoughts in it.

One problem with it is that it was written in ancient Chinese which, like Shakespearean English, can be confusing. Translation to English also brings the problems of interpretation, ie adding personal meaning as opposed to faithfully translating what is written. Do that and you violate the first tenet - "The Tao that can be taught...........".The languages are just so different that, just as only a native Arabic speaker can truly understand the Qu'ran, you need to be familiar with Chinese thinking and culture to correctly understand the Tao.The best bet, if you have the time, is to read several different texts and try and distill the meaning from them.

One interesting theory I read was that "Lao Tzu" was not actually an individual. The Tao is partly a collection of folk wisdom, parts of which can be traced back over four centuries. They were allegedly compiled into book form by a librarian called Li Ehr Tan and were collectively referred to as the "Lao Tzu" meaning the wisdom of the elders.

Personally, I prefer the more romantic legend in the preface of my text which I will post if anyone is interested.

 

[asianguy77]

Sex and Zen go hand in hand

 

[asianlover696]

OMG Yoda, those who study Tao mostly don't punt, eat vegetables and don't drink alcohol.

 

[svengali]

OMG Yoda, those who study Tao mostly don't punt, eat vegetables and don't drink alcohol.

Not so!

The Tao is more philosophy than religion and is in no way the exclusive preserve of mung bean guzzling hippies.

 

[5ome0ne]

Actually Taoism does not promote vegetarianism nor does it tell you not to drink alcohol or not to have sex. It's Buddhism that does.
Actually Taoism promotes sex as a way to balance the Yin and Yang energy.

 

[blacksparrow]

All things happen for good reason, u can not see the future so at this point in time you do not understand why these things may have happened to you. You may understand in time to come and pass. The most unpleasant experiences we have in life, hold the best opportunities for learning about ourselves. Your soul has guided you to these experiences, for your benefit, if and only if you have the wisdom to take from the negative, the fruit that it beholds. Your only seeing a small piece of the picture, and thet becomes your focus. Trust in your self ( the part of u that u dont know ((soul)) and you can be at peace and be calm in the knowledge that everything is for your development now matter how terrible it may seem at the time. I have had horrid experiences, only later to see and understand that that experience was neccessay to propel me to a higher level of understanding and also improved life. Yes you may get hit by a bus today, fell unlucky, by a lotto ticket and win huge $$$, now if the bus never hit u, u may not have bought that lotto ticket. Simple analogy I know, just trust in your self, (( inner self)) Try study "Siddah Yoga"" or read the book by "Meher Baba" called " God Speaks" , which is an explanation of everything and I mean everything. Im not trying to sound like a guru, or preach at all, I have studied many things in search of truth and myself. But just as you, and as you all possibly, life may seem contradicting and confusing, just roll with it, dont let it roll on you.

 

[Master Yoda]

Here is another one those moments where I am drawn to the Dao. I sit alone with much on my mind. Distractions such as television, the mighty iPad, and beautiful women are conveniently tempting to fall into for an escape.

However, with the remaining strength left in me I'll take a much needed revisit into the Dao De Jing. And jot down my flowing thoughts on this iPhone.


Dao De Jing Verse 2

When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad.

Being and non-being create each other.
Difficult and easy support each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low depend on each other.
Before and after follow each other.

Therefore the Master
acts without doing anything
and teaches without saying anything.
Things arise and she lets them come;
things disappear and she lets them go.
She has but doesn't possess,
acts but doesn't expect.
When her work is done, she forgets it.
That is why it lasts.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


.......When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad.......

The first thing I notice in this beautiful little translated script is PERCEPTION. Could it be that there is no such thing as the subjective reality? That all reality objectively exists in the minds of individuals according to their model of the world and influenced by what they are experiencing at the time. Many new age teachers passionately spread this message and do so to go as far as saying that all that is out there beyond the perception of sention beings like us are just a soup of nothing that is everything and pure potentiality. But hey, let's not get into that wonderful stuff today.

The labels that represent extremes of perceptions mentions such as good vs bad, beautiful vs ugly, high vs low, etc seem to be momentary snap shops of perceptions by individuals according to influence of the ego and emotions as the time.

Would it not be wonderful if everything can be seen as they are without labels. The Dao illustrates clearly something we as modern humans fail to see. Every time we praise or shunt something or someone would it not be true that there is an equal and opposite effect? As the Dao points out, to label one person as being special must mean that one or more other people is not special. I believe the people who are the least destructive and disruptive tend to be those who minimise passing such judgements.

What if one was able to see things as they are and not apply a label? A label that is based on emotions triggered by an endless variety of interactions with the living and the non living environment. To see things as they are and not better or worse than they are. If individuals who have this virtue exist, would be true that these people tend to be the leaders, guides, and oracles that we take for granted. Imagine the calmness and comfort of not being tainted by the influences of such thoughts from oneself and others. I sit and ponder what it would be like to live like that more often.

In the face of devastation (like an earth quake, or a financial crisis) some are devastated while others calmly accept what has happened and and just moves forward without the delay of emotional turmoil and recovery. On a tiny scale a personal triumph in this context is that my vehicle needs to go over the inspection pit. I faced this without frustration, and here I sit at the pit line enjoying my time with the Dao De Jing.






.......Being and non-being create each other.
Difficult and easy support each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low depend on each other.
Before and after follow each other.......


In my personal experience and in the observation of what is around me I have noticed that when people thrive and party in the face of joy things are taken for granted and often forgotten. Strangely people tend to remember and amplify the effect of less desired experiences that they label as bad. If I was to ask why that is it may lead to an eternal spiral that takes me through un-empowering stats and lands me nowhere. So right now I will choose to focus away from that.

What if when faced with something that holds a label like depressing, frightening, frustrating, sad, etc one was able to just see it for what it is and understand that it is just a contrast point in the continuum of experiences? And to step it up a notch what if one is able to be grateful that these so called bad experiences give contrast to other experiences.

Have you ever met a person who has always dwelled in an environment where he or she always got his or her way without much effort or input? Perhaps the child of a wealthy household that over emphasises on material and emotional indulgences to their dependants. In my experience, these individuals often live with the difficulty of having non balanced expectations that lead to less pleasant experiences and creating more unpleasant experiences around them. If we look through the eyes of such a person we may see that everything is unpleasant and frustrating. This leaves little room for noticing the kindness and beauty that exists in the same space.



.......Therefore the Master
acts without doing anything
and teaches without saying anything.
Things arise and she lets them come;
things disappear and she lets them go.
She has but doesn't possess,
acts but doesn't expect.
When her work is done, she forgets it.
That is why it lasts.......


A Master.......

I'm my brief time here I have met a few people that have been masters to me. Some are aware they are, some are not. Qualities that are common amongst them are:
- Masters are well balanced with caring for people yet have little or no attachments to outcomes.
- Masters be what they demonstrate rather than telling others what to do.
- Masters see things as they are and not worse than they are when faced with challenges. - Masters see how things can be better and make it happen while minimising the indulgence of emotions.
- In the face of things going well, Masters are grateful.
- Masters stay present to and identify the emotions they experience without judgement. Then Masters make a decision on whether these emotions are taking them. Upon realising this they decide what emotions do empower them and craft their actions from there. Sometimes the decision leads to not take any action.

That is a head space I desire to be in more often.


I believe we are all capable of being in such ahead space. Some of us live there more or less often than others. An easy differentiation between people who do or don't is what results they create around them. Would it not be true that aside from the wisdom of WE ARE WHAT WE EAT, there is an equally wise phrase of WE ARE WHAT WE THINK ABOUT MOST OF THE TIME?


Thank you for allowing space to share my thoughts.

 

[homer]

Tao is in your head...

 

[Endymion]

Some years ago I studied and qualified as a practitioner of Chinese Medicine i.e. acupuncture, herbs and massage. Along the way I tried to embrace other aspects of "Chineseness" paying particular attention to their philosophies including the Tao and I also have grappled with many of its seemingly self-contradictory statements. However I have stumbled across a few clarifying concepts on my journey. Here's the first..

The first thing I notice in this beautiful little translated script is PERCEPTION. Could it be that there is no such thing as the subjective reality?

I agree,Yoda, with your interpretation of Verse 2. Shakespeare also puts it very succinctly... "there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.."(Hamlet)

.......Being and non-being create each other.
Difficult and easy support each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low depend on each other.
Before and after follow each other.......

I think this refers to the fundemental concept of yin and ying, the idea of the co-existence of opposites- one cannot exist without the other. This idea pervades the entire cosmos; hot and cold, light and dark etc. and includes abstract concepts;happy and sad, up and down etc.

.......Therefore the Master
acts without doing anything
and teaches without saying anything.
Things arise and she lets them come;
things disappear and she lets them go.
She has but doesn't possess,
acts but doesn't expect.
When her work is done, she forgets it.
That is why it lasts.......

Hmm, I had a lengthy argument with one of my teachers at college about the real task of a teacher and contended, and still do to this day, that a teacher's job is not to stand in front of a class and impart often boring and meaningless "stuff" but to inspire their students to discover things for themselves.
In conclusion these Chinese adages spring to mind loosely based on the concept of Taoism...
A tree that bends in the wind will survive...a tree that stands strong and steadfast will be broken
The teacher will appear when the student is ready and vice versa
I still await the appearance of many teachers.

 

[Master Yoda]

Thanks

That was most insightful. It's a hard one to balance is it not? To share such thoughts without applying the filtered versions of our own perception.

Many philosophies like the Yin Yang are perfect when left alone. But it is like a new toy. And hard to experience and discover it without taking it out of its box and scratching it up a bit.