While husbanding the Spirit and Instinct to embrace Unity - Can you keep them from separating?
Gather the vital Qi until it becomes extremely subtle - can you be like an infant with an open fontanel?
Wash the mysterious mirror - until it is without faults!
Caring for the Empire - can you be free from cunning and planning after advantage?
Opening and closing the gate of Heaven - can you be passive like a female bird?
Bright clarity penetrates in all directions - can you be renounce "doing"?
Nourish that which comes forth - Create without taking possession.
Act, but without expectations and claims.
Progress, but do not harm others or dominate them.
these describe the mysteries of Virtue.
-Translation by Shi Fa Jun, inspired by Johnathan Star translation
___________________________________________________________________
Husband the Spirit and Instinct to embrace Unity - each of us is kind of like a cartoon character with a little angel and a little devil resting on our shoulders. There is one aspect of our Spirit that is continually urging us to evolve to grow ever higher, to accomplish the mission of our soul. To do this, we can forsake all other things and work with our eyes only on this one goal. The other Spirit is the little Devil that tells us to "live for today" to "make sure we get ours" and, in extreme forms can make us forsake our integrity for self-centered pleasures.
The Master tells us here that in order to truly embrace Unity we need to husband these two aspects of our soul and keep them from separating. This is actually a very rarely practiced art. If you look around, it is likely that you can see there are generally two types of people in the world - those that live for the moment, and those that live for the future or the past. Often individuals who are living in either style will tell you that theirs is either more fun or more virtuous. The problem is, that neither of these temporal points of reference actually exist.
If you think about the future, one can ask (as many zen masters and new-age teachers have) "when will that future happen?". Well, it doesn't ever actually happen some where else - it can only happen now. That future "out there" doesn't really exist, only our thoughts about it exist. The same is true for the Past - when did the past happen? Well, it happened now. Not, of course, from our perspective in this moment - but when it was happening, it was this moment and now it exists as a thought trace in this current present moment.
At the same time that we can go on with the game about the fact that the past and future don't really exist in any real sense, neither does the present moment - because, well, what will it be when it's tomorrow? Of course it will be the present moment, but it will be a present moment that is dependant upon the one we are experiencing now, which will by then have become the past. Whew. That's a lot of convoluted thinking, in my opinion, but i think it's necessary if we are going to recognize that these two points of view have no existence in and of themselves.
They do, however, have existence in relationship to each other. In Buddhism, these two points of view are reflected by the Sudden Awakening School, and the Gradual Awakening School. One says "you are enlightenment right now - wake up to that fact and cease your suffering!" the other says something like "well, you are suffering, certain actions led you to that state and other actions will lead you from it toward a liberated state". In much of the advanced Buddhist training that we can engage in, we realize that neither of these Paths can be engaged in all by itself.
If you just "live for today" because you are already enlightened, there isn't really anything to keep you from engaging in actions that produce suffering and unhappiness, because, when taken to extreme, the belief is that this is the only moment that exists and so what one does doesn't actually matter. At the same time, if you "live for tomorrow (and through that also redeem yesterday)" you miss out on the only time you actually have to experience life or make any worthwhile change. The two streams must be fused if one is to partake of Reality and grow the Spirit into it's most artful form.
Fusing the Spirit and the Instinct also means that if we are living here in bodies, we must take care of those bodies - but not in a way that demeans the Spirit. The higher ethics of a human, and the instincts that keep one alive are both there to serve the evolution of a being and must be kept in a subtle balance. This a high art that is not often seen in the world around us.
Next the master gives us further practical instruction -
"Gather the Vital Qi until it is extremely soft - can you be like an infant with an open fontanel?"
The substance of our Life is a subtle vitality that permeates our entire being. In many of us, we allow its circulation to become ragged and ridged. This is reflected in the distorted and stressful patterns of our minds. Actually, the two are mutually interdependant. If you want to calm the mind, you can calm the Qi - by practicing smooth, slow breathing, or smooth movements or internal energy meditation. At the same time, if you calm the thoughts, the qi will calm too - when you enter into meditation, the breath begins to slow and the subtle energy realigns of its own accord.
When our vitality becomes soft like this, we begin to breathe like a baby. There is no obstruction to the flow of air and vitality all the way down below the navel. The image for the Chinese character for a baby here is interesting - it pictures a child with the fontanel (sutres of the skull) still open. This has a special meaning in Daoist training, because it is known that infants, while their fontanels are still open, are able to travel in the Spirit body at will. Most of us lose this capacity because we block the flow of energy through the body and thus lessen the amount that we have available for higher spiritual functions. We are so busy repressing our negative emotions that we don't have the resources left over for higher awareness.
When we cultivate our breath and our subtle energy until it is very soft and flows deep down below the navel, we begin gathering a great deal of energy into the body and this allows the spirit to learn to soar. When we soften the belly so that the emotions flow easily and without restriction, we regain our connection to Heaven through the top of the head.
"Wash the mysterious mirror - until it is without faults!"
Esoterically, this instruction is perfectly placed in this chapter, because the "mysterious mirror" refers, at times, to the energetic center in the middle of the brain, through which a master can learn to view the interior of his or her own body, and view the subtle nature of reality.
The Mysterious Mirror, also refers to the nature of our mind. When the mind becomes still and quiet, it is like a still pool of water that reflects the sky perfectly. When the mind is not still - it is like a lake that is disturbed by ripples. The image of reality is distorted. To wash the mysterious mirror, all we need to do is begin to teach the mind to rest. We cannot still it by reaching in and trying to pat down all the ripples - this just makes more waves. We can, though, remember the true nature of this magickal mirror and know that it will return to its reflective quality if we simply stand by patiently.
"Caring for the Empire - can you be free of cunning?"
We all have an Empire to care for. We may not feel like it is that much, but the master calls upon us to take our job very seriously - we must act as if we are sacred priest-kings or queens who's destiny and passion it is to take care of all the members of the kingdom. As we do this, though, we must be free of searching for advantage. They say that power corrupts, but we must be incorruptible. This is how we truly become a sacred ruler. When we embody this freedom from cunning and desire for power, we can see the world around us transform into a sacred realm full of beings we can care for.
"Opening and closing the Gate of Heaven - can you be passive like a female bird?"
The Gate of Heaven in the body is the top of the head where the spirit can travel in and out, it is also here with us in each moment. Jesus said "the kingdom of heaven is all around you". We can open this gate into spiritual unity at any moment we choose. How do we do this? By our very ability to rest.
Many authors translate this line with an emphasis upon the passivity, but I like including the etymology of the character, which refers to a female bird. What is a female bird like? Is it passive? Does it cease to fly because it is female? No, she takes a mate, she nourishes her young, she gives birth.
To give birth, one does not need to somehow operate the process and make sure the body does it right. Bodies give birth to life. They do this just by resting. The female bird here is able to fly, and she is pregnant with power, simply through her being. She is passive, but not in any lazy way that we might think. She is Yin - feminine rather than masculine.
If we wish to open the gate of heaven in each moment, it requires that we become Yin to Reality. If we are going out and searching for Life, we actually scare it away - like animals in the forest. If we cling to the classically "masculine" desires for accomplishment and attainment, we push away some of the greatest accomplishments that we could gain. By opening as Yin to Life, we open the gate of Heaven and can begin to fly!
"Bright clarity penetrates in all directions, can you renounce doing?"
The last lines go on to tell us the specifics of this. Our brightness radiates out in all directions. There is no where that our consciousness does not reach forth to - but at the center, there is emptiness. This light emerges, but we do not call it "ours" - that would limit and hold it back. The light emerges and we let it continually emerge. Filling not only one direction, but all directions of space. Within and without are permeated. Up and down, left and right, none are rejected or avoided.
This is called the way of Mysterious Virtue.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
chapter 2
When all under Heaven know beauty as beauty,
already there is ugliness;
When everyone knows goodness,
this accounts for badness
Being and nonbeing give birth to each other,
Difficult and easy complete each other,
Long and short form each other,
High and low fulfill each other,
Tone and voice harmonize with each other,
Front and back follow each other -
it is ever thus.
For these reasons,
The sage
dwells in affairs of nonaction,
carries out a doctrine without words.
He lets the myriad creatures rise up
but does not instigate them;
He acts
but does not presume;
He completes his work
but does not dwell on it.
Now,
Simply because he does not dwell on them,
his accomplishments never leave him.
-Victor H. Mair translation
This is one of my favorite passages in the entire Lao Tze, but at first it was the one that challenged me the most.
What is put forward here is a view that there can be no beauty without ugliness, there can be no "good" without "evil", and so on. This can be easy to apprehend in some of the other examples - o.k., no high without low - i can see that - but the mind craves after the myth that there can some day be a type of happiness or goodness that will not be undercut by its opposite.
It is a sad fact that many humans in our culture strive after this myth - it may be through the use of drugs, relationships, food, or any other means. Without fail, though, they are dissapointed. Some religious figures go so far to say that this means that all "sensual" pleasures are "bad". Sadly, this usually leads them to seek a myth through religious pleasures of the mind or emotions - which are, in most cases, equally temporary.
The problem here is that to even form a concept of something "without opposite" is impossible. We can see this in the first word "without". When one uses a word like this, it means you are comparing something. So, we are saying "without opposite" and we immediately get a comparison of how that is different from "with opposites". Hmmm... how can we wrap our minds around something like this? A state of existence that is so without opposites that it even includes opposites?
Most of the chapters in the Dao De Ching eventually point back to the first chapter where it says that the "Dao which can be spoken of is not the Dao". This refers also to the speech which happens in ones mind - thoughts. If you can think it, you are making a comparison and now you've missed it.
Playing with games like this is to use the same method as the old Zen masters' use of the Koan. A Koan is a paradoxical riddle that cannot be sufficiently answered by logic. In some Buddhist traditions, the type of mental state that is produced by these practices is referred to as a "whirling drill of doubt" which is used to penetrate through the obstructions of the conditioned mind. The mind becomes kind of like a dog chasing its tail going round and round the question which cannot be answered through comparisons - until this whirling creates so much speed and friction that a breakthrough occurs. When mental obstructions are broken through - even for an instant - one finds herself in a world that is truly "without opposites", or without mentation based on comparison. This method is also known as "using poison to treat poison" - in other words, utilizing the mind to transcend the dysfunctions of the mind.
This brings us to an important idea. The idea of relative truth versus absolute truth. The reason that this idea is important is that it is all very well and good for us to say that beauty and ugliness are the same thing and there's really no good or bad in the world - but this does not actually apply to our real lives that we can see in front of us.
In some of the old Buddhist traditions, it was forbidden for a higher level practitioner to explain this above notion of the emptiness of independant existence to one who was not ready for it. This is because when one is not ready to realize how everything is connected, it is possible that they will lose all moral conscience all together. It is also a common occurance that individuals who truly begin to integrate this knowledge will go through a type of depression and spiritual death as the concepts that they previously built their world upon collapse.
The idea of relative versus absolute truth is of the utmost importance because the two - like everything else - are mutually dependant. The absolute depends on the relative, and vice versa.
So, what does this mean? It means that while we can be aware of the fact that beauty and ugliness don't really exist, and neither do good or bad for that matter - they certainly appear to. Even though there is nothing intrinsically "bad" about hitting yourself in the head with the hammer, it still hurts. So, it has become very important for spiritual seekers of all eras to explore ways of conducting their lives which are supportive of creating relative happiness.
The only difference here is that for a spiritual person who has understood this absolute truth we have explored above, they don't depend upon external gratification for their happiness. Lao Tze puts this forth in a paradoxical and (I think) humorous way.
"The Sage dwells in affairs of nonaction"
The Sage, our example of an integrated and awakened being, is not said to be sitting on a mountain somewhere "doing nothing" - but rather dwelling in affiars. What type of affiars though? This is the distinction. The sage dwells in affairs of non-action.
To me, this paradoxical statement means that while the Sage is acting within the world, she is not becoming lost in the world. In practical terms this means that one simply recognizes that nothing in this world can create lasting happiness. Everthing is conditioned by its opposite. Knowing this, a person can relax.
Realizing that the world cannot offer you anything that is truly independant, truly just itself, by itself, without opposite actually allows a being to let go of a great deal of striving. Letting go in this way lets one settle into this present moment and when one does, one realizes that there is a type of happiness that cannot be undone. It is because this is a happiness that is not dependant upon conditions. We might also do well to call this state "peace", or any word that implies to you a state that is available in any moment.
"he lets the myriad creatures rise up, but does not instigate them"
This word that is translated here as "instigate" can also mean "hinder", "interrupt", or "refuse". This implies that the Sage does not reject the world, nor does she actually try to do anything with the world, but merely allows it to be the way it is.
"he acts, but does not presume"
The sage may create, but she does not try to take any posession of her creation. Living in this way, there is nothing that can ever be taken from her, or removed from her. Living in this way, the Sage aligns herself as creation itself. Many beings only engage in activities for the result of those activites. The sage engages in activites solely to act.
These sentiments are summed up in the last line
"Simply because he does not dwell on them, his accomplishments never leave him."
Non-dwelling means non-conceptualizing, or not creating a fixed sense of identity. If you try to build yourself a house out of all your achievements, you will be left exposed to the elements when those achievements pass away. If, though, you can make your abode in this very moment of Reality, this is the ultimate achievement. This sense of dwelling in the perfection of existence - regardless of external conditions - can never be taken away. It is the one achievement that offers true and permanent peace.
already there is ugliness;
When everyone knows goodness,
this accounts for badness
Being and nonbeing give birth to each other,
Difficult and easy complete each other,
Long and short form each other,
High and low fulfill each other,
Tone and voice harmonize with each other,
Front and back follow each other -
it is ever thus.
For these reasons,
The sage
dwells in affairs of nonaction,
carries out a doctrine without words.
He lets the myriad creatures rise up
but does not instigate them;
He acts
but does not presume;
He completes his work
but does not dwell on it.
Now,
Simply because he does not dwell on them,
his accomplishments never leave him.
-Victor H. Mair translation
This is one of my favorite passages in the entire Lao Tze, but at first it was the one that challenged me the most.
What is put forward here is a view that there can be no beauty without ugliness, there can be no "good" without "evil", and so on. This can be easy to apprehend in some of the other examples - o.k., no high without low - i can see that - but the mind craves after the myth that there can some day be a type of happiness or goodness that will not be undercut by its opposite.
It is a sad fact that many humans in our culture strive after this myth - it may be through the use of drugs, relationships, food, or any other means. Without fail, though, they are dissapointed. Some religious figures go so far to say that this means that all "sensual" pleasures are "bad". Sadly, this usually leads them to seek a myth through religious pleasures of the mind or emotions - which are, in most cases, equally temporary.
The problem here is that to even form a concept of something "without opposite" is impossible. We can see this in the first word "without". When one uses a word like this, it means you are comparing something. So, we are saying "without opposite" and we immediately get a comparison of how that is different from "with opposites". Hmmm... how can we wrap our minds around something like this? A state of existence that is so without opposites that it even includes opposites?
Most of the chapters in the Dao De Ching eventually point back to the first chapter where it says that the "Dao which can be spoken of is not the Dao". This refers also to the speech which happens in ones mind - thoughts. If you can think it, you are making a comparison and now you've missed it.
Playing with games like this is to use the same method as the old Zen masters' use of the Koan. A Koan is a paradoxical riddle that cannot be sufficiently answered by logic. In some Buddhist traditions, the type of mental state that is produced by these practices is referred to as a "whirling drill of doubt" which is used to penetrate through the obstructions of the conditioned mind. The mind becomes kind of like a dog chasing its tail going round and round the question which cannot be answered through comparisons - until this whirling creates so much speed and friction that a breakthrough occurs. When mental obstructions are broken through - even for an instant - one finds herself in a world that is truly "without opposites", or without mentation based on comparison. This method is also known as "using poison to treat poison" - in other words, utilizing the mind to transcend the dysfunctions of the mind.
This brings us to an important idea. The idea of relative truth versus absolute truth. The reason that this idea is important is that it is all very well and good for us to say that beauty and ugliness are the same thing and there's really no good or bad in the world - but this does not actually apply to our real lives that we can see in front of us.
In some of the old Buddhist traditions, it was forbidden for a higher level practitioner to explain this above notion of the emptiness of independant existence to one who was not ready for it. This is because when one is not ready to realize how everything is connected, it is possible that they will lose all moral conscience all together. It is also a common occurance that individuals who truly begin to integrate this knowledge will go through a type of depression and spiritual death as the concepts that they previously built their world upon collapse.
The idea of relative versus absolute truth is of the utmost importance because the two - like everything else - are mutually dependant. The absolute depends on the relative, and vice versa.
So, what does this mean? It means that while we can be aware of the fact that beauty and ugliness don't really exist, and neither do good or bad for that matter - they certainly appear to. Even though there is nothing intrinsically "bad" about hitting yourself in the head with the hammer, it still hurts. So, it has become very important for spiritual seekers of all eras to explore ways of conducting their lives which are supportive of creating relative happiness.
The only difference here is that for a spiritual person who has understood this absolute truth we have explored above, they don't depend upon external gratification for their happiness. Lao Tze puts this forth in a paradoxical and (I think) humorous way.
"The Sage dwells in affairs of nonaction"
The Sage, our example of an integrated and awakened being, is not said to be sitting on a mountain somewhere "doing nothing" - but rather dwelling in affiars. What type of affiars though? This is the distinction. The sage dwells in affairs of non-action.
To me, this paradoxical statement means that while the Sage is acting within the world, she is not becoming lost in the world. In practical terms this means that one simply recognizes that nothing in this world can create lasting happiness. Everthing is conditioned by its opposite. Knowing this, a person can relax.
Realizing that the world cannot offer you anything that is truly independant, truly just itself, by itself, without opposite actually allows a being to let go of a great deal of striving. Letting go in this way lets one settle into this present moment and when one does, one realizes that there is a type of happiness that cannot be undone. It is because this is a happiness that is not dependant upon conditions. We might also do well to call this state "peace", or any word that implies to you a state that is available in any moment.
"he lets the myriad creatures rise up, but does not instigate them"
This word that is translated here as "instigate" can also mean "hinder", "interrupt", or "refuse". This implies that the Sage does not reject the world, nor does she actually try to do anything with the world, but merely allows it to be the way it is.
"he acts, but does not presume"
The sage may create, but she does not try to take any posession of her creation. Living in this way, there is nothing that can ever be taken from her, or removed from her. Living in this way, the Sage aligns herself as creation itself. Many beings only engage in activities for the result of those activites. The sage engages in activites solely to act.
These sentiments are summed up in the last line
"Simply because he does not dwell on them, his accomplishments never leave him."
Non-dwelling means non-conceptualizing, or not creating a fixed sense of identity. If you try to build yourself a house out of all your achievements, you will be left exposed to the elements when those achievements pass away. If, though, you can make your abode in this very moment of Reality, this is the ultimate achievement. This sense of dwelling in the perfection of existence - regardless of external conditions - can never be taken away. It is the one achievement that offers true and permanent peace.
Monday, March 22, 2010
chapter 7
Heaven is long and Earth is lasting
Heaven and Earth can be long and lasting because they do not live for themselves.
Therefore - they can be long-lived
For this reason,
The sage
withdraws himself
but comes to the fore,
alienates himself
but is always present.
Is this not because he is free of private interests?
Therefore,
He can accomplish his private interests.
-Victor H. Mair translation
If we wish to walk the path of immortality, we should have some idea of how this is accomplished. To the ancients, nothing could be more long lasting than Heaven and Earth. These factors will far outlive our miniscule existences... and are inconcievably ancient.
Lao Tze tells us that the reason that this can be is that they are selfless. If we feel into the idea of having a self, we can observe (if we are honest) a subtle sense of contraction. All ideas of a self are composed of boundaries or borders. One cannot have a self without having a non-self to compare it with. According to the ancient traditions, it is this subtle sense of contraction that cuts us off to the flow of infinite life from the universe.
This is all, the entire secret of eternal Life.
Thus, all the great teachers have given us a path of Compassion as the way to discover our immortality.
Lao Tze goes on to describe this:
"the sage withdraws himself, but comes to the fore"
This does not necessarily mean that a person should belittle the personality in an unhealthy way. What we recognize here is the Law of Karma. The greatest factor influencing the reality we see manifest to us is the actions we put forth into the world. Our minds continually manifest our deepest beliefs about reality (this can be observed without much difficulty if one is mindful). When our actions reflect beliefs that individuals should help each other out, that others deserve our aid and upliftment, we see ourselves acting out these beliefs and come to believe them more strongly. Eventually - this all comes back around and we find our own selves being uplifted. And then we are worthy of upliftment, because our own initiatives are the same as those as the Great Dao - to love and promote all things. This is reflected in the last lines:
"is this not because he is free of private interests? therefore, he can accomplish his private interests"
The Dao is the greatest power in the Universe - it is the power of the universe. If we want all the power we could imagine, all we need do is to align with it. It is this power that comes to infuse the body of the sage who has expanded her sense of "self" until there is no sense of boundary and constriction. This being has no feelings of discomfort, because there is no need to affirm a separate reality through pain. With no feelings of discomfort, the blockages in the internal energy channels are dissolved, and one experiences herself as infinity.
Heaven and Earth can be long and lasting because they do not live for themselves.
Therefore - they can be long-lived
For this reason,
The sage
withdraws himself
but comes to the fore,
alienates himself
but is always present.
Is this not because he is free of private interests?
Therefore,
He can accomplish his private interests.
-Victor H. Mair translation
If we wish to walk the path of immortality, we should have some idea of how this is accomplished. To the ancients, nothing could be more long lasting than Heaven and Earth. These factors will far outlive our miniscule existences... and are inconcievably ancient.
Lao Tze tells us that the reason that this can be is that they are selfless. If we feel into the idea of having a self, we can observe (if we are honest) a subtle sense of contraction. All ideas of a self are composed of boundaries or borders. One cannot have a self without having a non-self to compare it with. According to the ancient traditions, it is this subtle sense of contraction that cuts us off to the flow of infinite life from the universe.
This is all, the entire secret of eternal Life.
Thus, all the great teachers have given us a path of Compassion as the way to discover our immortality.
Lao Tze goes on to describe this:
"the sage withdraws himself, but comes to the fore"
This does not necessarily mean that a person should belittle the personality in an unhealthy way. What we recognize here is the Law of Karma. The greatest factor influencing the reality we see manifest to us is the actions we put forth into the world. Our minds continually manifest our deepest beliefs about reality (this can be observed without much difficulty if one is mindful). When our actions reflect beliefs that individuals should help each other out, that others deserve our aid and upliftment, we see ourselves acting out these beliefs and come to believe them more strongly. Eventually - this all comes back around and we find our own selves being uplifted. And then we are worthy of upliftment, because our own initiatives are the same as those as the Great Dao - to love and promote all things. This is reflected in the last lines:
"is this not because he is free of private interests? therefore, he can accomplish his private interests"
The Dao is the greatest power in the Universe - it is the power of the universe. If we want all the power we could imagine, all we need do is to align with it. It is this power that comes to infuse the body of the sage who has expanded her sense of "self" until there is no sense of boundary and constriction. This being has no feelings of discomfort, because there is no need to affirm a separate reality through pain. With no feelings of discomfort, the blockages in the internal energy channels are dissolved, and one experiences herself as infinity.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Chapter 1
The Tao that can be "tao-ed" is not the eternal Tao
The Name that can be named is not the eternal Name
Namelessness is the origin of Heaven and Earth
The named is the mother of the ten thousand beings
Therefore,
Always be free of desires
You will reveal it's subtle essence
Always have desires
You will reveal it's manifestations
These two originate in unity,
But are called by different names
This unity is called the deep obscure mystery.
It is mystery upon profound mystery
the gateway of the subtle essence of the Tao
Translation by Shi Fa Jun Shakya, inspired by Jonathan Star and Victor H. Mair
Labels are very good for quantifiable things, but what about when we are dealing with that which cannot be quantified? The word here that is translated as "eternal" can also mean Absolute. For something to be absolute, eternal, it can have no opposite, it can have nothing other than itself.
Just think, you have the absolute, and then you have something outside of it to compare it to? This cannot be, because any new thing would be part of an even greater whole. The Tao we are concerned with here is not something that can be compared with anything. There is nothing that it is not. There is nowhere that it isn't. How could one speak of something like this? How could one begin to tame it and make it ones own?
Lao Tze says that the Name that can be named is not the eternal name. This is simply respectful if you are to speak about the Divine. It is important for us to know that all of our concepts concerning what divinity is will be flawed. Knowing this, and being humble about it, we can begin to expand into the undertanding that is our birthright. We should know at the beginning that our concepts are provisional. They are provisions to get us along a part of our journey, we should use them up to sustain us. But they are in no way absolute truth.
Lao Tze does us a great kindness here by pointing these things out. Some have wondered why he begins his 81 chapter discourse on the nature of the Absolute by telling us that it cannot be described. I believe that it is so that even at the very beginning we must release some of our habitual grasping.
These egos that we have grown want so much just to know something for sure. We just want to accumulate the knowledge and power that it will take for us never to have to be hurt again. We want the keys and the perceptions that will make us invulnerable.
The only problem is that we seem to think that we can get this by making an ever harder shell around ourselves. We take all of the names and schemes that we can learn and we form walls and armour that momentarily makes us feel secure. These egoic "structures" are much like a house of cards. The game feels fun while we are on the first levels, but then, as it gets taller and taller, everything begins to feel very unstable. It is because we have gone about setting up something that is contrary to nature, contrary to the mystery. We have chosen to grasp at that which can only be caught by letting go of everything.
Do not, however, fall into the mistake of "not grasping". You may wish to stop speaking all together, to move to the desert and give away all that you own, to fast and visualize many things or chant mantras. These are all wonderful identities to have, but still not the Absolute Tao. There is no problem with mantras or fasting, but don't use them to try to gain more knowledge, more armour - we must use them to make ourseleves soft. We must become soft enough that our illusory boundaries merge with the All-That-Is.
Things will not finally be "o.k." when this happens, nothing will be special at all. You will recognize that you were already one with All-That-Is (how could you be otherwise) and it will feel wonderful.
"therefore,
Always be free of desire,
you will reveal it's subtle essence.
Always have desire,
you will reveal its manifestations.
These two originate in unity,
but are called by different names."
I feel the order of this verse is important. We are first told to be without desires, so that we may percieve the subtle essence of the Absolute. This means freedom from all desires. If we look at desires, we realize that they are always about something that is not. "There is something that is not here and I want it." If we are to recognize the essence of the Tao, we must realize that there is nothing lacking from this moment. When you find your way to this recognition everything becomes somehow richer and filled with meaningfulness, yet it is completely plain and ordinary. I've actually experienced it quite a number of times. Upon remembering the experience, though, it becomes something "larger than life", a goal to strive for - and for some reason, this makes it harder to enter this awareness. The problem here is that one falls back into the trap of desiring. I recognize in my own practice - moment to moment - that if I can let go of the need for things to be other than they are, what they are is revealed as something amazing.
Lao Tze goes on to tell us that we should "always have desire". Taoist practice is not one sided, nothing is left behind. We are not told to always be without desire and that we should punish ourselves if desires arise, no, desires are a natural part of existence. There are actually two types of desire that are being spoken of here. One is desire for things to be other than they ARE. This desire can never result in happiness. The other is desire that doesn't carry a heavy charge of suffering. We have a desire to eat, no problem - there is no need to fight this desire. We have a desire to sleep, ok - this is the way of nature keeping the body in a state of health.
When we have settled into the recomendation to be without desires which are infused with suffering, the desires that we do have are in alignment with the movement of the cosmos. The Tao is not a static thing. It is a great emptiness which is continually moving. We are small expressions of this great emptiness. We, and all the world are it's manifestations. When we are without desire, we come to know the realm of the Unmanifest - this is the realization that all things are one. In Buddhism, we might refer to this as Emptiness. When we posses desires that are in alignment with all that is, and free from the taint of suffering, we exprience the Tao as manifest. There is a distinct emotional tone associated with this expreience, we often call it love or compassion.
The amazing and wonderful thing is that when we get closer to this state, we start to realize the unmanifest throughout our manifest lives. The power of this feeling of compassion or love is immense, and this is why it is at the core of all true spiritual systems. When we relinquish our suffering desire for things to be other than they are, we come into alignment with all that is. From this empty center arises compassion, or the Will-To-Act on behalf of others. This arises because one suddenly feels his or her unity with all others (even if just a little bit). Even more amazing though, is that when we form intentions and actions in this way - without the taint of suffering, and with compassion and love for others - a great force lends itself to our actions and intentions. You may begin to notice that the things you think about in this state show up in your life with surprising rapidity. You may begin to wonder whether you are becoming clairvoyant, and able to feel what is coming your way, or if your thoughts are taking on shape as soon as you think them. In reality, the truth is somewhere beyond and between these two - your mind is beginning to become one with the Divine Mind - what you think IS what manifests, you are plugged into all that is in a very powerful way.
These two are called by different names, but originate in unity. The spiritual practice of a person of the Tao is one of absolute stillness, and unceasing action, at all times. Yin and Yang fuse together. The manifest face of the Tao is where we act out the intimate experience of unity which is the unmanifest face of the Tao. We become like a Taiji master - empty of all thoughts, but highly sensitive, and responsive to all changes. Our practice of emptiness and silence feeds our daily activities, and our daily activities emerge from the deep root of silent calm bliss.
It is the unity of these two, manifest and unmanifest, desire and emptiness which is called the gate to the profound mystery. It is only by embracing all that is, by dancing the Tao in our every action while maintaining the awareness of silence within, that we can begin to penetrate the mystery of what this life is. By abiding without desire, without name, as the absolute, we stand at the threshold of the Way.
The Name that can be named is not the eternal Name
Namelessness is the origin of Heaven and Earth
The named is the mother of the ten thousand beings
Therefore,
Always be free of desires
You will reveal it's subtle essence
Always have desires
You will reveal it's manifestations
These two originate in unity,
But are called by different names
This unity is called the deep obscure mystery.
It is mystery upon profound mystery
the gateway of the subtle essence of the Tao
Translation by Shi Fa Jun Shakya, inspired by Jonathan Star and Victor H. Mair
Labels are very good for quantifiable things, but what about when we are dealing with that which cannot be quantified? The word here that is translated as "eternal" can also mean Absolute. For something to be absolute, eternal, it can have no opposite, it can have nothing other than itself.
Just think, you have the absolute, and then you have something outside of it to compare it to? This cannot be, because any new thing would be part of an even greater whole. The Tao we are concerned with here is not something that can be compared with anything. There is nothing that it is not. There is nowhere that it isn't. How could one speak of something like this? How could one begin to tame it and make it ones own?
Lao Tze says that the Name that can be named is not the eternal name. This is simply respectful if you are to speak about the Divine. It is important for us to know that all of our concepts concerning what divinity is will be flawed. Knowing this, and being humble about it, we can begin to expand into the undertanding that is our birthright. We should know at the beginning that our concepts are provisional. They are provisions to get us along a part of our journey, we should use them up to sustain us. But they are in no way absolute truth.
Lao Tze does us a great kindness here by pointing these things out. Some have wondered why he begins his 81 chapter discourse on the nature of the Absolute by telling us that it cannot be described. I believe that it is so that even at the very beginning we must release some of our habitual grasping.
These egos that we have grown want so much just to know something for sure. We just want to accumulate the knowledge and power that it will take for us never to have to be hurt again. We want the keys and the perceptions that will make us invulnerable.
The only problem is that we seem to think that we can get this by making an ever harder shell around ourselves. We take all of the names and schemes that we can learn and we form walls and armour that momentarily makes us feel secure. These egoic "structures" are much like a house of cards. The game feels fun while we are on the first levels, but then, as it gets taller and taller, everything begins to feel very unstable. It is because we have gone about setting up something that is contrary to nature, contrary to the mystery. We have chosen to grasp at that which can only be caught by letting go of everything.
Do not, however, fall into the mistake of "not grasping". You may wish to stop speaking all together, to move to the desert and give away all that you own, to fast and visualize many things or chant mantras. These are all wonderful identities to have, but still not the Absolute Tao. There is no problem with mantras or fasting, but don't use them to try to gain more knowledge, more armour - we must use them to make ourseleves soft. We must become soft enough that our illusory boundaries merge with the All-That-Is.
Things will not finally be "o.k." when this happens, nothing will be special at all. You will recognize that you were already one with All-That-Is (how could you be otherwise) and it will feel wonderful.
"therefore,
Always be free of desire,
you will reveal it's subtle essence.
Always have desire,
you will reveal its manifestations.
These two originate in unity,
but are called by different names."
I feel the order of this verse is important. We are first told to be without desires, so that we may percieve the subtle essence of the Absolute. This means freedom from all desires. If we look at desires, we realize that they are always about something that is not. "There is something that is not here and I want it." If we are to recognize the essence of the Tao, we must realize that there is nothing lacking from this moment. When you find your way to this recognition everything becomes somehow richer and filled with meaningfulness, yet it is completely plain and ordinary. I've actually experienced it quite a number of times. Upon remembering the experience, though, it becomes something "larger than life", a goal to strive for - and for some reason, this makes it harder to enter this awareness. The problem here is that one falls back into the trap of desiring. I recognize in my own practice - moment to moment - that if I can let go of the need for things to be other than they are, what they are is revealed as something amazing.
Lao Tze goes on to tell us that we should "always have desire". Taoist practice is not one sided, nothing is left behind. We are not told to always be without desire and that we should punish ourselves if desires arise, no, desires are a natural part of existence. There are actually two types of desire that are being spoken of here. One is desire for things to be other than they ARE. This desire can never result in happiness. The other is desire that doesn't carry a heavy charge of suffering. We have a desire to eat, no problem - there is no need to fight this desire. We have a desire to sleep, ok - this is the way of nature keeping the body in a state of health.
When we have settled into the recomendation to be without desires which are infused with suffering, the desires that we do have are in alignment with the movement of the cosmos. The Tao is not a static thing. It is a great emptiness which is continually moving. We are small expressions of this great emptiness. We, and all the world are it's manifestations. When we are without desire, we come to know the realm of the Unmanifest - this is the realization that all things are one. In Buddhism, we might refer to this as Emptiness. When we posses desires that are in alignment with all that is, and free from the taint of suffering, we exprience the Tao as manifest. There is a distinct emotional tone associated with this expreience, we often call it love or compassion.
The amazing and wonderful thing is that when we get closer to this state, we start to realize the unmanifest throughout our manifest lives. The power of this feeling of compassion or love is immense, and this is why it is at the core of all true spiritual systems. When we relinquish our suffering desire for things to be other than they are, we come into alignment with all that is. From this empty center arises compassion, or the Will-To-Act on behalf of others. This arises because one suddenly feels his or her unity with all others (even if just a little bit). Even more amazing though, is that when we form intentions and actions in this way - without the taint of suffering, and with compassion and love for others - a great force lends itself to our actions and intentions. You may begin to notice that the things you think about in this state show up in your life with surprising rapidity. You may begin to wonder whether you are becoming clairvoyant, and able to feel what is coming your way, or if your thoughts are taking on shape as soon as you think them. In reality, the truth is somewhere beyond and between these two - your mind is beginning to become one with the Divine Mind - what you think IS what manifests, you are plugged into all that is in a very powerful way.
These two are called by different names, but originate in unity. The spiritual practice of a person of the Tao is one of absolute stillness, and unceasing action, at all times. Yin and Yang fuse together. The manifest face of the Tao is where we act out the intimate experience of unity which is the unmanifest face of the Tao. We become like a Taiji master - empty of all thoughts, but highly sensitive, and responsive to all changes. Our practice of emptiness and silence feeds our daily activities, and our daily activities emerge from the deep root of silent calm bliss.
It is the unity of these two, manifest and unmanifest, desire and emptiness which is called the gate to the profound mystery. It is only by embracing all that is, by dancing the Tao in our every action while maintaining the awareness of silence within, that we can begin to penetrate the mystery of what this life is. By abiding without desire, without name, as the absolute, we stand at the threshold of the Way.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Chapter 6
The Tao is called the Great Mother:
empty yet inexhaustible,
it gives birth to infinite worlds.
It is always present within you.
You can use it any way you want.
empty yet inexhaustible,
it gives birth to infinite worlds.
It is always present within you.
You can use it any way you want.
S.Mitchell translation
The Dao is called the Great Mother because it nourishes and births all things and beings. In the most ancient of religions, the people often thought of the Divine as the Mother, because they observed her as that which brought all things to them, their food, their homes, the beauty of nature. This Mother is still with us even though we often are not able to perceive her nourishing presence.
The Dao is called "empty" because it is what in the Buddhist tradition we call Shunyata, or Void. This is not a nihilistic expression that "nothing" exists, but the realization that nothing can exist on its own. There is literally no "thing" that can exist in the universe. No separate thing. All things exist in relation to each other, and they are thus all one. In the ancient traditions this is called "emptiness".
We also speak of emptiness because when one lets go of extraneous thoughts and emotions, one perceives from an empty center. All events and ocurances rise up, but they play upon the blank screen of the mind. This does not feel depressing at all like one might think. It can be very surprising when one first catches a glimpse of the mind's true nature, that as one realizes that the center of the mind is emptiness, all the colors of the world seem to become brighter and more beautiful. As one releases the habitual grasping of judgement of things as good or bad, one is able to recognize the beauty that is inherent in ALL manifestation. It is a bit of a pardox, but one often finds that upon letting go of attachment to reality and the usual habitual identity, an even greater love for all things arises within one.
The Tao is said to be "empty, yet inexhaustible". This is the essence of what one begins to recognize. Emptiness is not some demoralizing force or depressing sentiment, when we discover this silent place within, we can start to feel that all things are connected - that there is "no-thing" in the universe. It becomes more than a philosophy. One can actually begin to feel ones kinship with trees, mountains, buildings, and other beings. Emptiness becomes a felt reality - a reality that one is a relation of all Life.
When this occurs, an individual has what's called a "numinous experience". Looking deeply into the essence of a thing, one realizes it is the same as the essence within herself. At this moment, there is an experience of power and magic that cannot be described in words. When I have caught glimpses of this sort, I have had the wonderful sense that anything was possible. At other times, the depression that can be a common companion in this life lifted magically, and i KNEW that there was purpose, meaning, and value to my existence. This numinous power is the inexhaustible nature of the empty Tao.
The Tao as the Great Mother is also sometimes called the Cosmic Mirror. What we come to recognize is that this Great Mother is always giving, always nourishing. She does not discriminate in what she nurtures. She wants to give all of her children what they most want. What the Mother nurtures is our thoughts, intentions, and beliefs. These emanate from us like prayers into all of life, and all of life conspires to play them back to us.
When one practices recognizing emptiness and inexhaustible power, the awareness becomes very subtle and accurate. One may begin to realize that if one holds a belief in joy, or wealth, then joy or wealth will come to one in many different forms. If one holds a belief in sorrow or poverty, the mother will provide them with experience that matches this belief. Jesus says it like this in the Book of Thomas - "To those who have, more will be given, to those who have not, even that which they do posess will be taken from them."
These are not just the thoughts floating on the surface of our minds with which we identify, but the deep currents pulling from beneath the unconscious. It is these currents which are expressed by our actions in the world, and it is from this that the Law of Karma arises. If we do harm to another, this is an expression of our belief that there "should" be harm in the world, at the same time, watching ourselves perform these actions confirms these deep currents and reinforces them. If, on the other hand, we act in ways which are kind, or embody belifs in infinite health, wealth, or joy for beings then these are the deep currents that are reinforced within us. Remember, the power of the Tao is "inexhaustible" - this means that whatever you choose to believe in and concentrate your energy on can manifest continually to the extent you believe in it.
It is for this reason that we are told we can use the Tao in any way that we want. If we want more joy, we simply must broadcast that desire through our actions and our thoughts. If we want to be more spiritually fulfilled, there is inexhaustible power to apply to this. If we want worldly fulfillment, the Tao will pour her great nourishment toward this. Truly, whatever we hold most dear is brought about by the cosmic nourisher - in each moment. Our only job is to ask ourselves what we really want, and then look to see if our actions are conforming to that desire.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
chapter 37
Tao does not act
yet it is the root of all action.
Tao does not move
yet it is the source of all creation
If princes and kings could hold it
everyone uder them would naturally turn within.
Should a doubt or old desire rise up
The Nameless Simplicity would push it down.
The Nameless Simplicity frees the heart of desire
and reveals its inner silence.
When there is silence
one finds peace.
When there is silence
one finds the anchor of the universe within himself.
Johnathan Star translation
Another way to translate the beginning on this chapter is "Tao is eternally without doing, yet nothing remains undone".
What is this doing that Lao Tze refers to? Are we to believe that practicing the Tao is a kind of nihilism where we become aware that nothing really exists in the universe and so try to cease our own existence through inaction? I do not believe so. I believe that Lao Tze is teaching us a valuable lesson here about the union of the non-existent and the existent. That which is empty within us, and that which is manifest.
Our acquired personalities are obsessed with doing. One of the first questions that one might ask when making another's acquaintence is "what do you do?" We can contrast this with the question that a student may hear when first making the acquaintence of a Zen master "Who are you?" There is a big difference in the direction of these questions. One leads you out, the other leads you within. An even more direct question than "who are you?" might be "are you?". Well, find out right now - are you?
Of course, you can just say that you are very easily, you can tell stories about it for hours, I'd bet - but this isn't really finding out, is it? This is really just more doing. Wouldn't you like to know if there is some being that dwells within that doing?
In order to find out if you are, you must become very quiet, very still. Some teachers call this "consciousness without attributes". Can you find an awareness within you that posesses no attributes but being? This is the Tao living right there inside of you.
If you can maintain awareness of this being, even for a moment, you will feel a great peace and silence. You will be dwelling in I Am-ness, which is your true nature. This is the secret name that God spoke to Moses - Eheye Asher Eheye "I am that I am".
The interesting thing that one finds out next is that one does not have to retire to a cave somewhere in order to practice resting in this being. One can do it in any situation at all. Being, or presence is not a trance you have to go into or some special state - that would be more doing. Being is just the plain and simple reality of this moment. If you find that place within you, sometimes called the "mysterious pass" in Taoism, you will realize that it does not shut out the rest of the world, but invites it in and makes it more numinous and colorful.
When we abide in this state, we are able to respond to Life appropriately. One will notice that when action must be taken, one does not need to leave ones Being in order to carry it out. One can remain present in the moment. In fact, if one is dilligent in the practice of maintaining deep presence, the actions will have a special quality to them - a quality of effortless flow and grace.
This flow is the movement of the universe. The Tao does not strive. The earth does not need to be oiled, she just keeps spinning. The Sun does not need to be recharged, it just keeps shining. The reason for this is that the sun and the earth do not get in their own way. There is no friction in the activity of the universe. There is no constriction or trying. Thus it is said that the Tao does not do, yet all things are accomplished through it.
"If princes and kings could hold it, everyone under them would naturally turn within."
Here Lao Tze points out that if we get our priorites right, everything will fall into place naturally. The King, or the ruler is that silent watcher within. If we can abide AS this presense, there is nothing we need to do or to fix - all our lives slowly come into order. These are all the people under them turning within. There is no pattern of pain or suffering within us that cannot be met with deep presence. There is no pattern of pain or suffering within us that does not transform in the face of deep being. The more we strive to "fix" those aspects of ourselves that are troubling - the further away from Being we get. When we rest in Being, these troubles can finally find what they were looking for in the first place - peace.
This passage also refers to the power of entrainment. What Lao Tze is reminding us is that the power of Being is so strong, that it has massive influence over others. This influence is so pronounced that one who practices becomes like a King or a Queen in this world. When people are in their presence they feel changed in some way. Individuals become more peaceful, more centered, they feel more "on-track" with who they are. The more we practice abiding in non-doing, the greater our influence in the world becomes. This peace spreads out in waves from the yogi and no one can remain unaffected.
"Should a doubt or old desire rise up, the Nameless Simplicity would push it down.
The translation "push it down" is slightly problematic here, because we can take it to mean that these feelings are being repressed. This is not the case at all. The Nameless Simplicity is another name for the Tao abiding within. When we begin to practice, we may notice that all sorts of interesting feelings arise. We may notice doubts about our practice of presence, or old feeligs that we haven't thought about in a long time. These too are asking for our presence. The practice of abiding begins to untie all knots. As these knots release, old feelings can bubble to the surface - sometimes they have lain dormant for lifetimes. The key is to remain stable in the peace of your true nature. All of these stories are just coming to seek the peace of the Tao, and yet the content of the stories may look very interesting or frightening. it may seem as if we should act quickly on these feelings. We may want to start a lot of Doing to soothe the feelings we are experiencing.
This Doing doesn't just mean action on the outside. In fact, you may have to do some actual work to take care of the past influences that come up to your consciousness. It is the striving within that causes us so much pain. The beautiful truth is that we get to choose whether we want to engage in this pain or not. The Nameless Simplicity is always there for us to become aware of. There is no trial one must pass through in order to gain the grace of God. The trial is in this moment and in each moment - will we remember that we can rest open as Being, or will we choose to struggle.
There are many old stories of Taoists or mystics who maintained their meditative practice even while "demons" came to them disguised as seductive members of the opposite sex, or frightening beings, or family memebers begging for aid. The idea here is not to say "go away, I'm meditating". But to stay in our practice of full consciousness of who we Are. We can bring the light of this consciousness to our feelings of love, fear, or duty and watch them transform and evolve.
When we realize that we can choose not to struggle is when the heart is "freed of desire". This doesn't mean that we become mindless automotons - but simply that we stop desiring things to be other than they are. We know that we can rest into peace whenever we choose, and somehow our actions lose their friction. Taking the "desire" out of the picture takes the struggle out of things. We learn to act as the Tao acts - the earth turning, the sun radiating.
It is through this that "one can find the anchor of the universe within him[or her]self." Abiding in being is the center point between past and future, it is the center point of all directions. This being which you are now is the most powerful location in the universe. Recognizing this, you recognize that your vital Qi, your intentions are radiating out and pulling the thread of all existence in each moment. Coming home to the silent center of your being puts you back into the seat of your true power - the power that you are as this present Reality.
yet it is the root of all action.
Tao does not move
yet it is the source of all creation
If princes and kings could hold it
everyone uder them would naturally turn within.
Should a doubt or old desire rise up
The Nameless Simplicity would push it down.
The Nameless Simplicity frees the heart of desire
and reveals its inner silence.
When there is silence
one finds peace.
When there is silence
one finds the anchor of the universe within himself.
Johnathan Star translation
Another way to translate the beginning on this chapter is "Tao is eternally without doing, yet nothing remains undone".
What is this doing that Lao Tze refers to? Are we to believe that practicing the Tao is a kind of nihilism where we become aware that nothing really exists in the universe and so try to cease our own existence through inaction? I do not believe so. I believe that Lao Tze is teaching us a valuable lesson here about the union of the non-existent and the existent. That which is empty within us, and that which is manifest.
Our acquired personalities are obsessed with doing. One of the first questions that one might ask when making another's acquaintence is "what do you do?" We can contrast this with the question that a student may hear when first making the acquaintence of a Zen master "Who are you?" There is a big difference in the direction of these questions. One leads you out, the other leads you within. An even more direct question than "who are you?" might be "are you?". Well, find out right now - are you?
Of course, you can just say that you are very easily, you can tell stories about it for hours, I'd bet - but this isn't really finding out, is it? This is really just more doing. Wouldn't you like to know if there is some being that dwells within that doing?
In order to find out if you are, you must become very quiet, very still. Some teachers call this "consciousness without attributes". Can you find an awareness within you that posesses no attributes but being? This is the Tao living right there inside of you.
If you can maintain awareness of this being, even for a moment, you will feel a great peace and silence. You will be dwelling in I Am-ness, which is your true nature. This is the secret name that God spoke to Moses - Eheye Asher Eheye "I am that I am".
The interesting thing that one finds out next is that one does not have to retire to a cave somewhere in order to practice resting in this being. One can do it in any situation at all. Being, or presence is not a trance you have to go into or some special state - that would be more doing. Being is just the plain and simple reality of this moment. If you find that place within you, sometimes called the "mysterious pass" in Taoism, you will realize that it does not shut out the rest of the world, but invites it in and makes it more numinous and colorful.
When we abide in this state, we are able to respond to Life appropriately. One will notice that when action must be taken, one does not need to leave ones Being in order to carry it out. One can remain present in the moment. In fact, if one is dilligent in the practice of maintaining deep presence, the actions will have a special quality to them - a quality of effortless flow and grace.
This flow is the movement of the universe. The Tao does not strive. The earth does not need to be oiled, she just keeps spinning. The Sun does not need to be recharged, it just keeps shining. The reason for this is that the sun and the earth do not get in their own way. There is no friction in the activity of the universe. There is no constriction or trying. Thus it is said that the Tao does not do, yet all things are accomplished through it.
"If princes and kings could hold it, everyone under them would naturally turn within."
Here Lao Tze points out that if we get our priorites right, everything will fall into place naturally. The King, or the ruler is that silent watcher within. If we can abide AS this presense, there is nothing we need to do or to fix - all our lives slowly come into order. These are all the people under them turning within. There is no pattern of pain or suffering within us that cannot be met with deep presence. There is no pattern of pain or suffering within us that does not transform in the face of deep being. The more we strive to "fix" those aspects of ourselves that are troubling - the further away from Being we get. When we rest in Being, these troubles can finally find what they were looking for in the first place - peace.
This passage also refers to the power of entrainment. What Lao Tze is reminding us is that the power of Being is so strong, that it has massive influence over others. This influence is so pronounced that one who practices becomes like a King or a Queen in this world. When people are in their presence they feel changed in some way. Individuals become more peaceful, more centered, they feel more "on-track" with who they are. The more we practice abiding in non-doing, the greater our influence in the world becomes. This peace spreads out in waves from the yogi and no one can remain unaffected.
"Should a doubt or old desire rise up, the Nameless Simplicity would push it down.
The translation "push it down" is slightly problematic here, because we can take it to mean that these feelings are being repressed. This is not the case at all. The Nameless Simplicity is another name for the Tao abiding within. When we begin to practice, we may notice that all sorts of interesting feelings arise. We may notice doubts about our practice of presence, or old feeligs that we haven't thought about in a long time. These too are asking for our presence. The practice of abiding begins to untie all knots. As these knots release, old feelings can bubble to the surface - sometimes they have lain dormant for lifetimes. The key is to remain stable in the peace of your true nature. All of these stories are just coming to seek the peace of the Tao, and yet the content of the stories may look very interesting or frightening. it may seem as if we should act quickly on these feelings. We may want to start a lot of Doing to soothe the feelings we are experiencing.
This Doing doesn't just mean action on the outside. In fact, you may have to do some actual work to take care of the past influences that come up to your consciousness. It is the striving within that causes us so much pain. The beautiful truth is that we get to choose whether we want to engage in this pain or not. The Nameless Simplicity is always there for us to become aware of. There is no trial one must pass through in order to gain the grace of God. The trial is in this moment and in each moment - will we remember that we can rest open as Being, or will we choose to struggle.
There are many old stories of Taoists or mystics who maintained their meditative practice even while "demons" came to them disguised as seductive members of the opposite sex, or frightening beings, or family memebers begging for aid. The idea here is not to say "go away, I'm meditating". But to stay in our practice of full consciousness of who we Are. We can bring the light of this consciousness to our feelings of love, fear, or duty and watch them transform and evolve.
When we realize that we can choose not to struggle is when the heart is "freed of desire". This doesn't mean that we become mindless automotons - but simply that we stop desiring things to be other than they are. We know that we can rest into peace whenever we choose, and somehow our actions lose their friction. Taking the "desire" out of the picture takes the struggle out of things. We learn to act as the Tao acts - the earth turning, the sun radiating.
It is through this that "one can find the anchor of the universe within him[or her]self." Abiding in being is the center point between past and future, it is the center point of all directions. This being which you are now is the most powerful location in the universe. Recognizing this, you recognize that your vital Qi, your intentions are radiating out and pulling the thread of all existence in each moment. Coming home to the silent center of your being puts you back into the seat of your true power - the power that you are as this present Reality.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Chapter 19
Lao Tze says:
Abandon holiness
Discard cleverness
and the people will benefit a hundredfold.
Abandon the rules of "kindness"
Discard "righteous" actions
and the people will return to their own natural affections
Abandon book learning
Discard the rules of behaviour
and the people will have no worries
Abandon plots and schemes
Discard profit-seeking
and the people will not become thieves
These lessons are mere elaborations
The essence of my teachings is this:
See with the original purity
Embrace with original simplicity
Reduce what you have
Decrease what you want.
*Jonathan Star Translation
Holiness and cleverness are concepts. Holiness and cleverness are goals to attain, or the means to attain goals. This is not what we are concerned with in our study of the Dao. There is a natural holiness that is ever present - just stop a moment and notice if you are still breathing. Is your breath coming in or going out? Just this is enough. All our desires to make this moment something more - to add to the sacredness of what is - only steal the joy that is ever available to us.
Go out into the woods on a clear night and look up into the sky. There is no word for the numinosity of the shining stars and silence, but we might call it holy.
How many rules of "kindness" do you have in your own life? How safe do you wish to keep your heart? How many images do you keep of what "righteousness" is? Or perhaps you call it "right action", or "integrity". All images are stale - this is why the Buddha never allowed representations of him to be produced.
When we practice kindness because we think we should, we are falling short of the glorious reality which is our true nature. When we practice the rules of "righteousness" because of what they will get us, we are missing out on the only possible opportunity for salvation - this opportunity occuring right now.
If we sit still and quiet we might begin to recognize who we are, just a little bit. In that same instant, one will feel a great freedom like wings unfolding - and a great sadness. Simply looking around from the center of this moment, one is no longer able to keep the world at arms length. The suffering of a closed heart nearby is felt as ones own heart, and one cannot help but act. It might be a smile, a heroic effort, a joke, or a shout, but kindness will naturally arise - you cannot help it, it is who you are.
Infants hearing the cries of other infants become stressed, and relaxed when the other is soothed. Small children seeing infants in distress naturally seek to comfort them. This does not depend upon rules of conduct.
"Abandon book learning" the master tells us in his 81 chapter book! What are you seeking through more learning. How full is your mind, and yet we seek to put more knowledge on top? This seeking has become an addiction - we begin to think that if we just get the next fix, maybe that will finally be the one that will make it all o.k.. Maybe the next one will finally feel like it's enough. Maybe when I'm finally smart enough, clever enough, then I'll finally be safe and fulfilled. The truth is that you will never be safe - not in the way you want to. The big universe will eventually win - all your fragile accomplishments, all your hard-won personality traits will come to nothing. All the rules of behaviour in the world will not save you from this inevitability. The only safety available to us is to find that which is indestructible within us. But that has nothing to do with all that we've put on to protect ourselves.
Look beneath the layers of conditioning. Look beneath who you've become to live safe in this world. Look beneath your goals and aspirations. Who do you find there? Has this one ever not been? Could this One ever be added to or subtracted from? When you live openly as this One, you will be free from worry. What could possibly harm you?
In this one, there is no plotting or scheming. Everything is enough, just as it is. We so often walk about and think "well, it's a nice day, but i wish that breeze wasn't blowing". "Oh, dinner was great - except the coffee wasn't very good" - or the like. Or perhaps the day is exactly the type we could wish for, then we might think "I hope the sun stays out" or "I wish this vacation would never have to end". Unfortunately for the desiring mind, there is no permanant vacation, no endless summer- all things change and cycle. Denying this, the ego strives to get as much as it can, while it can. The desire to add something to reality is the only sin.
When we seek profits, what is really going on is thievery. What will you do with all this excess you generate? Will it keep you safe? Often a body will feel like it wants profit, wants a little extra just in case. So we eat little extra at each meal. In fact, we might want to eat the densest, most calorie rich foods at each meal to make sure that the profit accumulates quickly. Soon our profits will show for all to see, in the extra pounds we are carrying around. Storing up more is just a way of trying to create security, but which becomes just another addiction. When the body stores up its profits in the form of fat, it is robbing the heart, robbing the joints of thier mobility. When we seek to profit from reality we are afraid that we don't have enough - that just a bit more would feel safer, and yet we steal from ourselves the enjoyment possible in this moment.
In a culture that prizes profit, you will see the distance grow between the "haves" and the "have nots". When the "have nots" grow poor enough, they will resort to stealing and violence rather than starve and chaos ensues. All these profits have not truly created more safety, more happiness, only more striving and deprivation.
Lao Tze tells us "Reduce what you have, decrease what you want". What we have is everything that gets in the way of our enjoyment of what is - right now. What if there was no chance at salvation, elightenment, happiness some time in the future? What if this was it - as enlightened as it gets? What would it be like if no relationship, no religion, no accomplishment, no meal, no orgasm, no art project, no new movie, no new fashion, could ever add anything to the sanctity and holiness that you are. What if all the powers of compassion and happiness you ever needed to help yourself and others were available right now? Would you then wish to enjoy this moment? Would you let go of the pain of wanting for just a breath and enjoy the holiness of being?
Seeing the original purity one recognizes that there is nothing which should not be. Grasping Original Simplicity one can rest in just what is - plain, boring, and amazingly sacred and numinous.
Abandon holiness
Discard cleverness
and the people will benefit a hundredfold.
Abandon the rules of "kindness"
Discard "righteous" actions
and the people will return to their own natural affections
Abandon book learning
Discard the rules of behaviour
and the people will have no worries
Abandon plots and schemes
Discard profit-seeking
and the people will not become thieves
These lessons are mere elaborations
The essence of my teachings is this:
See with the original purity
Embrace with original simplicity
Reduce what you have
Decrease what you want.
*Jonathan Star Translation
Holiness and cleverness are concepts. Holiness and cleverness are goals to attain, or the means to attain goals. This is not what we are concerned with in our study of the Dao. There is a natural holiness that is ever present - just stop a moment and notice if you are still breathing. Is your breath coming in or going out? Just this is enough. All our desires to make this moment something more - to add to the sacredness of what is - only steal the joy that is ever available to us.
Go out into the woods on a clear night and look up into the sky. There is no word for the numinosity of the shining stars and silence, but we might call it holy.
How many rules of "kindness" do you have in your own life? How safe do you wish to keep your heart? How many images do you keep of what "righteousness" is? Or perhaps you call it "right action", or "integrity". All images are stale - this is why the Buddha never allowed representations of him to be produced.
When we practice kindness because we think we should, we are falling short of the glorious reality which is our true nature. When we practice the rules of "righteousness" because of what they will get us, we are missing out on the only possible opportunity for salvation - this opportunity occuring right now.
If we sit still and quiet we might begin to recognize who we are, just a little bit. In that same instant, one will feel a great freedom like wings unfolding - and a great sadness. Simply looking around from the center of this moment, one is no longer able to keep the world at arms length. The suffering of a closed heart nearby is felt as ones own heart, and one cannot help but act. It might be a smile, a heroic effort, a joke, or a shout, but kindness will naturally arise - you cannot help it, it is who you are.
Infants hearing the cries of other infants become stressed, and relaxed when the other is soothed. Small children seeing infants in distress naturally seek to comfort them. This does not depend upon rules of conduct.
"Abandon book learning" the master tells us in his 81 chapter book! What are you seeking through more learning. How full is your mind, and yet we seek to put more knowledge on top? This seeking has become an addiction - we begin to think that if we just get the next fix, maybe that will finally be the one that will make it all o.k.. Maybe the next one will finally feel like it's enough. Maybe when I'm finally smart enough, clever enough, then I'll finally be safe and fulfilled. The truth is that you will never be safe - not in the way you want to. The big universe will eventually win - all your fragile accomplishments, all your hard-won personality traits will come to nothing. All the rules of behaviour in the world will not save you from this inevitability. The only safety available to us is to find that which is indestructible within us. But that has nothing to do with all that we've put on to protect ourselves.
Look beneath the layers of conditioning. Look beneath who you've become to live safe in this world. Look beneath your goals and aspirations. Who do you find there? Has this one ever not been? Could this One ever be added to or subtracted from? When you live openly as this One, you will be free from worry. What could possibly harm you?
In this one, there is no plotting or scheming. Everything is enough, just as it is. We so often walk about and think "well, it's a nice day, but i wish that breeze wasn't blowing". "Oh, dinner was great - except the coffee wasn't very good" - or the like. Or perhaps the day is exactly the type we could wish for, then we might think "I hope the sun stays out" or "I wish this vacation would never have to end". Unfortunately for the desiring mind, there is no permanant vacation, no endless summer- all things change and cycle. Denying this, the ego strives to get as much as it can, while it can. The desire to add something to reality is the only sin.
When we seek profits, what is really going on is thievery. What will you do with all this excess you generate? Will it keep you safe? Often a body will feel like it wants profit, wants a little extra just in case. So we eat little extra at each meal. In fact, we might want to eat the densest, most calorie rich foods at each meal to make sure that the profit accumulates quickly. Soon our profits will show for all to see, in the extra pounds we are carrying around. Storing up more is just a way of trying to create security, but which becomes just another addiction. When the body stores up its profits in the form of fat, it is robbing the heart, robbing the joints of thier mobility. When we seek to profit from reality we are afraid that we don't have enough - that just a bit more would feel safer, and yet we steal from ourselves the enjoyment possible in this moment.
In a culture that prizes profit, you will see the distance grow between the "haves" and the "have nots". When the "have nots" grow poor enough, they will resort to stealing and violence rather than starve and chaos ensues. All these profits have not truly created more safety, more happiness, only more striving and deprivation.
Lao Tze tells us "Reduce what you have, decrease what you want". What we have is everything that gets in the way of our enjoyment of what is - right now. What if there was no chance at salvation, elightenment, happiness some time in the future? What if this was it - as enlightened as it gets? What would it be like if no relationship, no religion, no accomplishment, no meal, no orgasm, no art project, no new movie, no new fashion, could ever add anything to the sanctity and holiness that you are. What if all the powers of compassion and happiness you ever needed to help yourself and others were available right now? Would you then wish to enjoy this moment? Would you let go of the pain of wanting for just a breath and enjoy the holiness of being?
Seeing the original purity one recognizes that there is nothing which should not be. Grasping Original Simplicity one can rest in just what is - plain, boring, and amazingly sacred and numinous.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Chapter 67
Lao Tze says:
All the world talks about my Tao with such familiarity - What folly!
Tao is not something found at the marketplace or passed from father to son
It is not something gained by knowing or lost by forgetting
If Tao were like this it would have been forgotten long ago
I have three treasures I cherish and hold dear
The first is love
the second is moderation
the third is humility
With love one is fearless
With moderation one is abundant
with humility one can fill the highest position
Now, if one is fearless but has no love,
abundant but has no moderation,
rises up but has no humility,
surely he is doomed
Love vanquishes all attackers
it is impregnable in defense.
When Heaven wants to protect someone does it send and army?
No, it protects him with love.
*Jonathan Star translation
To call the name of something Great with familiarity is disrespectful. In the Bible, this is referred to as making "vain repetitions" or "taking the Lord's name in vain". Our fundamental problem here is not sharing what we've learned of the Way, or even dialoguing with others about meditation practice and the like. Our fundamental error is thinking that we "know" something.
To speak of the Tao as if we could know it is to belittle it. We can know the Tao in this present moment, but if we go to speak - to explain, to discourse - we have lost it. Wise men and women understand this and so can laugh at their attempts to encapsulate the vastness of Reality in words and thoughts. Others of us think we can truly know that we can finally gain the right set of thoughts that will never betray us and will bring us happiness.
Truly, the Tao cannot be gained or lost. It is ever present in this moment. Even our attempts to capture it with our small minds are part of its activity. When we recognize this we can relax deeply into the knowledge that everything is all right just as it is. In that moment we become a "Tao Ren" a human of the Tao - a lover of Reality.
Practicing the Tao is a mystery. The human mind wants so much to gain stable ground, to rest assured that it can finally "come up with" the Answer. The mystery is that it is only through relaxing our need for security, our need for "familiarity" with the Great One, our need for concepts and answers, can we actually find security, intimacy with Reality, and wisdom beyond conceptualization.
Lao Tze reminds us that if the Tao were dependant on our knowledge of it, it would have long ago been lost. It is not a secret technique that has been preserved for generations. It is nothing that you can attain. If it were so, it would have degenerated. The great Tao doesn't require our recognition - because even our ignorance is a part of it. The great secret though, is that by recognizing it we can dwell in inner and outer peace.
In the second part of this verse, the Master goes on to tell us of his cherished treasures - Love, Moderation, and Humility.
It is important for us to know that Love here means compassion. We are told that when we have compassion like this, we can be fearless. How is this so?
When we give our lives to love, the opening of the heart overwhelms all other feelings and vibrations. Just think of a mother and her child. Nearly any mother would do anything to protect and nurture her child. If the child was threatened she would give no thought for her own safety - only for that of the child. Many mothers experience a joy and peace that they've never known when they first gaze into the eyes of their child. Mystics of all times have come to feel this way for all beings. With this fire of compassion in your heart - all other concerns are burned away - fear has no room to exist.
Perhaps you have felt this for a family member or intimate partner. You love them so strongly that you would give anything for them. This is just a taste of what is possible for us as humans. Often our love wants something in return. Often we cannot sustain the Greatness of what we feel. If we practice giving our love, and then giving it more we will find that that spark we may have felt upon "falling in love" or caring for a sibling or grandparent blossoms into a full blown star. We become a beacon of light and we dwell in this bliss with no break.
With moderation, it is said that we are abundant. The word moderation here implies not exceeding the use of things, knowing the place for everything, not over-doing it. Essentially, when we practice this type of moderation we are letting go of greed. I think it is telling that this treasure is listed after Compassion because through compassion we recognize that what we have to do in this life is give we are made of love and happiness, and things will only feel "right" when we learn to give them away. From this recognition we are established in the ability to live simply, because all we need is that which will sustain our ability to love others.
When we establish ourselves in this practice of moderation and simplicity an amazing thing happens: first, we begin to feel abundant - we feel fulfilled in our lives as if all our needs are met; then, our outer reality begins to change into a more and more perfect expression of that abundance which we feel. When we align with Love, we are aligned with all of Life. On a subtle level, none of our efforts go unnoticed. Our practice of moderation means that we will always have everything we need. We begin to become a part of nature again. The trees have all they need, so do the flowers. Humans begin to feel we need more and more and thus eventually deprive ourselves and others.
Abundance will mean different things to different people - it is all based upon what one needs to offer this world. For one person as small meditation hut in the mountains may enable them to serve, for another it might require a giant office building in New York. You can tell if you are living beyond your spiritual means because if you are then all your possessions will either begin to feel like burdens, or will be taken for granted. On the other hand, if you are living a life that is an expression of your Love and Compassion, everything in your life will reflect to you a feeling of gratitude.
The third treasure is Humility. This word also means "not being to daring" or "non-presumptuous". When we are not too daring, we can assume the highest position. This means that we rememer our role and our station. It actually takes us back to the first part of this chapter - reminding us not to get to "familiar" with the Dao. The perspective of the mystic is always one of receptivity. We may be shining the light of Compassion into all the world, but at the center of it all is the emptiness of our rapt wonder at the mystery of all Life.
Coming from this perspective of emptiness, we are in a position to responsibly hold high positions where we can care for others and the energy of the universe will place us in them. These may not always look like "high positions" to the eyes of others in the world (though they may as well), motherhood is a position of great responsibility, husband is a role which allows one to truly do good in another's life. The more humble we are, the more we begin to recognize what an honor it is to be where we are. We recognize the privelege we have been given in this moment and we vow to use it responsibly.
Lao Tze goes on to tell us that if we neglect these treasures, we are most surely doomed.
If we are fearless without love, we are likely to act in ways that harm ourselves or others.
If we are abundant but without moderation, we are likely to lack appreciation for what we have.
If we rise up without humility, we will lake the presence and responsibility that each moment deserves.
In the Buddhist tradition it is explained that all the things that come to us in this life are a result of the actions we have taken which effect others. It is said that one can even become a godlike being which lives for millions of years through accumulating good karma. It is also said, though that the later years of a god are very painful and filled with fear. Often, as a godlike being, one has so much power that one can forget compassion, moderation, and humility. Forgetting these essentials, one can mindlessly engage in actions which bring harm to others - and the more powerful one is, the more potential there is for harm (or good). Causing all of this harm brings it's inevitable karmic result and, according to tradition, a god's last few thousands of years are so terrible because only then do they realize that their rebirth will be of a nature to repay all the harm they have done.
We can see this in the lives of contemporary rock stars, business executives, perhaps even politicians. Being blinded by power or fame, individuals can forget where true happiness comes from - from expressing ones nature as Love and Compassion. As the saying goes "power corrupts".
When, on the other hand, one begins from a standpoint of Love, Moderation, and Humility, one has the means by which to handle any power or fame responsibly - because she knows that it has only been given to enable her to serve beings in ever greater ways. When we practice in this way the positive energy we generate (merit) can grow exponentially - allowing our service to become ever greater, and our happiness to increase at the same rate.
The last verse in this chapter reinforces the View that Love is of the utmost importance. We are told that Compassion is the ultimate defense and protection. This passage helps to put our minds at rest. Contemplating becoming a more loving, open-hearted person can seem like a frightening prospect. Many of us have learned to believe that it is only by becoming stronger or more cunning than others that we can survive and gain happiness. By studying the Dao, though, we begin to learn that our happiness arises as a natural by-product of living in harmony with who we really are. And who we really are is Love itself. Living as who we really are we become one with the Tao and there is no possibility of being in the wrong place. The intentions we put forth begin to become ever clearer expressions of our Compassion, and anything which does not match that vibration is either repelled or transformed instantly.
When Heaven wishes to protect someone it does not send an army. When we are not living the truth, we will feel very insecure. We may think we need to constantly seek out more knowledge, more means of defending ourselves. This is because the identity we've created is an illusion and is quite small. On some level we know that it is an illusion and could crumble at any moment (and eventually will die) - this makes us feel scared. When we are living the truth of our being, we recognize that what we really are is deathless, we begin to feel invulnerable. We know that no matter what happens to us, we are living the Tao in this moment as Love. Established in this state, all the world comes to us in peace and is transformed by our presence.
All the world talks about my Tao with such familiarity - What folly!
Tao is not something found at the marketplace or passed from father to son
It is not something gained by knowing or lost by forgetting
If Tao were like this it would have been forgotten long ago
I have three treasures I cherish and hold dear
The first is love
the second is moderation
the third is humility
With love one is fearless
With moderation one is abundant
with humility one can fill the highest position
Now, if one is fearless but has no love,
abundant but has no moderation,
rises up but has no humility,
surely he is doomed
Love vanquishes all attackers
it is impregnable in defense.
When Heaven wants to protect someone does it send and army?
No, it protects him with love.
*Jonathan Star translation
To call the name of something Great with familiarity is disrespectful. In the Bible, this is referred to as making "vain repetitions" or "taking the Lord's name in vain". Our fundamental problem here is not sharing what we've learned of the Way, or even dialoguing with others about meditation practice and the like. Our fundamental error is thinking that we "know" something.
To speak of the Tao as if we could know it is to belittle it. We can know the Tao in this present moment, but if we go to speak - to explain, to discourse - we have lost it. Wise men and women understand this and so can laugh at their attempts to encapsulate the vastness of Reality in words and thoughts. Others of us think we can truly know that we can finally gain the right set of thoughts that will never betray us and will bring us happiness.
Truly, the Tao cannot be gained or lost. It is ever present in this moment. Even our attempts to capture it with our small minds are part of its activity. When we recognize this we can relax deeply into the knowledge that everything is all right just as it is. In that moment we become a "Tao Ren" a human of the Tao - a lover of Reality.
Practicing the Tao is a mystery. The human mind wants so much to gain stable ground, to rest assured that it can finally "come up with" the Answer. The mystery is that it is only through relaxing our need for security, our need for "familiarity" with the Great One, our need for concepts and answers, can we actually find security, intimacy with Reality, and wisdom beyond conceptualization.
Lao Tze reminds us that if the Tao were dependant on our knowledge of it, it would have long ago been lost. It is not a secret technique that has been preserved for generations. It is nothing that you can attain. If it were so, it would have degenerated. The great Tao doesn't require our recognition - because even our ignorance is a part of it. The great secret though, is that by recognizing it we can dwell in inner and outer peace.
In the second part of this verse, the Master goes on to tell us of his cherished treasures - Love, Moderation, and Humility.
It is important for us to know that Love here means compassion. We are told that when we have compassion like this, we can be fearless. How is this so?
When we give our lives to love, the opening of the heart overwhelms all other feelings and vibrations. Just think of a mother and her child. Nearly any mother would do anything to protect and nurture her child. If the child was threatened she would give no thought for her own safety - only for that of the child. Many mothers experience a joy and peace that they've never known when they first gaze into the eyes of their child. Mystics of all times have come to feel this way for all beings. With this fire of compassion in your heart - all other concerns are burned away - fear has no room to exist.
Perhaps you have felt this for a family member or intimate partner. You love them so strongly that you would give anything for them. This is just a taste of what is possible for us as humans. Often our love wants something in return. Often we cannot sustain the Greatness of what we feel. If we practice giving our love, and then giving it more we will find that that spark we may have felt upon "falling in love" or caring for a sibling or grandparent blossoms into a full blown star. We become a beacon of light and we dwell in this bliss with no break.
With moderation, it is said that we are abundant. The word moderation here implies not exceeding the use of things, knowing the place for everything, not over-doing it. Essentially, when we practice this type of moderation we are letting go of greed. I think it is telling that this treasure is listed after Compassion because through compassion we recognize that what we have to do in this life is give we are made of love and happiness, and things will only feel "right" when we learn to give them away. From this recognition we are established in the ability to live simply, because all we need is that which will sustain our ability to love others.
When we establish ourselves in this practice of moderation and simplicity an amazing thing happens: first, we begin to feel abundant - we feel fulfilled in our lives as if all our needs are met; then, our outer reality begins to change into a more and more perfect expression of that abundance which we feel. When we align with Love, we are aligned with all of Life. On a subtle level, none of our efforts go unnoticed. Our practice of moderation means that we will always have everything we need. We begin to become a part of nature again. The trees have all they need, so do the flowers. Humans begin to feel we need more and more and thus eventually deprive ourselves and others.
Abundance will mean different things to different people - it is all based upon what one needs to offer this world. For one person as small meditation hut in the mountains may enable them to serve, for another it might require a giant office building in New York. You can tell if you are living beyond your spiritual means because if you are then all your possessions will either begin to feel like burdens, or will be taken for granted. On the other hand, if you are living a life that is an expression of your Love and Compassion, everything in your life will reflect to you a feeling of gratitude.
The third treasure is Humility. This word also means "not being to daring" or "non-presumptuous". When we are not too daring, we can assume the highest position. This means that we rememer our role and our station. It actually takes us back to the first part of this chapter - reminding us not to get to "familiar" with the Dao. The perspective of the mystic is always one of receptivity. We may be shining the light of Compassion into all the world, but at the center of it all is the emptiness of our rapt wonder at the mystery of all Life.
Coming from this perspective of emptiness, we are in a position to responsibly hold high positions where we can care for others and the energy of the universe will place us in them. These may not always look like "high positions" to the eyes of others in the world (though they may as well), motherhood is a position of great responsibility, husband is a role which allows one to truly do good in another's life. The more humble we are, the more we begin to recognize what an honor it is to be where we are. We recognize the privelege we have been given in this moment and we vow to use it responsibly.
Lao Tze goes on to tell us that if we neglect these treasures, we are most surely doomed.
If we are fearless without love, we are likely to act in ways that harm ourselves or others.
If we are abundant but without moderation, we are likely to lack appreciation for what we have.
If we rise up without humility, we will lake the presence and responsibility that each moment deserves.
In the Buddhist tradition it is explained that all the things that come to us in this life are a result of the actions we have taken which effect others. It is said that one can even become a godlike being which lives for millions of years through accumulating good karma. It is also said, though that the later years of a god are very painful and filled with fear. Often, as a godlike being, one has so much power that one can forget compassion, moderation, and humility. Forgetting these essentials, one can mindlessly engage in actions which bring harm to others - and the more powerful one is, the more potential there is for harm (or good). Causing all of this harm brings it's inevitable karmic result and, according to tradition, a god's last few thousands of years are so terrible because only then do they realize that their rebirth will be of a nature to repay all the harm they have done.
We can see this in the lives of contemporary rock stars, business executives, perhaps even politicians. Being blinded by power or fame, individuals can forget where true happiness comes from - from expressing ones nature as Love and Compassion. As the saying goes "power corrupts".
When, on the other hand, one begins from a standpoint of Love, Moderation, and Humility, one has the means by which to handle any power or fame responsibly - because she knows that it has only been given to enable her to serve beings in ever greater ways. When we practice in this way the positive energy we generate (merit) can grow exponentially - allowing our service to become ever greater, and our happiness to increase at the same rate.
The last verse in this chapter reinforces the View that Love is of the utmost importance. We are told that Compassion is the ultimate defense and protection. This passage helps to put our minds at rest. Contemplating becoming a more loving, open-hearted person can seem like a frightening prospect. Many of us have learned to believe that it is only by becoming stronger or more cunning than others that we can survive and gain happiness. By studying the Dao, though, we begin to learn that our happiness arises as a natural by-product of living in harmony with who we really are. And who we really are is Love itself. Living as who we really are we become one with the Tao and there is no possibility of being in the wrong place. The intentions we put forth begin to become ever clearer expressions of our Compassion, and anything which does not match that vibration is either repelled or transformed instantly.
When Heaven wishes to protect someone it does not send an army. When we are not living the truth, we will feel very insecure. We may think we need to constantly seek out more knowledge, more means of defending ourselves. This is because the identity we've created is an illusion and is quite small. On some level we know that it is an illusion and could crumble at any moment (and eventually will die) - this makes us feel scared. When we are living the truth of our being, we recognize that what we really are is deathless, we begin to feel invulnerable. We know that no matter what happens to us, we are living the Tao in this moment as Love. Established in this state, all the world comes to us in peace and is transformed by our presence.
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