Tao Te Ching

8 posts

monism

Monism Is at the Essence of All Duality

Please, if possible, glance slowly and deliberately at any given object in your immediate surroundings. What do you see? It may be a chair, table, or a picture on the wall. You are essentially a part of anything you observe. Furthermore, each and every object is of one state of being. And, the marvelous mystery of oneness manifests in all shapes and sizes. This is too much for the mind, strictly mentally speaking, to comprehend. Thus, the mind interprets monism as dualism. The mind does this in an attempt to define and categorize.

monism

“There is a thing inherent and natural, which existed before heaven and earth. Motionless and fathomless, it stands alone and never changes; it pervades everywhere and never becomes exhausted. It may be regarded as the Mother of the Universe. I do not know its name. If I am forced to give it a name, I call it Tao, and I name it as supreme.”
– Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

Nevertheless, the mind is naturally a part of this mysterious oneness. And, this creates a paradox. Hence, the mind over-compensates the simplicity of monism. Therefore, it is very difficult for a person to disregard thoughts and feelings that invoke separation. The presence of oneness that manifests through all objects is there within each heartbeat and within each breath. This is the nature of beingness and the isness of living. It is a vibrating flow of energy. Continue reading

Lao Tzu

Lao Tzu Shows Us the Way and So Can You

Jesus, Buddha, Lao Tzu, and other sages were aware of the possibilities within the field of conscious awareness. The key is to recognize universal knowledge as the essence of being. Thus, you spontaneously live life beyond word, labels and mind details. Yet, you accept mind aspects as a part of the isness of living. However, continual tapping into the spaciousness of presence frees you from mind dominance during any situation. Hence, life is an energy field that pulsates with active consciousness. And, this consciousness is universal. This is a space of oneness that we all share. Furthermore, this is a realm of nothingness from which everything manifests.

Lao Tzu

Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre expresses our existence through the following insight in his book Being and Nothingness.

“At first man is nothing. Only afterward will he be something, and he himself will have made what he will be.”
and
“Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself.”

Truly living, rather than existing, so to speak, is enough without searching for an ultimate label or reason for being. The past nor the future offer no enlightenment of life and living in this moment. So, this is to say, that life is a mystery best to experience as a mystery. The first chapter of the Tao Te Ching (Lao Tzu 604-531 BC) expresses this mystery as the Tao (The Way). Continue reading

straightforward

Straightforward Is the Way to Experience Life

The essence of this moment is your true self. We can simplify this by saying the now reflects you. Please understand that this doesn’t suggest that you should reflect the details of any given experience. Rather, you are ultimately the vessel that holds the totality within it. A person must truthfully observe this moment. Otherwise, you overlook the simplicity of living. We can incorporate the word straightforward into a daily mantra. Practice this affirmation in any situation. Say to yourself. I choose to observe this moment in a straightforward manner. Experiencing the now truthfully will reflect this energy out into the universe and back to you.

straightforward

The now of life is constant and holds the totality within it. We become genuinely empathic to the world around us as we become more and more aware of conscious living. This allows universal consciousness and thus universal life intelligence to expand and pulsate intensively as the unmanifested becomes the manifested universe. We experience this, and when the level of our awareness becomes more awakened, we will continually release higher and higher levels of object consciousness back into the totality.

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equanimity

Equanimity: A Helpful Stepping Stone in Life

What is equanimity? This word has many interpretations. This is true for all words. However, conscious enlightenment is beyond words, thoughts, and the mind. Therefore, I ask that you practice understanding without defining. Please exercise knowing without needing to clarify. Why do I ask this of you? Because you hold universal intelligence within your grasp as the essence of your being. Anything that we use is merely a stepping stone back to the totality of our being. We are always on this path.  Lao Tzu expresses The Way of life in the “Tao Te Ching”.

equanimity

So, we can say that the stepping stones are The Way. Then why does it seem so difficult, even impossible, to experience the enlightenment of our true nature? This is because we usually are not aware of the path markers along the way. A diversity of conditioned mind thoughts, feelings and behavior cause us to overlook the obvious. We actually choose to blindly walk the path of life. We unconsciously take each step because we don’t truly observe The Way. Still, and foremost, this unconscious state of living is irrelevant once we awaken to The Way in life. The moment will come when a person will know without needing to know why he or she knows. Continue reading

The Footpath of Least Resistance

A pathway can reveal clarity or confusing. What is the deciding element during the journey? You, because you are the way. The Way is not the path itself. Nor, is it you as the person. Instead, it is how you travel this trail. The way is permanence. And, you take one step and then the next. But, will each step be unconsciously or consciously taken?  A footpath commonly indicates a simpler means of travel. Then why does the way often seem so complex? Remember, you are the way. Therefore, you cause the complications. The path is simply a path.

footpath

Thus, the footpath is helpful during conscious awakening. Whereas, the way is unavoidable. However, it can be a transition that will change everything. This depends on how you experience it. Laozi (Lao Tzu) shared profound wisdom in his insight about The Way. His teachings offer us the experience of simplicity as we travel on the path. He does not share details about what we encounter. But, he does suggest living consciously along the way. Continue reading

acceptance

Acceptance Is the Way to Harmony and Balance

Acceptance is difficult for most people. Furthermore, it seems we receive or achieve something that we had wanted and then we don’t want it anymore. Mind madness is perhaps the best way to describe our actions. This is the mind and the complex behavior that is mostly a result of conditioning. This conditioning keeps us from allowing life energy, in whatever form, to manifest. Oh, everything will unfold. It happens. But, we express resistance to countless thoughts and things each day. But, life manifestation has nothing to do with personal or collective gain or loss. It is about harmony and balance in our being.

acceptance

Moreover, you have the potential to rise above the cloud of mind confusions and illusions. There is a space of uncontaminated, fundamental energy always available. The mind is a marvelous human attribute and basically only needs a reset. This is because it has become entangled in its own web of thoughts, feelings and ego. Acceptance is an acquired state of being. Still, allowing and letting go will change everything. It will be incredible to observe that the only thing that really changes is how you observe yourself. Continue reading

vibrations

Vibrations of Life Are Flowing Everywhere

What are the vibrations of life? Life is energy. The universe is an energy field occupied by objects. This energy has the potential to become conscious of itself. The transformation of energy into manifested objects is ongoing. These objects, such as ourselves, have the potential to become conscious of consciousness. Likewise, all objects are essentially in sync with the flow of universal energy. So, what happened to us? Why do we often feel alone, confused and frightened?

vibrations

We are, so to say, out of sync. Still, it is possible to be aware of consciousness. Enlightenment is a universal constant.  But, evolutionary characteristics such as mind and even motor sensory development disrupt balance and harmony. Governing these characteristics is behavioral conditioning. Thus, we feel separated from the flow of life. Hence, we rely on the mind to dictate insignificant details and illusions.

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crossroad

Crossroad: Where Do You Wish to Go?

A sharing process invokes expansion. Moreover, this development is twofold. Therefore, the mind (intelligence) and consciousness (object and universal) benefits. Furthermore, we wish to experience universal consciousness and the divinity of our existence. We can achieve this by shifting from mind-generated energy (thought patterns and conditioning restrictions) into (uninhibited) awareness. This could be considered an evolutionary crossroad.

crossroad

The mind is a marvelous work of evolution. However, thoughts, emotions, ego and primarily conditioned reactions inhibit the flow of life and awakening to consciousness. The one or the other may appear to contribute in our development; but they also have a down side. Many traits have evolved through processes of conditioning, manipulation and restrictions. Therefore, we should become aware, observe and restore balance and harmony in our existence. Continue reading