{"id":1791,"date":"2019-10-13T17:20:10","date_gmt":"2019-10-14T00:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/socaltaichi.com\/?p=1791"},"modified":"2019-10-13T17:20:10","modified_gmt":"2019-10-14T00:20:10","slug":"commentaries-for-september-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/socaltaichi.com\/?p=1791","title":{"rendered":"Commentaries for September, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

SEPTEMBER, 2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

09\/08\/2019<\/p>\n

Chapter 51 Tao Te Ching<\/p>\n

As I promised last month, we would start off September with Chapter 51. This is not only one of the most significant chapters in the\u00a0Tao Te Ching,\u00a0<\/em>but in all of spiritual literature, including the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, and the Holy Bible. Below are several translations of Chapter 51 to give you a feel for the different way it has been interpreted.<\/p>\n

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Lin Yutang<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tao gives them birth,
\nTe (character) fosters them.
\nThe material world gives them form.
\nThe circumstances of the moment complete them.
\nTherefore all things of the universe worship Tao and exalt Te.
\nTao is worshipped and Te is exalted
\nWithout anyone\u2019s order but is so of its own accord.<\/p>\n

Therefore Tao gives them birth,
\nTe fosters them,
\nMakes them grow, develops them,
\nGives them a harbor, a place to dwell in peace,
\nFeeds them and shelters them.
\nIt gives them birth and does not own them,
\nActs (helps) and does not appropriate them,
\nIs superior, and does not control them.
\n\u2013 This is the Mystic Virtue.<\/p>\n

Douglas Allchin<\/strong><\/p>\n

“The Way conceives them.
\nIntegrity receives them.
\nMatter allows them.
\nNature endows them.
\nAll creatures thus respect the Way
\nand honor its Integrity.
\nNo one demands that this be so.
\nTheir respect by nature ever flows.
\nThe Way gives birth to them and nurtures them.
\nIt shapes them, develops them,
\nshelters them, strengthens them,
\nsustains them, preserves them.
\nCreating, not claiming as one’s own,
\nworking, not waiting for return,
\nguiding, not seeking to control:
\nsuch is the wonder of integrity.”<\/p>\n

Aalar Fex<\/strong><\/p>\n

“The Tao gives birth to them
\nVirtue rears them
\nNature forms them
\nConditions complete them.<\/p>\n

Therefore, of the ten-thousand things
\nThere are none that do not honor the Tao
\nAnd value Virtue.
\nThe honoring of the Tao
\nThe valuing of Virtue:
\nMan does not command them [to do so]
\nAnd they are always genuinely themselves
\nBecause the Tao gives birth to them
\nAnd Virtue raises them<\/p>\n

Leads them, nourishes them
\nErects them, poisons them
\nSupports them, destroys them.<\/p>\n

Giving birth but not possessing
\nActing but not presuming
\nLeading but not oppressively ruling\u2014<\/p>\n

This is called \u201cMystic Virtue.\u201d”<\/p>\n

Keping Wang<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Dao begets all beings,
\nAnd the De fosters them.
\nSubstance gives them physical form
\nAnd the environment completes them.
\nTherefore all beings venerate the Dao and honor the De.
\nAs for the veneration of the Dao and the honoring of the De,
\nIt is not out of obedience to any orders;
\nIt comes spontaneously due to their naturalness.<\/p>\n

Hence the Dao begets all beings,
\nAnd the De fosters them, rears them and develops them,
\nMatures them and makes them bear fruit,
\nProtects them and helps them breed.
\nTo produce them without taking possession of them,
\nTo raise them without vaunting this as its own merit,
\nAnd to nourish them without controlling them.
\nThis is called the Profound De.<\/p>\n

COMMENTARY: The differences between Lin Yutang’s version, Keping Wang’s and Douglas Allchin’s are rather slight. Most of the terms they use can be considered synonymous. For example: gives birth and begets, substance and material world, environment and circumstances. Anything that has substance is considered material. Also in Chinese thought the term environment (shi) comprises many circumstances including living conditions and geographical surroundings, air quality, local and regional weather and the natural forces created by the change of seasons in a particular region.<\/p>\n

Keping Wang’s version is the most specific of the four and, therefore, the most profound while Aalar Fex’ version strays somewhat from the others. You will notice the Fex uses the terms “poisons them” and “destroys them.” This is a bit troubling because I don’t believe those terms are used in any other version of Chapter 51 and most likely not in Laozi’s original version either. In fact, it would seem that Laozi has conceived a short but all-encompassing hymn of praise and honor to the Tao (Dao) and De (Te) in Chapter 51, pointing out the numerous ways it has benefited Nature in general and mankind more specifically without demanding an iota of praise or honor in return. Fex’ version would definitely offset this vision.<\/p>\n

While all the commentators\/translators use two different terms for the Tao and the Te, they are not two separate entities. They are one and the same, only two aspects of the single essence behind all things. More on that in a moment. As you can see, Lin and Wang are the only two that translate those two terms as Laozi has most likely conceived them:\u00a0Tao (Dao)\u00a0<\/em>and Te (De).<\/em>\u00a0Fex uses\u00a0Tao<\/em> but translates\u00a0Te as\u00a0<\/em>Virtue.<\/em> This is the most common translation of\u00a0Te\u00a0<\/em>as found in most versions of the\u00a0Tao Te Ching.\u00a0<\/em>While it is correct, it is not quite accurate as it tends to be misleading. Allchin translates\u00a0Tao\u00a0<\/em>as\u00a0The Way<\/em>, the common colloquial translation, but calls\u00a0Te<\/em>\u00a0Integrity.\u00a0<\/em>Again, this is not wrong only not entirely accurate. Other translations of\u00a0Te\u00a0<\/em>include\u00a0Power, Character. Life Force, Living Energy.<\/em><\/p>\n

Although most English translations will use the term\u00a0Virtue,\u00a0<\/em>there are two problems with that. First, Te\u00a0<\/em>has no connection whatsoever with the everyday, mundane virtues of mankind, namely benevolence, charity, kindness, etc. which, since the days of Confucius, have arisen from the egoic mind, embroiled in pride, patrimony, ambition, competition, and so many other worldly desires.Te\u00a0<\/em>is not concerned with any of that. Instead, the second problem with the term Virtue is the fact that\u00a0Te,\u00a0<\/em>as Laozi uses it, is not simply Virtue, It actually encompases all the qualities of the\u00a0Tao,\u00a0<\/em>which include many of the other terms used separately to translate\u00a0Te:<\/em> Virtue, Integrity, Power or Potency, Character, Life Force, etc.\u00a0Te\u00a0<\/em>is all of that and more.<\/p>\n

This is why Lin Yutang doesn’t just call\u00a0Te\u00a0<\/em>Virtue but\u00a0Mystic Virtue,<\/em> and Keping Wang calls it the\u00a0Profound De.\u00a0<\/em>As I mentioned above,\u00a0Tao\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Te\u00a0<\/em>are not two separate things.\u00a0Tao\u00a0<\/em>is what generates all Life, and\u00a0De\u00a0<\/em>is what forms, nurtures and sustains that Life.\u00a0Tao\u00a0<\/em>is the invisible, inaudible, intangible essence behind all things while Te<\/em> is\u00a0Tao<\/em> manifested. Therefore, the\u00a0Profound De\u00a0<\/em>or the\u00a0Mystic Virtue<\/em> manifests all the qualities of the\u00a0Tao.\u00a0<\/em>One might say the full potency and potential of the\u00a0Tao.<\/em><\/p>\n

This chapter is so remarkable because it is Laozi telling us: “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.” If you were hoping that something more than a Big Bang existed, something beyond it, something that has existed for all time…”Well. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, but No, Virginia, he’s not real.” Huh?<\/p>\n

If\u00a0Tao<\/em> is invisible, inaudible, intangible as Laozi tells us in other chapters, and most likely incomprehensible, then that something that has existed for all time is not a something but a no-thing. A being without a form and in that case we can perhaps call it a non-being. Nevertheless, Laozi states that this being without a form or non-being actually generated Life as we know it. Now, when a Taoist uses the term Life or Nature, he\/she does not limit that to mean only man or this planet as do most non-Taoists. Instead, Life or Nature means everything, all material things, the Universe, in other words, not just the planet Earth, but all planets, suns, moons, constellations, galaxies.<\/p>\n

Creating or begetting Life is what the\u00a0Tao,\u00a0<\/em>that invisible, inaudible, intangible Being-without-form does. Then, Laozi tells us that\u00a0De, the Tao Manifested<\/em> takes over and does the rest. Like a foster parent,\u00a0Te\u00a0<\/em>fosters the Life that\u00a0Tao\u00a0<\/em>has generated. It helps that Life grow, nurtures it, sustains it, matures and protects that Life and helps it to breed so the\u00a0Tao<\/em> can generate more Life. However, in human nature, especially, these aspects do not occur so smoothly. Unless that Life is attuned to the\u00a0Tao,\u00a0<\/em>to Nature, it will actually run contrary to the Te <\/em>and accord with worldly desires and ambitions rather than accord with Nature and the\u00a0Te.\u00a0<\/em>But, as Laozi tells us, the\u00a0Te,<\/em>\u00a0although it is in every way superior to us, it does not try to control us. It guides but does not force. It affords us that freedom to follow nature or to follow our egoic desires.<\/p>\n

Here is the other remarkable aspect that Laozi is affirming. If you notice in all the above translations, the tasks that the\u00a0Te\u00a0<\/em>is performing in our lives cannot be coordinated from some wayward post far off in Heaven. It’s an inside job, folks. The\u00a0Te<\/em> can only foster, grow, mature, guide and protect us, etc. from the inside out. It cannot work from the outside in. Therefore, Laozi is telling us that the\u00a0Tao<\/em>, once it has generated Life, will remain with that Life by transforming into its own\u00a0Profound Te\u00a0<\/em>or\u00a0Superior Virtue<\/em>\u00a0that will work on us from the inside out throughout our lives. This gives credence to the belief held by many other spiritual ideologies that some sort of spirit exists within us. The Hindus, for example, call it the\u00a0Atman,<\/em> and Christians, the\u00a0Soul. <\/em>And even non-spiritual realms will use words like\u00a0character, integrity<\/em> and\u00a0principles <\/em>to designate an aspect of human nature that exists within us that is non-material. One might even say that the\u00a0Tao <\/em>and\u00a0Te <\/em>are\u00a0comparable to the Hindus’ Brahman and Atman or to a lesser extent the Christian God and Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n

We know that the\u00a0Te\u00a0<\/em>as\u00a0Tao Manifested<\/em> works from the inside out by what Laozi has told us in the Chapter 50.<\/p>\n

He who knows how to live can walk abroad
\nWithout fear of rhinoceros or tiger.
\nHe will not be wounded in battle.
\nFor in him rhinoceroses can find no place to thrust their horn,
\nTigers can find no place to use their claws,
\nAnd weapons no place to pierce.
\nWhy is this so? Because he has no place for death to enter.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

(Chapter 50 translation by\u00a0Gia-fu Feng and Jane English.)<\/p>\n

Why does a true Sage feel this way and have this enormous confidence? Because he\/she knows the\u00a0Tao\u00a0<\/em>lives inside of him\/her in the form of its\u00a0Mystic Virtue\u00a0<\/em>or\u00a0Profound De.<\/em><\/p>\n

One more remarkable aspect about Chapter 51 is that it presents its own condensed version of the Ten Commandments. If you read through the various translations both above and online, you will read all the various tasks that\u00a0Te\u00a0<\/em>is performing in our lives. Those are the tasks we should be performing everyday on our own character and for others and Nature – to help them grow, to mature, to sustain and strengthen them – and to do it quietly, inconspicuously and spontaneously without ruminating and deliberating but as that urge arises from the\u00a0Te,\u00a0<\/em>your Mystic Virtue, <\/em>the\u00a0Living Sage within you. And, above all, do it without any ulterior motives, without expecting an iota of praise, gratitude or honor.<\/p>\n

Thanks for joining me. Have a great week!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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09\/24\/2019<\/p>\n

After posting what I thought would be the one and only commentary (above) on Chapter 51 of the\u00a0Tao Te Ching<\/em> at the beginning of the month, I find there is still a need for more clarity on this very significant chapter.<\/p>\n

Back then, I called Chapter 51 Laozi’s Hymn of Praise and Honor to the Tao<\/em>. Here is my exact quote:<\/p>\n

“In fact, it would seem that Laozi has conceived a short but all-encompassing hymn of praise and honor to the Tao (Dao) and De (Te) in Chapter 51, pointing out the numerous ways it has benefited Nature in general and mankind more specifically without demanding an iota of praise or honor in return.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Even though that may be true, the problem is that it makes the\u00a0Tao Te Ching<\/em> sound like any number of creation myths and Beneficent Monarch\/Dictator myths from lands like ancient Mesopotamia, Greece, Israel, Persia, India, and Christian Europe, telling us how the Supreme Being is all good, all loving, and all just. Of course, in some of these myths, God just happens to have a fiery Hell waiting for anyone who rubs him\/her the wrong way. So, be careful.<\/p>\n

Now anyone who is familiar with the\u00a0Tao Te Ching\u00a0<\/em>realizes that Laozi also tells us that the\u00a0Tao\u00a0<\/em>is completely impartial to man and the individual creations:\u00a0“Heaven and Earth (Nature, the Tao) are inhuman and treat the myriad things as straw dogs. The Sage (the Tao’s human emissary) is inhuman and regards all people as straw dogs”\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>Chapter 5,\u00a0Tao Te Ching.<\/em><\/p>\n

But this idea of impartiality on the part of the\u00a0Tao<\/em> was not new to Laozi. He like many of the sages and commentators before and after him were familiar with the\u00a0I Ching<\/em>, The Book of Changes, <\/em>which\u00a0predates Laozi by some 2500 years. The earliest written works go back some 3000 years, and according to Chinese theorists, oral versions were passed down for some 2000 years prior to that.<\/p>\n

Many facets of the\u00a0I Ching,\u00a0<\/em>point to the\u00a0Tao’s\u00a0<\/em>impartiality. For example, the method of casting the\u00a0I Ching<\/em> by using 49 yarrow stalks has been devised and revised over the centuries to insure its impartiality. The 64 hexagrams introduce us to the Universal Archetypes embedded within our Collective Unconscious, which C.G. Jung often referred to in his writings. He even wrote a forward to one of the modern editions of the\u00a0I Ching.\u00a0<\/em>Each hexagram relates to some facet of human life that is set for that exact moment in time and one’s position in life as expressed by all six lines and cannot be changed.<\/p>\n

Wang Bi an ancient interpreter and commentator on both the\u00a0Tao Te Ching<\/em> and the\u00a0I Ching\u00a0<\/em>states:\u00a0“The hexagrams deal with moments in time, and the lines are concerned with the states of change that are appropriate to those times. Moments in time entail either obstruction or facility, thus the application (of a given hexagram) is either a matter of action or of withdrawal. There are hexagrams that are concerned with growth (of the Tao) and those that are concerned with decrease (of the Tao), thus the tests for them impart a sense of danger or impart a sense of ease.”\u00a0<\/em>(from the\u00a0I Ching as interpreted by Wang Bi,\u00a0<\/em>translated by Richard John Lynn.)<\/p>\n

Change of fortune one way or the other is determined by the pairs of lines which form by opposites and also change accordingly, depending on the application involved. Wang Bi goes on to state:\u00a0“Whether to act or remain passive, whether to draw in or extend oneself, there is only change to indicate what is appropriate. Thus, once the hexagram is named, either good fortune or bad ensues, depending on the category to which it belongs. Once the moment of time is posited, one should either act or remain passive, responding to the type of application involved.”<\/em><\/p>\n

No amount of prayers, pujas, coins in a fountain, incense bundles and other sacrifices to the\u00a0Tao<\/em> can change an unfavorable condition to favorable once the change within the hexagram has been determined. If the Hexagram is telling you to stay and not advance or you will encounter disaster, then forget the incense bundles and just heed the oracle’s advice.<\/p>\n

Ideas we discover in the Tao Te Ching\u00a0<\/em>like Yin and Yang polarity, the\u00a0Tao’s Te or Mystic Virtue, Wu Wei\u00a0<\/em>and the Tao’s <\/em>impartiality were mostly intuited by mystics and sages who revised and transmitted the\u00a0I Ching\u00a0<\/em>down through the ages. Therefore, when Laozi informs us to follow the\u00a0Tao\u00a0<\/em>or Nature, in essence, he is advising us to consult with the\u00a0I Ching.<\/em>\u00a0In fact, the\u00a0Tao Te Ching<\/em> is a short-hand, condensed version of the\u00a0I Ching,<\/em> in which all 81 chapters in some way relate to one or more of the 64 hexagrams.<\/p>\n

To wrap up then our discussion on Chapter 51, let’s take a look at the Taoist Theory of Creation as extracted from ideas and assertions presented in the\u00a0I Ching, Tao Te Ching,\u00a0<\/em>and in various medical and exercise texts relating to\u00a0TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), <\/em>Taoist\u00a0meditation such as Zuowang\u00a0<\/em>and traditional qigong.<\/p>\n

To begin, Laozi tells us in Chapter 14 that the\u00a0Tao,\u00a0<\/em>that Infinite Oneness, is Invisible, Inaudible and Intangible. He states that\u00a0“these three elude all our inquiries for they are bound together and become the inseparable One. Not by its rising is there light, Nor by its sinking is there darkness. Unceasing, continuous, (Eternal and Infinite). It cannot be defined, reverting again to the realm of nothingness (non-thingness).”<\/em><\/p>\n

Unlike the non-thingness of the Buddhist\u00a0Void,<\/em> which is\u00a0Kong\u00a0<\/em>or completely empty, the Taoist non-thingness is called\u00a0Wu\u00a0<\/em>in which it is both empty and filled. As we read above from Chapter 14, the\u00a0Tao<\/em> is invisible and intangible, there is noting of substance anywhere in that mysterious Infinity. But at the same time, it is filled with potential. Thus, in Chapter 21, Laozi tells us what exactly is filling this infinite emptiness, this non-thingness and sets the basis for the Taoist Creation Theory. Again, we call on Lin YuTang to take us through Chapter 21.<\/p>\n

The marks of great Character<\/em>
\nFollow alone from the Tao.<\/em><\/p>\n

The thing that is called Tao<\/em>
\nIs elusive, evasive.<\/em>
\nEvasive, elusive,<\/em>
\nYet latent in it are forms.<\/em>
\nElusive, evasive,<\/em>
\nYet latent in it are objects.<\/em>
\nDark and dim,<\/em>
\nYet latent in it is the life-force.<\/em>
\nThe life-force being very true,<\/em>
\nLatent in it are evidences.<\/em><\/p>\n

From the days of old till now<\/em>
\nIts Named (manifested forms) have never ceased,<\/em>
\nBy which we may view the Father of All Things.<\/em>
\nHow do I know the shape of the Father of All Things?<\/em>
\nThrough these (manifested forms)!<\/em><\/p>\n

(translated by Lin YuTang)<\/p>\n

In the first two lines, Lin translates the word\u00a0Te or Teh<\/em>\u00a0as\u00a0Character. <\/em>As mentioned above,\u00a0Te<\/em> has been translated\u00a0as\u00a0Virtue, Mystic Virtue, Profound Virtue, Moral Principle, Power, Potency.<\/em> We shall use the term used by Laozi,\u00a0Te.\u00a0<\/em>He tells us that this\u00a0Te\u00a0<\/em>follows or flows alone from the\u00a0Tao.\u00a0<\/em>Then he continues to further describe the\u00a0Tao\u00a0<\/em>as he did in chapter 14. Chapter 21 fits chapter 14 like a glove stating that the Tao<\/em>\u00a0is elusive, evasive, yet latent in it are forms. So, that is the difference between the\u00a0Tao\u00a0<\/em>and the Buddhist\u00a0Void.<\/em> Then latent in it are objects. Objects? Now, Laozi is speaking about matter, latent or potential matter. Then Laozi says the\u00a0Tao\u00a0<\/em>is dark and dim. So, this must be\u00a0Tao\u00a0<\/em>in its silent, unmoving phase before the beginning of time, before the evolution of space or light when all was dark and dim. Yet, latent in it is the life-force. There! That is the key. The life-force being very true, Latent in it are evidences. Evidences or images of what? Of us! Of all of Nature, our Universe.<\/p>\n

Finally Laozi tells us from the days of old till now, its Named (manifested forms, the Universe) have never ceased. By which we may view the Father of all Things.How do I know the shape of Father of All Things? Through these as yet unmanifested forms. But the Father of All Things is not the\u00a0Tao,\u00a0<\/em>for the\u00a0Tao\u00a0<\/em>has no shape and never manifests. The Father of All Things is its\u00a0Te, <\/em>its very Character,\u00a0the Life-Force. Instead, the\u00a0Tao\u00a0<\/em>(as we shall see in Chapter 25) is the Mother of All Things.<\/p>\n

So, let us go to Chapter 25 and the final key to the Taoist Creation Theory, again with Lin Yutang.<\/p>\n

Before the Heaven and Earth existed
\nThere was something nebulous:
\nSilent, isolated,
\nStanding alone, changing not,
\nEternally revolving without fail,
\nWorthy to be the Mother of All Things.
\nI do not know its name
\nAnd address it as Tao.
\nIf forced to give it a name, I shall call it \u201cGreat.\u201d
\nBeing great implies reaching out in space,
\nReaching out in space implies far-reaching,
\nFar-reaching implies reversion to the original point.<\/p>\n

Therefore:
\nTao is Great,
\nThe Heaven is great,
\nThe Earth is great,
\nThe King is also great.
\nThere are the Great Four in the universe,
\nAnd the King is one of them.<\/p>\n

Man models himself after the Earth;
\nThe Earth models itself after Heaven;
\nThe Heaven models itself after Tao;
\nTao models itself after nature.<\/p>\n

Here, Laozi sets the stage for creation, telling us that the\u00a0Tao<\/em>, this nebulous non-thingness existed before Heaven and Earth. Silent and alone, unchanging. He states that it is Worthy to be the Mother of All Things. He addresses it as\u00a0Tao,<\/em> which means\u00a0The Way,<\/em> but if forced to give it a physical name, he will simply call it “Great.” Why Great? Because Greatness implies reaching out in space, and reaching out in space implies far-reaching or “infinite.” Then he tells us that far-reaching implies reversion to the original point, which has become one of the fundamental laws of Taoism down through the ages, the reversion of all things to their origin, which is the\u00a0Tao.\u00a0<\/em>Finally, Laozi offers us the four “Greats:”\u00a0The Tao, Heaven, Earth, the King or Man<\/em> and that each one models itself after that which preceded it. However, nothing has ever preceded the\u00a0Tao,\u00a0<\/em>thus it models itself after itself. Lin YuTang translates “Tse-jan” <\/em>as Nature, meaning the Tao’s <\/em>very own Nature. In other words, the\u00a0Tao is tse-jan<\/em> or self-so, self-formed, that which is So<\/em>\u00a0by itself.<\/p>\n

Having examined Chapters 51, 14, 21, and 25 now we are ready to look at the Taoist Creation Theory:<\/p>\n

Before Heaven and Earth, before Time and Space, Sight and Sound, this nebulous mystery, dark and dim, existed, an Infinite Oneness, formless, invisible, inaudible, intangible, and incomprehensible, still and silent. No words, no thoughts can accurately describe it. Then as the movement of its\u00a0Yin-Yang\u00a0<\/em>polarities commences, the darkness is suddenly eclipsed by a clear, brilliant light, not from any external source but from the\u00a0Tao’s <\/em>own brilliance, and a tremendous energy-field spontaneously arises that carries the full potency and potential life-giving energy of the\u00a0Tao.\u00a0<\/em>This energy-field or Life-Force has become known by sages and mystics as the\u00a0Tao’s Te<\/em> or Profound Mystic Virtue.<\/p>\n

As the spiralling movement of the Yin-Yang polarities reverses direction and increases, the\u00a0Te <\/em>forms and projects appearances or traces that had previously been latent with itself as the ground of space, growing and sustaining those appearances – stars, planets, galaxies – all traces formed by its subtle, invivible, life-giving energy, also known as\u00a0Qi.<\/em><\/p>\n

The\u00a0Te’s<\/em> formation of these myriad appearances, which have become known as the Universe or Nature is of no concern or interest tthe\u00a0Tao,<\/em> which remains completely present and intent upon its Infinite Oneness.\u00a0It’s\u00a0Te\u00a0<\/em>however continues to embrace all of Nature and the 10,000 things within itself. Though it, too, is impartial, it carries the full potential and potency of the\u00a0Tao’s Flow.\u00a0<\/em>By attuning to it, we, too, enjoy the optimum benefit of that Life Force.<\/p>\n

So, as you can see, Creation in the true Taoist realm is not like that in many of the other holy books. Neither the\u00a0Tao <\/em>nor it’s Te\u00a0<\/em>are a loving mommy and daddy. Both are impartial to their Creations or manifestations, which, after all, are only images, appearances or traces within the\u00a0Te<\/em> or Life-Force itself, which is an energy field within the\u00a0invisible, inaudible, intangible\u00a0Tao.\u00a0<\/em>These traces, like footsteps in the sand, are not self-so, but are empty and have no form of their own but the form that the\u00a0Te\u00a0<\/em>has given them.<\/p>\n

Thus, we see that there is no need to pray to the\u00a0Tao or Te\u00a0<\/em>since both are impartial and indifferent to human desires and needs. However, the Life Force continues to flow from the\u00a0Tao,\u00a0<\/em>the Mother of All Things, through its\u00a0Te,\u00a0<\/em> the Father of All Things within, without and throughout all of Nature. Therefore, to express gratitude to our Source for being able to experience human life is always a good idea. Nevertheless, meditation and not prayer is the top priority in order to connect to the\u00a0Tao’s Flow\u00a0<\/em>by attuning our awareness to that flow. Meditation can enable us to empty ourselves of the worldly desires and egoic ambitions that limit our awareness and have us hopping all over the place, stressed and agitated. Meditation will calm our sensitive nervous systems and relax our minds so we can move in lock-step with the\u00a0Tao’s Flow\u00a0<\/em>and live spontaneously with all our actions arising from that\u00a0Flow.<\/em> In short, meditation can help us reset our entire organism to its\u00a0Original Nature.<\/em><\/p>\n

So now the Big Question becomes: If we are nothing more than empty traces that have no form of our own but take the shape that the\u00a0Te,\u00a0<\/em>our fostering parent, has given us, are we real or are we just imaginary appearances like the characters in our dreams?<\/p>\n

Damn good question!\u00a0 My response: Who’s Asking?<\/p>\n

Gate, gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate…gone, gone, gone beyond, gone far beyond time and space, sight and sound, life and death, beyond words, thoughts and forms to a place that is everywhere and nowhere, returning Home.<\/em><\/p>\n

Be well. See you next time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SEPTEMBER, 2019 09\/08\/2019 Chapter 51 Tao Te Ching As I promised last month, we would start off September with Chapter 51. This is not only one of the most significant chapters in the\u00a0Tao Te Ching,\u00a0but in all of spiritual literature, including the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, and the Holy Bible. Below are several translations of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/socaltaichi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/socaltaichi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/socaltaichi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socaltaichi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socaltaichi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1791"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/socaltaichi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1791\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1792,"href":"https:\/\/socaltaichi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1791\/revisions\/1792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/socaltaichi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socaltaichi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socaltaichi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}