Essential Taoism

A feature article by an Alumbo member, Mar 08, 2007         

Summary: This article explains the concept of Tao as per the religion of Taoism and also explains a radical method for growing to self confidence and spiritual growth.

 
In this outline on essential Taoism you will find quotations from the Chinese sages describing the Tao along with my (few and far between) comments. This is a subject that cannot be explained clearly. In fact Lao Tzu himself said: "The Tao that can be spoken of is not the real Tao." And also: "Those who know (the Tao) do not speak, those who speak do not know (the Tao)." Besides I do not have much to say because I am not enlightened. I cannot claim to have experienced the Tao any more than you have. Also the subject is such that even had I had a mystical experience I would be even then at a loss for words. When we name a thing we put it in a class or a category. But the Tao - or God - is all there is. It cannot be put in a category or described by contrasting it to another object. This should be mentioned in any outline on essential Taoism. Also you may get the impression after reading this page that you do not have a clear idea of what the Tao is. This is because the Tao is us and we are: "Like a sword which cuts but cannot cut itself, Like an eye which sees but cannot see itself." Putting it in another way we can perceive an object only in contrast with its background. For example we can only see the stars when we have the background of the dark sky. But the Tao escapes our attention because it is not just the object but it is also the background and it is also the perceiver. It is so close to us that we do not perceive it. It is like a fish not being conscious of the water in which it lives. Any outline on essential Taoism would make this clear. The Tao can only be experienced and cannot be described. It is beyond categories and hence it is impossible to have a clear conceptual grasp of it. Any outline on essential Taoism would make this clear. That said, let us begin: "The Tao that can be spoken of is not the absolute Tao." "The Tao is that from which one cannot deviate; That from which one can deviate is not the Tao." This is in contrast with the Christian God who has given us commandments that one can choose to disobey. But according to any outline on essential Taoism the very act or choice of disobeying is itself part of the stream of Tao. People try to force issues - like our wanting to be enlightened for example - not knowing that we cannot deviate. Thus it is said that, "Your everyday consciousness is the Tao." This is a way of being one with the Ultimate that is at complete variance with Theravada Buddhism for example with its emphasis on meditation and clearing the Mind of defilements. The basic outline on essential Taoism would differ from this method and all these different paths are legitimate. All roads lead to Rome. In a sense this idea that all is Tao is a tautology which does not tell us anything new. It is like saying that a = a in algebra. Nothing new has been said and we have not learned anything. But in another sense this statement that all is Tao tells us what attitude we can have towards the Universe and towards ourselves so as to grow spiritually. There is a statement attributed to Bodhidharma - the founder of Zen Buddhism in China - which goes: "This very mind is the Buddha." If this very mind, this ordinary mind is the Buddha then we need to perceive it differently. No matter whether we are feeling lazy, angry, hatred, malice or spite; no matter what we are feeling it is still the Buddha mind. Hence we need to observe it being properly polite and respectful and reverent. In the Christian religions also we are told that God is infinitely loving and compassionate and despite all our sins He still loves us and blesses us with his grace. If a person had this faith in the Christian God then also the effect on him psychologically will be the same as the self-acceptance, which arises when we accept that "This very mind is the Buddha." And the power of such self-acceptance to work changes in our lives is almost magical. Psychotherapists and psychoanalysts witness it all the time although perhaps not as often as they wish. And they are at a loss to explain the phenomenon - it is so extraordinary. The one point that I would stress is that you do not accept yourself as a means to the end of changing yourself. If your everyday mind is the Tao then it does not need to be changed in any way - it is, in itself, a manifestation of God, perfectly fine and OK as it is. This also must be mentioned if this outline on essential Taoism is to benefit you. There is also the fact that - paradoxically - when you accept yourself without strings, having the faith that your everyday mind is the Tao - only then do you open up the possibility of change. The imagery associated with the Tao is maternal: "There is something obscure which is complete, before heaven and earth arose, tranquil, quiet, standing alone without change, moving around without peril. It could be the mother of everything, I do not know its name and call it the Tao." As I said earlier you may have reached the end of this page here without a clear conceptual grasp of the Tao. This is because the Tao can only be experienced and not conceived. It is beyond concepts. I hope you found this article on an outline on essential Taoism useful and inspiring. Do some reading and thinking to really apply the message of this outline on essential Taoism in your life. About the author Also visit this page on Essential Taoism for a radically different way of growing in capability and power

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