Wisdom of the Tao
This section is based on Tao te Ching of Lao Tzu. Sometime during the sixth to fourth century B.C., Tao te Ching was believed to be written. It is the foundational text of Taoism, a spiritual school of Chinese thought. The title Tao te Ching can be translated as The Classic of the Way or simply The Way.
Below are some of the ways that the Tao can be applied to help you remain calm, centered and peaceful amidst feelings of intolerable fear and pain. Taoism is the radical affirmation of the trustworthiness of creation.
1. Feeling: I feel anxious
And the Tao says:
“Empty your mind of all thoughts
Let your heart be at peace
Watch the turmoil of beings,
but contemplate their return
Each separate being in the Universe
returns to the common Source
Returning to the Source is Serenity
If you don’t realize your Source,
stumble in confusion and sorrow
When you realize where you come from,
You naturally become tolerant, disinterested, amused
Kindhearted as a grandmother, dignified as a King.
Immersed in the wonder of the Tao,
You can deal with whatever comes”
The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu translated by Stephen Mitchell
2. Feeling: I am better, superior than others (I am my Ego)
I am the best in my group/ fellowship. I am the more recovered.
I attend more meetings than anyone else.
The Tao says:
“Amass possessions,
Establish positions,
Display your pride:
Soon enough disaster drives you to your knees.
This is the way of heaven:
Do your work, then quietly step back”.
The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu translated by Brian Browne Walker
3. Feeling: I feel less (inferior) than others
And the Tao says:
“Stop thinking and end your problems
What difference between yes and no
What difference between success and failure
Must you value what others value
Avoid what others avoid.
How ridiculous!”
The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu translated by Stephen Mitchell
4. Feeling: I am self-righteous
And the Tao says:
“When people lose sight of the Tao,
Codes of morality and justice are created.
When cleverness and strategies are in use,
Hypocrites are everywhere.
When families forgo natural harmony,
Parents become pious and children
become dutiful.
When the nation is reigned by darkness,
patriotic advisers abound”.
The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu translated by Brian Browne Walker
5. Feeling: I have to be put together at all times
And the Tao says:
Allow yourself to yield, and
You can be centered.
Allow yourself to bend, and
You will stay straight.
Allow yourself to be empty, and
You’ll get filled up.
Allow yourself to be exhausted, and
You’ll be renewed.
Having little, you can receive much.
Having much, you’ll just become confused
The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu translated by Brian Browne Walker
6. Feeling: I feel insecure
And the Tao says:
If you try to grab hold of the world
And do what you want with it,
You won’t succeed.
The world is a vessel for spirit, and
It wasn’t made to be manipulated.
Tamper with it, and you’ll spoil it.
Hold it, and you’ll lose it.
The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu translated by Brian Browne Walker
7. Feeling: My mind is too full of thoughts
The Tao says:
Work toward emptiness and openness
Cultivate stillness.
Breathe harmony
Become tranquility
As the ten thousand things rise and fall,
Rise and fall,
Just witness their return to the root.
The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu translated by Brian Browne Walker
8. Feeling: I am confused and overwhelmed
And the Tao says:
Colors blind the eye
Sounds deafen the ear
Flavors numb the taste
Thoughts weaken the mind.
Desires wither the heart.
The Master observes the world, but trusts his inner vision
He allows things to come and go
His heart is as open as the sky.
The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu translated by Stephen Mitchell
9. Feeling: I am in intolerable pain
And the Tao says:
She who is centered in the Tao
Can go where wishes without danger
She perceives the Universal harmony
Even amidst great pain
Because she has found peace in her heart.
The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu translated by Stephen Mitchell
10. Feeling: I am critical of myself and others
And the Tao says:
When people see some things as beautiful,
Other things become ugly
When people see some things as good
Other things become bad
Being and Non-Being create each other
Difficult and easy support each other
Long and short define each other
High and low depend on each other
Before and after follow each other
Therefore, the Master acts without doing anything,
And teaches without saying anything
Things arise and she lets them come
Things disappear and she lets them go
She has but doesn’t possess
Acts, but doesn’t expect
When her work is done, she forgets it
That is why it lasts forever.
The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu translated by Stephen Mitchell
11. Feeling: I must get it before someone else does. (This feeling is characterized by a sense of urgency, because the belief is that there isn’t enough)
And the Tao says:
The Tao is like a well,
Used but never used up.
It is like the Eternal Void filled with infinite possibilities
It is hidden, but always present
I don’t know who gave birth to it.
It is older than God.
The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu translated by Stephen Mitchell
12: Feeling: Who or what is Higher Power
And the Tao says:
There was something formless and perfect, before the Universe was born
It is serene, empty, solitary, unchanging, infinite,
Eternally present.
It is the mother of the Universe
For lack of a better name,
I call it the Tao.
It flows through all things, inside and outside
And returns to the origin of all things,
The Tao is great,
The Universe is great,
Earth is great,
Man is great.
These are the four great powers.
Man follows the Earth
Earth follows the Universe
The Universe follows the Tao
The Tao follows only itself.
The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu translated by Stephen Mitchell
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