Every Thing in the Tao

"Less and less do you need to force things, until finally you arrive at non-action. When nothing is done, nothing is left undone." --Tao Te Ching

As a dancer knows, absorption into the dance becomes the dancer. Without separate consciousness they become the dance and the dance becomes them. It transpires effortlessly, without active thought. This may be thought of as a model, a clear example of non-action.

The dancer does not think and yet they move about with the music in a pure expression. It is so because "the doer wholeheartedly vanishes into the deed." The fuel completely transforms into flame; the wood is the fire. This 'nothingness' is in fact, everything. Can the dancer force the music, can they make the notes unfold in any other way other than as presented? What other response could they offer as a dancer?

Is singularity in the dance, really isolation; is the cooperation with the musicians less obvious? How does the dancer 'hear' the music? The fluid softness, the supple strength of the dancer occurs as a response to the music, to the musicians, when they trust in the great intelligence of the world, the dharmakaya and the simple intelligence of the body to respond physically, to respond appropriately in harmony, in symphony. The dancer then trusts, not only the present functioning of their own body but also of the musicians and the physics of the music itself

The wisdom book, the ancient Tao Te Ching so popular in the west, especially, tells of the intuitive wisdom of the dancer:

People see some things as beautiful
other things ugly
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,
teaches without saying anything,
Things arise. Let them come.
Things disappear. Let them go
Have but not possess
act but not expect
When work is done, forget it.
That is why it lasts forever

In surrender, in giving up notions, judgements and demands, the mind grows naturally into compassion. In dance, self-expression is the evidence. In one's own, deep experience, the central truths of living are revealed; paradoxical as they may first seem, this is only the surface. Deep looking and careful thinking reveal that the more solitary we are, the more compassionate we may be; the more we let go of what we love, the more present our love becomes; the clearer our vision, the more the way presents itself.

Tantric Practice, Shaman and the Tao

"Emptiness, or how to untie what has never been tied" --Sunyata

Learn to yield and be soft
If you want to survive
Learn to bow
And you will stand 
at your full height

Learn to empty yourself
and be filled with the Tao
the way a valley empties itself into a river

Use up all that you are
And then you can be made new
Learn to have nothing
And you will have everything

Sages always act like this
and are Children of the Tao

Never try to impress, their being shines forth
Never saying 'this is it,' people see what the truth is
Never boasting, they leave the space they can be valued in
And never claiming to be who they are, people can see them
And since they never argue, no one argues with them either

So the ancient ones say
Bend and you will rule
Is this a lie? 

You'll find its true
Be true to yourself,

 and all will be well with you.

--Tao Te Ching, Chapter 22, translated by Man-Ho Kwok

To the Western mind, the Tao is often misconstrued. Most often, it's through a lack of experience with the world in which it comes forth, and even less experience with the ancient world in which its wisdom was written. So for most Westerners, having little or no contact with Asian civilization, society or its antiquity, there leaves a gaping hole which is often filled with something, something that may well be an assumption based upon western experience--or imagination. The meanings are then misconstrued.

Know that while there was a person called Lao Tzu historically, he was known to the Chinese philosopher, Confucius as the person, Li Ehr Tan; little else survives about who this person may have been. 
The Tao Te Ching along with other wisdom books, T'ai Shan Kan-ying, Chuang Tzu and Lieh Tzu, as well as the I Ching are important writings of the Taoist Cannon.
And while the authorship of these ancient texts made be deduced, many scholars are of the opinion that the book we call the Tao Te Ching, like the Greek text, Homer, was actually written by a number of persons over a span of time.

It is important to consider and appreciate that the values of the Tao were radically different from those of Confucius' imperialism; one of the most significant differences was the practice of Shamanism. It is a core belief of Taoism that there exists two worlds, the material, physical world which we experience, and a greater, unseen world, the spiritual world existing side by side with the everyday world. Sometimes the Taoist believes this spirit world breaks into the everyday world; a mystical experience arises.

The Shaman is key in his role of one who is able to intercede between the two worlds, heaven and earth, if you like; often using meditation, trance, drumming or tantric methods, the Shaman is able to move between these worlds. This idea is key to the Taoist notion that these intercessors flow between the worlds, riding  upon a river of the true, natural, forces of the universe.
Shamanism believes certain creatures or structures are divinely inspired and more open or receptive to the forces of the Spirit world. It continues to the present day. Thus the sage, the Shaman, remains open, or empty so as to be the receptor of the spirits. Some think them to be like chameleons, able to take many poses or forms.

Translated and Interpreted

The Simple Mind is away from the computer


To the engaged student, it may be noted that when any given text originates in a language not one's own, a translation will then necessarily be read. The student who inquires in-depth will, at some point, likely come to find that there are several translations of many important texts; sometimes there are hundreds. Which one to read, which one to choose?

If you speak the language in question, then read any which suits you; for most of us who speak one or perhaps two languages, this is a challenge at times. For Americans this language challenge presents a special difficulty. The majority of Americans are not fluent in any other language beyond English.
Ancient texts are written in Chinese, Sanskrit, Persian, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Pali to name several. Choosing the text to be studied is reliant on the skill and sensitivity of the translator. Some would choose on-line translations today; many do not suffice. They are not fine or nuanced enough, reflecting the degree of skill of the translator.

Others may learn a bit about the education and background of a translator before spending time and effort with that particular translation. And others will require that study materials be directly translated from the original language text, rather than an English translation which for example, was first translated into German as so many East Asian texts have been. Christian materials not derived from the original Greek and Latin manuscripts have long contained discrepancies one translation to another. Those not competent in Sanskrit may find Buddhist and Hindu texts can be accessed only from translations.

As the Simple Mind is like so many others, linguistically limited, there are reliable ways to choose texts for study. Study up on the author, editor, translator and the publisher of such texts before choosing. Read the introduction and forward or translator's notes in any given volume first of all.

The well known text, Tao Te Ching, has been translated many times into many languages; the text itself is ancient, more than a thousand years and more than one author is responsible for the original. Consider two such translations here:

Tao Te Ching Chapter 2, translated by Stephen A. Mitchell:

People see some things as beautiful,

other things ugly.

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

teaches without saying anything.

Things arise. Let them come;

things disappear. Let them go.

Have but not possess;

act but not expect.

When work is done, forget it; 

that is why it lasts forever.

Another translation of Tao Te Ching Chapter 2 by the linguists Man-Ho Kwok,  Martin Palmer and Jay Ramsay:

Beauty and mercy are only recognized by people
Because they know the opposite, which is ugly and mean.

If the people think they know goodness
Then all they really know is what evil is like!


Nothing, and Heaven
                                     share the same root--
Difficulty and ease are a part of all work.


The long and short are in your hands,
Above and below exist because they each do,
What you want and what you say should be the same...
Neither furture nor past can exist alone.


The sage has no attachment to anything,
and he therefore does what is right without speaking
simply by being
                          in the Tao.
Life, all life
                      began without words.
Life is made -- and no one owns it.


The Tao is neither selfish nor proud.


The Tao is generous and graceful in what it does
Without ever claiming any merit


And the sage's greatness lies
in taking no credit.

The Basis of Oneness

"feel your lightness and let it merge with others..."
--Tao Te Ching
"Many poets are not poets... they never succeed in being themselves."
--Thomas Merton
"I am the will, the heart, the soul, the spirit, the self, the I..."
--Peter Kreeft


Ways of seeing, vispayana, are many and yet they are few: some spiritual traditions are unique, and yet they are universal:

"If you know what it is, don't talk it away:
If you don't then you don't understand.

Hush, keep it in, and your doorway shut--
Steer clear of sharpness and untangle the knots.

Feel your lightness and let it merge with others,
This we say is our basis of oneness.

The sage who does this doesn't have to worry
about people called 'friends' or 'enemies,'
with profit or loss, honor or disgrace--

He is a Master of Life, instead."
--Tao Te Ching, chapter 56, translated by Man-Ho Kwok

"I have three priceless treasures:
The first is compassion
the second, thrift
And the third is that I never want to be ahead of you.

If I have compassion, you will die for me. I know that.
If I waste nothing, I can give myself to you all--
And if I don't seem perfect, then you'll trust me to lead you.

These days people scorn compassion. They try to be tough.
They spend all they have, and yet want to be generous
They despise humility, and want to be the best.

I tell you that way is Death's.

If you have loved your people, you will know it
they will fight tooth and nail for you in attack or defense.

This is the protection of Heaven, and your harvest.
--Tao Te Ching, chapter 67, translated by Man-Ho Kwok


Thomas Merton, Integrity

"Many poets are not poets for the same reason that many religious men are not saints: they never succeed in being themselves. They never get around to being the particular poet or particular saint they are intended to be by [gifts of] God... They wear out their minds and bodies in a hopeless endeavor to have somebody elses' experiences, or write somebody else's poems, or possess somebody else's spirituality... There can be an intense egoism in following everybody else. People are in a hurry to magnify themselves by imitating what is popular-- and too lazy to think of anything better... Hurry ruins saints as well as artists... In great saints you find that perfect humility and perfect integrity coincide. The two turn out to be practically the same thing. The saint is unlike everybody else precisely because he is humble... since no two people are alike, if you have the humility to be yourself, you will not be like anyone else in the whole universe... Individuality is something deep in the soul... humility brings with it a deep refinement of spirit, a peacefulness, a tact and common sense, without which there is no sane morality...How do you expect to arrive at the end of your own journey if you take the road to another man's city?

--Thomas Merton, Trappist monk from his book, The New Seeds of Contemplation

Peter Kreeft, The Most Important Thing

"Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man." Matthew 15:11

"This is true not only of the mouth or the body, but also the soul. What comes into my soul is not necessarily what I will, but what comes out of my soul is precisely what I will. The Greek philosophers did not clearly recognize this personal center. They were intellectualists; they thought the deepest thing in us was the mind. Thus Plato taught that whenever we really know the good, we do it... Aristotle defined man as a rational animal." When asked about his teachings, Jesus replied, "My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. If any man's will is to do this [the Father's] will, he shall know whether the teaching is from God." John 7, verses 16,17

"The will leads us to wisdom... Know thyself, was the first and greatest command for the Greeks. It was inscribed upon every Temple of Apollo... To answer that fundamental question: What is the self? What am I? What is the human person? The key of love unlocks the deepest answer...

--Peter Kreeft, The God Who Loves You
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