June 2013

"TAO - Two Insights" — Alan Watts (TAO:THE WATERCOURSE WAY) and commentary by Bei Kuan-tu

As days turn to months, then years, a blurring of all that once appeared axiomatic becomes the ground for a germinating process of the heart, an upward flight to freedom—the flowering of a hungry soul. In part, this gift is an ongoing process of seeing/learning beyond the tentacle-like cultural biasses that seem to haunt so many of us so much of the time. From “getting ahead at any cost” to “sacrificing one’s own authenticity for personal gain,” to hiding from a monarchical god whose judgement is precarious at best.“ We can find great solace in the infinitude of the Tao. Not as another ideology, religion or movement “to get the world right,” but simply what intuitively settles the mental dust, allows the bullfrog to bellow at night and leads to right-mindedness.

-Bei Kuan Tu


Below Alan Watts gives a rather artistic perspective on the inconceivability, yet wonderful buoyancy of the Tao.

alan-watts-drawing 2...to conceive the Tao as an unconscious energy is as much off the point as to conceive it as a personal ruler or God. But if, as is the case, the Tao is simply inconceivable, what is the use of having the word and of saying anything at all about it? Simply because we know intuitively that there is a dimension of ourselves and of nature which eludes us because it is too close, too general, and too all-embracing to be singled out as a particular object. This dimension is the ground of all the astonishing forms and experiences of which we are aware. Because we are aware, it cannot be unconscious, although we are not conscious of it—as of an external thing. Thus we can give it a name but cannot make any definitive statement about it—as we saw to be the case with whatever it is that is named "electricity." Our only way of apprehending it is by watching the processes and patterns of nature, and by the meditative discipline of allowing our minds to become quiet, so as to have vivid awareness of "what is" without verbal comment.

-Alan Watts
(from Tao: The Watercourse Way)


"Gender & Tao" by THETAO.COM

---Graphics by Kervin Brissdeaus

Lao Tzu - a feminist? If you were in a light-hearted mood, you could call the Tao "the oldest extant feminist book."  Written during a violent period in Chinese history, is urges rulers to "embrace the feminine way".
The Tao sees the world as male (yang) and female (yin) energies constantly in motion. Since the nature of male energy is so obvious (action, stubbornness, speaking), it extols the virtue of the female way of doing things (patience, flexibility, listening).
As Taoism's popularity grew, so did women's status in Chinese society.  It is hard to say how much of this was caused by the Tao and how much by other factors, but there is certainly no sense of female inferiority in any part of the Tao.  On the contrary, there are dozens of passages advocating people "get in touch with their feminine side" to use the modern vernacular.  
Political Correctness in 300B.C. Many translations of the Tao have sections like: "A wise man follows his belly" or "A good man is a bad man's teacher".  These gender specific words were added during the translations process.  The original Chinese is always neutral.  Usually the original word is person () or sage (), neither of which specifies male or female.
It is a little difficult not to choose "he" or "she" in English, but there are several translations that have managed it.  In many cases assuming the sage or person is male is a symptom of the age of the translation.  Many of them originate in the 1930's to 1950's.  Other translations are based on these earlier, famous ones and have copied their inaccurate style.  This is particularly ironic, because the Tao is probably the most pro-woman treatise outside of modern times.
Two gender specific items stand out though. 
Yin Positive references to Yin, as typified in Chapter 6:
"Yin" energy is like a Valley Goddess who never dies. She should be called "Mystical Female" The door of this "Mystical Female" is the root of Heaven and Earth. This power is always with us. Using this power is effortless.

It is generally believed that the Tao was written to advise the ruler on good government.  At the time, all the rulers were kings, so the word king is frequently used.



"Finding Balance" By Eckhart Tolle

--“Balance” by Kimberly Santini









To give up the egoic will, all you have to do is not complain about what is. Be aligned with the isness – people, situations, whatever – this is already as it is. It’s the inevitability of is. Become friendly with what is, and you become intelligent for the first time.




The present moment is the teacher. Work with that – that’s all you need, really. That’s the end of the “little will”, which isn’t all that powerful anyway. Whatever it creates, creates more problems.






© copyright 2008-2011. Eckhart Tolle . All rights reserved. http://www.eckharttolle.com/

"The River and the Clouds" by Thich Nhat Hanh

---Photo: “Clouds Over the Spokane River” by Arne Loren

Once upon a time there was a beautiful river finding her way among the hills, forests, and meadows. She began by being a joyful stream of water, a spring always dancing and singing as she ran down from the top of the mountain. She was very young at the time, and as she came to the lowland she slowed down. She was thinking about going to the ocean. As she grew up, she learned to look beautiful, winding gracefully among the hills and meadows.

One day she noticed the clouds within herself. Clouds of all sorts of colors and forms. She did nothing during these days but chase after clouds. She wanted to possess a cloud, to have one for herself. But clouds float and travel in the sky, and they are always changing their form. Sometimes they look like an overcoat, sometimes like a horse. Because of the nature of impermanence within the clouds, the river suffered very much. Her pleasure, her joy had become just chasing after clouds, one after another, but despair, anger,and hatred became her life.

Then one day a strong wind came and blew away all the clouds in the sky. The sky became completely empty. Our river thought that life was not worth living, for there were no longer any clouds to chase after. She wanted to die. "If there are no clouds, why should I be alive?" But how can a river take her own life?

That night the river had the opportunity to go back to herself for the first time. She had been running for so long after something outside of herself that she had never seen herself. That night was the first opportunity for her to hear her own crying, the sounds of water crashing against the banks of the river. Because she was able to listen to her own voice, she discovered something quite important.

She realized that what she had been looking for was already in herself. She found out that clouds are nothing but water. Clouds are born from water and will return to water. And she found out she herself was also water.

The next morning when the sun was in the sky, she discovered something beautiful. She saw the blue sky for the first time. She had never noticed it before. She had only been interested in clouds, and she had missed seeing the sky, which is the home of all the clouds. Clouds are impermanent, but the sky is stable. She realized that the immense sky had been within her heart since the very beginning. This great insight brought her peace and happiness. As she saw the vast wonderful blue sky, she knew that her peace and stability would never be lost again.

That afternoon the clouds returned, but this time she did not want to possess any of them. She could see the beauty of each cloud, and she was able to welcome all of them. When a cloud came by, she would greet him or her with loving-kindness. When the cloud wanted to go away, she would wave to him or her happily and with loving kindness. She realized that all clouds are her. She didn't have to choose between the clouds and herself. Peace and harmony existed between her and the clouds.

That evening something wonderful happened. When she opened her heart completely to the evening sky she received the image of the full moon - beautiful, round, like a jewel within herself. She had never imagined that she could receive such a beautiful image. There is a very beautiful poem in Chinese: "The fresh and beautiful moon is traveling in the utmost empty sky. When the mind-rivers of living beings are free, that image of the beautiful moon will reflect in each of us."

This was the mind of the river at that moment. She received the image of that beautiful moon within her heart, and water, clouds, and moon took each other's hands and practiced walking meditation slowly, slowly to the ocean.

There is nothing to chase after. We can go back to ourselves, enjoy our breathing, our smiling, ourselves, and our beautiful environment.