• Amused
  • Angry
  • Annoyed
  • Awesome
  • Bemused
  • Cocky
  • Cool
  • Crazy
  • Crying
  • Depressed
  • Down
  • Drunk
  • Embarrased
  • Enraged
  • Friendly
  • Geeky
  • Godly
  • Happy
  • Hateful
  • Hungry
  • Innocent
  • Meh
  • Piratey
  • Poorly
  • Sad
  • Secret
  • Shy
  • Sneaky
  • Tired
  • Wtf
  • Page 1 of 8 12345678 LastLast
    Results 1 to 20 of 150

    Thread: Daily Tao

    1. #1
      Forum Moderator
      This user has no status.
       
      I am:
      ----
       
      BlueStar's Avatar
      Join Date
      Nov 2008
      Location
      Scotland, UK
      Posts
      3,014
      Blog Entries
      18
      Rep Power
      41

      Default Daily Tao

      http://daily-tao.blogspot.com/

      I created a blog especially for this, but I wanted to share this in a thread on MW for everyone's benefit. I will post each new verse and its comments regularly and invite others to share their own interpretations of each verse. Bear in mind, that the Tao is not to be understood with the mind and analysis, but with the heart and soul.

      Before I begin, I will preface it with the intro from the blog:

      I recently decided to re-immerse myself in the Tao Te Ching, one of the oldest books still in existence - and certainly one of the wisest and most profound. It presents an approach to life which is almost quite alien to our materialistic, consumer-driven modern society, but which I feel is more important than ever and is a way of reconnecting us to a more natural, balanced and peaceful mode of living and experiencing life.

      I have at least four different translations of the Tao Te Ching and what I have done is mix and match from each, to re-create each verse in the manner which I feel best reflects the message imparted by Lao Tzu. I have mainly based it upon the translations/versions of Stephen Mitchell, John H McDonald and Jonathan Star.

      I also decided to offer up a couple of paragraphs for each entry sharing my own experiences and intuitive understandings as to what the words (which are often enigmatic, cryptic and sometimes paradoxical) are pointing to. After meditating upon the verse in question, I simply open myself to whatever words come to mind. My comments may or may not fit in with the 'conventional' understandings of whichever verse, but I nevertheless endeavour to share what is true from my experience.

      I hope you enjoy this blog, which will eventually include all 81 verses of the Tao Te Ching in what may or may not be a daily basis (I'll aim for daily, and I'll see how I get on!) Please feel free to share your own comments as to what each verse means to you and how you interpret the timeless wisdom of Lao Tzu.
      Check out ELADRIA ~ an epic, highly acclaimed fantasy/sci-fi/metaphysical novel!
      "The meaning of human existence is explored in this beautiful, richly and intensely woven tale. The author takes us on the journey of a lifetime.”
      "The most beautiful and thought-provoking book I have ever read."

    2. #2
      Forum Moderator
      This user has no status.
       
      I am:
      ----
       
      BlueStar's Avatar
      Join Date
      Nov 2008
      Location
      Scotland, UK
      Posts
      3,014
      Blog Entries
      18
      Rep Power
      41

      Default Verse 1

      1.

      The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.
      The name that can be named is not the eternal Name.
      The unnamable is the eternally real.
      Naming is the origin of all particular things.
      Free from desire, you can see the hidden mystery.
      Caught in desire, you see only what is visibly real.
      Yet mystery and visible reality arise from the same source.
      And the mystery itself is the gateway to all understanding.



      The first verse of the Tao Te Ching opens on an almost cautionary note, warning us that the ultimate truth is beyond conceptualisation and abstraction. How then can we seek to express the inexpressible with words and concepts without losing its very essence? How do we approach this eternal Tao and understand the mystery from which all life arises?

      The tendency of the mind is to create concepts and to regard these concepts as being the ultimate truth, when at best they can merely serve as pointers to this truth. A famous Zen story highlights this plight. In the parable, truth is analogous to the moon in the night sky. A wise man catches sight of the moon and attempts to point it out to his followers. However, most of his followers fail to realise that it is necessary to look beyond the tip of his finger to see what it is pointing to. Instead they mistakenly believe that the finger itself is the moon. From this fundamental misperception entire religions have been created, where words and doctrines (the pointing finger) have become more important than that to which they were pointing.

      Most of us keep our attention fixed solely upon the visible manifestations of life; the world of the ‘ten thousand things’ as many translations of the Tao Te Ching describe it. We’re so fixated upon objects (and this includes the objects in our minds, such as our thoughts, beliefs and ideas), that we are totally unaware of that which lies beneath, beyond and within them. Or, to use a metaphor, it’s as if we’re so focussed on the words in a book that we’re completely unaware of the paper upon which they are written and without which the book wouldn’t exist. Only when taking both into account – the words and the paper; the forms and the formless – can true understanding be gained.

      The Tao is the intangible, formless essence from which all forms arise and subside, like waves upon the ocean. It is the noumenon at the root of all phenomena. Without it, nothing could exist and yet with our senses we perceive only the outward visible manifestations, the 'particular things' of life. We name them and create abstractions about them in our mind.

      From language, concepts are born and it is through this screen of concepts that we filter our reality. Our tendency is then to mistake our interpretation of reality as being reality itself. Instead of experiencing reality purely and directly as it is, we inhabit a virtual-reality determined by our ever-shifting thoughts and interpretations.

      This is a second-hand experience of life at best. To lose ourselves in mental activity and abstract interpretation, forever engaged in naming, analysing and categorising the outer forms is to lose touch with the deeper essence of the Tao. When this happens, understanding remains incomplete because, in a sense, we’re living a one-dimensional existence, aware of and relating only to the surface level of life. A life without depth is one that is perpetually unfulfilling and endlessly frustrating.

      Our fixation with objects is rooted in desire. Desire obscures our perception and keeps us locked in the ceaseless mode of acquisition and attainment. We become lost in a mindset of 'never quite enough', always craving more and more things, unaware that what we truly yearn for is an experience of the Tao – the everything and nothing ('no-thing') that underlies all existence.

      When we cease to fixate on and grasp at material objects, we are able to touch upon the mystery that lies at the heart of life. We move beyond a strictly one-dimensional experience of life and the innate richness, depth and beauty of life begins to reveal itself. This is what Lao Tzu calls the “gateway to all understanding”…
      Last edited by BlueStar; December 30th, 2011 at 01:02 PM.
      Check out ELADRIA ~ an epic, highly acclaimed fantasy/sci-fi/metaphysical novel!
      "The meaning of human existence is explored in this beautiful, richly and intensely woven tale. The author takes us on the journey of a lifetime.”
      "The most beautiful and thought-provoking book I have ever read."

    3. #3
      Senior Member
      This user has no status.
       
      I am:
      ----
       

      Join Date
      Mar 2009
      Posts
      322
      Rep Power
      17

      Exclamation Way

      Ah, great thread!

      While I maintain my eclecticism overall, I have always come *home* to my beloved Tao (eclectic in its own right) for decades now, and even my beloved martial arts were founded upon it.

      Tao is essentially the least projecting of all religious non-religions, or ultimate *realizations* able to be acted upon without getting lost in distraction. It does not suggest a religious following (to protect its least projecting reality), but there are Taoists who choose to experience their *realizations* in a religious-like atmosphere for the purpose of companionship, sharing and teaching.

      The Tao is over 2,000 years old, the I Ching about 3,000, the Vedas (Sanskrit "Wisdoms") around 10,000 years old, but they all *realize* the same truth!

      The only "problem" with the Tao is that it is SO perfected that often those trying to understand it get themselves all tangled up in its beautiful simplicity and then can't find their way back out of it again. Of course, that's not the beautiful Tao itself causing that, but conventional distraction.

      Essentially, Tao (meaning, the "Way" things work), is like The Nothing conveying itself to you, but The Nothing is not at all the same as conventional nothing. Those who think that taking no action whatsoever toward Awakening/Enlightenment means they already are Awake and Enlightened couldn't be further from realizing the Truth!

      When I get a chance I'll be back to participate by including my "interpretations" on the 81 verses, as they appear here.

      I LOVE Tao!

    4. #4
      Forum Moderator
      This user has no status.
       
      I am:
      ----
       
      BlueStar's Avatar
      Join Date
      Nov 2008
      Location
      Scotland, UK
      Posts
      3,014
      Blog Entries
      18
      Rep Power
      41

      Default

      Thanks MysteriousOne I appreciate your insights and look forward to hearing your take on each verse!!

      It is indeed a wonderful energy...and I get what you mean when you say that the simplicity is easy to get tangled up in. The mind loves to cut in, dissect and analyse...but the timeless wisdom is so far beyond that...its challenging for some people. But challenge is great.

      I particularly look forward to your thoughts on wu-wei, doing without doing. I love that but have yet to fully understand it...!
      Check out ELADRIA ~ an epic, highly acclaimed fantasy/sci-fi/metaphysical novel!
      "The meaning of human existence is explored in this beautiful, richly and intensely woven tale. The author takes us on the journey of a lifetime.”
      "The most beautiful and thought-provoking book I have ever read."

    5. #5
      Forum Moderator
      This user has no status.
       
      I am:
      ----
       
      BlueStar's Avatar
      Join Date
      Nov 2008
      Location
      Scotland, UK
      Posts
      3,014
      Blog Entries
      18
      Rep Power
      41

      Default Verse 2

      2.

      When people see some things as beautiful,
      ugliness is created.
      When people see some things as good,
      evil is created.
      Being and non-being produce each other.
      Difficult and easy complement each other.
      Long and short define each other.
      High and low depend on each other.
      Before and after follow each other.
      The Master lives openly with apparent duality
      and paradoxical unity.
      Therefore he acts without doing anything
      and teaches without saying a world.
      Things arise and he lets them come;
      things disappear and he lets them go.
      He has but doesn’t possess,
      and acts without any expectations.
      When his work is done, he takes no credit.
      That is why it will last forever.


      The essence of the Tao is non-duality. Whereas most people tend to reduce the world into bite-size pieces and label each constituent part ‘good’ or ‘bad’, the Master (one who is at one the Tao) knows that all seemingly separate parts are actually indivisible pieces of a far greater whole.

      The image of the yin and yang symbol which is associated with Taoism perfectly illustrates this point. Light and dark, rather than being construed as separate and either ‘good’ or ‘bad’, ‘beautiful’ or ‘ugly’ are seen as two aspects of an inseparable whole, joined in perfect unity. Both are necessary, for both are as inextricably interconnected as day and night. And so it is with the world and all the seemingly separate manifestations. A greater unity exists beyond all apparent separation.

      Because the Master has realised the “paradoxical unity” beyond the surface-level duality of life, he is able to see beyond the illusion. His life is no longer governed by the cycle of attachment and aversion. He no longer feels the need to cling to certain things, circumstances and events and desperately avoid others. Because he sees the underlying wholeness of life, he lives his life from a place of deep trust and humility. He surrenders to the flow of life, allowing things to happen as they will, opening herself to the perfection inherent in each situation, in every moment. That perfection is sometimes outwardly apparent, but is just as often hidden beneath seeming adversity.

      The Master follows his heart, doing what he feels compelled to do, yet being unattached to the fruits of his labour. In this way, he knows peace and unity, for he is at one with the innate perfection of the Tao, of life itself.
      Last edited by BlueStar; December 30th, 2011 at 01:03 PM.
      Check out ELADRIA ~ an epic, highly acclaimed fantasy/sci-fi/metaphysical novel!
      "The meaning of human existence is explored in this beautiful, richly and intensely woven tale. The author takes us on the journey of a lifetime.”
      "The most beautiful and thought-provoking book I have ever read."

    6. #6
      Senior Member
      This user has no status.
       
      I am:
      ----
       
      SoulChild's Avatar
      Join Date
      Nov 2008
      Location
      Central North Carolina, USA
      Posts
      933
      Rep Power
      22

      Default

      Thank you Lucid!

    7. #7
      Senior Member
      This user has no status.
       
      I am:
      ----
       
      brother's Avatar
      Join Date
      Jun 2009
      Location
      colorado, usa
      Posts
      394
      Rep Power
      17

      Default

      I'm enjoying this very much... just listening

      Thank you Lucid.
      äîìëåú ùì àìåäéí òí áê

    8. #8
      Forum Moderator
      This user has no status.
       
      I am:
      ----
       
      BlueStar's Avatar
      Join Date
      Nov 2008
      Location
      Scotland, UK
      Posts
      3,014
      Blog Entries
      18
      Rep Power
      41

      Default

      Aww you're most welcome guys. I must admit I have a chuckle each time I get called Lucid, hehe. Maybe you guys can call me Lucy for short
      Check out ELADRIA ~ an epic, highly acclaimed fantasy/sci-fi/metaphysical novel!
      "The meaning of human existence is explored in this beautiful, richly and intensely woven tale. The author takes us on the journey of a lifetime.”
      "The most beautiful and thought-provoking book I have ever read."

    9. #9
      Senior Member
      This user has no status.
       
      I am:
      ----
       
      SoulChild's Avatar
      Join Date
      Nov 2008
      Location
      Central North Carolina, USA
      Posts
      933
      Rep Power
      22

      Default

      Quote Originally Posted by Lucid Exposition View Post
      Aww you're most welcome guys. I must admit I have a chuckle each time I get called Lucid, hehe. Maybe you guys can call me Lucy for short
      I was just thinking......'I wonder if he minds us calling him Lucid..?'....I know I sometimes shorten user names.....some of us have longer user names.. And I think depending on the mood and the post, sometimes we use one anothers real names.....but, I figured you would chuckle about it!....lol

    10. #10
      Forum Moderator
      This user has no status.
       
      I am:
      ----
       
      BlueStar's Avatar
      Join Date
      Nov 2008
      Location
      Scotland, UK
      Posts
      3,014
      Blog Entries
      18
      Rep Power
      41

      Default

      Quote Originally Posted by SoulChild View Post
      I was just thinking......'I wonder if he minds us calling him Lucid..?'....I know I sometimes shorten user names.....some of us have longer user names.. And I think depending on the mood and the post, sometimes we use one anothers real names.....but, I figured you would chuckle about it!....lol
      Lucid's kind of cool, hehe. I like it! I'm sure I've probably been called worse things
      Check out ELADRIA ~ an epic, highly acclaimed fantasy/sci-fi/metaphysical novel!
      "The meaning of human existence is explored in this beautiful, richly and intensely woven tale. The author takes us on the journey of a lifetime.”
      "The most beautiful and thought-provoking book I have ever read."

    11. #11
      Forum Moderator
      This user has no status.
       
      I am:
      ----
       
      BlueStar's Avatar
      Join Date
      Nov 2008
      Location
      Scotland, UK
      Posts
      3,014
      Blog Entries
      18
      Rep Power
      41

      Default Verse 3

      3.

      If you overvalue status
      you will create contentiousness.
      If you overvalue possessions,
      people will begin to steal.
      Do not display your treasures
      or people will become envious.

      The Master leads by
      emptying people’s minds
      and filling their cores,
      by weakening their ambitions
      and toughening their resolve.
      He helps people lose everything
      they know, everything they desire,
      and creates confusion
      in those that think they know.

      Practise not-doing.
      and everything will fall into place.


      At the start of this verse, Lao Tzu warns that chasing after status, prestige and possessions can have an adverse effect on us and those around us. Alas, these are arguably hallmarks of our society, which is rooted in competition, acquisition and a perpetual race for greater status, recognition, more money, bigger houses, better cars, fancier gadgets and ever more lavish lifestyles.

      This leads to an imbalance, whereby emphasising the need for more highlights the perceived ‘lack’ and makes people unhappy, dissatisfied, envious and covetous. Even those that do succeed are rarely satisfied for long, because they’re still locked into the mindset of ‘striving but never arriving’.

      The Master of the Tao takes a very different stance. Urging us to forsake the demented race to perpetually accumulate and acquire, he instead advises us to empty our minds and weaken our ambitions. This is the opposite of what we’ve been taught by our society. But by letting go of our ambitions, desires and all the things we think we need in order to be happy, we stop projecting our happiness into the future and can instead be at peace and content in the present moment, now.

      In modern terms, perhaps what Lao Tzu is suggesting is that we step out of the rat race, because as the joke goes: even if you win the rat race, you’re still a rat. He urges us to “practise not-doing”, allowing everything to “fall into place”. This is the first mention of not-doing in the Tao Te Ching and is an important and perhaps perplexing concept. I feel that in this instance, it refers to acting without being attached to results and without the need to unduly chase after unnecessary acquisitions and status.

      Lao Tzu claims that if our action is, as one translation offers, “pure and selfless”, everything we need will come to us. Then we can be happy and at peace without always being compelled to seek more.
      Last edited by BlueStar; December 30th, 2011 at 01:03 PM.
      Check out ELADRIA ~ an epic, highly acclaimed fantasy/sci-fi/metaphysical novel!
      "The meaning of human existence is explored in this beautiful, richly and intensely woven tale. The author takes us on the journey of a lifetime.”
      "The most beautiful and thought-provoking book I have ever read."

    12. #12
      Senior Member
      is Living in my now
       
      I am:
      Meh
       
      Rana's Avatar
      Join Date
      Nov 2008
      Location
      Australia
      Posts
      1,536
      Blog Entries
      55
      Rep Power
      29

      Default

      thankyou for this blog here .. i will definately be reading it often xx









      " BE PRESENT "

    13. #13
      Forum Moderator
      This user has no status.
       
      I am:
      ----
       
      BlueStar's Avatar
      Join Date
      Nov 2008
      Location
      Scotland, UK
      Posts
      3,014
      Blog Entries
      18
      Rep Power
      41

      Default

      Quote Originally Posted by oceanentity View Post
      thankyou for this blog here .. i will definately be reading it often xx
      You are most welcome my friend I just felt it was something I wanted to do. I find that doing this helps me 'get' it a bit more than just reading the words in print.
      Check out ELADRIA ~ an epic, highly acclaimed fantasy/sci-fi/metaphysical novel!
      "The meaning of human existence is explored in this beautiful, richly and intensely woven tale. The author takes us on the journey of a lifetime.”
      "The most beautiful and thought-provoking book I have ever read."

    14. #14
      Forum Moderator
      This user has no status.
       
      I am:
      ----
       
      BlueStar's Avatar
      Join Date
      Nov 2008
      Location
      Scotland, UK
      Posts
      3,014
      Blog Entries
      18
      Rep Power
      41

      Default Verse 4

      4.

      The Tao is empty but inexhaustible.
      It is like the eternal void:
      filled with infinite possibilities.
      Infinitely deep, it is the source of all things.

      Within it, the sharp edges become smooth;
      the twisted knots loosen;
      the sun is softened by a cloud;
      the dust settles into place.

      It is hidden but always present.
      I do not know who gave birth to it.
      It is older than the concept of God.


      Lao Tzu here endeavours to describe the indescribable, to provide some pointers to this mysterious essence that is ‘the Tao’.

      He tells us that the Tao is like an eternal void that is empty yet inexhaustible, filled with potentiality and that it is the source of all things. Later verses of the Tao Te Ching elaborate on this, suggesting that the Tao is ‘intangible and evasive’, that it has always existed and yet is beyond both existing and not-existing and that it might be regarded as ‘the mother of the universe’.

      When reading the Tao Te Ching, it is perhaps best not to read with one’s analytical mind. In order to grasp the core of its teaching, it is necessary to go beyond our mind and thoughts, which comprise only the surface level of our awareness. Beyond the perpetual stream of thoughts that pass through our minds is a place beyond all concepts, ideas and beliefs – a place of pure knowing, the unconditioned awareness that exists prior to the content of our consciousness – and it is only from here that true understanding be gained.

      We tend always to be focused on the outer manifestations of life; things, objects and outer appearances. If I were to ask you to describe a room, you would probably tell me about all the objects and furniture, as well as the colour of the walls and carpet. In all likelihood, the very essence of the room would be ignored. This essence – the very thing that allows the room to be – is space; empty yet inexhaustible, filled with infinite possibilities.

      This verse suggests the Tao is a field of potentiality existing beneath, within and beyond all objects and forms, and which sustains and supports all phenomenal existence. Like air, it is invisible, yet ever-present and without it there would be no life.

      “It is older than the concept of God,” Lao Tzu tells us, suggesting that any attempt to conceptualise it is futile. It’s beyond understanding. It simply is.
      Last edited by BlueStar; December 30th, 2011 at 01:03 PM.
      Check out ELADRIA ~ an epic, highly acclaimed fantasy/sci-fi/metaphysical novel!
      "The meaning of human existence is explored in this beautiful, richly and intensely woven tale. The author takes us on the journey of a lifetime.”
      "The most beautiful and thought-provoking book I have ever read."

    15. #15
      Forum Moderator
      This user has no status.
       
      I am:
      ----
       
      BlueStar's Avatar
      Join Date
      Nov 2008
      Location
      Scotland, UK
      Posts
      3,014
      Blog Entries
      18
      Rep Power
      41

      Default Verse 5

      5.

      Heaven and earth are impartial;
      they give rise to both good and evil.
      The Master doesn’t take sides;
      she welcomes both saints and sinners.
      To her none are especially dear,
      nor is there anyone she disfavours.
      She gives and gives, without condition,
      offering her treasures to everyone.

      The space between heaven and earth
      is like a bellows;
      it is empty and inexhaustible.
      The more it is used, the more it produces;
      the more you talk of it, the less you comprehend.

      Hold on to the centre.
      Man was made to sit quietly and find
      the truth within.


      Albert Camus once spoke of “opening our heart to the benign indifference of the universe”. The Tao is impartial and is far beyond taking sides or judging the conduct of humankind. Whereas we might categorise others as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, ‘worthy’ or ‘unworthy’ and treat them accordingly, the Tao supports and nurtures all beings without discrimination.

      The Master, living in alignment with the Tao, behaves in kind, refusing to get drawn into the pettiness of human affairs, refusing to be swayed by the world’s definition of people as either ‘saints’ or ‘sinners’. Instead, he offers his treasures to all, much as the sun shines its light on all creatures, without a hint of reservation or favouritism.

      The remainder of this verse offers more pointers to understanding the mystery of the Tao. Again Lao Tzu reminds us that the more we talk of it, the less we will comprehend it. So, instead of using words and concepts to try and understand, he urges us to instead “hold on to the centre” and find the truth within.
      Last edited by BlueStar; December 30th, 2011 at 01:04 PM.
      Check out ELADRIA ~ an epic, highly acclaimed fantasy/sci-fi/metaphysical novel!
      "The meaning of human existence is explored in this beautiful, richly and intensely woven tale. The author takes us on the journey of a lifetime.”
      "The most beautiful and thought-provoking book I have ever read."

    16. #16
      Senior Member
      This user has no status.
       
      I am:
      ----
       
      brother's Avatar
      Join Date
      Jun 2009
      Location
      colorado, usa
      Posts
      394
      Rep Power
      17

      Default

      These are great "Lucy!"

      wonderful daily reminders of a better way to live.
      äîìëåú ùì àìåäéí òí áê

    17. #17
      Forum Moderator
      This user has no status.
       
      I am:
      ----
       
      BlueStar's Avatar
      Join Date
      Nov 2008
      Location
      Scotland, UK
      Posts
      3,014
      Blog Entries
      18
      Rep Power
      41

      Default

      Quote Originally Posted by brother View Post
      These are great "Lucy!"

      wonderful daily reminders of a better way to live.
      Thanks Brother!

      Lucy does her best Oh lordy, that could be my drag queen name...Lucy Exposition hahaha
      Check out ELADRIA ~ an epic, highly acclaimed fantasy/sci-fi/metaphysical novel!
      "The meaning of human existence is explored in this beautiful, richly and intensely woven tale. The author takes us on the journey of a lifetime.”
      "The most beautiful and thought-provoking book I have ever read."

    18. #18
      Senior Member
      This user has no status.
       
      I am:
      ----
       
      brother's Avatar
      Join Date
      Jun 2009
      Location
      colorado, usa
      Posts
      394
      Rep Power
      17

      Default

      Thanks Brother!

      Lucy does her best Oh lordy, that could be my drag queen name...Lucy Exposition hahaha
      Oh what a site that would be!

      LOL

      Seriously, keep up the great posts I enjoy them very much
      äîìëåú ùì àìåäéí òí áê

    19. #19
      Super Moderator
      is is busy in the studio!
       
      I am:
      Friendly
       
      Narnia's Avatar
      Join Date
      Nov 2008
      Location
      ... Everywhere ...
      Posts
      6,088
      Rep Power
      54

      Default

      Quote Originally Posted by Lucid Exposition View Post
      Lucy does her best Oh lordy, that could be my drag queen name...Lucy Exposition hahaha
      Hey there Lucy-Expo! I too, have been enjoying this cozy little thread - keep it comin'!

      I LOVE this: "It is like the eternal void: filled with infinite possibilities."
      In Loving Memory.
      Lion Spirit Walker / September 17, 1963 - Dec 30, 2014.
      ... All with Purpose ...

    20. #20
      Forum Moderator
      This user has no status.
       
      I am:
      ----
       
      BlueStar's Avatar
      Join Date
      Nov 2008
      Location
      Scotland, UK
      Posts
      3,014
      Blog Entries
      18
      Rep Power
      41

      Default Verse 6

      6.

      The Tao is called the Great Mother:
      empty yet inexhaustible.
      It gives birth to infinite worlds,
      yet its immaculate purity is never lost.
      It assumes countless forms,
      yet its true identity remains intact.

      Listen to its voice,
      hear it echo through creation.
      Although invisible, it endures;
      it will never end.
      Without fail, it brings us
      to our own perfection.


      Using different translations of the Tao Te Ching, I rearranged the words of this verse quite a bit to best reflect what I feel is the essence of its message.

      Lao Tzu moves deeper into his meditation upon the nature of the Tao, which is here referred to as the “Great Mother”, or the “mysterious feminine” and states that it lies at the root of creation.

      Perhaps this “Great Mother” might be envisaged as being like a vast ocean. From the ocean seemingly separate forms might appear, such as waves rippling on the surface of the ocean and water rising as vapour and appearing as clouds in the sky. But the nature and substance of these forms remains of the ocean and, before long, the forms dissolve and return back to their source. As it happens, the Tao is compared to water more than once in subsequent verses of the text.

      Although the Great Mother has taken form as universes, galaxies, stars, planets and various life forms, its true nature is unchanged and undiminished and can still be found within the forms themselves, as their very essence.

      Although the myriad forms of life change and eventually dissolve, the great Oneness of the Tao remains untouched and unchanging throughout it all.
      Last edited by BlueStar; December 30th, 2011 at 01:04 PM.
      Check out ELADRIA ~ an epic, highly acclaimed fantasy/sci-fi/metaphysical novel!
      "The meaning of human existence is explored in this beautiful, richly and intensely woven tale. The author takes us on the journey of a lifetime.”
      "The most beautiful and thought-provoking book I have ever read."

    Similar Threads

    1. Mysterious Wisdom Daily Quiz
      By Mr. Brightside in forum Home
      Replies: 43
      Last Post: August 22nd, 2009, 07:42 AM

    Bookmarks

    Bookmarks

    Posting Permissions

    • You may not post new threads
    • You may not post replies
    • You may not post attachments
    • You may not edit your posts
    •