There is something formlessly created
Born before Heaven and Earth
So silent! So ethereal!
Independent and changeless
Circulating and ceaseless
It can be regarded as the mother of the world
I do not know its name
Identifying it, I call it "Tao"
Forced to describe it, I call it great
Great means passing
Passing means receding
Receding means returning
Therefore the Tao is great
Heaven is great
Earth is great
The sovereign is also great
There are four greats in the universe
And the sovereign occupies one of them
Humans follow the laws of Earth
Earth follows the laws of Heaven
Heaven follows the laws of Tao
Tao follows the laws of nature
What does it mean?
Everything is circular in nature. If one is to adhere to a life by natural law, one must respect that everything comes and goes in cycles. Life grows, but it also recedes and returns back to it's tranquil state to nourish and make room for the next life.
This is a great thing! Imagine a world in which there is infinite growth. Eventually, you run out of room and resources for anything new, and then life stagnates. The thing is everything cycles.
Humans cycle. Individually we live and die. Collectively our civilizations and constructs rise and fall. At this very moment, the things that power Western civilization are slowly winding down in the way all living things do.
Life itself cycles. We have experienced five great extinctions that wipe out over almost all of the life living on earth in a few decades. Yet, even though it is a horrible, massive loss of life, it made room for the next age. In fact, they say we are experiencing another extinction at this presice moment.
The heavens cycle too. Our star will eventually expand and envelop all of the near planets, including ours and get colder. Eventually it will burn out and explode. When that happens, the matter that makes up our solar system will explode and become the next celestial body thousands of light years and millions of our years away.
I bet that the entire scope of reality will one day recirculate. The universe is continually expanding and potentially might simply fade away, or perhaps it will reverse course after losing moment from a Big Bang moment. We don't know what existed before the universe. It could look like what the end of this reality will eventually look like.
How do I use this?
Accept the cycles in your life. Fighting against natural cycles only causes extra suffering for yourself or others. To be at peace, you have to look at all things as temporary and insubstantial and why that is good.
There are cycles all throughout your life. You move to new homes, have new jobs, make new friends and learn new things. You cannot get these new things without losing the old things, not having enough time for old friends or unlearning what you assumed was right. This is another reason, practically, that making space in all aspects of your life is a good thing. When, and not if, your life changes, you need to be flexible enough to change with it.
It you have a hard time letting go of the old things, think of those opprotunities you get to have once change occurs. This does not mean you do not mourn what you loved and lost, but it does mean you have to let things pass to continue the nautral cycles. In fact, you do yourself a great injustice to ignore your feelings to "be tough" in a swell of difficult change. Just keep in mind that your feelings and thoughts will change too, and that will to help heal your emotions.
The contradiction is change is changless. Change is a eternal force on reality. It is a part of the Tao which is defined by paradox.
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Chapter 26 - Roots
Heaviness is the root of lightness
Quietness is the master of restlessness
Therefore the sages travel an entire day
Without leaving the heavy supplies
Even though there are luxurious sights
They are composed and transcend beyond
How can the lords of ten thousand chariots
Apply themselves lightly to the world?
To be light is to lose one's root
To be restless is to lose one's mastery
What does this mean?
I think heaviness and quietness is a metaphor for importance and seriousness. It is the difference between a loose feather and a loose stone. A feather floats away on the winds of Tao, with no abilitiy to be useful to anyone or anything until it gets rooted to a branch or the ground. A stone, however, becomes immensely useful. To the insects living below it, to the animals who burrow under it, and to humans who build entire cities with loose stone.
A mind that is focused on the frivolities of the world are at the mercy of reality. That kind of mind is "light" and not quiet. When one plays games all day to the exclusion of all else, what happens when they lose the pieces or otherwise can't indulge? In a way, it is a danger of civilization that allows so many people this opprotunity. Even I am a victim of it.
You used to be able to call me a gamer. My entire life's focus was on fantasy worlds in my head. I have lost a lot of years playing games. Then I started a family and illusions fell away. I realized that the skills I devalued were the ones I needed most; growing and finding food, finding water, making shelter. I needed to learn mindfulness and to respect others. Learning skills I never bothered to learn before, I found the potential to be the father my family will need and be an example I want my kids to have.
My roots in existence are growing.
How do I use this?
Be rooted in reality. I'll be the first to admit I that this is a weakness of mine. I still spend a lot of time in a place outside of reality and the Tao. However, I learned what I need to know but do not over the course of this last year on how to have respect for yourself in your own life.
Physically, do you know how to care for your needs in any situation?
Emotionally, are you tempered enough to do right and effective action in any circumstance?
Mentally, are you mindful and aware of the time and place you are in?
Socially, are you listening to the needs of those around you and not just their desires?
Quietness is the master of restlessness
Therefore the sages travel an entire day
Without leaving the heavy supplies
Even though there are luxurious sights
They are composed and transcend beyond
How can the lords of ten thousand chariots
Apply themselves lightly to the world?
To be light is to lose one's root
To be restless is to lose one's mastery
What does this mean?
I think heaviness and quietness is a metaphor for importance and seriousness. It is the difference between a loose feather and a loose stone. A feather floats away on the winds of Tao, with no abilitiy to be useful to anyone or anything until it gets rooted to a branch or the ground. A stone, however, becomes immensely useful. To the insects living below it, to the animals who burrow under it, and to humans who build entire cities with loose stone.
A mind that is focused on the frivolities of the world are at the mercy of reality. That kind of mind is "light" and not quiet. When one plays games all day to the exclusion of all else, what happens when they lose the pieces or otherwise can't indulge? In a way, it is a danger of civilization that allows so many people this opprotunity. Even I am a victim of it.
You used to be able to call me a gamer. My entire life's focus was on fantasy worlds in my head. I have lost a lot of years playing games. Then I started a family and illusions fell away. I realized that the skills I devalued were the ones I needed most; growing and finding food, finding water, making shelter. I needed to learn mindfulness and to respect others. Learning skills I never bothered to learn before, I found the potential to be the father my family will need and be an example I want my kids to have.
My roots in existence are growing.
How do I use this?
Be rooted in reality. I'll be the first to admit I that this is a weakness of mine. I still spend a lot of time in a place outside of reality and the Tao. However, I learned what I need to know but do not over the course of this last year on how to have respect for yourself in your own life.
Physically, do you know how to care for your needs in any situation?
Emotionally, are you tempered enough to do right and effective action in any circumstance?
Mentally, are you mindful and aware of the time and place you are in?
Socially, are you listening to the needs of those around you and not just their desires?
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Chapter 24 - Pride
Those who are on tiptoes cannot stand
Those who straddle cannot walk
Those who flaunt themselves are not clear
Those who presume themselves are not distinguished
Those who praise themselves have no merit
Those who boast about themselves do not last
Those with the Tao call such things leftover food or tumors
They despise them
Thus, those who possesses the Tao do not engage in them
What does this mean?
Ego and pride are mental constructs to protect our feelings. Too much pride, no matter how justified, builds that wall higher and higher. Just like stacking a child's blocks too high, eventually it is going to fall. You can build ego up to impressive heights, but by its very nature will be unstable. The only question is how much damage it causes when it collapses.
Humility is that underlying virtue that supports the other virtues to the Tao. You build humility broadly, like a foundation of a house as opposed to vertically.
You can not knock over a piece of paper laying flat.
How do I use this?
When someone says "Watch this," back up to a safe spot. The way opposites work will probably cause that thing you are suppose to watch will spectatularly fail. See Murphy's Law.
Do not listen to one who brags. Be careful if you trust someone who talks about how good they are at something. Even if that person is truly great, you have to keep in mind the price of boosting their ego.
Learn the difference between being good and being better. Doing well, whether through talent or skill is good. Effective action is important so as to improve your life. Many times, its hard to find fulfillment unless you are able to do something at a specific level which most people can obtain through practice. The fine line between effectiveness and pride is thinking of yourself as better.
This is a key to staying humble. There is always someone better than you in every aspect of your life. Even if you become so skilled as to be the best in the world, that is just a brief moment in time. Eventually, age will take that skill away from you and give it to someone new.
The only person you have to try and best is yourself.
Those who straddle cannot walk
Those who flaunt themselves are not clear
Those who presume themselves are not distinguished
Those who praise themselves have no merit
Those who boast about themselves do not last
Those with the Tao call such things leftover food or tumors
They despise them
Thus, those who possesses the Tao do not engage in them
What does this mean?
Ego and pride are mental constructs to protect our feelings. Too much pride, no matter how justified, builds that wall higher and higher. Just like stacking a child's blocks too high, eventually it is going to fall. You can build ego up to impressive heights, but by its very nature will be unstable. The only question is how much damage it causes when it collapses.
Humility is that underlying virtue that supports the other virtues to the Tao. You build humility broadly, like a foundation of a house as opposed to vertically.
You can not knock over a piece of paper laying flat.
How do I use this?
When someone says "Watch this," back up to a safe spot. The way opposites work will probably cause that thing you are suppose to watch will spectatularly fail. See Murphy's Law.
Do not listen to one who brags. Be careful if you trust someone who talks about how good they are at something. Even if that person is truly great, you have to keep in mind the price of boosting their ego.
Learn the difference between being good and being better. Doing well, whether through talent or skill is good. Effective action is important so as to improve your life. Many times, its hard to find fulfillment unless you are able to do something at a specific level which most people can obtain through practice. The fine line between effectiveness and pride is thinking of yourself as better.
This is a key to staying humble. There is always someone better than you in every aspect of your life. Even if you become so skilled as to be the best in the world, that is just a brief moment in time. Eventually, age will take that skill away from you and give it to someone new.
The only person you have to try and best is yourself.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Chapter 22 - Obstacles
Yield and remain whole
Bend and remain straight
Be low and become filled
Be worn out and become renewed
Have little and receive
Have much and be confused
Therefore the sages hold to the one as an example for the world
Without flaunting themselves – and so are seen clearly
Without presuming themselves – and so are distinguished
Without praising themselves – and so have merit
Without boasting about themselves – and so are lasting
Because they do not contend, the world cannot contend with them
What the ancients called "the one who yields and remains whole"
Were they speaking empty words?
Sincerity becoming whole, and returning to oneself
What does this mean?
Life is not a sprint or a marathon. If one were to equate life to any sort of contest, it is an obstacle course at night. There are walls to climb over, ropes to swing on, mud to wade through and pools to swim through but because you can not see very far, there is no way to know what is next or where to go. Everyone around you struggles with traversing the course and it's easy to follow along with everyone else's culture.
The culture you follow are the obstacles everyone say you should attempt.
If the goal is to get to the other side of a free-standing wall for example, are you going to climb over it and jump down, or are you going the easy way and walk around it? What happens when you eventually reach that obstacle you cannot traverse no matter how much help you get?
Not all obstacles are physical. Many times the things you can't bypass are those mental hangups everyone has. If you think you know everything, you cannot let in more knowledge. If you think you can not do it for whatever reason, you will not until you figure it how to think differently. Imagine all of those disabled people who do amazing things with the right attitutde compared to those who are not disabled but cannot do it for any reason they think applies.
Virtue is like a map that reveals the obstacle course. It not only shows you the shortcuts in our physical reality but also the shortcuts in our mental and emotional landscapes.
The part of the Tao is the path. Tao is translated to mean "the way", after all. It leads you to the goal. It might be through an obstacle, it might be around it.
To continue with the analogy of the obstacle course, if you skip a few obstacles or even walk straight to the part of the course where you wanted to be, imagine how you would look to others. They will be dirty, tired and maybe even injured to have gotten to the same place you are, but you will be fresh and ready to be there.
People who did not see you travel will be amazed and asked how you did it so effortlessly.
How can I use this?
Be sincere and honest with yourself regarding your goals. Without virtue to light the way and the Tao to guide us, the destination seems distant and murky. On the obstacle course of life, our current goal seems to be whatever is at the end of the obstacle we are currently on. We have a vague idea of what is ahead but we don't really know if it is what we even want until we finish. It might be that the path you decide on takes you decades because your culture set out all of these steps for you.
This is why we need to simplify our goals and be honest with to ourselves.
Let us say that I loved writing stories as a child. In Western culture, my friends and family might latch onto that and say, "Oh! Your stuff is very good. You should get published."
I have so many steps that complicate our path to the goal of writing stories. I would sacrifice the time and wealth of a decade if I followed this path. Nevermind that half-way through achieving this life-consuming goal I might change my mind.
There are reasons for some of those obstacles, but a one-size fits all approach our culture tends to have might not work for you.
Studying writing in school is a great way to improve, but one should not stop doing what fulfills themselves if they don't improve in such a structured setting. Not improving here simply means that you might need a different way to learn or you need some basics like discipline or mindfulness.
Getting a career is a good idea to provide yourself with basic needs, but needs are their own goal. To tie it in with a formal education and the weight of crippling life-long debt seems insane considering the percentage of successful authors to those who like literature.
Getting published is a great way to spend all of your time writing, but quitting when your first stories get rejected for whatever reason should not be why you quit. You can always get better or find different publishers or even reach out to different audiences. You should not even care if they get rejected as the goal is to write instead of getting published. The reason to truly quit is if writing is no longer something that fulfills you.
It is all too much if you have plans like this. Once you accumulate so many steps, it is easy to become confused and lost with exactly who you are and what drives you. Through the Tao and virtue, we have an easier path.
Write with your full presence. Write to get better. Write for its own sake.
Write. Write. Write.
This applies to absolutely everything. Creating art. Improving your skills. Learning more. Once you cared for your needs, do things because it fulfills you to do them. Do things because it is part of who you are.
The "doing" and the "being" come together as one inside you.
Bend and remain straight
Be low and become filled
Be worn out and become renewed
Have little and receive
Have much and be confused
Therefore the sages hold to the one as an example for the world
Without flaunting themselves – and so are seen clearly
Without presuming themselves – and so are distinguished
Without praising themselves – and so have merit
Without boasting about themselves – and so are lasting
Because they do not contend, the world cannot contend with them
What the ancients called "the one who yields and remains whole"
Were they speaking empty words?
Sincerity becoming whole, and returning to oneself
What does this mean?
Life is not a sprint or a marathon. If one were to equate life to any sort of contest, it is an obstacle course at night. There are walls to climb over, ropes to swing on, mud to wade through and pools to swim through but because you can not see very far, there is no way to know what is next or where to go. Everyone around you struggles with traversing the course and it's easy to follow along with everyone else's culture.
The culture you follow are the obstacles everyone say you should attempt.
If the goal is to get to the other side of a free-standing wall for example, are you going to climb over it and jump down, or are you going the easy way and walk around it? What happens when you eventually reach that obstacle you cannot traverse no matter how much help you get?
Not all obstacles are physical. Many times the things you can't bypass are those mental hangups everyone has. If you think you know everything, you cannot let in more knowledge. If you think you can not do it for whatever reason, you will not until you figure it how to think differently. Imagine all of those disabled people who do amazing things with the right attitutde compared to those who are not disabled but cannot do it for any reason they think applies.
Virtue is like a map that reveals the obstacle course. It not only shows you the shortcuts in our physical reality but also the shortcuts in our mental and emotional landscapes.
The part of the Tao is the path. Tao is translated to mean "the way", after all. It leads you to the goal. It might be through an obstacle, it might be around it.
To continue with the analogy of the obstacle course, if you skip a few obstacles or even walk straight to the part of the course where you wanted to be, imagine how you would look to others. They will be dirty, tired and maybe even injured to have gotten to the same place you are, but you will be fresh and ready to be there.
People who did not see you travel will be amazed and asked how you did it so effortlessly.
How can I use this?
Be sincere and honest with yourself regarding your goals. Without virtue to light the way and the Tao to guide us, the destination seems distant and murky. On the obstacle course of life, our current goal seems to be whatever is at the end of the obstacle we are currently on. We have a vague idea of what is ahead but we don't really know if it is what we even want until we finish. It might be that the path you decide on takes you decades because your culture set out all of these steps for you.
This is why we need to simplify our goals and be honest with to ourselves.
Let us say that I loved writing stories as a child. In Western culture, my friends and family might latch onto that and say, "Oh! Your stuff is very good. You should get published."
- I feel good about our friends saying that and culture glorifies the best-selling author, so I try to pursue being an novelist.
- Now with our new goal of getting published, I get told we have to get an agent that can submit my work to the publishers and make sure it gets read.
- Then our with the new goal of getting an agent, I get told that agents only take people who get a degree in Writing and that it will help improve my skills as my style does not fit with what gets published.
- To get that degree of Writing, I must spend four years or more at a large liberal arts college and sink hundreds of thousands of dollars into debt.
- To help pay that debt, I need to take on a full-time middle-income career for a decade or more at something you never trained for and possibly hate.
- To get that full-time job that can pay your debt, I need to build your resume and pad it with any exaggeration and half-truths and get experience working at the entry level positions.
- To get the entry-level job, I need to start in high-school getting into the highly competitive AP classes and volunteer part time.
- To get into the AP classes, I need to get perfect scores in your normal classes.
- To get perfect scores in your normal classes assuming I don't thrive in formal education, I need to study all through middle grade and high school in subjects that I will most likely never use again.
I have so many steps that complicate our path to the goal of writing stories. I would sacrifice the time and wealth of a decade if I followed this path. Nevermind that half-way through achieving this life-consuming goal I might change my mind.
There are reasons for some of those obstacles, but a one-size fits all approach our culture tends to have might not work for you.
Studying writing in school is a great way to improve, but one should not stop doing what fulfills themselves if they don't improve in such a structured setting. Not improving here simply means that you might need a different way to learn or you need some basics like discipline or mindfulness.
Getting a career is a good idea to provide yourself with basic needs, but needs are their own goal. To tie it in with a formal education and the weight of crippling life-long debt seems insane considering the percentage of successful authors to those who like literature.
Getting published is a great way to spend all of your time writing, but quitting when your first stories get rejected for whatever reason should not be why you quit. You can always get better or find different publishers or even reach out to different audiences. You should not even care if they get rejected as the goal is to write instead of getting published. The reason to truly quit is if writing is no longer something that fulfills you.
It is all too much if you have plans like this. Once you accumulate so many steps, it is easy to become confused and lost with exactly who you are and what drives you. Through the Tao and virtue, we have an easier path.
Write with your full presence. Write to get better. Write for its own sake.
Write. Write. Write.
This applies to absolutely everything. Creating art. Improving your skills. Learning more. Once you cared for your needs, do things because it fulfills you to do them. Do things because it is part of who you are.
The "doing" and the "being" come together as one inside you.
Chapter 21 - Faith
The appearance of great virtue
Follows only the Tao
The Tao, as a thing
Seems indistinct, seems unclear
So unclear, so indistinct
Within it there is image
So indistinct, so unclear
Within it there is substance
So deep, so profound
Within it there is essence
Its essence is supremely real
Within it there is faith
From ancient times to the present
Its name never departs
To observe the source of all things
How do I know the nature of the source?
With this
What does this mean?
Let us assume that we do want to have great virtue. We would need to follow the Tao to obtain this. The problem arises when the Tao is a paradox and a mystery. It is like trying to follow a quiet sparrow through a dense fog. The only clue you have is the slight flutter of wings. a branch that is still quivering from the bird taking off or if you are lucky, a feather left behind to know you are on the right path. The evidence is slight and coincidental.
To follow the Tao, you can test that the Tao is there. Faith is counter to the idea of the Tao as a philosophical concept. However, you need faith to follow something you have no language to even define or comprehend as a human being. That does not mean the Tao fails as something to help you.
Faith is necessary to have any sort of sanity. To have true certainty with no faith, one would have to go to the source and experience it for ourselves. With absolutely zero faith, you could say that China does not exist. All of those items that say "Made in China" and the books and movies that take place there could be a giant ruse for some unknowable purpose. This idea is pretty ridiculous but it points out the subjectivity with faith.
Faith is not some powerful spiritual force that dictates whether a diety loves you or not. Hoping that everything is going to be alright does not mean that having hope is the reason why it is going to be alright. Magical thinking through faith fuels justifications to keep doing what a culture or your own belief thinks you should.
Faith is simply how much you trust evidence presented to you for a specific claim.
We can see how great virtue impacts life. That virtue follows the Tao. We can see how opposites occur when one is motivated by ego and desire. Knowing opposites follows the Tao. We can see the problems of complicating our lives through intelligence and culture. We know that these human constructs are counter to the Tao.
Do you have faith that the Tao exists because of this evidence and in spite of the Tao's muddled indescribable nature?
No? That is OK. Unlike faith in China existing, the Tao is everywhere so it is easy to verify.
How do I use this?
Action trumps faith. Forgetting about virtue and the Tao, the most successful people are the ones who act to be at the right place at the right time and are motivated to do so. It is not luck, faith or hope. They have a destination and they know the map to it. They adapt when they risk something happening and it doesn't. In other words, they are not governed by confirmation bias.
The fallicy of confirmation bias is solely based on the human sense to make sense of the world: If I do A and B happens, it is because of C. Even if reason C is completely a coincidence.
* Since I flipped a coin 5 times and it was heads each time, it will probably be heads next time.
* Since I was carrying a rabbit's foot and I found $100, the rabbit's foot is lucky.
* Since it's cold outside, global warming must be a lie.
Those people who act outside of confirmation bias but a good understanding of how reality works are a step ahead. Those people drop their expectations of the coin's power to come up heads again. The sage does not carry a rabbit's foot, but they open their eyes instead. There is wisdom to study weather deeply if you wonder why people are worried about climate change.
The sage takes in and respects the hypothesis of others, but always tests against reality.
Get rid of magical thinking. The most difficult human obstacle is prayer and hope.
It is easy for the indoctrinated to say, "Since I have found faith in a spiritual force, everything has gone my way and I've gotten everything I've wanted. The spirit and faith must be the power where it comes from."
It is easy to construct that it's not the motivation you looked to when you were in trouble that made your life better, but the spirit or diety you put your faith into. If you stop getting what you want, it was not your fault, it was either the spirit did not want you to have it or you did not have enough faith. When you get mired in this, you are not in control anymore. You are a dust mote on the fractal winds of chance.
The Tao does not care about what you want or your desires. The Tao does not acknowledge your idea of how the world should work. The Tao merely is.
The amazing thing about it is by trying to make sense and follow the Tao, we naturally come across the virtues and thinking skills we need to cope and appreciate all of reality from which the Tao comes from. The Tao does not give us a good life by following it, but it simplifies our realities and tempers our desire. That is what makes our life better. We can use the concepts to achieve goals in line with following the great virtues that follow the Tao.
Follows only the Tao
The Tao, as a thing
Seems indistinct, seems unclear
So unclear, so indistinct
Within it there is image
So indistinct, so unclear
Within it there is substance
So deep, so profound
Within it there is essence
Its essence is supremely real
Within it there is faith
From ancient times to the present
Its name never departs
To observe the source of all things
How do I know the nature of the source?
With this
What does this mean?
Let us assume that we do want to have great virtue. We would need to follow the Tao to obtain this. The problem arises when the Tao is a paradox and a mystery. It is like trying to follow a quiet sparrow through a dense fog. The only clue you have is the slight flutter of wings. a branch that is still quivering from the bird taking off or if you are lucky, a feather left behind to know you are on the right path. The evidence is slight and coincidental.
To follow the Tao, you can test that the Tao is there. Faith is counter to the idea of the Tao as a philosophical concept. However, you need faith to follow something you have no language to even define or comprehend as a human being. That does not mean the Tao fails as something to help you.
Faith is necessary to have any sort of sanity. To have true certainty with no faith, one would have to go to the source and experience it for ourselves. With absolutely zero faith, you could say that China does not exist. All of those items that say "Made in China" and the books and movies that take place there could be a giant ruse for some unknowable purpose. This idea is pretty ridiculous but it points out the subjectivity with faith.
Faith is not some powerful spiritual force that dictates whether a diety loves you or not. Hoping that everything is going to be alright does not mean that having hope is the reason why it is going to be alright. Magical thinking through faith fuels justifications to keep doing what a culture or your own belief thinks you should.
Faith is simply how much you trust evidence presented to you for a specific claim.
We can see how great virtue impacts life. That virtue follows the Tao. We can see how opposites occur when one is motivated by ego and desire. Knowing opposites follows the Tao. We can see the problems of complicating our lives through intelligence and culture. We know that these human constructs are counter to the Tao.
Do you have faith that the Tao exists because of this evidence and in spite of the Tao's muddled indescribable nature?
No? That is OK. Unlike faith in China existing, the Tao is everywhere so it is easy to verify.
How do I use this?
Action trumps faith. Forgetting about virtue and the Tao, the most successful people are the ones who act to be at the right place at the right time and are motivated to do so. It is not luck, faith or hope. They have a destination and they know the map to it. They adapt when they risk something happening and it doesn't. In other words, they are not governed by confirmation bias.
The fallicy of confirmation bias is solely based on the human sense to make sense of the world: If I do A and B happens, it is because of C. Even if reason C is completely a coincidence.
* Since I flipped a coin 5 times and it was heads each time, it will probably be heads next time.
* Since I was carrying a rabbit's foot and I found $100, the rabbit's foot is lucky.
* Since it's cold outside, global warming must be a lie.
Those people who act outside of confirmation bias but a good understanding of how reality works are a step ahead. Those people drop their expectations of the coin's power to come up heads again. The sage does not carry a rabbit's foot, but they open their eyes instead. There is wisdom to study weather deeply if you wonder why people are worried about climate change.
The sage takes in and respects the hypothesis of others, but always tests against reality.
Get rid of magical thinking. The most difficult human obstacle is prayer and hope.
It is easy for the indoctrinated to say, "Since I have found faith in a spiritual force, everything has gone my way and I've gotten everything I've wanted. The spirit and faith must be the power where it comes from."
It is easy to construct that it's not the motivation you looked to when you were in trouble that made your life better, but the spirit or diety you put your faith into. If you stop getting what you want, it was not your fault, it was either the spirit did not want you to have it or you did not have enough faith. When you get mired in this, you are not in control anymore. You are a dust mote on the fractal winds of chance.
The Tao does not care about what you want or your desires. The Tao does not acknowledge your idea of how the world should work. The Tao merely is.
The amazing thing about it is by trying to make sense and follow the Tao, we naturally come across the virtues and thinking skills we need to cope and appreciate all of reality from which the Tao comes from. The Tao does not give us a good life by following it, but it simplifies our realities and tempers our desire. That is what makes our life better. We can use the concepts to achieve goals in line with following the great virtues that follow the Tao.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Chapter 20 - Culture
Cease learning, no more worries
Respectful response and scornful response
How much is the difference?
Goodness and evil
How much do they differ?
What the people fear, I cannot be unafraid
So desolate! How limitless it is!
The people are excited
As if enjoying a great feast
As if climbing up to the terrace in spring
I alone am quiet and uninvolved
Like an infant not yet smiling
So weary, like having no place to return
The people all have surplus
While I alone seem lacking
I have the heart of a fool indeed – so ignorant!
Ordinary people are bright
I alone am muddled
Ordinary people are scrutinizing
I alone am obtuse
Such tranquility, like the ocean
Such high wind, as if without limits
The people all have goals
And I alone am stubborn and lowly
I alone am different from them
And value the nourishing mother
What does this mean?
When one talks about the concepts of good and evil, they are not 'natural' in the same observable way as honesty or compassion is. Good and evil are learned as they are cultural concepts. Look around the world and, depending on their culture and upbringing, you can see that one person's good can be another person's evil. Our responses, whether they deserve respect or scorn, is as much as a construct as good and evil are.
The natural good, like honesty, humility and charity, are universal. The important thing here is that you have to separate the virtuous "goodness" from the cultural "goodness" you've learned. That is why I refer to virtue instead of good as I feel it better defines those natural qualities that describe a sage. Keep "virtue" simple.
The Western culture you were born into is a construct that indoctrinated you into what "good" means.
Look at how everyone is told that they need to work hard, achieve something and have goals way past your needs; to thrive. They need to pursuit happiness and the American dream. They can judge others that are not like themselves, especially if they have different values or are at different levels of success. People embedded in our culture are living for fun, as if all the work done is to celebrate a big party. We all try to be experts and are proud enough to let you know that we are right all the time.
People explore this culture at varying lengths, and those who are on it seem to think that there is some sort of problem with the people too far in or not far enough. I think that the problem isn't where you are in culture and the moderation you apply to it; it is the culture itself.
How do I use this?
Do not care about judgement that are not founded in natural truths. The further outside of the culture you are, the more it makes you seem dumb, stubborn and simple.
I try to live simply and "naturally". Sometimes that means it matches with what is acceptable according to my culture, but it also means that I live philosophically outside culture a majority of the time.
The perfect example is those "charitable" holidays like Christmas. It is frustrating for others when I say I do not want anything for the holidays. There is no comprehension that anyone would not want a gift. Very often, people buy me things I do not want anyway because that is "what you do" for Christmas. The thought is only appreciated because they were thinking of me, but it's tempered by the fact they did not listen and that I didn't want it in the first place. Then they act surprised I do not treasure the thing and offended I do not use it.
It is like that with everything.
When I tell others I do not have goals, I get a lot of strange judgmental looks. People look down on me because I am trying to have as few things as possible and do not care about a bigger house or smartphone. When I talk about learning a new skill, people immediately suggest I seek out college or classes.
Get out of culture. Why care what anyone in such a culture thinks about you when it's based solely on an artificial construct and not something real? People have more stuff, more ways to communicate and more entertainment and yet have as many or even more problems back before we refined our culture into what it is today.
I refuse to have any sympathy for "first-world problems". It is like feeling bad for a spoiled child that lost his toy, even though that child has hundreds more. It is like someone who refuses to eat healthy because they do not like the taste. Everything that is extra beyond food, water and shelter is something to be grateful about.
It seems that there is only a hollow entitlement for others that is truly outside of the Tao.
Respectful response and scornful response
How much is the difference?
Goodness and evil
How much do they differ?
What the people fear, I cannot be unafraid
So desolate! How limitless it is!
The people are excited
As if enjoying a great feast
As if climbing up to the terrace in spring
I alone am quiet and uninvolved
Like an infant not yet smiling
So weary, like having no place to return
The people all have surplus
While I alone seem lacking
I have the heart of a fool indeed – so ignorant!
Ordinary people are bright
I alone am muddled
Ordinary people are scrutinizing
I alone am obtuse
Such tranquility, like the ocean
Such high wind, as if without limits
The people all have goals
And I alone am stubborn and lowly
I alone am different from them
And value the nourishing mother
What does this mean?
When one talks about the concepts of good and evil, they are not 'natural' in the same observable way as honesty or compassion is. Good and evil are learned as they are cultural concepts. Look around the world and, depending on their culture and upbringing, you can see that one person's good can be another person's evil. Our responses, whether they deserve respect or scorn, is as much as a construct as good and evil are.
The natural good, like honesty, humility and charity, are universal. The important thing here is that you have to separate the virtuous "goodness" from the cultural "goodness" you've learned. That is why I refer to virtue instead of good as I feel it better defines those natural qualities that describe a sage. Keep "virtue" simple.
The Western culture you were born into is a construct that indoctrinated you into what "good" means.
Look at how everyone is told that they need to work hard, achieve something and have goals way past your needs; to thrive. They need to pursuit happiness and the American dream. They can judge others that are not like themselves, especially if they have different values or are at different levels of success. People embedded in our culture are living for fun, as if all the work done is to celebrate a big party. We all try to be experts and are proud enough to let you know that we are right all the time.
People explore this culture at varying lengths, and those who are on it seem to think that there is some sort of problem with the people too far in or not far enough. I think that the problem isn't where you are in culture and the moderation you apply to it; it is the culture itself.
How do I use this?
Do not care about judgement that are not founded in natural truths. The further outside of the culture you are, the more it makes you seem dumb, stubborn and simple.
I try to live simply and "naturally". Sometimes that means it matches with what is acceptable according to my culture, but it also means that I live philosophically outside culture a majority of the time.
The perfect example is those "charitable" holidays like Christmas. It is frustrating for others when I say I do not want anything for the holidays. There is no comprehension that anyone would not want a gift. Very often, people buy me things I do not want anyway because that is "what you do" for Christmas. The thought is only appreciated because they were thinking of me, but it's tempered by the fact they did not listen and that I didn't want it in the first place. Then they act surprised I do not treasure the thing and offended I do not use it.
It is like that with everything.
When I tell others I do not have goals, I get a lot of strange judgmental looks. People look down on me because I am trying to have as few things as possible and do not care about a bigger house or smartphone. When I talk about learning a new skill, people immediately suggest I seek out college or classes.
Get out of culture. Why care what anyone in such a culture thinks about you when it's based solely on an artificial construct and not something real? People have more stuff, more ways to communicate and more entertainment and yet have as many or even more problems back before we refined our culture into what it is today.
I refuse to have any sympathy for "first-world problems". It is like feeling bad for a spoiled child that lost his toy, even though that child has hundreds more. It is like someone who refuses to eat healthy because they do not like the taste. Everything that is extra beyond food, water and shelter is something to be grateful about.
It seems that there is only a hollow entitlement for others that is truly outside of the Tao.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Chapter 19 - Intelligence
End sagacity; abandon knowledge
The people benefit a hundred times
End benevolence; abandon righteousness
The people return to piety and charity
End cunning; discard profit
Bandits and thieves no longer exist
These three things are superficial and insufficient
Thus this teaching has its place:
Show plainness; hold simplicity
Reduce selfishness; decrease desires
What does this mean?
If you are judging others simply on the knowledge presented, there is no empathy for other people's motivations. Why people do things is much more important than how or when they did them and who they hurt. A beggar stealing bread because he's hungry should not be treated the same as a greedy man that steals bread to keep his money.
Giving with the desire to be favored either in your current social culture or in the eyes of religion is not true charity or piety. Helping others in need for its own sake is so much better than helping others to make yourself look good. A priest giving help just to worshippers is simply not as good as a priest giving to the ones who need it most.
If you are being effective and intelligent solely for riches, then you leave so much less time to understand your true self. Wisdom and contentment are more important than having more stuff. We all hear the story of the CEO who has everything but isn't truly happy compared to a poor wise man who has only what he needs but is content.
With all of these, the underlying problems are complexity and desire. Clear those two things out and life will be so much better.
How do I use this?
Use KISS: Keep it simple, stupid. Everyone has heard it, but do not take the "stupid" part of KISS lightly or as an insult. If something is truly simple, it needs to sound dumb. Think of it as a way to weed out the "devil in the details". It requires a honesty with yourself and it also requires some critical thinking. You can use logic as a tool to simplify instead of add complexity.
Lets say you wanted to lose weight; a goal that gets mired in complexity and often unquestioned. A low weight is a generally accepted as a sign of good health.
Really take a critical look at our food culture, though. Today, we have all of these "point system" diets, cultures and philosophies that says what you should and shouldn't eat, and emotional hangups and social situations that pressure us into eating. We even have a break down of the science into nutrients and calories so we can measure it to the tiniest detail. None of these things pass the KISS rule.
The best thing I can think of that passes KISS in regards to losing weight is "eat less, do more".
For many people to do just this, it is not easy. The goal requires mindfulness to know what you eat. It needs discipline to eat less less than you normally do. You have to have a knowledge of yourself to start a physical activity that you can do for it's own sake. You have to shake off the cultural expectations and entitled ego that fuel the culture in the first place. Wiith so many food and exercise options, the path of least resistance is to pick and fail at any "diet" that mask the true skills you need to lose weight and then blame the diet that failed.
Lets look at the honest part: why you want to lose weight. Is it the culture pushing you to fit in? Do you want to have more friends or a companion? These reasons are just going to cause you suffering whether you succeed or not. Do you really want to be accepted by a culture that judges on appearance over ideas, virtues and skills?
Now if you suffer from being less healthy, that is completely different. That means saying honestly to yourself that if you get to a healthy weight for you, you stop. If that means your optimal health does not fit what culture says you should be, you stop. If that means that you are a different size than when you were a teenager, you stop.
It is the motive that is the most important thing. A good life is about what you need, not what you want.
The people benefit a hundred times
End benevolence; abandon righteousness
The people return to piety and charity
End cunning; discard profit
Bandits and thieves no longer exist
These three things are superficial and insufficient
Thus this teaching has its place:
Show plainness; hold simplicity
Reduce selfishness; decrease desires
What does this mean?
If you are judging others simply on the knowledge presented, there is no empathy for other people's motivations. Why people do things is much more important than how or when they did them and who they hurt. A beggar stealing bread because he's hungry should not be treated the same as a greedy man that steals bread to keep his money.
Giving with the desire to be favored either in your current social culture or in the eyes of religion is not true charity or piety. Helping others in need for its own sake is so much better than helping others to make yourself look good. A priest giving help just to worshippers is simply not as good as a priest giving to the ones who need it most.
If you are being effective and intelligent solely for riches, then you leave so much less time to understand your true self. Wisdom and contentment are more important than having more stuff. We all hear the story of the CEO who has everything but isn't truly happy compared to a poor wise man who has only what he needs but is content.
With all of these, the underlying problems are complexity and desire. Clear those two things out and life will be so much better.
How do I use this?
Use KISS: Keep it simple, stupid. Everyone has heard it, but do not take the "stupid" part of KISS lightly or as an insult. If something is truly simple, it needs to sound dumb. Think of it as a way to weed out the "devil in the details". It requires a honesty with yourself and it also requires some critical thinking. You can use logic as a tool to simplify instead of add complexity.
Lets say you wanted to lose weight; a goal that gets mired in complexity and often unquestioned. A low weight is a generally accepted as a sign of good health.
Really take a critical look at our food culture, though. Today, we have all of these "point system" diets, cultures and philosophies that says what you should and shouldn't eat, and emotional hangups and social situations that pressure us into eating. We even have a break down of the science into nutrients and calories so we can measure it to the tiniest detail. None of these things pass the KISS rule.
The best thing I can think of that passes KISS in regards to losing weight is "eat less, do more".
For many people to do just this, it is not easy. The goal requires mindfulness to know what you eat. It needs discipline to eat less less than you normally do. You have to have a knowledge of yourself to start a physical activity that you can do for it's own sake. You have to shake off the cultural expectations and entitled ego that fuel the culture in the first place. Wiith so many food and exercise options, the path of least resistance is to pick and fail at any "diet" that mask the true skills you need to lose weight and then blame the diet that failed.
Lets look at the honest part: why you want to lose weight. Is it the culture pushing you to fit in? Do you want to have more friends or a companion? These reasons are just going to cause you suffering whether you succeed or not. Do you really want to be accepted by a culture that judges on appearance over ideas, virtues and skills?
Now if you suffer from being less healthy, that is completely different. That means saying honestly to yourself that if you get to a healthy weight for you, you stop. If that means your optimal health does not fit what culture says you should be, you stop. If that means that you are a different size than when you were a teenager, you stop.
It is the motive that is the most important thing. A good life is about what you need, not what you want.
Chapter 18 - Absence
The great Tao fades away
There is benevolence and justice
Intelligence comes forth
There is great deception
The six relations are not harmonious
There is filial piety and kind affection
The country is in confused chaos
There are loyal ministers
What does this mean?
What happens when all of these humans on Earth with egos and desires are living without the Tao? The idea here is the breakdown of virtue in the absence of the Tao. We get benevolence, justice and intelligence. Working for these principles and ideas seem to be a great goal. However, they can be just as imbalancing because they bring about their opposites.
Here's another take on it. Benevolence and justice generate human systems and like all "intelligent" human systems, they can be corrupted and twisted through that very intelligence. Leaders attempt to control benevolence, judges control a village's justice, and teachers control the village's thoughts and culture, whether that be through a wise shaman or a learned professor.
People then force things that do not need to be forced.
If you leave it up to a single person in a small community, this is a dictatorship on a small scale no matter how nice the leader is. They will impose whatever world views and desires onto the two virtues. One person's benevolence or justice can become another person's suffering.
If you leave it up to a democracy, then benevolence and justice are all influenced by the emotions of the mob. Righteousness sway much more over the actions of the community. That punishes the cultural outcasts and sages away because they do not fit in. Any major transgression is met hastily with pitchforks and torches instead of rationality.
Intelligence and logic can hide all of the flaws of these systems and make them seem better than they are.
Once you apply logical rules to a community, that logic can be twisted to fulfuill the ends of whoever is intellgient enough to do so. For example, In the United States, there are brackets of income everyone fits in for tax purposes. Once you are even a dollar over or under in your bracket for whatever reason, it can mean the difference of thousands of dollars. The speed limit when driving is also an example. Once you drive over the posted limit, you can pulled over and still have the same penalties against your record whether you are a mile over or twenty.
Today, the social, economic and legal systems of most countries are gigantic logical and supposedly intelligent structures. That logic running all of civilization hides its cracks and flaws from everyone in it's complexity.
The real irony is that we constructed these largely unnecessary systems ourselves as a society.
I envision civilization as a large stone tower. The tower is imperfect simply because humans built it. The Tao is the cracks and space in the rock tower. You can never completely seal it off perfectly, so that space erodes down the tower by letting in the winds of change and the water of time.
For a sage, it's bettter to flow with the water and wind that passes through than try to hold up those rocks that will eventually fall.
How can I use this?
Do not overthink virtue. One day I wanted to practice being selfless and giving since I have never done it before. I was going to a donut shop and had this grand plan to buy everyone a donut. When I walked in, I started to overthink it: what kind of donut, what about a bagel, some people already ordered donuts and are just waiting. As I was thinking about it, it became my turn to order, I got flustered and just bought my coffee and left.
This bothered me all day. Why was it so hard for me to give? I think my brain got in the way. I vowed to try it again.
The next day, instead of trying to figure out exactly what to do, I made it simple and told the cashier to give the change on my gift card to the next person. I didn't even look back at them to see who they were. While I waited for them to make my coffee, the people who received it thanked me a ton, which I tried to be humble about and it. It still felt really good.
So don't think and plan virtue. Just be open to acting on it.
Do not apply complex cultural values to simple virtues. You do not need a set of religious doctrine or social clubs to do the right thing. In fact, many times a cultural institution can impede thought towards being humble and selfless. If help goes to those who are more worthy when valued by a culture, it might not go to someone who needs it more. If you believe that something judges us based on the rules of a religion in the afterlife, that prevents us from holding ourselves accountable today.
There is benevolence and justice
Intelligence comes forth
There is great deception
The six relations are not harmonious
There is filial piety and kind affection
The country is in confused chaos
There are loyal ministers
What does this mean?
What happens when all of these humans on Earth with egos and desires are living without the Tao? The idea here is the breakdown of virtue in the absence of the Tao. We get benevolence, justice and intelligence. Working for these principles and ideas seem to be a great goal. However, they can be just as imbalancing because they bring about their opposites.
Here's another take on it. Benevolence and justice generate human systems and like all "intelligent" human systems, they can be corrupted and twisted through that very intelligence. Leaders attempt to control benevolence, judges control a village's justice, and teachers control the village's thoughts and culture, whether that be through a wise shaman or a learned professor.
People then force things that do not need to be forced.
If you leave it up to a single person in a small community, this is a dictatorship on a small scale no matter how nice the leader is. They will impose whatever world views and desires onto the two virtues. One person's benevolence or justice can become another person's suffering.
If you leave it up to a democracy, then benevolence and justice are all influenced by the emotions of the mob. Righteousness sway much more over the actions of the community. That punishes the cultural outcasts and sages away because they do not fit in. Any major transgression is met hastily with pitchforks and torches instead of rationality.
Intelligence and logic can hide all of the flaws of these systems and make them seem better than they are.
Once you apply logical rules to a community, that logic can be twisted to fulfuill the ends of whoever is intellgient enough to do so. For example, In the United States, there are brackets of income everyone fits in for tax purposes. Once you are even a dollar over or under in your bracket for whatever reason, it can mean the difference of thousands of dollars. The speed limit when driving is also an example. Once you drive over the posted limit, you can pulled over and still have the same penalties against your record whether you are a mile over or twenty.
Today, the social, economic and legal systems of most countries are gigantic logical and supposedly intelligent structures. That logic running all of civilization hides its cracks and flaws from everyone in it's complexity.
The real irony is that we constructed these largely unnecessary systems ourselves as a society.
I envision civilization as a large stone tower. The tower is imperfect simply because humans built it. The Tao is the cracks and space in the rock tower. You can never completely seal it off perfectly, so that space erodes down the tower by letting in the winds of change and the water of time.
For a sage, it's bettter to flow with the water and wind that passes through than try to hold up those rocks that will eventually fall.
How can I use this?
Do not overthink virtue. One day I wanted to practice being selfless and giving since I have never done it before. I was going to a donut shop and had this grand plan to buy everyone a donut. When I walked in, I started to overthink it: what kind of donut, what about a bagel, some people already ordered donuts and are just waiting. As I was thinking about it, it became my turn to order, I got flustered and just bought my coffee and left.
This bothered me all day. Why was it so hard for me to give? I think my brain got in the way. I vowed to try it again.
The next day, instead of trying to figure out exactly what to do, I made it simple and told the cashier to give the change on my gift card to the next person. I didn't even look back at them to see who they were. While I waited for them to make my coffee, the people who received it thanked me a ton, which I tried to be humble about and it. It still felt really good.
So don't think and plan virtue. Just be open to acting on it.
Do not apply complex cultural values to simple virtues. You do not need a set of religious doctrine or social clubs to do the right thing. In fact, many times a cultural institution can impede thought towards being humble and selfless. If help goes to those who are more worthy when valued by a culture, it might not go to someone who needs it more. If you believe that something judges us based on the rules of a religion in the afterlife, that prevents us from holding ourselves accountable today.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Chapter 17 - Leaders
The highest rulers, people do not know they have them
The next level, people love them and praise them
The next level, people fear them
The next level, people despise them
If the rulers' trust is insufficient
Have no trust in them
Proceeding calmly, valuing their words
Task accomplished, matter settled
The people all say, "We did it naturally"
What does this mean?
It is all too obvious and unfortunate that all of our politicians and true decision makers in this day and age file into the 'next levels' of love, fear and despise in various forms. Definately very few of the deserve any sort of trust due to the opaqueness of most political systems, apathy of the common people and the influence of outside wealth.
Look at our democracy, where our lawmakers are constantly afraid of losing approval from those with wealth. Instead of working towards what is right and being held to it, they are the slaves of that very favor from the elite. They hide behind emotional pleas and cherry picked facts to hold up their actions that buckle under true analysis. Then, to keep their job, politicians are forced to brag and tell everyone why they should be re-elected instead of letting their decisions speak for themselves.
It is hard today to truly lead in terms of community. In the workplace and in your family at least, you have the opprotunity to lead. In every place where you lead and are visible to others, you are in a position to break someone's trust. Once that happens, no one will listen to you because no one can believe your motives.
The solution is to not be visible as a leader in a traditional sense. Then no one can second guess your motives.
How can I use this?
Lead through action. When you have an emergency wildfire or flood, waiting for the government leaders to tell people to save your house or even your town might be too late. The true leader is that person who starts sandbagging around their house right away. or chopping down the trees before they burn. With the right action, others would follow him because it is the right thing to do.
This applies to all sorts of things, and not just emergencies. If you start exercising and eating right, you can inspire others to do be healthier. If you clear out the clutter in your house, visitors will admire how nice it is and start their own projects. If you study philosophy and become more mindful and present, people will want to learn from you why you seem so happy and optimistic even in awful circumstances.
In a best case scenario, they might even ask you how to do it and be ready to listen to you. More likely they will just look it up on the internet. At worst, they do nothing which is fine, simply because your life is better by being the change you want.
When the task is done or their life is better, they will probably think it was their idea in the first place.
Be skeptical but flexible. Just because someone is popular or unpopular doesn't mean they are right or wrong. Just because someone puts in a lot of hours and is proud of their work doesn't mean it is valuable. Don't just believe what you are told because it sounds right and you heard it on TV or the internet.
Very few people are actually looking for enlightenment. They have other agendas.
Most people want fame, power, family or some other desire. These basic wants that drive our culture make me skeptical of their motives, especially because people don't see it as self-interest right away. Even a motive like family and friends is simply a broader selfishness that include only the ones you like the best.
That's not to say you never deal with anyone. That's not realistic. However, you do have to understand and empathize with why people are motivated before you can understand what they will do and what they want. Think about what sort of ego boost do people expect by helping you and what service do they expect in return. Once you understand that, you know what you can ask of those around you when the time comes and figure out if its really worth the cost.
Who can you really trust?
You can always prove someone's trust simply by how open and selfless they can be. Someone that owns up to their mistakes and takes responsibility is trustworthy. Someone who is humble about achieving a goal is trustworthy. Someone that is willing to say "I don't know" and willing to be wrong is trustworthy. Of course, the best way to encourage it is to be
These are the same things as trying to live with the Tao in mind: a willingness to be honest, vulernable and selfless.
The next level, people love them and praise them
The next level, people fear them
The next level, people despise them
If the rulers' trust is insufficient
Have no trust in them
Proceeding calmly, valuing their words
Task accomplished, matter settled
The people all say, "We did it naturally"
What does this mean?
It is all too obvious and unfortunate that all of our politicians and true decision makers in this day and age file into the 'next levels' of love, fear and despise in various forms. Definately very few of the deserve any sort of trust due to the opaqueness of most political systems, apathy of the common people and the influence of outside wealth.
Look at our democracy, where our lawmakers are constantly afraid of losing approval from those with wealth. Instead of working towards what is right and being held to it, they are the slaves of that very favor from the elite. They hide behind emotional pleas and cherry picked facts to hold up their actions that buckle under true analysis. Then, to keep their job, politicians are forced to brag and tell everyone why they should be re-elected instead of letting their decisions speak for themselves.
It is hard today to truly lead in terms of community. In the workplace and in your family at least, you have the opprotunity to lead. In every place where you lead and are visible to others, you are in a position to break someone's trust. Once that happens, no one will listen to you because no one can believe your motives.
The solution is to not be visible as a leader in a traditional sense. Then no one can second guess your motives.
How can I use this?
Lead through action. When you have an emergency wildfire or flood, waiting for the government leaders to tell people to save your house or even your town might be too late. The true leader is that person who starts sandbagging around their house right away. or chopping down the trees before they burn. With the right action, others would follow him because it is the right thing to do.
This applies to all sorts of things, and not just emergencies. If you start exercising and eating right, you can inspire others to do be healthier. If you clear out the clutter in your house, visitors will admire how nice it is and start their own projects. If you study philosophy and become more mindful and present, people will want to learn from you why you seem so happy and optimistic even in awful circumstances.
In a best case scenario, they might even ask you how to do it and be ready to listen to you. More likely they will just look it up on the internet. At worst, they do nothing which is fine, simply because your life is better by being the change you want.
When the task is done or their life is better, they will probably think it was their idea in the first place.
Be skeptical but flexible. Just because someone is popular or unpopular doesn't mean they are right or wrong. Just because someone puts in a lot of hours and is proud of their work doesn't mean it is valuable. Don't just believe what you are told because it sounds right and you heard it on TV or the internet.
Very few people are actually looking for enlightenment. They have other agendas.
Most people want fame, power, family or some other desire. These basic wants that drive our culture make me skeptical of their motives, especially because people don't see it as self-interest right away. Even a motive like family and friends is simply a broader selfishness that include only the ones you like the best.
That's not to say you never deal with anyone. That's not realistic. However, you do have to understand and empathize with why people are motivated before you can understand what they will do and what they want. Think about what sort of ego boost do people expect by helping you and what service do they expect in return. Once you understand that, you know what you can ask of those around you when the time comes and figure out if its really worth the cost.
Who can you really trust?
You can always prove someone's trust simply by how open and selfless they can be. Someone that owns up to their mistakes and takes responsibility is trustworthy. Someone who is humble about achieving a goal is trustworthy. Someone that is willing to say "I don't know" and willing to be wrong is trustworthy. Of course, the best way to encourage it is to be
These are the same things as trying to live with the Tao in mind: a willingness to be honest, vulernable and selfless.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Chapter 16 - Tranquil
Attain the ultimate emptiness
Hold on to the truest tranquility
The myriad things are all active
I therefore watch their return
Everything flourishes; each returns to its root
Returning to the root is called tranquility
Tranquility is called returning to one's nature
Returning to one's nature is called constancy
Knowing constancy is called clarity
Not knowing constancy, one recklessly causes trouble
Knowing constancy is acceptance
Acceptance is impartiality
Impartiality is sovereign
Sovereign is Heaven
Heaven is Tao
Tao is eternal
The self is no more, without danger
What does this mean?
The ultimate emptiness and the truest tranquility is embracing the natural laws of entropy, and in a way, death. Everything in life breaks down and comes to rest at some point. The emptiness before conception and after death is the root one returns to. It is as much of the Tao as the moving parts in between. It's another way of saying that nothing lasts forever.
As human beings, we have a bias in thinking the opposite. We only experience the point between our first memory and our last, so its hard to grasp that there is anything else. All we know is being alive. That 'existance bias' is built into our very being. Part of our biological drive over eons of evolution that we want to live as long as possible, if only to pass along our genetics to the next generation. In a way, even that idea is a way for life to keep going past an individual's demise.
Death is that scary unescapable mystery, and as such, we try to deny or ignore death.
On a personal level, a lot of us pursue health not to be better, but to prevent ourselves from dying. We invest heavily in self-defense in both our homes and ourselves to prevent our lives being taken. We spend a lot of money for the illusion of youth in the form of "beauty" products.
By not acknowledging your own death, you remove any sense of urgency in your life. People are procrastinating their dreams away due to relatively minor obsticles. People spend the little time they have left on the easy, unfufilling things. People simply do not take care of their bodies just because they do not think they will die from no excerise and bad food. Think about those in your life you take for granted simply because you expect them to be in your life forever.
In our families, we stick grief and loss under a bad emotion to avoid. We don't talk about recently dead or dying family members. Elders are usually put into their own 'assisted living' away from everyone else during their last days. We shield our kids from death at all levels, and there is no one around to show the children how grieving and dying should be done because we are too busy trying not to.
In popular culture, we become desensitized to death through meaningless violence and murder on our entertainment. The national news ramps up a few criminal deaths for ratings but quickly loses interest in important events like war or preventable disease are taking thousands lives every day. We rarely see in the mainstream news that honors someone that is gravely ill, but only after they die like it was a big surprise it happened at all. Nowhere is mentioned the entire ecosystems we plunder and destroy to uphold the Western culture.
One day, the Bhudda asked one of his disciples how much he thinks about death. The disciple answered that he thinks about death a lot. The Bhudda replied that he was not thinking about death nearly enough. He said the disciple must think about it with every breath.
It is obvious that culturally that we also do not think about death enough. Just like the rule of opposites, you cannot have a circle of life without knowing death.
The Tao knows and accepts death, entropy and the eventual stillness of all things. There can be no true tranquility in movement. The sage expects and understands the temporary nature of reality and watches as all things return to this peaceful state. Through this, the sage can embrace and appreciate the gratefulness and beauty of everything in every moment.
How do we use it?
Live and deal with anticipatory grief for everyone. Everything is temporary in life. No one lives forever. Everyone in your life is on hospice whether they know it or not and no matter how healthy they are. I believe that we should treat everyone as such.
In much the same way, managing your grief is the same as making the kinds of emotional decisions in line with the Tao. Honesty, gratefulness, acceptance, humility and urgency are all things that are recommended for us to use when dealing with dying patients in hospice. These same things also bring us closer to the Tao and should be doing anyway with everyone.
In a way, you can compare the coping with this grief to eating like you had diabetes before you get the disease. Come to find out, people who eat like diabetics have dramatically improved health anyway. The diet itself is very much like the paleo and low-carb diets out there.
One must think if our culture is wrong about food, it could be wrong in how we think about others.
Perform this breathing exercise. Get comfortable, close your eyes and focus on your breathing. However, instead of thinking of your breath starting on the inhale, think of each breath starting at the exhale. Normally our focused breathing patterns are "inhale, pause, exhale". Instead, when starting with the pause, it should go "pause, exhale, inhale".
Keep in mind that the emptiness of your lungs is the start of the breath. It feels completely different than breathing unconciously. The pause is kind of a fragment of the Tao: the point between breathing in and breathing out is the state from which all breath begins.
The song does not end when the last note is played. The song ends when the silence is broken after the last note.
Hold on to the truest tranquility
The myriad things are all active
I therefore watch their return
Everything flourishes; each returns to its root
Returning to the root is called tranquility
Tranquility is called returning to one's nature
Returning to one's nature is called constancy
Knowing constancy is called clarity
Not knowing constancy, one recklessly causes trouble
Knowing constancy is acceptance
Acceptance is impartiality
Impartiality is sovereign
Sovereign is Heaven
Heaven is Tao
Tao is eternal
The self is no more, without danger
What does this mean?
The ultimate emptiness and the truest tranquility is embracing the natural laws of entropy, and in a way, death. Everything in life breaks down and comes to rest at some point. The emptiness before conception and after death is the root one returns to. It is as much of the Tao as the moving parts in between. It's another way of saying that nothing lasts forever.
As human beings, we have a bias in thinking the opposite. We only experience the point between our first memory and our last, so its hard to grasp that there is anything else. All we know is being alive. That 'existance bias' is built into our very being. Part of our biological drive over eons of evolution that we want to live as long as possible, if only to pass along our genetics to the next generation. In a way, even that idea is a way for life to keep going past an individual's demise.
Death is that scary unescapable mystery, and as such, we try to deny or ignore death.
On a personal level, a lot of us pursue health not to be better, but to prevent ourselves from dying. We invest heavily in self-defense in both our homes and ourselves to prevent our lives being taken. We spend a lot of money for the illusion of youth in the form of "beauty" products.
By not acknowledging your own death, you remove any sense of urgency in your life. People are procrastinating their dreams away due to relatively minor obsticles. People spend the little time they have left on the easy, unfufilling things. People simply do not take care of their bodies just because they do not think they will die from no excerise and bad food. Think about those in your life you take for granted simply because you expect them to be in your life forever.
In our families, we stick grief and loss under a bad emotion to avoid. We don't talk about recently dead or dying family members. Elders are usually put into their own 'assisted living' away from everyone else during their last days. We shield our kids from death at all levels, and there is no one around to show the children how grieving and dying should be done because we are too busy trying not to.
In popular culture, we become desensitized to death through meaningless violence and murder on our entertainment. The national news ramps up a few criminal deaths for ratings but quickly loses interest in important events like war or preventable disease are taking thousands lives every day. We rarely see in the mainstream news that honors someone that is gravely ill, but only after they die like it was a big surprise it happened at all. Nowhere is mentioned the entire ecosystems we plunder and destroy to uphold the Western culture.
One day, the Bhudda asked one of his disciples how much he thinks about death. The disciple answered that he thinks about death a lot. The Bhudda replied that he was not thinking about death nearly enough. He said the disciple must think about it with every breath.
It is obvious that culturally that we also do not think about death enough. Just like the rule of opposites, you cannot have a circle of life without knowing death.
The Tao knows and accepts death, entropy and the eventual stillness of all things. There can be no true tranquility in movement. The sage expects and understands the temporary nature of reality and watches as all things return to this peaceful state. Through this, the sage can embrace and appreciate the gratefulness and beauty of everything in every moment.
How do we use it?
Live and deal with anticipatory grief for everyone. Everything is temporary in life. No one lives forever. Everyone in your life is on hospice whether they know it or not and no matter how healthy they are. I believe that we should treat everyone as such.
In much the same way, managing your grief is the same as making the kinds of emotional decisions in line with the Tao. Honesty, gratefulness, acceptance, humility and urgency are all things that are recommended for us to use when dealing with dying patients in hospice. These same things also bring us closer to the Tao and should be doing anyway with everyone.
In a way, you can compare the coping with this grief to eating like you had diabetes before you get the disease. Come to find out, people who eat like diabetics have dramatically improved health anyway. The diet itself is very much like the paleo and low-carb diets out there.
One must think if our culture is wrong about food, it could be wrong in how we think about others.
Perform this breathing exercise. Get comfortable, close your eyes and focus on your breathing. However, instead of thinking of your breath starting on the inhale, think of each breath starting at the exhale. Normally our focused breathing patterns are "inhale, pause, exhale". Instead, when starting with the pause, it should go "pause, exhale, inhale".
Keep in mind that the emptiness of your lungs is the start of the breath. It feels completely different than breathing unconciously. The pause is kind of a fragment of the Tao: the point between breathing in and breathing out is the state from which all breath begins.
The song does not end when the last note is played. The song ends when the silence is broken after the last note.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Chapter 15 - Master
The Tao masters of antiquity
Subtle wonders through mystery
Depths that cannot be discerned
Because one cannot discern them
Therefore one is forced to describe the appearance
Hesitant, like crossing a wintry river
Cautious, like fearing four neighbors
Solemn, like a guest
Loose, like ice about to melt
Genuine, like plain wood
Open, like a valley
Opaque, like muddy water
Who can be muddled yet desist
In stillness gradually become clear?
Who can be serene yet persist
In motion gradually come alive?
One who holds this Tao does not wish to be overfilled
Because one is not overfilled
Therefore one can preserve and not create anew
What does this Mean?
Even though I think the Tao Te Ching is an extremely good source of guidance on how to live, I am more of a fan and philosopher of it than a practicioner. I use it in small ways, but I am no true sage.
For a Tao practicioner, you would barely know they are there. If they spoke up, though, it would be a clear thought that strikes true at the heart of the discussion: a unrealized ephiphany that illuminates the truth of the entire conversation. For the sage, they only speak with clear thoughts.
One who is more practiced than that I doubt is even in our culture. There is a reason that there is a stereotype of the wise hermit living in the mountains, not being filled up with the desires of modern industrial living.
How can I use this?
Hesitant, like crossing a wintry river. Think of this: other than for things like racing, when is it ever useful to go first? By letting others go ahead of you, you can see the best way to do things or let them take the brunt of the failure of the unknown. The best modern example is being in line to get a new gadget only to have to deal with problems for weeks simply because you got it first.
Cautious, like fearing four neighbors. Each action you take causes a ripple in time and space that will affect all of your future actions. The safer and more flexible you act, the better chance you'll make a correct decision. At least, making more cautious plans allows you to correct unintended mistakes easier or to incorporate the actions of others.
This does not mean slow, due to the fact that one should seize good opprotunities. This also does not mean passive, either. That butterfly that causes a hurricane with one wing flap would have to fly to live, even if it knew what the consequences are.
Solemn, like a guest. I like to think that, personally, one should take everyone serious and be respectful of their opinions. Even if there is an obvious flaw in the logic for them or that they are just believing something with bad information. There is a slice of truth to every good joke and something to learn in everything if one has respect. It is hard to truly see good in something without an example of what bad is.
Loose, like ice about to melt. Be like snowcone ice? That is actually a good analogy. Be solid enough to support things and be useful, but fluid enough to conform to the weight and challenge of the tasks presented.
Genuine, like plain wood. Be natural. You don't need paint and decorations to make plain wood useful or beautiful. You can paint over rotten wood to hide it's bad qualities, just like you can paint over your vulernabilities with sarcasm, shyness, humor, or other little defensive habits . The sage embraces his weakness, and as such, is not afraid or hurt when it's pointed out.
Open, like a valley. The sage has a lot of emotional room for others and a lot less personal stake in things than your average person. The sage use that lack of self-interest to make the most possibilities open to them. Through that, they can be open to act on kindness, generosity and necessity as opposed to the desires and egos of themselves or others.
Opaque, like muddy water. Being open, honest, generous and respectful is fine. Bragging about how virtuious you are is not. At that point, the things you can give to others are greatly diminished. Selfish people will prey on your kindness and righteous people will say you are looking to boost your own ego. When one has true humility, others think that they simply have good luck or they did it themselves instead of having a hidden benefactor.
Subtle wonders through mystery
Depths that cannot be discerned
Because one cannot discern them
Therefore one is forced to describe the appearance
Hesitant, like crossing a wintry river
Cautious, like fearing four neighbors
Solemn, like a guest
Loose, like ice about to melt
Genuine, like plain wood
Open, like a valley
Opaque, like muddy water
Who can be muddled yet desist
In stillness gradually become clear?
Who can be serene yet persist
In motion gradually come alive?
One who holds this Tao does not wish to be overfilled
Because one is not overfilled
Therefore one can preserve and not create anew
What does this Mean?
Even though I think the Tao Te Ching is an extremely good source of guidance on how to live, I am more of a fan and philosopher of it than a practicioner. I use it in small ways, but I am no true sage.
For a Tao practicioner, you would barely know they are there. If they spoke up, though, it would be a clear thought that strikes true at the heart of the discussion: a unrealized ephiphany that illuminates the truth of the entire conversation. For the sage, they only speak with clear thoughts.
One who is more practiced than that I doubt is even in our culture. There is a reason that there is a stereotype of the wise hermit living in the mountains, not being filled up with the desires of modern industrial living.
How can I use this?
Hesitant, like crossing a wintry river. Think of this: other than for things like racing, when is it ever useful to go first? By letting others go ahead of you, you can see the best way to do things or let them take the brunt of the failure of the unknown. The best modern example is being in line to get a new gadget only to have to deal with problems for weeks simply because you got it first.
Cautious, like fearing four neighbors. Each action you take causes a ripple in time and space that will affect all of your future actions. The safer and more flexible you act, the better chance you'll make a correct decision. At least, making more cautious plans allows you to correct unintended mistakes easier or to incorporate the actions of others.
This does not mean slow, due to the fact that one should seize good opprotunities. This also does not mean passive, either. That butterfly that causes a hurricane with one wing flap would have to fly to live, even if it knew what the consequences are.
Solemn, like a guest. I like to think that, personally, one should take everyone serious and be respectful of their opinions. Even if there is an obvious flaw in the logic for them or that they are just believing something with bad information. There is a slice of truth to every good joke and something to learn in everything if one has respect. It is hard to truly see good in something without an example of what bad is.
Loose, like ice about to melt. Be like snowcone ice? That is actually a good analogy. Be solid enough to support things and be useful, but fluid enough to conform to the weight and challenge of the tasks presented.
Genuine, like plain wood. Be natural. You don't need paint and decorations to make plain wood useful or beautiful. You can paint over rotten wood to hide it's bad qualities, just like you can paint over your vulernabilities with sarcasm, shyness, humor, or other little defensive habits . The sage embraces his weakness, and as such, is not afraid or hurt when it's pointed out.
Open, like a valley. The sage has a lot of emotional room for others and a lot less personal stake in things than your average person. The sage use that lack of self-interest to make the most possibilities open to them. Through that, they can be open to act on kindness, generosity and necessity as opposed to the desires and egos of themselves or others.
Opaque, like muddy water. Being open, honest, generous and respectful is fine. Bragging about how virtuious you are is not. At that point, the things you can give to others are greatly diminished. Selfish people will prey on your kindness and righteous people will say you are looking to boost your own ego. When one has true humility, others think that they simply have good luck or they did it themselves instead of having a hidden benefactor.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Chapter 14 - Energy
Look at it, it cannot be seen
It is called colorless
Listen to it, it cannot be heard
It is called noiseless
Reach for it, it cannot be held
It is called formless
These three cannot be completely unraveled
So they are combined into one
Above it, not bright
Below it, not dark
Continuing endlessly, cannot be named
It returns back into nothingness
Thus it is called the form of the formless
The image of the imageless
This is called enigmatic
Confront it, its front cannot be seen
Follow it, its back cannot be seen
Wield the Tao of the ancients
To manage the existence of today
One can know the ancient beginning
It is called the Tao Axiom
What does this mean?
How does one interact with the Tao? We can not look at it, see it or touch it. How is it useful?
Think of the various states of water in terms of matter. With ice, for example, you can do all sorts of things. You can grab it, see it, break it and manipulate it. Virtually anything you can think of you can do with a solid. Ice is only a little useful on a daily basis, as it can keep things cold but you do not need specifically ice to meet any basic needs. In fact, other than our bodies are made of solids, the only solids we need are food and we can go a week or two without it.
With a liquid, things become more difficult. You have to cup your hands a certain way to hold it. You need tools like cups and bowls to interact with it. Even then, if you want to change it, you need even more complex things like chemicals or tempature. However, liquid water is valuable to us even though all we do is drink it.
Now, think of how we interact with air. We don't on a daily basis. An expert archer or golfer might account for wind speed, and an engineer might account for air pressure, but these are very situational and complex tasks compared to eating and drinking. The process we do with air, breathing, is tremendously important as we would die without breathing in only a few minutes. For something so important, it is amazing we are unconscious of our breathing most of the time.
The pattern seems that the less substantial it is, the more important it is. The Tao is even less substantial than air.
Bundles of energy make our consciousness through our nervous system. Electrical charges travel from our eyes, ears and skin to our brains and make us aware of reality. That energy is impossible to touch, see or hold. Science cannot even tell you exactly what that energy is and where it comes from.
Science has even revealed that there might be a type of energy or law of nature which glues the whole universe together. Even still, there are other quantum forces around the energy regarding molecules and atoms that are incomprehensible and seem contradictory. Theories behind those forces are ones we can only guess at. The forces of nature continue to be a mystery the deeper you go.
That sounds very much like the Tao.
How do I use this?
like people who meditate and do yoga to improve breathing, I think you can focus and improve your internal energy. I recommend trying out Tai Chi.
Practicing it is one of the safest, low-impact versions of a martial art that you can do and is good for strength and flexibility at any age. Like yoga, doing it properly puts yourself in a meditative state, but unlike yoga, you are moving instead of posing.
Trying it myself, you can definately feel something different if practiced correctly. Even if you don't stick with it, being aware of the energy is worth it to help with mindfulness in applying the Tao.
It is called colorless
Listen to it, it cannot be heard
It is called noiseless
Reach for it, it cannot be held
It is called formless
These three cannot be completely unraveled
So they are combined into one
Above it, not bright
Below it, not dark
Continuing endlessly, cannot be named
It returns back into nothingness
Thus it is called the form of the formless
The image of the imageless
This is called enigmatic
Confront it, its front cannot be seen
Follow it, its back cannot be seen
Wield the Tao of the ancients
To manage the existence of today
One can know the ancient beginning
It is called the Tao Axiom
What does this mean?
How does one interact with the Tao? We can not look at it, see it or touch it. How is it useful?
Think of the various states of water in terms of matter. With ice, for example, you can do all sorts of things. You can grab it, see it, break it and manipulate it. Virtually anything you can think of you can do with a solid. Ice is only a little useful on a daily basis, as it can keep things cold but you do not need specifically ice to meet any basic needs. In fact, other than our bodies are made of solids, the only solids we need are food and we can go a week or two without it.
With a liquid, things become more difficult. You have to cup your hands a certain way to hold it. You need tools like cups and bowls to interact with it. Even then, if you want to change it, you need even more complex things like chemicals or tempature. However, liquid water is valuable to us even though all we do is drink it.
Now, think of how we interact with air. We don't on a daily basis. An expert archer or golfer might account for wind speed, and an engineer might account for air pressure, but these are very situational and complex tasks compared to eating and drinking. The process we do with air, breathing, is tremendously important as we would die without breathing in only a few minutes. For something so important, it is amazing we are unconscious of our breathing most of the time.
The pattern seems that the less substantial it is, the more important it is. The Tao is even less substantial than air.
Bundles of energy make our consciousness through our nervous system. Electrical charges travel from our eyes, ears and skin to our brains and make us aware of reality. That energy is impossible to touch, see or hold. Science cannot even tell you exactly what that energy is and where it comes from.
Science has even revealed that there might be a type of energy or law of nature which glues the whole universe together. Even still, there are other quantum forces around the energy regarding molecules and atoms that are incomprehensible and seem contradictory. Theories behind those forces are ones we can only guess at. The forces of nature continue to be a mystery the deeper you go.
That sounds very much like the Tao.
How do I use this?
like people who meditate and do yoga to improve breathing, I think you can focus and improve your internal energy. I recommend trying out Tai Chi.
Practicing it is one of the safest, low-impact versions of a martial art that you can do and is good for strength and flexibility at any age. Like yoga, doing it properly puts yourself in a meditative state, but unlike yoga, you are moving instead of posing.
Trying it myself, you can definately feel something different if practiced correctly. Even if you don't stick with it, being aware of the energy is worth it to help with mindfulness in applying the Tao.
Chapter 12 - Excess
The five colors make one blind in the eyes
The five sounds make one deaf in the ears
The five flavors make one tasteless in the mouth
Racing and hunting make one wild in the heart
Goods that are difficult to acquire make one cause damage
Therefore the sages care for the stomach and not the eyes
That is why they discard the other and take this
What does this mean?
Look directly into a bright light for a minute, and you will get blinded temporarily. Play your favorite music too loud and you will go deaf. Dump all of your spices into a bowl and you cannot taste any of them. Too much of anything dulls you to it, no matter how wonderful it is.
This richness permeates not just sight, sound and taste, but our own mental narratives and desires.
We are increasingly bombarded with more intense colors, sounds and flavors. We accept it because it overcomes our dullness to those sensations. As time has progressed, those who advertise and tell stories simply turn up the volume to get our attention again.
We end up envisioning our own lives as a mythic story.
Our lives are not three act plays with villains out to get us and ourselves the center of a hero's journey, but it feels disappointing that nothing like that happens. We know that we are not Han Solo or Neo or a Disney princess, but are a bit sad or angry when real life doesn't follow that narrative. It is hard to accept life as it is when we are told how it could be.
For some, they force that fantasy into their lives. That fantasy should just be mere entertainment at best. Without a level of detachment, it becomes another way to want something and all the suffering that desire brings.
The Tao is barely perceptible and hard to grasp. If our senses and minds have been dimmed by indulging in pleasures and fantasies, how can we get close to the Tao?
How can I use this?
To keep the five colors or sounds or whatever else exists from desensitizing us, we must get rid of them. We expand our comfort zone to the possibility of live without these things.
In other words, perform a fast.
Fasting builds self-discipline, which is needed to practice other virtues like mindfulness. Fasting is practiced by every old spiritual practices to this day, so by consensus it is endorsed as a spiritual exercise. By fasting, you learn more about what your body and mind are capable of. Breaking the fast itself can be great experience. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, after all.
Fasting is hard to do, but it is a skill that can be built up over time. You do not have to starve for days. Buddha simply skipped dinner every day; one meal out of three.
You do not even need to start with food.
Instead of food, start with television and video games, or Facebook, or a specific genre of music, or alcohol. Anything at all, but make sure not having it makes you uncomfortable. Meditate on why you are anxious without it. Find the good things in not having it, like having more free time or how good it will be to enjoy it afterwards.
If it's not food, give it 30 days. That is how long the brain chemically needs to rewire with your new paradigm. If it's entire meals, most religions average a single day or 3 meals in a row with plenty of water. Check with a doctor before you do any food fast.
Cultivating the Tao this way is not in acts of self-denial, but expanding the possibilities in your life. The more you are capable of saying "No", the more things you can say "Yes" to.
The five sounds make one deaf in the ears
The five flavors make one tasteless in the mouth
Racing and hunting make one wild in the heart
Goods that are difficult to acquire make one cause damage
Therefore the sages care for the stomach and not the eyes
That is why they discard the other and take this
What does this mean?
Look directly into a bright light for a minute, and you will get blinded temporarily. Play your favorite music too loud and you will go deaf. Dump all of your spices into a bowl and you cannot taste any of them. Too much of anything dulls you to it, no matter how wonderful it is.
This richness permeates not just sight, sound and taste, but our own mental narratives and desires.
We are increasingly bombarded with more intense colors, sounds and flavors. We accept it because it overcomes our dullness to those sensations. As time has progressed, those who advertise and tell stories simply turn up the volume to get our attention again.
We end up envisioning our own lives as a mythic story.
Our lives are not three act plays with villains out to get us and ourselves the center of a hero's journey, but it feels disappointing that nothing like that happens. We know that we are not Han Solo or Neo or a Disney princess, but are a bit sad or angry when real life doesn't follow that narrative. It is hard to accept life as it is when we are told how it could be.
For some, they force that fantasy into their lives. That fantasy should just be mere entertainment at best. Without a level of detachment, it becomes another way to want something and all the suffering that desire brings.
The Tao is barely perceptible and hard to grasp. If our senses and minds have been dimmed by indulging in pleasures and fantasies, how can we get close to the Tao?
How can I use this?
To keep the five colors or sounds or whatever else exists from desensitizing us, we must get rid of them. We expand our comfort zone to the possibility of live without these things.
In other words, perform a fast.
Fasting builds self-discipline, which is needed to practice other virtues like mindfulness. Fasting is practiced by every old spiritual practices to this day, so by consensus it is endorsed as a spiritual exercise. By fasting, you learn more about what your body and mind are capable of. Breaking the fast itself can be great experience. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, after all.
Fasting is hard to do, but it is a skill that can be built up over time. You do not have to starve for days. Buddha simply skipped dinner every day; one meal out of three.
You do not even need to start with food.
Instead of food, start with television and video games, or Facebook, or a specific genre of music, or alcohol. Anything at all, but make sure not having it makes you uncomfortable. Meditate on why you are anxious without it. Find the good things in not having it, like having more free time or how good it will be to enjoy it afterwards.
If it's not food, give it 30 days. That is how long the brain chemically needs to rewire with your new paradigm. If it's entire meals, most religions average a single day or 3 meals in a row with plenty of water. Check with a doctor before you do any food fast.
Cultivating the Tao this way is not in acts of self-denial, but expanding the possibilities in your life. The more you are capable of saying "No", the more things you can say "Yes" to.
Chapter 13 - Ego
Favor and disgrace make one fearful
The greatest misfortune is the self
What does "favor and disgrace make one fearful" mean?
Favor is high; disgrace is low
Having it makes one fearful
Losing it makes one fearful
This is "favor and disgrace make one fearful"
What does "the greatest misfortune is the self" mean?
The reason I have great misfortune
Is that I have the self
If I have no self
What misfortune do I have?
So one who values the self as the world
Can be given the world
One who loves the self as the world
Can be entrusted with the world
What does this mean?
Favor and disgrace can be redefined in a modern setting simply by caring about what others think of you. If you care about keeping in good standing with those around you, you will fear losing other people's respect.
However, having the "self" is tricky. It is another word for ego.
If you have a high self-esteem, you risk losing your confidence each time you act for others. One might avoid those situations that make one look bad. Others might act, not to do the right thing, but to protect their own ego. When you find out there is someone better than you or others simply thing you aren't good enough, your ego hurts.
If you have a low self-esteem, you risk not acting at all and missing out on opportunities. If you feel you are worthless, it makes it hard to see how acting will change things. It is easy to slip into a rut just to get by, which is it's own sort of dull pain.
We can all be so fixated on what we do in the world and our self-importance, or lack of it, that we forget the Tao. To find contentment, you do not help the world with whatever skills you have. The world doesn't need help and doesn't care about you. It will keep going irregardless. We do not exist just for ourselves either. Doing that is just selfish and un-fulfilling.
What is best is to have a zero-sum self-esteem. A balanced ego. We should value the world equally compared to ourselves. We are not more or less important than the world no matter what skills or talents we have or riches we own. We just are.
Imagine giving your food and time to the homeless in your community, but your family might be jealous of the time spent even if your family's needs are well met. Imagine taking on a task and the best way to do it breaks with culture and taboos, angering the community. Imagine not empathizing and caring for a dying loved one simply because your friends did not like that person. If one valued other's opinions in these scenarios, one would not do the right thing.
Kindness, right action, sympathy and other virtues do not contest. They are self-evident to the point of being incontestable. Do not let the fear of what others think stop you.
How can I use this?
Do not change your actions because of other people's desires. What other people want and believe are their own responsibility. One that causes themselves pain because they want things they don't need or believe things that are not true cannot be taught the Tao. They can only teach themselves.
Sharpen up your thinking. Having a basis in critical thinking keeps you from being afraid of what others think of you. True, well-thought out things are simple and cannot be argued away. Be wary of others using logical fallicies to attack ideas of yours that they do not like.
Do not be stubborn or defensive. If you are holding fast to an idea but someone offers up infallable solid logic that counters it, rethink your idea.
Understand, empathize and be kind to those don't like your views or actions. We are all the same humans, merely with different perspectives. Some of us have exaggerated beliefs and desires, which is fine. It goes beyond humoring someone to understanding the person. You do not have to believe their actual belief, but you have to understand that they believe it and why.
The greatest misfortune is the self
What does "favor and disgrace make one fearful" mean?
Favor is high; disgrace is low
Having it makes one fearful
Losing it makes one fearful
This is "favor and disgrace make one fearful"
What does "the greatest misfortune is the self" mean?
The reason I have great misfortune
Is that I have the self
If I have no self
What misfortune do I have?
So one who values the self as the world
Can be given the world
One who loves the self as the world
Can be entrusted with the world
What does this mean?
Favor and disgrace can be redefined in a modern setting simply by caring about what others think of you. If you care about keeping in good standing with those around you, you will fear losing other people's respect.
However, having the "self" is tricky. It is another word for ego.
If you have a high self-esteem, you risk losing your confidence each time you act for others. One might avoid those situations that make one look bad. Others might act, not to do the right thing, but to protect their own ego. When you find out there is someone better than you or others simply thing you aren't good enough, your ego hurts.
If you have a low self-esteem, you risk not acting at all and missing out on opportunities. If you feel you are worthless, it makes it hard to see how acting will change things. It is easy to slip into a rut just to get by, which is it's own sort of dull pain.
We can all be so fixated on what we do in the world and our self-importance, or lack of it, that we forget the Tao. To find contentment, you do not help the world with whatever skills you have. The world doesn't need help and doesn't care about you. It will keep going irregardless. We do not exist just for ourselves either. Doing that is just selfish and un-fulfilling.
What is best is to have a zero-sum self-esteem. A balanced ego. We should value the world equally compared to ourselves. We are not more or less important than the world no matter what skills or talents we have or riches we own. We just are.
Imagine giving your food and time to the homeless in your community, but your family might be jealous of the time spent even if your family's needs are well met. Imagine taking on a task and the best way to do it breaks with culture and taboos, angering the community. Imagine not empathizing and caring for a dying loved one simply because your friends did not like that person. If one valued other's opinions in these scenarios, one would not do the right thing.
Kindness, right action, sympathy and other virtues do not contest. They are self-evident to the point of being incontestable. Do not let the fear of what others think stop you.
How can I use this?
Do not change your actions because of other people's desires. What other people want and believe are their own responsibility. One that causes themselves pain because they want things they don't need or believe things that are not true cannot be taught the Tao. They can only teach themselves.
Sharpen up your thinking. Having a basis in critical thinking keeps you from being afraid of what others think of you. True, well-thought out things are simple and cannot be argued away. Be wary of others using logical fallicies to attack ideas of yours that they do not like.
Do not be stubborn or defensive. If you are holding fast to an idea but someone offers up infallable solid logic that counters it, rethink your idea.
Understand, empathize and be kind to those don't like your views or actions. We are all the same humans, merely with different perspectives. Some of us have exaggerated beliefs and desires, which is fine. It goes beyond humoring someone to understanding the person. You do not have to believe their actual belief, but you have to understand that they believe it and why.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Chapter 11 - Space
Thirty spokes join in one hub
In its emptiness, there is the function of a vehicle
Mix clay to create a container
In its emptiness, there is the function of a container
Cut open doors and windows to create a room
In its emptiness, there is the function of a room
Therefore, that which exists is used to create benefit
That which is empty is used to create functionality
What does this mean?
Space is valuable. If I offered you a space in a New York penthouse apartment, it would still be nothing. That same "nothing" exists everywhere, irregardless of where it is, and provides the same usefulness.
As you fill your space, whether it be a box, a drawer or a house, you lose more of it's usefulness. Something completely full is extremely limited in its usefulness. A full toybox is only good for pulling out toys. Once a photo album is filled with pictures, it's only good for those specific pictures. What use is a house that you can barely walk into?
This doesn't just apply to physical things, but also to your mind and how you feel. The space in your mind is more valuable than any penthouse or mansion.
Your comfort zone is the full part of your mind, and leaving it is symbolizes empty space.
Do not get filled in by thinking you know with great certainty. At its logical conclusion, once you think you know it all, that makes all others who present new information seem wrong. Knowing everything makes it that much harder to learn new ways. The more you fill your mind, the more uncomfortable and even painful it is to empty it.
Imagine your mind as a vegetable. Do not be an onion with many thick layers that has to be peeled to be of any use. Try to be a green pepper, with space for the seeds that are ready to grow.
How do I use this?
Make space everywhere. Go through each thing in your life and ask, "Does having this make my life better on a regular basis?" If it doesn't, get rid of it responsibly. No littering!
If you are keeping it because it hurts to throw it away, think about it. It is OK to feel bad about it but the idea of losing things is ingrained in our culture as painful when it should not. If it causes you stress and anxiety to even think about losing something, it really needs to be worth it. Otherwise, that looming potential stress is over your head all the time.
Keeping your best photo of a beloved grandmother is worth it. Keeping fifty pounds of plastic collectibles because they might be worth something in storage is not.
Here is a short list why you should do this.
* More space lets you have the room for new things mentally, emotionally and physically.
* Less things means that you can organize your space easily.
* Having only the things that are important let you better focus on those things.
* Experiencing how much less you actually need improves self-discipline and mindfulness.
* Finding someone that needs your things gives you a chance to feel kind and generous.
* Helping rid your life of excess helps you clear your brain of desires.
* Being responsible for too many things is a mental burden. Having less things alleviates the burden.
Think broadly about all the areas you live where you can find more space:
* Your closets, garages, toyboxes and junk drawers full of unorganized stuff you never use.
* Your file cabinets full of papers and mail you no longer need.
* Your countertops and tables full of things that are not in their proper places.
* Your pantries and fridges full of junk food you shouldn't eat.
* Your daily calendar full of comforts you do out of habit.
* Your bias towards things different than what you are used to.
* Your judgements and values that make others wrong.
* Your knowledge that the world works a specific way.
I'm sure there's more examples, but having a list with plenty of space lets you fill in the blanks.
In its emptiness, there is the function of a vehicle
Mix clay to create a container
In its emptiness, there is the function of a container
Cut open doors and windows to create a room
In its emptiness, there is the function of a room
Therefore, that which exists is used to create benefit
That which is empty is used to create functionality
What does this mean?
Space is valuable. If I offered you a space in a New York penthouse apartment, it would still be nothing. That same "nothing" exists everywhere, irregardless of where it is, and provides the same usefulness.
As you fill your space, whether it be a box, a drawer or a house, you lose more of it's usefulness. Something completely full is extremely limited in its usefulness. A full toybox is only good for pulling out toys. Once a photo album is filled with pictures, it's only good for those specific pictures. What use is a house that you can barely walk into?
This doesn't just apply to physical things, but also to your mind and how you feel. The space in your mind is more valuable than any penthouse or mansion.
Your comfort zone is the full part of your mind, and leaving it is symbolizes empty space.
Do not get filled in by thinking you know with great certainty. At its logical conclusion, once you think you know it all, that makes all others who present new information seem wrong. Knowing everything makes it that much harder to learn new ways. The more you fill your mind, the more uncomfortable and even painful it is to empty it.
Imagine your mind as a vegetable. Do not be an onion with many thick layers that has to be peeled to be of any use. Try to be a green pepper, with space for the seeds that are ready to grow.
How do I use this?
Make space everywhere. Go through each thing in your life and ask, "Does having this make my life better on a regular basis?" If it doesn't, get rid of it responsibly. No littering!
If you are keeping it because it hurts to throw it away, think about it. It is OK to feel bad about it but the idea of losing things is ingrained in our culture as painful when it should not. If it causes you stress and anxiety to even think about losing something, it really needs to be worth it. Otherwise, that looming potential stress is over your head all the time.
Keeping your best photo of a beloved grandmother is worth it. Keeping fifty pounds of plastic collectibles because they might be worth something in storage is not.
Here is a short list why you should do this.
* More space lets you have the room for new things mentally, emotionally and physically.
* Less things means that you can organize your space easily.
* Having only the things that are important let you better focus on those things.
* Experiencing how much less you actually need improves self-discipline and mindfulness.
* Finding someone that needs your things gives you a chance to feel kind and generous.
* Helping rid your life of excess helps you clear your brain of desires.
* Being responsible for too many things is a mental burden. Having less things alleviates the burden.
Think broadly about all the areas you live where you can find more space:
* Your closets, garages, toyboxes and junk drawers full of unorganized stuff you never use.
* Your file cabinets full of papers and mail you no longer need.
* Your countertops and tables full of things that are not in their proper places.
* Your pantries and fridges full of junk food you shouldn't eat.
* Your daily calendar full of comforts you do out of habit.
* Your bias towards things different than what you are used to.
* Your judgements and values that make others wrong.
* Your knowledge that the world works a specific way.
I'm sure there's more examples, but having a list with plenty of space lets you fill in the blanks.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Chapter 10 - Perfect
In holding the soul and embracing oneness
Can one be steadfast, without straying?
In concentrating the energy and reaching relaxation
Can one be like an infant?
In cleaning away the worldly view
Can one be without imperfections?
In loving the people and ruling the nation
Can one be without manipulation?
In the heavenly gate's opening and closing
Can one hold to the feminine principle?
In understanding clearly all directions
Can one be without intellectuality?
Bearing it, rearing it
Bearing without possession
Achieving without arrogance
Raising without domination
This is called the Mystic Virtue
What does this mean?
In all of these statements, the one underlying theme is that they are "perfect" challenges. When speaking them, it sounds as if it is possible with enough dedication and work. When doing them, it is a different story to accomplish even one.
Can we be mindful every moment each day? Not without decades of practice. How about devaluing what society tells us we should value? Can we completely get rid of every desire? Not unless we exclude ourselves from all of society and culture. Yet we should still strive to do those things.
This is achieving perfection in the very things one needs to use the Tao: mindfulness, relaxation, disregard of popular culture, generosity, tolerance, wisdom. However, let’s say we do achieve all of these things. There is still one more thing to keep in mind that directly affects whether you truly succeed.
Humility.
This is the "mystic virtue". If you have the wrong attitude about enlightenment, you will never achieve it.
I learned this the hard way a few weeks ago. I took pride in myself on how much I've learned over everyone I knew. I thought I was awesome that I was getting my personal struggle with memory and focus under much better control through mindfulness meditation. However, when I read on Facebook that a family member I've written off spiritually was taking time to give food to the needy just because she had free time, it made me realize that my focus on the work I've been doing mentally is only one part of the Tao. Her actions were very inspiring and humbling.
How do I use this?
Since it is so difficult to find the Tao, one must work on travelling all of the paths. Do not just travel down one path. Take many roads. They all complement and intersect with each other.
Learn from others. Keep in mind that everyone travels down these paths differently. Placing value on your own practice in the Tao will push you and others father away from the Tao. Instead of putting yourself above others, look to others as reminders of self-improvement, especially if they are down a different path further than you.
In all of these statements, the one underlying theme is that they are "perfect" challenges. When speaking them, it sounds as if it is possible with enough dedication and work. When doing them, it is a different story to accomplish even one.
Can we be mindful every moment each day? Not without decades of practice. How about devaluing what society tells us we should value? Can we completely get rid of every desire? Not unless we exclude ourselves from all of society and culture. Yet we should still strive to do those things.
This is achieving perfection in the very things one needs to use the Tao: mindfulness, relaxation, disregard of popular culture, generosity, tolerance, wisdom. However, let’s say we do achieve all of these things. There is still one more thing to keep in mind that directly affects whether you truly succeed.
Humility.
This is the "mystic virtue". If you have the wrong attitude about enlightenment, you will never achieve it.
I learned this the hard way a few weeks ago. I took pride in myself on how much I've learned over everyone I knew. I thought I was awesome that I was getting my personal struggle with memory and focus under much better control through mindfulness meditation. However, when I read on Facebook that a family member I've written off spiritually was taking time to give food to the needy just because she had free time, it made me realize that my focus on the work I've been doing mentally is only one part of the Tao. Her actions were very inspiring and humbling.
How do I use this?
Since it is so difficult to find the Tao, one must work on travelling all of the paths. Do not just travel down one path. Take many roads. They all complement and intersect with each other.
Learn from others. Keep in mind that everyone travels down these paths differently. Placing value on your own practice in the Tao will push you and others father away from the Tao. Instead of putting yourself above others, look to others as reminders of self-improvement, especially if they are down a different path further than you.
Can one be steadfast, without straying?
In concentrating the energy and reaching relaxation
Can one be like an infant?
In cleaning away the worldly view
Can one be without imperfections?
In loving the people and ruling the nation
Can one be without manipulation?
In the heavenly gate's opening and closing
Can one hold to the feminine principle?
In understanding clearly all directions
Can one be without intellectuality?
Bearing it, rearing it
Bearing without possession
Achieving without arrogance
Raising without domination
This is called the Mystic Virtue
What does this mean?
In all of these statements, the one underlying theme is that they are "perfect" challenges. When speaking them, it sounds as if it is possible with enough dedication and work. When doing them, it is a different story to accomplish even one.
Can we be mindful every moment each day? Not without decades of practice. How about devaluing what society tells us we should value? Can we completely get rid of every desire? Not unless we exclude ourselves from all of society and culture. Yet we should still strive to do those things.
This is achieving perfection in the very things one needs to use the Tao: mindfulness, relaxation, disregard of popular culture, generosity, tolerance, wisdom. However, let’s say we do achieve all of these things. There is still one more thing to keep in mind that directly affects whether you truly succeed.
Humility.
This is the "mystic virtue". If you have the wrong attitude about enlightenment, you will never achieve it.
I learned this the hard way a few weeks ago. I took pride in myself on how much I've learned over everyone I knew. I thought I was awesome that I was getting my personal struggle with memory and focus under much better control through mindfulness meditation. However, when I read on Facebook that a family member I've written off spiritually was taking time to give food to the needy just because she had free time, it made me realize that my focus on the work I've been doing mentally is only one part of the Tao. Her actions were very inspiring and humbling.
How do I use this?
Since it is so difficult to find the Tao, one must work on travelling all of the paths. Do not just travel down one path. Take many roads. They all complement and intersect with each other.
Learn from others. Keep in mind that everyone travels down these paths differently. Placing value on your own practice in the Tao will push you and others father away from the Tao. Instead of putting yourself above others, look to others as reminders of self-improvement, especially if they are down a different path further than you.
In all of these statements, the one underlying theme is that they are "perfect" challenges. When speaking them, it sounds as if it is possible with enough dedication and work. When doing them, it is a different story to accomplish even one.
Can we be mindful every moment each day? Not without decades of practice. How about devaluing what society tells us we should value? Can we completely get rid of every desire? Not unless we exclude ourselves from all of society and culture. Yet we should still strive to do those things.
This is achieving perfection in the very things one needs to use the Tao: mindfulness, relaxation, disregard of popular culture, generosity, tolerance, wisdom. However, let’s say we do achieve all of these things. There is still one more thing to keep in mind that directly affects whether you truly succeed.
Humility.
This is the "mystic virtue". If you have the wrong attitude about enlightenment, you will never achieve it.
I learned this the hard way a few weeks ago. I took pride in myself on how much I've learned over everyone I knew. I thought I was awesome that I was getting my personal struggle with memory and focus under much better control through mindfulness meditation. However, when I read on Facebook that a family member I've written off spiritually was taking time to give food to the needy just because she had free time, it made me realize that my focus on the work I've been doing mentally is only one part of the Tao. Her actions were very inspiring and humbling.
How do I use this?
Since it is so difficult to find the Tao, one must work on travelling all of the paths. Do not just travel down one path. Take many roads. They all complement and intersect with each other.
Learn from others. Keep in mind that everyone travels down these paths differently. Placing value on your own practice in the Tao will push you and others father away from the Tao. Instead of putting yourself above others, look to others as reminders of self-improvement, especially if they are down a different path further than you.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Chapter 9 - Moderation
Holding a cup and overfilling it
Cannot be as good as stopping short
Pounding a blade and sharpening it
Cannot be kept for long
Cannot be as good as stopping short
Pounding a blade and sharpening it
Cannot be kept for long
Gold and jade fill up the room
No one is able to protect them
Wealth and position bring arrogance
And leave disasters upon oneself
No one is able to protect them
Wealth and position bring arrogance
And leave disasters upon oneself
When achievement is completed, fame is attained
Withdraw oneself
This is the Tao of Heaven
Withdraw oneself
This is the Tao of Heaven
What does this mean?
At first glance, this is very straightforward. Once you've overdone something or have too much, it loses it's usefulness and causes more problems than having it in the first place.
This is the philosophical argument of moderation.
Moderation also refers back to our needs. Isn't anything outside of the basics past moderation? With this, I agree. However, for those reading this, making a transition to a need-based life is hard. It is like chiseling a statue: you keep knocking chunks off the rock until it matches what you envision.
How do I use this?
Addressing the physical things are easy. At worst, the anxiety you feel when thinking about having less stuff is akin to pulling off a band-aid on a fully healed scratch. It hurts at first, but once it's done, you are free. Free space means something completely new as it frees up your mind.
Addressing the mental space is hard.
It is the difference between a wound and a chronic disease. With a wound, you clean it, bandage it and in time, it heals. With a disease, you must analyze and figure out what it is in the first place and why you feel bad, care for the symptoms, and have the mental discipline to do unpleasant things to feel better. For some, there is no cure and instead your life must find a way to live with it.
Imagine your emotions as things: expectations of the future; regrets of the past; mistakes that you or others have made; desires of what you want; qualities you like and dislike about yourself; the circumstance that led you to this moment, the religion and culture that shapes your values.
Thinking of these things make you feel something and usually not for the better.
My theory is all of these things occupy a box called your brain which can only hold so much. If your brain is filled with these memories and expectations, the good feelings and pleasures you could enjoy are washed away in a torrential sea of suffering that make you feel something else quickly.
Start chiseling the emotional values away. The only thing you truly need is the very moment you are in. This is mindfulness.
When you are done, what is left brings you closer to the Tao.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Chapter 8 - Good
The highest goodness resembles water
Water greatly benefits myriad things without contention
It stays in places that people dislike
Therefore it is similar to the Tao
Dwelling with the right location
Feeling with great depth
Giving with great kindness
Speaking with great integrity
Governing with great administration
Handling with great capability
Moving with great timing
Because it does not contend
It is therefore beyond reproach
What does this mean?
Water is one of the most vital things on Earth without us even thinking about it. We cannot argue about water's benefits. We need it to live after all. It also sticks around in the worst places if spilled. Damp clothes, pot holes, moldy rags, carpet spills and wet dogs are all examples of how water sticks around in the worst spots and makes life less comfortable.
Goodness should be like that. It should feel like bringing in groceries while it's pouring rain. It should be like getting your hands muddy when gardening. It should feel wet and uncomfortable.
Imagine if you barely have enough money to live and helping an unfortunate family member get food when they are hungry and broke. Imagine having to tell someone the truth that will hurt them but they need to hear it. Envision being there for a elderly family member to comfort and help them when they need you the most.
In all of these situations, the theme underneath all of it is that, for you, it's not going to be pleasant or easy. This is how opposites work. True, selfless virtue cannot not be nice or comfortable or convienent. The real secret is to accept it for what it is and be humble and empathetic in doing so.
How can I use this?
However, following the Tao is easier said than done. We are talking about improving the intersection of our mental state and physical life.
There is no need to tell you how to use it, it's directly in the passage.
Dwelling with the right location. Your home embodies how you want to live.
Feeling with great depth. You feel your emotions completely and have great empathy.
Giving with great kindness. You give what you do not need to those who do.
Speaking with great integrity. You only speak the truth, as plainly as words will allow.
Governing with great administration. You handle your family, work and household business simply and effectively.
Handling with great capability. You seek optimal wisdom, health and skills to handle anything.
Moving with great timing. You have patience and decisiveness.
You can change what is in your home to match your values. You can meditate to get in touch with your feelings. If you are reading this blog, you most likely still have things to give. You can learn to speak without sarcasm. You can organize and prioritize your menial tasks. You can eat better, excersize and improve your skill set. Through mindfulness, you can even practice patience and decisiveness in all that you do.
These are all things in your life you can change and at little cost to you.
To do these things is not pleasant or fun to our base desires. We do not get that chemical reward from our brains when we do them like we do from Facebook, junk food or TV. We get a spiritual reward when we look back at how our life is better. It is the difference between building a tent and building a castle.
These are the steps to being good to yourself.
Water greatly benefits myriad things without contention
It stays in places that people dislike
Therefore it is similar to the Tao
Dwelling with the right location
Feeling with great depth
Giving with great kindness
Speaking with great integrity
Governing with great administration
Handling with great capability
Moving with great timing
Because it does not contend
It is therefore beyond reproach
What does this mean?
Water is one of the most vital things on Earth without us even thinking about it. We cannot argue about water's benefits. We need it to live after all. It also sticks around in the worst places if spilled. Damp clothes, pot holes, moldy rags, carpet spills and wet dogs are all examples of how water sticks around in the worst spots and makes life less comfortable.
Goodness should be like that. It should feel like bringing in groceries while it's pouring rain. It should be like getting your hands muddy when gardening. It should feel wet and uncomfortable.
Imagine if you barely have enough money to live and helping an unfortunate family member get food when they are hungry and broke. Imagine having to tell someone the truth that will hurt them but they need to hear it. Envision being there for a elderly family member to comfort and help them when they need you the most.
In all of these situations, the theme underneath all of it is that, for you, it's not going to be pleasant or easy. This is how opposites work. True, selfless virtue cannot not be nice or comfortable or convienent. The real secret is to accept it for what it is and be humble and empathetic in doing so.
How can I use this?
However, following the Tao is easier said than done. We are talking about improving the intersection of our mental state and physical life.
There is no need to tell you how to use it, it's directly in the passage.
Dwelling with the right location. Your home embodies how you want to live.
Feeling with great depth. You feel your emotions completely and have great empathy.
Giving with great kindness. You give what you do not need to those who do.
Speaking with great integrity. You only speak the truth, as plainly as words will allow.
Governing with great administration. You handle your family, work and household business simply and effectively.
Handling with great capability. You seek optimal wisdom, health and skills to handle anything.
Moving with great timing. You have patience and decisiveness.
You can change what is in your home to match your values. You can meditate to get in touch with your feelings. If you are reading this blog, you most likely still have things to give. You can learn to speak without sarcasm. You can organize and prioritize your menial tasks. You can eat better, excersize and improve your skill set. Through mindfulness, you can even practice patience and decisiveness in all that you do.
These are all things in your life you can change and at little cost to you.
To do these things is not pleasant or fun to our base desires. We do not get that chemical reward from our brains when we do them like we do from Facebook, junk food or TV. We get a spiritual reward when we look back at how our life is better. It is the difference between building a tent and building a castle.
These are the steps to being good to yourself.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Chapter 7 - Selflessness
Heaven and Earth are everlasting
The reason Heaven and Earth can last forever
Is that they do not exist for themselves
Thus they can last forever
Therefore the sages:
Place themselves last but end up in front
Are outside of themselves and yet survive
Is it not due to their selflessness?
That is how they can achieve their own goals
What does this mean?
Concepts and ideas do not want to fulfill a base instinct. They have no self. All the things in nature follow their instincts to survive. Due to nature's balance, each part is not in it for individual desire but for maintaining its own survival. Life has lasted for millions of years.
At its core, it's simple: to be a sage, give up desires. Live selflessly. How far you take it is how much closer to the Tao you'll be.
Being a sage is accepting having enough. You only need food, water, shelter and healthy social interaction. Everything else is just desire.
There is plenty of evidence for this.
Look at biology. Not getting what you want feels bad and stresses you out. Stress can cause many health problems, including death. That stress compounds if you think you need it or are entitled to it.
Examine our common psychologies. We are surrounded by fancy toys. We inhabit a culture of consuming. We tell our young ones they can do anything. How can we live with the Tao with all of these things that exist outside the Tao?
Think how opposites work. If your life is about having stuff and doing things, then you will never be happy because you will never have or do enough. An opposite of excess is desire.
If living selflessly reduces your stress, alleviates responsibility of taking care of stuff you don't need and you have more time to do things you truly make you happy, the only painful part is leaving the comfort zone you currently live in.
How can I use this?
Practice gratitude. We live like little gods. We can travel span continents in hours, pick any kind of food we want to eat, and visit infinite worlds with TV, books and movies. Most serious medical conditions can be treated and we can communicate with anyone, anywhere, instantly. If we don't have what we want, we can have it shipped in days. Modern life is amazing and wonderful. Being grateful is the first step to realize you do not need it.
Analyze your goals to get things. Do you have goals about just getting more things or the money to buy them? Look them over and see if it is the thing that is a need. If that end is just to satisfy your wants and not a need, you should meditate on it to see if it will truly satisfy you to have it.
Simplify clutter. Beauty in art pulls your eyes to details but is not cluttered. The most truthful thing in our lives can be simply stated but have great nuance. Nature is simple until you complicate it. If your life is filled with things you will not use or need, are not displayed beautifully and can be replaced easily, why keep it? Value a beautiful display of things you keep. Value the peace of mind free space brings. Get rid and store piles of junk.
Do not start by giving up everything except the bare minimum. Work your way there at your own pace.
Living selflessly has profound implications but is very simple. It is like learning to swim. Very few can just jump in the ocean and not drown. Most of the time, people start by wading in, holding onto the side of the pool, dunking your head underwater and so on. They play with the concept of being in water.
So to start being selfless, we must play with selflessness to get comfortable with it.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Chapter 6 - Spirit
The valley spirit, undying
Is called the Mystic Female
The gate of the Mystic Female
Is called the root of Heaven and Earth
It flows continuously, barely perceptible
Utilize it; it is never exhausted
What does this mean?
The passage refers to the valley spirit. Why a valley?
When you are in a valley, you are surrounded by nature on all sides. One can rethink the "valley spirit" that we are in the valley of the Tao sitting at the very bottom.
To take it further, think about our existence being a Russian doll. At our core, there is our true presence, the I in "I am." The next layer is our thoughts and emotions. The next layer is our senses and our bodies. Then we have our subjective realities we interact with. Next is the objective reality that affects all of us; things and ideas. The next layer is the source of reality. The last layer that permeates all other layers is the Tao.
The passage also refers to Mystic Female. Her gate is the root of Heaven and Earth, or things and ideas. Why is this powerful figure female?
To go back to the russian doll analogy, I think that men understand the layers dealing with the world around them more naturally, and women understand the layers of the body and emotions more naturally. To use the female valley spirit is to understand your body and emotions. It is internal awareness. We need our senses and emotions before we can understand the outside world.
To fully embrace the Tao, one needs all the layers, not just the ones you are born being aware of.
How do I use this?
This requires mindfulness.
Just like a someone who trains every day to use his training as muscle memory instantly and naturally like a martial artist or athlete, one must practice mindfulness and then use it all the time. I'm still learning this. There are many to learn it, but practicing it every day brings you closer to just being mindful as a default.
The true goal is to be mindless about being mindful.
Where did I start?
1. Meditate.
Focus on awareness.
Stop and concentrate specifically on your breath, how it goes in and out. How your lungs move and your nose tingles. Notice other things going on. Maybe sweaty feet in your socks: how does each part of each toe feel. How about the tips of your fingers. Did you wiggle something even though you are holding still? Do you notice the air on your arm hairs?
Be aware of all things you see and hear. You think and feel, but just acknowledge it and do not react with movements, thoughts or feelings.
Do this whenever you get a few minutes. Meditate for a minute in the car before driving to work. Do it as you are getting ready to sleep or before you get up in the morning. Meditate before turning on the TV for 10 minutes after the kids go to bed. Make it a habit.
2. Chores.
I have a tornado of thoughts and feelings without channelling mindfulness. When I sweep or clean without awareness, I always ended up missing spots because I wasn't aware of missing them. Recently, I started practicing mindfulness during simple chores. I extended my awareness outside of myself to what I see. Now, I miss less spots.
This has helped me across the board. I'm a safer driver, a better worker at work and I listen to my family better when I am mindful.
3. Cut out distractions.
Our goal is to be mindful all the time, and this means living in a sea of modern distractions and crazy situations. However, just like any new skill, we need to practice it correctly. You'll eventually get there where you can be mindful with all of the distractions going, but you have to start without them.
Turn off the TV or video game. Silence the phone. Ignore Facebook and e-mail. Cut the music. Wear comfortable clothes. Use the restroom and have a snack. Put thoughts and feelings aside for the moment.
When all that is done, channel awareness and just do the task mindfully.
Is called the Mystic Female
The gate of the Mystic Female
Is called the root of Heaven and Earth
It flows continuously, barely perceptible
Utilize it; it is never exhausted
What does this mean?
The passage refers to the valley spirit. Why a valley?
When you are in a valley, you are surrounded by nature on all sides. One can rethink the "valley spirit" that we are in the valley of the Tao sitting at the very bottom.
To take it further, think about our existence being a Russian doll. At our core, there is our true presence, the I in "I am." The next layer is our thoughts and emotions. The next layer is our senses and our bodies. Then we have our subjective realities we interact with. Next is the objective reality that affects all of us; things and ideas. The next layer is the source of reality. The last layer that permeates all other layers is the Tao.
The passage also refers to Mystic Female. Her gate is the root of Heaven and Earth, or things and ideas. Why is this powerful figure female?
To go back to the russian doll analogy, I think that men understand the layers dealing with the world around them more naturally, and women understand the layers of the body and emotions more naturally. To use the female valley spirit is to understand your body and emotions. It is internal awareness. We need our senses and emotions before we can understand the outside world.
To fully embrace the Tao, one needs all the layers, not just the ones you are born being aware of.
How do I use this?
This requires mindfulness.
Just like a someone who trains every day to use his training as muscle memory instantly and naturally like a martial artist or athlete, one must practice mindfulness and then use it all the time. I'm still learning this. There are many to learn it, but practicing it every day brings you closer to just being mindful as a default.
The true goal is to be mindless about being mindful.
Where did I start?
1. Meditate.
Focus on awareness.
Stop and concentrate specifically on your breath, how it goes in and out. How your lungs move and your nose tingles. Notice other things going on. Maybe sweaty feet in your socks: how does each part of each toe feel. How about the tips of your fingers. Did you wiggle something even though you are holding still? Do you notice the air on your arm hairs?
Be aware of all things you see and hear. You think and feel, but just acknowledge it and do not react with movements, thoughts or feelings.
Do this whenever you get a few minutes. Meditate for a minute in the car before driving to work. Do it as you are getting ready to sleep or before you get up in the morning. Meditate before turning on the TV for 10 minutes after the kids go to bed. Make it a habit.
2. Chores.
I have a tornado of thoughts and feelings without channelling mindfulness. When I sweep or clean without awareness, I always ended up missing spots because I wasn't aware of missing them. Recently, I started practicing mindfulness during simple chores. I extended my awareness outside of myself to what I see. Now, I miss less spots.
This has helped me across the board. I'm a safer driver, a better worker at work and I listen to my family better when I am mindful.
3. Cut out distractions.
Our goal is to be mindful all the time, and this means living in a sea of modern distractions and crazy situations. However, just like any new skill, we need to practice it correctly. You'll eventually get there where you can be mindful with all of the distractions going, but you have to start without them.
Turn off the TV or video game. Silence the phone. Ignore Facebook and e-mail. Cut the music. Wear comfortable clothes. Use the restroom and have a snack. Put thoughts and feelings aside for the moment.
When all that is done, channel awareness and just do the task mindfully.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Chapter 5 - Impartial
Heaven and Earth are impartial
They regard myriad things as straw dogs
The sages are impartial
They regard people as straw dogs
The space between Heaven and Earth
Is it not like a bellows?
Empty, and yet never exhausted
It moves, and produces more
Too many words hasten failure
Cannot compare to keeping to the void
What does this mean?
A straw dog in ancient China was a ceremonial object that was discarded after they used it, like christmas trees we have today. They are important during Christmas because you need them to put presents under, and then we destroy them afterwards. Nature does the same thing with reality.
Before humans, species were still going extinct every day. We have natural disasters every year that decimate entire towns and cities. Earth has had five different world-wide extinction events that killed almost all life on earth. Supernovas have destroyed entire solar systems. Reality is not sacred to the Tao. It's obvious that nature does not care one way or another.
Since the Tao does not care, neither should we.
I am not saying you shouldn't love and respect people around you. You should. I'm not saying to be selfish or treat people badly. Don't do that. I'm not saying to ignore other people's needs. You can still feel love and respect without caring. They are seperate.
The care I speak of is the attachment we have to people's happiness.
It is the way opposites work. If you do not care, people will care for themselves.
Think about a terminal patient who wants to not suffer anymore. Imagine how much more suffering they endure simply because their family cares. The family makes the ill person live with machines and expensive medical treatments. If the family stopped caring, they would not inflict suffering on sick loved one.
Think about those who stay with an abusive partner because they care what it will do to their family. If the victim would stop caring about their partner, he could leave and get help for themselves and their family.
Think about your child who cannot build a tower out of blocks and you build it for him. Because you care, you deny them the opprotunity to figure it out for themselves. It's not like they are suffering because they haven't eaten in three days. They are just frusterated out of their own desire.
You can put all sorts of words out there to justify why you care. You have social obligations. You do not want to restrict your feelings. It will drive you nuts to not care about someone. You are worried about how you will be thought of. You might confuse caring with needing. The more wiggle room you give yourself, the more likely you will fail when it's important to keep your desire out of actions. Keep it simple.
The old saying rings true about a bird in a cage, "If you truly care, let it go. If it was meant to be, it will come back."
They regard myriad things as straw dogs
The sages are impartial
They regard people as straw dogs
The space between Heaven and Earth
Is it not like a bellows?
Empty, and yet never exhausted
It moves, and produces more
Too many words hasten failure
Cannot compare to keeping to the void
What does this mean?
A straw dog in ancient China was a ceremonial object that was discarded after they used it, like christmas trees we have today. They are important during Christmas because you need them to put presents under, and then we destroy them afterwards. Nature does the same thing with reality.
Before humans, species were still going extinct every day. We have natural disasters every year that decimate entire towns and cities. Earth has had five different world-wide extinction events that killed almost all life on earth. Supernovas have destroyed entire solar systems. Reality is not sacred to the Tao. It's obvious that nature does not care one way or another.
Since the Tao does not care, neither should we.
I am not saying you shouldn't love and respect people around you. You should. I'm not saying to be selfish or treat people badly. Don't do that. I'm not saying to ignore other people's needs. You can still feel love and respect without caring. They are seperate.
The care I speak of is the attachment we have to people's happiness.
It is the way opposites work. If you do not care, people will care for themselves.
Think about a terminal patient who wants to not suffer anymore. Imagine how much more suffering they endure simply because their family cares. The family makes the ill person live with machines and expensive medical treatments. If the family stopped caring, they would not inflict suffering on sick loved one.
Think about those who stay with an abusive partner because they care what it will do to their family. If the victim would stop caring about their partner, he could leave and get help for themselves and their family.
Think about your child who cannot build a tower out of blocks and you build it for him. Because you care, you deny them the opprotunity to figure it out for themselves. It's not like they are suffering because they haven't eaten in three days. They are just frusterated out of their own desire.
You can put all sorts of words out there to justify why you care. You have social obligations. You do not want to restrict your feelings. It will drive you nuts to not care about someone. You are worried about how you will be thought of. You might confuse caring with needing. The more wiggle room you give yourself, the more likely you will fail when it's important to keep your desire out of actions. Keep it simple.
The old saying rings true about a bird in a cage, "If you truly care, let it go. If it was meant to be, it will come back."
Monday, January 19, 2015
Chapter 4 - Use
The Tao is empty
When utilized, it is not filled up
So deep! It seems to be the source of all things
It blunts the sharpness
Unravels the knots
Dims the glare
Mixes the dusts
So indistinct! It seems to exist
I do not know whose offspring it is
Its image is the predecessor of the Emperor
What does this mean?
How does one "use" the Tao?
Look at the examples.
The most natural thing we do all the time is breathe.
You don't have to think about breathing, it just happens. Unitl you think about it.
Thinking about each breath is breathing is without Tao.
Your thoughts have to be empty of breath to breathe with Tao.
Using Tao is using natural action. We cannot define it like the rest of the Tao, but we can give some examples. Let's look at martial arts.
Before martial art training, if one gets into a fight, the actions come naturally. You don't even have the capacity to think about it because the action is simple: fight or flight.
If you are just learning martial arts and get into a fight, you think about the position of your fist, the pivot of your hips, the stance you take. Your mind searches for the right move or technique to win. Unfortunately, once aware of the knowledge, it is not natural. You throw the wrong block, you're thinking to long to react, you try something out and get punched in the face.
In other words, what happens to the untrained, unthinking fighter is something we'd all have: beginner's luck!
Once you are a master, actions become integrated into your body as muscle memory. Those techniques become as natural as breathing. The important distinction is you do not think and you just do. The primordial nature comes back.
How to Apply It to Every Action
Just do it.
If you think about doing it while you do it, you will not do it naturally.
Sure, to be really skilled at something, you need practice, understanding and talent, but you don't need skill to live in the Tao.
In fact, the closer you are to the Tao in your mind, that practice will be forgotten and just incorporated naturally.
So just do it.
When utilized, it is not filled up
So deep! It seems to be the source of all things
It blunts the sharpness
Unravels the knots
Dims the glare
Mixes the dusts
So indistinct! It seems to exist
I do not know whose offspring it is
Its image is the predecessor of the Emperor
What does this mean?
How does one "use" the Tao?
Look at the examples.
- If you are using something sharp, what is the force that dulls the edge? Nature.
- If you are tying something together, what force either breaks it or loosens it? Nature.
- If you shine something, what force stops it from being shiny after a time. Nature.
The most natural thing we do all the time is breathe.
You don't have to think about breathing, it just happens. Unitl you think about it.
Thinking about each breath is breathing is without Tao.
Your thoughts have to be empty of breath to breathe with Tao.
Using Tao is using natural action. We cannot define it like the rest of the Tao, but we can give some examples. Let's look at martial arts.
Before martial art training, if one gets into a fight, the actions come naturally. You don't even have the capacity to think about it because the action is simple: fight or flight.
If you are just learning martial arts and get into a fight, you think about the position of your fist, the pivot of your hips, the stance you take. Your mind searches for the right move or technique to win. Unfortunately, once aware of the knowledge, it is not natural. You throw the wrong block, you're thinking to long to react, you try something out and get punched in the face.
In other words, what happens to the untrained, unthinking fighter is something we'd all have: beginner's luck!
Once you are a master, actions become integrated into your body as muscle memory. Those techniques become as natural as breathing. The important distinction is you do not think and you just do. The primordial nature comes back.
How to Apply It to Every Action
Just do it.
If you think about doing it while you do it, you will not do it naturally.
Sure, to be really skilled at something, you need practice, understanding and talent, but you don't need skill to live in the Tao.
In fact, the closer you are to the Tao in your mind, that practice will be forgotten and just incorporated naturally.
So just do it.
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Chapter 3 - Others
Do not glorify the achievers
So the people will not squabble
Do not treasure goods that are hard to obtain
So the people will not become thieves
Do not show the desired things
So their hearts will not be confused
Thus the governance of the sage:
Empties their hearts
Fills their bellies
Weakens their ambitions
Strengthens their bones
Let the people have no cunning and no greed
So those who scheme will not dare to meddle
Act without contrivance
And nothing will be beyond control
What Does It Mean?
The Tao Te Ching will tell you to not teach people about the Tao. Due to the nature of having no words, you can't teach it like math. Due to how opposites work, forcing people into it is the easiest way to drive people away.
If you cannot teach Tao directly and you cannot tell people your philosophies without driving people away, how are you suppose to run a organization with Tao in mind?
Lets put this in context of being a retail manager.
If you make someone an assistant manager or fire someone and make a big deal out of it, it doesn't matter why. You will create tension and make everyone question your decision. If you brag about all the extra things you can afford with your higher salary, everyone will be jealous of you. If you demand things exactly your way, your staff will wonder if it's even worth it to still work there.
This is all the way opposites work.
I know this personally. I was a retail manager and I did all of these things. I got demoted pretty quick when I demoralized my entire staff this way. I learned from opposites then and it was ultimately good for me.
I think the optimal way now to manage is to just do the job yourself simply without expecting others to do anything. Those closer to the Tao will just do the work with you. Those who are full of desire will eventually get bored and leave. If you keep it simple and value free, there is no way to be sneaky to abuse the work for personal gain.
In the end, those that stay will work for it's own sake, and that is close to the Tao.
This idea works everywhere if you're not afraid enough to give up control.
Movies:
Go watch the old The Karate Kid to see Taoist management in action. The tournament at the end is actually the least important part of the movie if you're looking for philosophy.
So the people will not squabble
Do not treasure goods that are hard to obtain
So the people will not become thieves
Do not show the desired things
So their hearts will not be confused
Thus the governance of the sage:
Empties their hearts
Fills their bellies
Weakens their ambitions
Strengthens their bones
Let the people have no cunning and no greed
So those who scheme will not dare to meddle
Act without contrivance
And nothing will be beyond control
What Does It Mean?
The Tao Te Ching will tell you to not teach people about the Tao. Due to the nature of having no words, you can't teach it like math. Due to how opposites work, forcing people into it is the easiest way to drive people away.
If you cannot teach Tao directly and you cannot tell people your philosophies without driving people away, how are you suppose to run a organization with Tao in mind?
Lets put this in context of being a retail manager.
If you make someone an assistant manager or fire someone and make a big deal out of it, it doesn't matter why. You will create tension and make everyone question your decision. If you brag about all the extra things you can afford with your higher salary, everyone will be jealous of you. If you demand things exactly your way, your staff will wonder if it's even worth it to still work there.
This is all the way opposites work.
I know this personally. I was a retail manager and I did all of these things. I got demoted pretty quick when I demoralized my entire staff this way. I learned from opposites then and it was ultimately good for me.
I think the optimal way now to manage is to just do the job yourself simply without expecting others to do anything. Those closer to the Tao will just do the work with you. Those who are full of desire will eventually get bored and leave. If you keep it simple and value free, there is no way to be sneaky to abuse the work for personal gain.
In the end, those that stay will work for it's own sake, and that is close to the Tao.
This idea works everywhere if you're not afraid enough to give up control.
Movies:
Go watch the old The Karate Kid to see Taoist management in action. The tournament at the end is actually the least important part of the movie if you're looking for philosophy.
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