Tao Te Ching

1

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Re: Tao Te Ching

oh how i love reading this : )

bowing in namaste,

reyji

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Re: Tao Te Ching

Trust, O Gentle One.

Trust.

Go softly like flowing water, page by page (it matters little which translation)
and enjoy, smile at the wisdom, the humor, the soft nudges.

I also reccommend  The Tao of Pooh and The Te of Piglet.

As one who treads the soft, wet grass of the Tao with humility and dancing jopy, I'm glad you have found it.

Trust.

Trust….





luaP

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Re: Tao Te Ching

Beyond the thoughts,
beyond the words
the answers move,
and dance as we play,
free to be
eternal mystery

:)

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Re: Tao Te Ching

Yes.

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Re: Tao Te Ching

To know the way we go the way to do the things we do.
But if we try to hard to see it, we'll only become confused.
I am me and you are you, and if you do the things that you can do
you will find the way and the way will follow you.
“The Tao of Pooh”

I tried to find the quote and recaptured it's essence.
Your site is always one of the leaders for which I thank you.
KES

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Re: Tao Te Ching

I love this book. I get so much out of it every-time I read it. It's truly eternal. It follows you as you grow and get older. It gives you a true insight into immortality.

I don't mind a bit of politics so chapter 80 is one of my favorites. Our fascination with blurring the lines of cultures and borders can only result in problems.

I receive a clue to the underlying current of life in chapter 5, not malevolent, nor benevolent; just there to be used. And always there.

Clues to leadership from chapter 17, exposes the mistakes of our current political leaders who are retarded by elections, polls and popularity.

The most amazing invitation to the philosophy of Tao is given in chapter 48, immediately you realise that like life, there is nothing hard about the Tao, everything you've learnt 'till now is reversed in an intstant.

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Re: Tao Te Ching

If we train our mind properly, everything we wish will happen immediately. Only thing we have to think good towards others. That is why our ancients told us to think good always.

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Re: Tao Te Ching

hi everyone, this verse speaks to me by saying to be in the now. time not existing nor are we bound in any one place. we are  part of it all and by remembering that we become the now. dont get disillusioned by the colors and sounds of the worlds within our minds. as wayne also teaches to stay in the gap between our thoughts. seeya gary

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Re: Tao Te Ching

When we meditate, we learn just how connected we all are and how God is present inside of us - the ultimate connection.

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Re: Tao Te Ching

Who compares with God?

   Is anything like him?
The holy God asks,

   “Who compares with me?

   Is anyone my equal?”

   Look at the evening sky!

   Who created the stars?

   Who gave them each a name?

   Who leads them like an army?

   The LORD is so powerful

   that none of the stars

   are ever missing.

– Isaiah 40: 18, 25-26

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Re: Tao Te Ching

Wonderful! This is perfect, as you are too!
karen

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Re: Tao Te Ching

From the Kena Upanishad:

     Not what man thinks with the mind,, but that whereby the
mind can think;  Know that alone to be Brahman, the Eternal; and not
what people here adore.

     Not what man sees with the eye, but that whereby the eye can
see; Know that alone to be Brahman, the Eternal; and not what people
here adore.

     Not what man hears with the ear, but that whereby the ear
can hear; Know that alone to be Brahman, the Eternal, and not what
people here adore.

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Re: Tao Te Ching

The Naural Way of Lao Tzu

The Best man is like water.
Water is good:it benefits all things and does not
compete with them.
It dwells in lowly places that all disdain.
This is why it is so near Tao.

I love Chinese Philosophy!

Wow it is really great time be in zaadz where I meet so many people so open and ready to serve the world!

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Re: Tao Te Ching

often, a variety of translations of the same chapter is illuminating.  In the spirit of wandering effortlessly through the Tao I offer Lin Yutang's version of Chapter 1.  He introduced me to the Tao many years ago with “The Importance of Living”.  Life has not been the same since…
http://www.terebess.hu/english/tao/yutang.html

1. On the Absolute Tao

The Tao the can be told of
Is not the Absolute Tao;
The Names that can be given
Are not Absolute Names.

The Nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth;
The Named is the Mother of All Things.

Therefore:
Oftentimes, one strips oneself of passion
In order to see the Secret of Life;
Oftentimes, one regards life with passion,
In order to see its manifest forms.

These two (the Secret and its manifestations)
Are (in their nature) the same;
They are given different names
When they become manifest.

They may both be called the Cosmic Mystery:
Reaching from the Mystery into the Deeper Mystery
Is the Gate to the Secret of All Life.

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Re: Tao Te Ching

The Tao that can be told
is not the eternal Tao…

Homeland of utter emptiness
completely still is the
province of the earth
we do not seek forcibly
before the proper time arrives
Once the time is right
we do not let it slip by
Rouse the vital spirit
nurture the virtue
of natural reality
foster expansion
of consciousness
and vision
permanent as heaven
stable as a mountain
spontanious and firm
yin and yang merge

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Re: Tao Te Ching

Naming is the origin of
all particular things…

Keep to the center
of the circle…
forces of nature
revolve through
tides and seasons
emotions that arise
like the weather
neither warm nor cold…
celestial and earthly
yin and yang
above it isn't bright
below it isn't dark

first overcome
one's own
self-imporatnce
when human desires
submit - true yin is manifest
when irritability vanishes
true yang comes back
earthly and celestial combine
sane energy solidly masses
respectfully careful in action
without excess in firmness
or yielding - firmness and
flexibility balance each other
joyful in practice one can obtain
the good will of the other
harmonizing with its joy
within the death-dealing mechanism
appropriating living energy
able to adapt without restriction
assimulating to everyone
inwardly autonomous
having extraordinary self control
distinguish clearly truth from falsity
this is the richness of spiritual practice
outwardly the same abiding by
worldly law - practicing the principles
of the Tao within - different
in the midst of sameness

“In cultivating practice, one conforms and harmonizes,
adapting to each individual situation as it is; nobody
can fathom such changes, or see how one acts or
lies hidden.”

I Ching

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Re: Tao Te Ching

Yes, I too find myself putting a name and explanation of manifestation that takes me away from acceptance of the mystery. 

'Caught in desire, you see only manifestations.'  Gosh, that is exactly where I have been the last few days(weeks?). 

This posting is a wonderful reminder to be still and thankful for the beating of my heart.

Dolphinspirit

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Re: Tao Te Ching

Most humans wish to create permanence.  Most require solidity to hold firmly in hand.  Even those who can make the jump to the “beyond” for lack of that concrete term people like..:P…must compare and conceptualize what they see…for some reasons humans seem to need to do this to determine rightness.  This I dislike immensely, it can be a huge block for communication and feeling the wave.

Liking this topic line very much :)
Elisa

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Re: Tao Te Ching

The Tao doesn't take sides
it gives birth to both
good and evil…
Caught in desire
we see only manifestatioin
Free from desire
you realize the mystery…
Darkness within darkness
presage of incorruptibility
the source of all understanding

To cull this medicine
first investigate principle
the waxing and waning
of yin and yang
from behind the
veils of conditioning
in conscious contact
with celestial energy
the mind of Tao emerges
conditioning that is
dissolved away
the original spirit remains

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Re: Tao Te Ching

“The Tao states that when you try to put a face on God, you miss God.  If you try to describe God, you fall very short of the truth.”  Very true! The same applies when, for instance, one tries to consciously find enlightenment - it eludes one!
 … . and in regard to the Source being darkness we have to do two things: 1. Overcome the connotations that “darkness” has acquired over the years and 2. understand that light is a phenomenon, something belonging to this universe and, therefore, something physical or material belonging to this phenomenal world - it is not spirit!
()

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Re: Tao Te Ching

Wow!  Thank you all so much for your wonderful input, inspirations, versions of the tao (very cool), etc…I am going to begin each new chapter on this discussion post, and if it gets too long, well, we'll just move to a new one!  :)

Love you all so much.
D

2

When the people of the Earth all know beauty as beauty,
   There arises (the recognition of) ugliness.
When the people of the Earth all know the good as good,
   There arises (the recognition of) evil.

Therefore:
   Being and non-being interdepend in growth;
   Difficult and easy interdepend in completion;
   Long and short interdepend in contrast;
   High and low interdepend in position;
   Tones and voice interdepend in harmony;
   Front and behind interdepend in company.

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Re: Tao Te Ching

What is described is “duality”, a fundamental phenomenon of this world of the universe, a phenomenon of our creation. In physics this is the law of  “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction” and in life this is the law of karma. In physical life we see and experience this duality but in our spiritual state it is non-existent. With enlightenment we escape this duality.
()

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Re: Tao Te Ching

Act without doing -
Teach without saying - anything

Bide your time
Refine the self
Empty the mind
As the times change
The way also changes
Remove arbitrary feelings
True sense will appear
Purity Illumination Incorruptibility
Gold becomes bright
When refined by fire




“If one can be firm, innate knowledge is ready at hand,
and not obtained by thought.”

I Ching

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Re: Tao Te Ching

“Principles are not clear without explanation,
explanation is not thorough without practice.”

I Ching

Following the time
repose is necessary…
Where activity enters
into stillness
creative energy
temporarily rest
like the sun
going down

Empty without
fulfilled within
inside and outside
are conjoined
this is the
called joy
the image of harmony

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Re: Tao Te Ching

The Tao that is convenient bends to every belief:

Tao Te Ching is the reflection of the image of being
yet it does not teach any form of practice, ergo it
is all things to all people and does not traffic in
desires or judgements, but exist beyond all conditional
forms of being. If you try to achieve it you will fail.
It can not be possesed or brought into disgrace,
if you would seek to know it look inside your heart
of compassion. It is not what we think, but rather
this state of nonstriving spontaneity without form.
You can not know it, but you can be it, at ease
in your own life. This is the subtle perception of the
way things are.

As possitivity culminates negativity is born
once negativity culminates positivity returns
fullness must seek emptiness
emptiness seeks fulfillment
use fulfillment to consumate emptiness
cultivate reality nurish correctness
standing alone without fear
dwelling in emptiness  being fulfilled
transform the artificial into the real
the celestial mechanism
is finally revealed

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Re: Tao Te Ching

Hi all!! Please keep talking and sharing.  Some may have strong opinions that come across as more than opinion, however each human has such great capacity for choosing independent thought and expressing individual energies that flow with the whole.  Be most well.  Do not hide your flames…for anyone.

elisa :)

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Re: Tao Te Ching

It is said that illumination that is not revealed
is better than illumination openly employed
This is the power of practical application
penetrating reality embracing unity
nurturing the true fire that returns to the origin
of all things, the path of constant recollection
Upright in difficulty having no form or trace
open awareness without obscurity
returns to formlessness
Strength that is used with flexibility
is the sign of tranquility
Within the alchemical process
water flows downward
fire flames upward
with fire water is not cold
with water fire is not hot
celestial and earthly combine
the creative innate knowledge
and receptive innate capacity are as one
vitality and spirit cleave to each other
retrieving the primordial within the temporal
not bound by creation the real person emerges

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Re: Tao Te Ching - 3

3

Exalt not the wise,
   So that the people shall not scheme and contend;
Prize not rare objects,
   So that the people shall not steal;
Shut out from site the things of desire,
   So that the people's hearts shall not be disturbed.

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Re: Tao Te Ching - 3

The mind is attached it holds fallacies…the core remains blind and/or blocked until the mind is empty.

elisa

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Re: Tao Te Ching - 3

What is being suggested in the second prt of number two is for the political leader to keep the subjects simple, ignorant, content and they will not seek more and more.  They will be satiated and not even realize that there might be more to strive for.  Rebellion comes from desiring more…if needs are already met and the subjects beleive all is well than they will thank you for taking such good care of them.  When they smarten up and see what others have, they will  look for improvements and demand better care and then you have unsettled trouble in the kingdom.

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Re: Tao Te Ching - 3

Dichotomy or duplicity is all a matter of interpretation,
whether the government of a country or that of a family
simple basic truths will still apply. Turning people
into sheep is not a topic for the Tao.

“When the spirit is illumined and the vitality is purified,
as true water and true fire they balance each other; the
earthly and the celestial join, and the primordial energy
comes forth from nothingness.”

I Ching


Once yang is complete
the inevitablity of yin
surreptitously arises
yet there is the path of sages'
the science of reverse operation
to get back to the primordial
expelling intellectualism
concealing illumination within
eartly energy spontaniously
sublimates preventing
negative mundanity
by celestial energy
consistent in the
practice of virtue
attaining the power
to adapt to changes
without difficulty
returning to the fundamental
unconstrained by yin and yang
with genuine knowledge
and certain insight
arriving at the meaning of life
not led astray by false brilliance
nor mistaking the seeming for the true

What did the old shaman mean when he said to his apprentice,
“I am sorry you have become enlightened, now get back to
work.” ? Equally so in the Taoist or Toltec tradition the truth of
such knowledge is only useful in its application… Stillness and
activity support each other. Very often an excess of talent or intelect
is detrimental in the development of character to the fullest extent.
The simple truth is hard to see and nearly impossible to accept,
that we exist beyond the reach of personal history.

Inside Out

If we are constant within change

like the Sun which remains

bright even in secert at night

not only upon it's rising

then contentment is supreme

without the weeds of desire

clogging the portal of awareness

Blind allegiance selfish and uncaring

will never rise up to the heights

Gradual development is the surest way

where as prompt delivery

gained in haste is soon wasted

If you know the firing process

for the gold elixer of illumination

then you have the quality of humilty

with great power in virtue

This is the Spirit of Tao

not detached but engaged on principle

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Re: Tao Te Ching - 3

Wow, that's incredible!

Thank you so much!!!

Hugs and much love,
Dana

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Into the Realm of Sages

The science of creating life
trusting in the Tao
not losing oneself
peaceful in the center
not turning away from others
knowing when to act
or remain hidden
self-importance is overcome
the vicissitudes of circumstance
cannot disturb one's balance
distinguishing right from wrong
tranquil and unperturbed
yet sensitive and effective
filled with living energy
the real self returns
having yet appearing to lack
reversing the usual
course of conditioning
innate knowledge ready at hand
the heart grows daily more humble
as the virtue grows more noble


What does it mean when we say that presuming to
know is a disease? Life in this world is a mystery
in manifestation, attempting to control or to change
what is beyond our reach is an exercise in futility.
This world can not be improved, even at the
decline of civilization it remains perfect just as
it is. Fulfilled yet appearing to lack neither
complacent nor self-satisfied, obsessed nor
negligent, with minds that are stable the will
is far-reaching acting with flexibility, practioners
of the Tao follow virtue by gradual progress
in harmoious action, accumilating the small
to lofty heights.

Thanks Dana, Wishing you all the best
this holiday seasons…
In Spirit,
tl

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Re: Into the Realm of Sages

Thanks tl…that helped so much!

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Re: Tao Te Ching-4

4

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Re: Tao Te Ching-4

Beautifully Present

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darkness of reality

Beginning with darkness
we see into the light
the darkness of innocence
that is auspicious
path of nontrivance
the convergence of yin
tranquil and unstiring
responsive yet ever calm
nurtures the darkness of reality
transforms the darkness of falsehood
striving and nonstriving as appropriate
according to the time or circumstance
unconsciously follows the laws of God
unattached to forms nor falling into void
not to be attained by formal effort
innocence that arises naturally
unbidden within oneself
wholly integrated with natural principle

“Not clinging to forms, not falling into voidness, not material,
not empty, since it is not a matter of seeking the real, one
does not exclude the artificial either… It is not darkness yet it
resembles darkness; it is darkness but actually not darkness.
External things cannot enter; inside, thoughts cannot arise.
One does not seek reality, but reality is here.”

“The path of noncontrivance nurtures the darkness of reality;
the path of striving transforms the darkness of falsehood.”

I Ching

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Re: Tao Te Ching-4

Hidden yet forever quiescent
like a well its nurishment
runs rich and deep
the concern of one's heart
that it is not drawn from