Hey, there …

It’s been a while. I haven’t written anything here for quite a long time and I think it’s time to do so before I completely abandon this [accurate noun] of mine. I’ve been going through some things in my life that have brought me up and down, quite easily recognized as the ebb and flow of living. Some may call it fate, but I just call it life. Sometimes it dumbfounds us, while at other times it is crystal clear. While I certainly don’t wish to be perplexed by what life throws at me, I also don’t wish to be able to predict the outcome (though, we all know the outcome of life is certainly death, lol).

So it is with the Tao; its very complex yet simple nature, of which we know next to nothing about, has the natural tendency to present a reality that is both complex and simple. The source of confusion and enlightenment is vast and wide, yet miniscule and narrow, disabling any attempt at boxing it up, labeling it, and referring to its definition at a later time. This presents a situation that is not limited to a complex issue with a simple solution which has a complex execution, or a simple issue with a complex solution that is simple to execute. The variety is much. Where to start is always the question. I presume we always tend to lean toward the easiest and best known path.

So what am I trying to say here? If we are in the same circle of faith (something I don’t say lightly), you’ll know that I’m talking about the belly of the whale. It’s that part of life that confounds, cripples, strengthens, and enlightens us. We go through a period of confusion, searching, longing; followed by an acceptance of circumstances, orientation to our surroundings, learning of new ways of dealing with things; concluded by realization, solutions, and enlightenment. But, it’s not always in any certain order, nor in any order of importance. What I’ve just listed are the logical thought processes (steps) through a perplexing circumstance from my perspective. There is plenty of room for tweaking, so don’t take what I wrote as gospel (though, I doubt anybody does, of which I’m glad).

All this just to say that I go through times of self-doubt, self-loathing, and yet come through with a better perspective on life and that they were necessary steps to betterment for me. That’s how I see it, anyway. All this self-pitying has done is to open my eyes to what is truly important. I am floored by life, and yet understand and love living it. I need a mentor as badly as others want my mentorship, but I’ve come to the point of being my own mentor. I still bounce my ideas off of others for external input, but I don’t take everything to heart; just collecting ideas for improvement.

That’s all I have for today. Have a great one and may the Force be with you!

-Bridget

The Path…

(Copied from an anonymous source. Enjoy!)

Ego becomes transparent
Transparent becomes truthful
Truthful becomes harmless
Harmless becomes peaceful
Peaceful becomes united with the world

Those who wish to attain it
Follow the path of Dao

But the self gets tired
Of peace and simplicity
And soon rejoins
The brotherhood of confusion

It makes further attempts
To step back on the path
But its nerves crave
For a dose of argument
That can only lead it astray
Again and again and again

Those who wish to avoid it
Follow the path of Dao

Don’t rely on your
Noisy companion
The self-righteous ego
That disdains your quiet walk
So eager so talk of goals
But unable to make a single step

Have a trust in Dao
And its path of no destination
Where peace is at hand

The Path that’s not walked upon
Is not the real Path

People Are Not Taught To Be Virtuous

“We have said that the Taoist Absolute was the Relative. In ethics the Taoist railed at the laws and the moral codes of society, for to them right and wrong were but relative terms. Definition is always limitation–the ‘fixed’ and ‘[changeless]’ are but terms expressive of a stoppage of growth. Said Kuzugen,–‘The Sages move the world.’ Our standards of morality are begotten of the past needs of society, but is society to remain always the same? The observance of communal traditions involves a constant sacrifice of the individual to the state. Education, in order to keep up the mighty delusion, encourages a species of ignorance. People are not taught to be really virtuous, but to behave properly. We are wicked because we are frightfully self-conscious. We nurse a conscience because we are afraid to tell the truth to others; we take refuge in pride because we are afraid to tell the truth to ourselves. How can one be serious with the world when the world itself is so ridiculous! The spirit of barter is everywhere. Honor and Chastity! Behold the complacent salesman retailing the Good and True. One can even buy a so-called Religion, which is really but common morality sanctified with flowers and music. Rob the Church of her accessories and what remains behind? Yet the trusts thrive marvelously, for the prices are absurdly cheap, –a prayer for a ticket to heaven, a diploma for an honorable citizenship. Hide yourself under a bushel quickly, for if your real usefulness were known to the world you would soon be knocked down to the highest bidder by the public auctioneer. Why do men and women like to advertise themselves so much? Is it not but an instinct derived from the days of slavery?”
–Kakuzo Okakura

Indeed, what is virtue that isn’t sincere? Forced virtue isn’t true virtue. Wu wei…

Consumption…

This weekend, I decided to commit to a severely reduced calorie diet, what I would otherwise call semi-fasting. I’m using this time to reflect and examine my thoughts, feelings, actions, and senses. It’s my attempt to experience myself in total awareness and attention. So far, I’ve noticed that I’ve conditioned myself to yearn for consumption of food when I’m not hungry. I typically go through this mental state of consumption when I’m either bored, or don’t know what to do with myself. Like I’ve discovered a void and I’m trying to fill it with things I’m comfortable with. This void, however, is something I’ve decided has no meaning or intention. It’s that place that I dare not peer into for fear of losing myself. It’s not even really a void. It’s me I’m looking at. It only has meaning to me and my intention is whatever I decide at the moment. This is the time I will use to be present in the now and be with myself. During this time, I will let my ears hear what they will hear, let my eyes see what they will see, my feet go wherever they will go, and just watching myself be myself with no judgment, no comparison, no sides or direction, no choosing, and no conflict. Time to keep this room clean and orderly. No mind. Wu wei.

Thirteen

Accept disgrace willingly.
Accept misfortune as the human condition.
What do you mean by “Accept disgrace willingly”?
Accept being unimportant.
Do not be concerned with loss or gain.
This is called “accepting disgrace willingly”.

What do you mean by “Accept misfortune as the human condition”?
Misfortune comes from having a body.
Without a body, how could there be misfortune?

Surrender yourself humbly; then you can be trusted to care for all things.
Love the world as your own self; then you can truly care for all things.

The ‘OR’ Mentality…

Duality… We use and live with it almost so seamlessly in our lives and we tend not to notice it when we do. For example, the difference between life/death, light/dark, faith/science. These things seem natural to think about for us. Everything, to me, seems to be a part of its own system, usually of thought, but mostly of interrelation. In other words, one implies the other. Life implies death, light implies dark, and faith implies science, and vice versa in all examples.

What do I mean by implies? I mean that we cannot know life if not for death, nor can we know death if not for life. How do we know that we are alive? Because we are not dead. It seems oversimplified, but that’s really it. How do we know what light is without looking at light next to dark? We can’t. Science is a systematically organized body of knowledge on a particular subject, or just a body of knowledge. Faith is a complete trust or confidence in someone or something, or simply belief without evidence. We tend to see these as dualities, but they are really just the difference between light and dark, or life and death. Neither one is good or bad, they just are. One implies the other. Ignorance implies knowledge.

So, when I say that to have faith is to be ignorant, I am not saying that having faith is a bad thing, just that it’s a state of mind. I like to differentiate between faith and “blind faith“. Having faith, or confidence, in someone or something of which we can’t know whether or not we’ll be disappointed, is only good for us in certain instances — mostly social. Blind faith is a belief in something regardless of evidence or lack thereof. For example, someone says that they believe there are fairies in the garden, but lack the evidence of their existence. If they were to express this belief to another person, the other person would then request evidence. The person with the belief in the garden fairies would then go on to say that they just need to believe and stop being so pragmatic. In other words, they are trying to justify their blind faith in things they cannot prove by dismissing the other person as being too reasonable.

Why do I bring this up? I run into this problem with friends and family who see my non-belief in their sky daddy as problematic or ignorant, when I know what it’s like to believe in such things and have come to my own conclusion that it cannot be proved one way or the other. I just lean more toward it not existing. I am referring, of course, to their Christian beliefs.

I can’t say that I necessarily think that Christianity is wrong, so to speak, but that so many people take things too literally and out of context. For me, though I’m not a Christian, and I don’t believe in a deity, per se, I do know what it is to be a Christian since that’s what I grew up with. I know the desire to want to be closer to God in my “heart of hearts” and to want nothing more than to live up to the inspired word of God. I found this thought pattern to be too restrictive and contradictory to my nature. There are things in the Old Testament that weren’t meant to be anything more than an account of the time they occurred. I think the gospels were meant to set believers free from the dogma of their current religion, connecting them directly to the Almighty instead of a supposed authority figure as intermediary. When a church was set up as yet another authority, the teachings of the Christ were skewed and once again corrupted into its former ways. This, I believe, is what went wrong. Jesus never said, “Create a church and act on my behalf as intermediary between the people and God.” He told his followers to spread the gospels — the good news — so as to save them from the ways of the old religion. That there is no more need to sacrifice for penance as he was the ultimate sacrifice for all. This is my understanding and I cannot see what’s so good about the gospels as they are handed down in this day and age.

When people use their beliefs to justify their bigotry, hatred, and intolerance, that’s where I have a problem. Not with the religion, itself, but with the people pushing their beliefs onto others, attempting to force their dogma, and therefore setting themselves up as an authority in another person’s life. As if to say, “I know better what’s good for you, so you better listen up and do as I say. If you have anything to say against me doing this, you are persecuting me for my beliefs. You must be saved and I can help you. Submit to me and my beliefs.” I find this abhorrent to good reason and compassion.

Now, this isn’t to say that I’m against Christianity, or Christians, or any particular religion, just some of their methods and practices of “conversion”. A good religion isn’t meant for oppression, but for liberation of the spirit. To me, spirit takes on a different meaning than it does for many people. Spirit, to me, is our consciousness, whether present or sub. Soul, for me, is how we feel and empathize, especially with or about others. It’s our experiences in life. The soul is our memories, feelings, and experiences throughout every situation we go through. It’s the way we interact with our environment and with our fellow living beings. Of course, this is just how I understand these terminologies and how I use them.

Back to the topic at hand: have you noticed the dualities of this ‘OR‘ mentality? Good and bad are just two different choices of thought and belief about any particular thing or person in a single judgment. When we notice that we’re judging, we tend to mentally say, “No. Stop. I’m judging again,” you are again judging, which then turns into a never ending cycle of judgment. To rid oneself of judging, notice it, acknowledge it, and let it be where it is and then let it go. If you feel that it has no place in the current situation, then recognize the pattern and learn how to let it go. See things as they truly are, in reality, not in your biased thoughts about it. When you can see it for what it is, and know the implications of either side of the judgment of said situation, you can make better decisions about what to do about it, if that’s what you truly want.

But, to truly know the reality of a situation, one must know oneself as one truly is, as one really and truly is in reality, and not in some fantasy or unrealistic feelings about oneself. When we truly know ourselves, we can better decide what to do in any situation because we know who we are and what it is that drives our decisions. It all ties into the thirty-third chapter of the Tao Te Ching:

Thirty-Three
Knowing others is wisdom;
Knowing the self is enlightenment.
Mastering others requires force;
Mastering the self needs strength.
He who knows he has enough is rich.
Perseverance is a sign of willpower.
He who stays where he is endures.
To die but not perish is to be eternally present.

Peace Is Every Breath…

Tired
Empty
Light as a feather
Calm
Loose
Peace radiating from within
Reflection
Good thoughts
Happy in this moment

-Brian

Twenty-Two

Yield and overcome;
Bend and be straight;
Empty and be full;
Wear out and be new;
Have little and gain;
Have much and be confused.
Therefore wise men embrace the one
And set an example to all.
Not putting on a display,
They shine forth.
Not justifying themselves,
They are distinguished.
Not boasting,
They receive recognition.
Not bragging,
They never falter.
They do not quarrel,
So no one quarrels with them.
Therefore the ancients say, “Yield and overcome.”
Is that an empty saying?
Be really whole,
And all things will come to you.

— Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

Individual vs Human Being

“The question of whether or not there is a God or truth or reality, or whatever you like to call it, can never be answered by books, by priests, philosophers, or saviours. Nobody and nothing can answer the question but you, yourself, and that is why you must know yourself. Immaturity lies only in total ignorance of self. To understand yourself is the beginning of wisdom.

And what is yourself, the individual you? I think there is a difference between the human being and the individual. The individual is a local entity, living in a particular country, belonging to a particular culture, particular society, particular religion. The human being is not a local entity. He is everywhere. If the individual merely acts in a particular corner of the vast field of life, then his action is totally unrelated to the whole. So, one has to bear in mind that we are talking of the whole, not the part, because in the greater the lesser is, but in the lesser the greater is not. The individual is the little conditioned, miserable, frustrated entity, satisfied with his little gods and his little traditions, whereas a human being is concerned with the total welfare, the total misery and total confusion of the world.”

–Jiddu Krishnamurti

Sometimes, we cling to that cage that someone else created for us because we know of no other way of living or thinking. You can open the door and walk right out of it, but you’re afraid of what may happen if you do. Free yourself. Experience life for what it is, not through the bars of a cage.

-Bridget

Tao Perspective on Suffering

Once upon a time in China, there was a sage who taught a group of disciples at a remote monastery. They studied teachings from many sources of wisdom, even some that originated from distant lands.

One important topic they delved into was human suffering. The disciples were taken by the concept and could not stop talking about it. “Suffering is unavoidable,” one of them declared, while others nodded in agreement. “Birth, aging, sickness, and death… we suffer through all of them, not to mention the setbacks, heartaches, annoyances, and so many other causes of misery.”

This talk had an effect on all of them. They no longer went about their daily activities with good cheer. There was a sense of growing dissatisfaction, and some began to complain about everything.

The sage observed this and decided it was time for a Tao lesson. He gathered the disciples together and said, “I see quite a few moody expressions among you recently. Perhaps we can brighten the mood by taking a break. The nearby lake is particularly beautiful this time of the year. Let’s go there.”

The lake was indeed beautiful, filled with pure and pristine water from streams of melted snow. The disciples paid little attention to this natural beauty, for their minds were still preoccupied. The sage knew this would be the case, so, he was not surprised when one of them finally broke the silence: “Master, what is the Tao perspective on suffering?”

The sage brought out a cup he had prepared and showed it to all the disciples. They could see that it was half filled with salt. He handed it to the disciple who asked the question and said, “Fill this cup with water from the lake and stir it well to dissolve all the salt.”

The disciple did as the sage ordered. It took a while, but, eventually he was able to get all the salt dissolved. “Good,” the sage approved. “Now, take a sip and tell us how it tastes.”

The disciple took a sip and immediately spit it out. “Master, it is much too salty. It tastes horrible!”

“Of course,” the sage smiled. “The salt is just like the suffering we experience in life. It can be extremely difficult to swallow. Even a little sip is horrible.”

“So, that is the Tao perspective, Master? That suffering is horrible?” The disciple was puzzled.

Instead of answering, the sage brought out another cup. The disciple looked at it and was startled. The second cup was filled to the brim with salt. As bad as the first cup was, this could only be worse. Would he have to drink it, too? He did not know what to think.

“Pour the salt in this cup into the lake,” the sage instructed. “Then, use the empty cup to scoop up water from the lake and drink. Drink it all.”

The disciple did as he was told while the other disciples watched him. When he was done, everyone wanted to know: “Well? How was it?”

“Refreshing!” The disciple smiled. “I was a bit thirsty from sipping the first cup. Now my thirst is completely quenched and I feel great!”

“Do you see the difference?” The sage could tell the disciples were beginning to get it. “The ordinary mind is like the first cup. To such a mind, suffering can be almost unbearable. Even a sip of it is horrible, just like you saw for yourselves. This is why the natural response to suffering, for most people, is moodiness and complaints.”

“The Tao mind is like this beautiful lake,” the sage waved his arms at everything around them. “If you can expand your mind into the great dimensions of the Tao, then suffering for you will be like the salt poured into the lake. The salt is still the same, but your experience of it will be quite different. Even if you end up with more suffering in your life than other people, it will have no power over you, just as more salt has no effect on the lake. The water remains as pure, pristine, and refreshing as ever. Now that is the Tao perspective on suffering!”