Tao Te Ching (#4)

Streaming thoughts while contemplating Lao Tzu

This is not to be read. It is to be felt. Read with your heart. Let your mind go for the moment. Start anywhere. Stop when you wish. There are no paragraphs. Only consciousness streaming.

Reflections on Tao Te Ching, Chapters 50-65

What is outside comes from within. The world you live in is the one you believe you inhabit. Change your beliefs, change your world. To change your beliefs, change your thoughts. How you think about things affects the world you have created for yourself. Choose your thoughts wisely. Know your truth. Twia will guide you on the way of the path. Choose love over fear. The body is born. The body dies. In between, the me of the body suffers to survive knowing it faces oblivion. What is not born and does not die is the I AM that I am. This is twia, or that which I am. Twia is whole, complete, perfect, eternal. Twia is never diminished. The me of the body fades. Remember twia and you are born again. This is the way of the path. Walk the way of the path and death cannot touch you. To remember twia is to know life in its fullest, without end. Do not be one who moves toward death unthinkingly. The lifeforce that animates the body is twia. I am the life I lead. Live close to twia. Along the path of the world, we get rocks in our shoes and stumble in pain. Then we cannot keep up with where we want to be, and the world shifts to support what we believe is happening. Do not accept the rocks in your shoes. Stop. Sit. Take the rocks out now. You do not need rocks in your shoes. You do not need to hang on to thoughts that harm you. Get off the stony path of the world. Walk the smooth, straight path of twia. Grow in strength through adversity. Face fear with confidence in twia. From consciousness comes thought of separation. Twia is the expressing of separation. Twia is consciousness-expressing. The power that is twia nurtures the dreamer of the dream. That power, in Taoism, is Te. Te is the power to overcome adversity. The energy of life in form is twia. Do not deny twia. Twia is the energy of manifestation. You are planted in the ground of goodness. You are nourished by Te and grow in the light of love that is wisdom. Adversity comes knocking when you are not in balance with twia, your true nature. Do not rely on the world to sustain you. Such reliance ends in death. Die to the world. Live in the room within. In all things is the energy that is existence. This is oneness. There is no separation except in your false perceptions. Look past perception. See with eyes that share the vision that is twia. Twia is the energy of the whole of the all. This is Te. Te/twia, Tao/consciousness? What is in a name but ignorance. The name is not the reality. The reality is unfathomable, which is a description that cannot describe it. In the emptiness that is nowhere all things arise. They are there always, never added, never subtracted. Pure potential of thought. The womb of the whole of the all. Nothing leaves the womb. There is only consciousness. Consciousness is totality, without beginning or end. Live your life in the womb. Awake from the dream that is separation. This is remembering twia. The rest is illusion. There is no other, no separation. You are the whole of the all. You cannot die. You never were born. Do not lose yourself in the world of existence. It is false perception. There you will suffer in disbelief and loneliness. The me of the body will fail you. Do not invite disaster. Return to the room within. There you touch the eternal. The eternal is that which I am, twia. I AM eternal. To live from the room within is to flow with the waters of existence in a boat made of reality. Let the boat carry you. It knows the way. Take your oars out of the water. Then you will miss hitting the shoals. You cannot row. You do not know the way. Do not become overwhelmed by not knowing. Twia knows. Relax in the boat. Take in the warmth of the sun. The cool air of evening. The twinkle of the stars. Be aware of the boat. Forgive the waters. They intend you no harm. You bring your own disaster. Dip your hand in the pools but do not fall in. You will drown. Existence is not the way. It overwhelms. Live simply in the boat in peace without care. Here you are nurtured. The light grows within you. What grows within you is that which I am. You are the I AM. You are the boat. There is no river except where you float in the dream. You row with your own sense of separation. Pull your oars from the water and there is no water. Forget the water. Float in the light that you are. Here you rest in the eternal, knowing no end. To enter the room within is to undo the world. You are removed from its ways. The way of the world is fear. The way of the path is love. To know love is to remove yourself from the world. What you have to say will not be heard. The world does not have ears that hear. Tell no one. Hold your tongue for those who listen. Wander in the world knowing. To have knowledge is to walk the way of the path. To stray from the path is to forget. To remember is to know twia. Do not be sidetracked by the world. The pull of pleasure and pain is strong. The me of the body asks you to die its death. This is not truth. You do not die. Hold fast to twia. You are the journey. Travel wisely. The way is before you. Do not turn back. You will stumble and fall. You will become a pillar of salt. Walk away from ignorance. Follow the light. You are awakening. The world will fall into place around you. The way of the path is yours to travel home to the room within. Let suffering be your guide. Is it where you want to be? You are promised nothing. You have it now. How can you gain when you cannot lose? To live in the moment is to abandon desire. The moment does not hold expectation. It is the eternal. It has no future. To be in the moment is to be planted in the ground of goodness. Roots run deep into the eternal. Draw from the depth of knowing. Nourish your being from the waters of the well and the light that is twia. You will grow steadfast and wise. Your spiritual strength will be abundant in the world. What is true is within. What is false is in perception. Release perception. Bring truth to the world. You will come to know the world through twia. Twia has vision to observe reality in separation. The me of the body does not. You cannot lose your way when you walk in the light of twia. From the ground of goodness, you blossom outward. Twia is the heart of all. Your beauty is the beauty of all. Bring beauty to your way and its raiment will adorn the world. There is no connection between things. The whole of the all is complete and perfect in itself. What can join together that is not apart? Seek yourself in others. In you, others find twia. When you are aware of twia, others find twia. Be aware of twia in all. Twia is the same everywhere. Know your way within. Listen with ears that hear. View the world with eyes that see. Forget the me of the body. Follow twia. Twia knows. Hold fast to twia. Catch its embrace. You are the love of the all. The world is temporary. Everything about it is temporary. You are temporary. You do not have to live with fear. You do not need to cling to love that slips away. Time is temporary but the moment is eternal. Hold fast to the moment. In the moment you find all things. Do not miss the opportunity. Be aware always. Hold fast to twia in the moment. This is the way of the path. Twia prepares the way that you may walk with peace of heart. Do nothing. Act. Release. Accept. Do not cling to the desires and expectations held by the me of the body. They are temporary and have no reality. Walk without leaving footprints in the sand. Even if you do, they will wash away in time. Your time here is not permanent. Twia is forever. To live in twia is to be born anew. The energy of Te will be powerful in the world. Fear will fall away. Love will rejoice in the awareness that you are. Twia is the discrete awareness that is consciousness-expressing. Twia is the energy of the manifesting of existence. Stop denying the power that is oneness. Stop clinging to separation. It is temporary and weak from fear. Enter the room within. Live in harmony with twia. Know the strength of love untainted by fear. Your own desires lead to death. They cannot be sustained in separation. There is no other. In others find twia. Bring the love that is twia to all. The power in you is the power of consciousness-expressing. Use it wisely. Remember twia. Twia is the way. Open to twia. and open to the manifesting of the all. Choose wisely in your ways. Do not abuse your strength. Act humbly in all things. Mostly listen, hear, act, release, do nothing. Do not speak. Rest in the room within. Hold your own council. See in others the I AM. You are the way of the world. Choose wisely. You have no friends. You have no enemies. These do not concern you. There is no good. There is no bad. Do not be concerned with what is not. Find unity in all relationships. This is the way of the path. Sit in silence amidst the drama of separation. Bring harmony to the stage. Let the curtains close on you. Do not be seen or heard. Observe without intelligence. You do not know. Be the keeper of the flame. Let the fire burn in you. It will hold its own. You see partially. The whole is beyond your vision. Twia has eyes that see. Twia knows. Rest in twia. Accept without knowing. You see the reflection, not the flame. Like the shadows on the wall of Plato’s cave, the reflection is not the reality that is beyond. The flame burns out of sight. The eyes of the body do not see. Twia has the vision to see beyond the shadows. Your body is spiritual but ignorant. It is the grounding of your existence. It offers separation where there is none. It holds you apart from all else. This existence is the shadows. It is not reality. It is perception of what cannot be real. You live in truth beyond the cave. Your flame is held in twia. Your body is particles and chemistry. Your reality is the eternal energy that is consciousness-expressing. Harmonize the body with twia. Follow twia. The me of the body is ignorant. Twia is wisdom. Twia knows. Do not suppress your physical nature. Eat. Sleep. Work. Copulate. Imagine. Play. Do so with peace of heart. Hold all things in the moment. Do not desire. Do not hold to expectations. Act. Release. Hold to peace. To master life, do nothing. To struggle is to become entangled in the ways of the world. Those who do are lost. What help are you to those you see as separate? Prepare your own way first. Then you may help others to see. The blind leading the blind are lost to the path. Remove the log from your own eye before helping your neighbor remove the splinter from theirs. Focus on peace. Bring harmony to all situations. Dwell in the moment. Do nothing. Fear lines the path of separation. To perceive separation is to fear. Sorrow, anguish, suffering are the pain of walking the way of the world. You accept pain as part of being human. You feel the loss of attachments and missing the mark of expectations. Your compassion for others is great when they are suffering. You find solace in sharing in their sorrow. It is the bond of humanity to suffer. Let joy overcome anguish. Joy is the power that is twia. Do not suffer in sorrow. It is not the way of the path. To remember twia is to cast off the chains of attachment and expectation. Do not be bound by perceived loss when there is none. Nothing is lost or gained in oneness. Twia is whole, complete, perfect, eternal. Lead a simple life. A simple life is not clever. Let the future find its own way. Put away your cleverness. Tomorrow may bring confusion if you are lost today in your own cleverness. Hold to the moment. Take one thing at a time. Do not let the ways of the world confuse you. Be wise. Do not go too far into the night. The darkness will swallow you. The light may be confusing. The way may seem long. Cultivate yourself. You are planted firmly in the ground of goodness. Do nothing. Let the soil embrace you. Take nourishment from the ground. Seek the light. Your spiritual power grows within. Twia knows the way. Remember that you are the I AM growing through the thought of separation that lies in consciousness. You have no limits, no bonds that bind you to the thought. Release the thought of separation and you will explode from the darkness into the light. You are the one that you do not comprehend. Nourish this knowledge in the room within. Here is the valley of wisdom. Twia brings you vision of oneness. You are free from the limits of separation. You are not bound to the world. Grounded firmly with deep roots in your true nature, you can grow upwards, back through the core of your being into the I AM. Then you will touch consciousness and the knowledge that is oneness. There is no separation between twia and the me of the body. One is the same as the other. The experience of the me of the body is limited by its perception. It accepts birth and death as reality when they are not. Therein lies its suffering. It fears being cast alone into oblivion. Twia does not know birth and death. Separation comes and goes. Twia is eternal. Choose wisely. Live in the moment. Then you know you are one with all and not alone or lost. When you know this, you have touched the eternal. Release suffering to its own devices. Be at one with all. Hold peace of heart always. Without peace there is fear. To be evil is to fear without a trace of love. But fear has no power. Nor does evilness. Consciousness has no fear, nor evilness. There is nothing outside of consciousness. There is no fear or evil in reality. Fear has no power. Evil is a no-thing. Fear is the culprit behind evilness. Fear comes from perceiving separation as real. Separation is illusion. Approach all things with peace of heart. Fear falls away. You will see no evil. Love is the center of the whole of the all. You are the I AM. Nothing can harm you. Nor do you harm others. There are no others. Bring unity to all relationships. Most of all, do nothing. Twia knows the way. Do not fuss so much. Let it be. Follow the path before you that is the way. On the path, I see in you that which I AM. Your true nature lies in all. There is no other. Only consciousness. The power within is the whole of the all. It can be forgotten but never lost. The way of the path is to remember. Be content. Act. Release. Hold peace of heart. Remember. This is the way. Do so in the moment. This is to do nothing. Twia knows. Listen with ears that hear. Open your eyes that see. With eyes that see and ears that hear, follow the way of twia. Give way to twia. Do not interfere. Flow with twia. Sing its song of freedom. Twia is truth. Twia sets you free. The reflection is not the flame. The reflection exists but is not real. Life is a reflection of twia. Life exists but is not real. The me of the body flickers and dies. Twia burns eternally. The reflections of twia are many. Be humble in all. The valley accepts the mountain waters. The valley is still and accepting. It holds the promise of new beginnings in fertile soil. It nurtures all that passes through on the way to the seas. In humility lies greatness. Spiritual power manifests in the valley. Mountain waters rush and tumble. Thoughts rush and tumble in mind. Valley waters run quiet and still. There calm nourishes the land.  Stillness of mind brings abundance. The valley absorbs the power of rushing mountain waters in stillness and calm. Stillness has power over movement. This is the way of yin and yang. Be still in all things. Hold peace of heart always. Stop pushing water up the mountain. You will drown in its torrent. Be still. Let the waters flow as they will. They know the way to the sea. Rest in the valley. Follow the natural course. Join in oneness with all. Spiritual power is still and humble. The power of yin is in stillness. The power of yang is in movement. Neither seeks dominance. Together there is balance and harmony. The power of twia is in the valley where lofty ideas from the mountain top run freely through twia to the sea. Why do you think you have to climb the stone steps of the temple to reach the heavens? Jesus reminds us that the heavens are within. He says the Kingdom of God is within. Do not look here. Do not look there. You can look the world over from the highest temple or mountain top and never see. Look within. Lao Tzu says to do nothing. Be still in the silence of the room within. Twia will give you eyes that see. Twia will reveal the way. The steps you climb are not to heaven but to overcome your own doubt that you are not the me of the body. There is work to do to shed the perception of separation so that oneness is revealed. That work is to live simply, quietly, peacefully in the room within. Love without fear is then revealed. Your knowledge will change the world. Daily practice is the key. Paul of Tarsus said to pray without ceasing. The mystery lies in your own being. Who are you that you live in such a world as this? What you do in the world is less important than who you are in the world. Do you bring truth or lies to the struggle that is life? Jesus and Lao Tzu say that if you seek truth you will find it. If you do harm you will be forgiven. In the end, what you do will fade. What you are is forever. Reside in the room within. Let its embrace enfold you. Herein lies the truth you seek. There is no one to forgive you but yourself. You must release your own perception of the past to enter the room within. It does not accept your lies. You are worthy to enter and be embraced by love. The path is straight. The door is open. Enter at your own pleasure. Sit in the still silence of peace of heart always. This is to do nothing. Twia is the same in all. The prodigal son returned to his father’s warm embrace. It was as if he had never left. To turn to the me of the body is to turn to fear and suffering in separation. Turn within to twia and you will be welcome in the home you never left. Bring yourself to the center of being. Return home. The way of the world leads to death. The way of the path is eternal. Remember twia always. Never forget that you are worthy of love no matter what you believe of your past. The measure of life is birth and death. The body comes into existence then leaves. Its particles are once again dispersed in the universe. The energy of life is twia. I am the expressing of existence. Twia is not limited in body. Energy of the I AM cycles in and out of existence as manifestation of separation. Existence fluctuates in and out of form. Twia is eternal. Existence is illusion. Twia is real. Do not deny your reality. You are the whole of the all. Do nothing. You will accomplish all. To sit in the still silence of the room within is to return to eternal oneness that is twia. There is no other. Jesus says the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. From the tiniest mustard seed comes the whole of the kingdom. The seed does nothing. It accepts its abundance. The kingdom it sprouts grows to hold the birds of the air. They come to nest in its branches without effort. It is there for them. The secret to the measure of life is to do nothing. Twia knows the way. Remember twia. The measure of life is full and long along the way of the path. To do nothing, be still. Be mindful of your movements. Hold peace of heart. Listen with ears that hear. Find harmony in relationships. Live from the inside out. Look upon the world with eyes that see. Cease all judgment. Drop the past from your mind. Enter the room within Abide in twia. To do nothing is to cast off the world of the me of the body. Follow the way of the path that is twia. Home is not so much where the heart is as it is heart itself. You are at home in heart. Where do you place your heart? Choose wisely. Ultimately, it is the room within. You will know that this is the home you never left. The room within is the core of your being. It is the I AM. There is no separation from the I AM, except in mind. It is but a possibility in consciousness. Separation is a possibility that cannot be realized. You perceive separation in the me of the body. It conjures up a world that obscures awareness of the I AM with perceptions of limitations. Do not give it much thought. The me of the body and its world is but a dream of possibility that cannot be made real. Awake. You will find yourself at home in twia. Return to the room within to find the home you never left. This is the I AM that is awareness in consciousness. Peace comes upon you. It is your natural state. Stop denying your truth. You are worthy of peace and love and joy. Act in your favor. You are the one worthy of your efforts. Live simply. Take simple steps. Twia will build them into your journey of a lifetime. Twia knows the way. Stop grasping at your own desires. The expectations will let you down. Do not force your own way upstream. Float in the embrace that is twia. Do nothing. Act in the moment. Release the outcome. Do not hang on to expectations. Do not lose sight of twia. Listen to the wisdom that befriends you. The world clings to illusion. Its path is death. Remember twia. Walk the way of the path that is eternal. Be at rest in the room within. Accept the world for what it is. An illusion. Hold fast to what is real. Twia. Do so by holding peace of heart always. With peace of heart, act, release, accept. Do not let little things pile up into big things. Stop clinging to expectations. See what is near then soon you will have gone far. Stop looking far and not moving. Pay attention to your acts. Be mindful always. Plant your seeds. Nourish them with peace of heart. Do nothing. Watch them grow in twia. Release your grasp of the world. Twia embraces you always. You will fall away from desires and find fulfillment in twia. There is nothing to work for or earn. Fulfillment is yours already. You are whole, complete, perfect, eternal as is. I AM that which I am. You are twia. You are the way of the path. You are the room within. There is no other. Stop living as if there is. You are the one. Be at peace with that. Stop struggling. Rest in the still silence of knowing your true nature. In Taoism it is said that you must learn to fly on the back of a dragon. Do so. You will soar in freedom. The union of all things is the joy of existence. Life is for the common good. In unity rejoice. Misery lies in separation. Do not see suffering in separation. See the I AM in all. In unity and relationship embrace the whole of the all. Simple living. The door to twia opens on hinges of simplicity. Beyond the door is the mother, the womb of gestation that births the whole of the all. To enter the room is to remember twia. This is the way of the path. The way of the path is to do nothing, yield to twia, hold peace of heart, move mindfully in actions, sit in silence, and breathe deeply. The breath of life brings harmony to all. Live simply, close to the ground, in balance with nature. The way of water is soft and yielding, yet it reduces mountains to rubble. Follow the way of the water. Yield softly to twia. You will overcome the world. Do not let the light of enlightenment blind you. It is not for you to seek. Enter the way of the path. Twia will find you. Do nothing. Release desire. Drop expectations. You do not know. Twia knows. The womb of gestation is the eternal field of infinite possibility. This is the emptiness that is nowhere. This is consciousness. There is no time on the way of the path. It touches the eternal. Slow down. Live simply. Breathe deeply from the ground. You are going nowhere. You are there already. You never left.