The Origin Of Everything - Tao Te Ching Readings

The Tao Te Ching,

Chapter 22,

First paragraph.

If you want to become whole,

Let yourself be partial.

If you want to become straight,

Let yourself be crooked.

If you want to become full,

Let yourself be empty.

If you want to be reborn,

Let yourself die.

If you want to be given everything,

Give everything up.

That first paragraph reminds me of something that Alan Watts said,

Who is a great philosopher that talked about Eastern philosophies and explained them to Western civilizations.

He says in one of his talks something among the lines of that by holding onto ourselves so very tightly,

We are basically strangling ourselves.

Which means that we don't let ourselves be,

And because of that we are our own prison.

We want to be these infallible,

Never-failing beings,

But to let ourselves become better,

We have to accept being imperfect first,

So we can allow our process of change.

True perfection is actually owning our imperfection and not being ashamed of who we are and so therefore we realize we were perfect from the start.

But when we haven't allowed this mind shift to operate yet,

We can be self-conscious to the point of asphyxiation.

By holding onto everything,

Including to ourselves,

With anguish and fear,

We are enclosed.

We are focused on the bad and on the possible loss.

We are acting out of fear.

We are digging our own graves.

And then we are engineering this self-fulfilling prophecy of how much we hate ourselves and the world because we never dared to fully open up our arms to the experience of being us.

To me this is the definition of faith,

Knowing deep down that it is safe to open up our arms to let go of the resistance because frankly,

Resistance is pointless and doesn't lead anywhere.

Second and third paragraphs.

The Master,

By residing in the Tao,

Sets an example for all beings.

Because he doesn't display himself,

People can see his light.

Because he has nothing to prove,

People can trust his words.

Because he doesn't know who he is,

People recognize themselves in him.

Because he has no gold in mind,

Everything he does succeeds.

When the ancient masters said,

If you want to be given everything,

Give everything up,

They weren't using empty phrases.

Only in being lived by the Tao can you be truly yourself.

So being lived by the Tao,

Such a powerful image.

Being aware of all the life in you that makes you vibrate.

That is the pulse that keeps you going moment after moment after moment.

The inner waves,

The inner rhythm in which all things come and go.

You share this rhythm with every other thing in the universe.

Every single cell of your body is in a constant process of change.

You are a manifestation,

A recreation,

A propagation of the great explosion that made us all grow out of the earth.

You are an extension,

A ramification of the universe.

You're just like a flower on a tree,

A wave in the ocean,

A star in a constellation.

A galaxy in the vast dark skies.

You are the Tao that doesn't know itself.

This is who you really are.

Chapter 23.

Express yourself completely.

Then keep quiet.

Be like the forces of nature.

When it blows,

There is only wind.

When it rains,

There is only rain.

When the clouds pass,

The sun shines through.

If you open yourself to the Tao,

You are at one with the Tao.

And you can embody it completely.

If you open yourself to insight,

You are at one with insight.

And you can use it completely.

If you open yourself to loss,

You are at one with loss.

And you can accept it completely.

Open yourself to the Tao.

Then trust your natural responses.

And everything will fall into place.

Chapter 24.

He who stands on tiptoe,

Doesn't stand firm.

He who rushes ahead,

Doesn't go far.

He who tries to shine,

Dims his own light.

He who defines himself,

Can't know who he really is.

He who has power over others,

Can't empower himself.

He who clings to his work,

Will create nothing that endures.

If you want to accord with the Tao,

Just do your job,

Then let go.

Chapter 25.

There was something formless and perfect,

Before the universe was born.

It is serene,

Empty,

Solitary,

Unchanging,

Infinite,

Eternally present.

It is the Mother of the Universe.

For lack of a better name,

I call it the Tao.

It flows through all things,

Inside and outside,

And returns to the origin of all things.

The Tao is great.

The universe is great.

Earth is great.

Man is great.

These are the four great powers.

Man follows the Earth.

Earth follows the universe.

The universe follows the Tao.

The Tao follows only itself.

So here again we find the Tao to be the source of all things,

That exists by and for itself,

And all the rest emerges from this one source.

There is no separation between you and the original source,

Just like there is no separation between your hands and your feet.

They are both parts of your body,

Different forms,

Emerging from one organism.

The Tao doesn't exist for a purpose.

It just is,

And shines,

And manifests itself in all sorts of forms and shapes,

In darkness and in light.

It is full of life,

And bold,

And authentic,

As a celebration,

A burst of creativity and diversity and love.

It is where we come from.

It is our true nature.

It is who we are.

Do you feel its compassion?

Its infinite acceptance?

Do you recognize the same energy inside of yourself,

That pushes you forward with its simple and profound joy of being alive?

Maybe it's buried deep down under concerns,

Worries and standards that we all created for ourselves.

But nature doesn't worry.

Nature always finds its way.

It is intelligent and vibrant.

It is adaptive and knows what to do.

You are made of the same material.

Trust it.

You are deserving.

You are worthy.

You are beautiful.

Because so is the Tao.

Open up your mind and your heart,

And you will love yourself like you love the Tao.

Because you will see no distinction between you and what we call the rest.

You will love other beings like you love yourself.

Because we are all the Tao.

You will accept both the good and the bad.

Because both are the Tao.

And by accepting,

Bitterness and resentment can vanish.

Does it mean that you have to be indifferent to everything?

Let me put it this way.

Having preferences is what makes your life as a human interesting.

It's what keeps you going.

If you didn't care about what happens to you,

You would be bored.

There would be no point continuing this journey.

Feelings are part of the experience.

But when you're about to get overwhelmed,

Remember where you come from.

Remember your true nature.

And that all the rest is a game.

I send you love and respect.

Namaste.