Verse 6

" The spirit that never dies is called the mysterious feminine.

Although she becomes the whole universe,

her immaculate purity is never lost.

Although she assumes countless forms,

her true identity remains intact.

The gateway to the mysterious female is

called the root of creation.

Listen to her voice, hear it echo through creation.

Without fail, she reveals her presence.

Without fail, she brings us to our own perfection.

Although it is invisible, it endures;

it will never end."

  The God or Goddess of creation? To some, the idea of worshiping a female goes against everything they know and believe. Women are the weaker sex according to many western and eastern thoughts. Both physically and mentally perhaps even spiritually women have been seen as lacking. It can even be left to question just how much of the Bible was configured to lead people into believing that women were not on the same level as men. Please don't misunderstand what I am saying. I believe that the Bible is full of wisdom and following it to the T would ensure a happy prosperous life. However, it was man that decided what to put in and what to leave out. So it isn't hard to believe that certain texts which could have shed a different light on things could have been omitted in the interest of swaying minds in the preferred direction. 

  Perhaps it is wise then to consider just which traits are characteristic of men and which are characteristic of women before we continue on this age old discussion. Most people have heard of the Yin Yang. However this is merely a western name for the half white half black image. Yin and Yang are actually the names given to express, in simple terms, exact opposite but complimentary sides. Most think of opposites as a clash or figurative head butting, but this is not what the taijitu (the correct name for this symbol) is referring to. As one can't help noticing, the two exact halves, even distorted make a perfect circle or "whole". In fact, the name taijitu literally means "diagram of the supreme ultimate". I take that as meaning whole in every sense. Taoism embraces this symbol as it depicts the perfection of unity. Furthermore, Taoism places upon the Yin all the feminine attributes and upon the Yang all the masculine attributes.

  Perhaps I have digressed a bit but this concept in not for naught. Over the coarse of the 81 verses that are the Tao Te Ching this will be a central point of focus. So better to start early on our awareness campaign. 

  Anywho, back to verse 6, the Goddess. Why portray God, or the Toa in a feminine light here? Well, if it isn't obvious by now, my digression has been for naught. Or perhaps I am just that bad at writing out the jumbled thoughts in my head. That's probably it. If we look at the yin attributes we see that they tend to be more accurately portray the attributes in this verse than the male's. Soft, passive, intuitive. Truly a mothers Love. In fact, that is the first thing that comes to my mind when I read this verse. I interpret paragraph one in a number of ways. First the creative "side" of the Tao is like a mother, birthing all things. In this process, the Tao becomes the creator and the created (another example for the taijitu). Although the Tao is capable of expressing itself, it is also expressed through all things in the universe to a less perfect degree. A perfect example are humans. So here she spreads herself out but the central "core" of this creative spirit remain pure. The third sentence could be a bit puzzling. It almost seems redundant, but I think that perhaps this statement is relating to the actions of this creative spirit. A mother may not always appear to be responding perfectly to a dilemma, however, the outcome proves that the action was the correct one even if it seems uncharacteristic of her. This does not mean that she is less of a mother, just that she must sometimes do what it takes, even if it's down and dirty. We tend to call this tough love. I see it as doing what is needed for the greater good. When dealing with imperfect humans, one must do what is necessary to make things right. This does not make this mother of creation less of who she is. If anything, it just proves more so of it's unconditional Love.

  Ahh paragraph two. Cryptic. Mysterious. The gateway to the mysterious female. Who is this mysterious female? I think we can all surmise at this point we are talking about the Creative Source. So the way to the creative source then is through the root of creation. the root of creation.....think, think, think. Ah, the superhighway which ushered in such an enormous amount of energy and in so doing  birthed the physical into existence. Maybe that's to disco for some. I do believe that everything created on the physical plane has a root to the spiritual plane and without it we could not exist. Is it coincidental that the word root was chosen for this statement? If we think of a plant, the root is what feeds it. It is the first thing the grows out of the seed and if we cut the root from the plant, it dies. So here we can deduce that the way to the great and powerful Creator is through ourselves. That "gate" is in us all.

So in paragraph three once again we feel the care of a mother's love. Think about times when you were unsure of yourself. Possibly your first dance recital or baseball game. You were nervous, unsure of yourself. Your mom gives you some words of encouragement and then sends you off, telling you that she will be right there watching you. Any time she senses your uncertainty or embarrassment, her voice is heard saying, "You're doing good. Keep going." As time goes by she helps build on our strengths and manage our weaknesses. Making us ready for adulthood. And once we venture out to create our own space in the world, we take everything that she taught with us. I also believe that we take a piece of our mother with us spiritually. It is a fact that mother's have a close bond with children in many ways. Even on the vibratory level mothers have a close bond with their children as the frequencies are similar. This is what mother's intuition is all about. A true Yin attribute.

  So at this point we can see why Lao-tzu chose to represent the Tao from a more feminine aspect in this verse. It will not be the last time. What we do see with the crash coarse in Yin Yang theory is that both the yin and yang carry the attributes of God in different ways. So in simple terms, the "whole" or taijitu or Tao, Source, (you get the picture) is both Yin and Yang. And as we see in the taijitu, yin and yang are perfectly equal (but also different). So man is not superior to woman. It's funny to me because for as long as I can remember, which dates back way before my awareness of the yin and yang concept, I have seen the union of man and woman as two halves to a better whole. In my eyes, I saw the differences in men and women and believed that together, they could be utilized to formulate better decisions.  Not completely logically based, not completely emotionally based but balanced and more perfect. This is possibly an oversimplification of the whole idea but I think it goes along the same process of thought. 

  And so it seems that we find ourselves at the end of yet another exciting journey through space, time and the Tao. All that is left to say in closing then is that I look forward to a world where not only ethnic groups embrace each other and religions stop fighting for first place but also a world that sees both men and women as necessary equals both bringing their gifts to the table in the interests of peace, harmony and unity.

 Namaste

Verse 5

"Heaven and earth are impartial; 

they see the 10,000 things as straw dogs.

The sage is not sentimental;

he treats all his people as straw dogs.

The sage is like heaven and earth;

to him none are especially dear,

nor is there anyone he disfavors.

He gives and gives without condition,

offering his treasures to everyone.

Between heaven and earth is space like a bellows;

empty and inexhaustible,

the more it is used, the more it produces.

Hold on to the center.

Man was made to sit quietly 

and find the truth within."

And so the Chinese mule train of wisdom soldiers on to verse 5. And what a verse it is. Lets talk about straw dogs. Straw dogs?! Ayyy, straw dogs! Curious little figures crafted in ancient china for ceremonial purposes. They were dressed up and later discarded. They were neither loved nor hated. They just simply were. So in this first paragraph of the fifth verse I think Lao-tzu is trying to convey the idea that heaven and earth or the spiritual and physical realms do not take sides, they do not love or hate anything. All things just are. Nothing is more important than the other and there is no favor granted to any one thing over another. So basically God the creative force sees all things equally. Nice, I like that. The sage then, being wise and God like emulates that way of being to his followers. His treatment of them does not come from a love or hatred that one or the other stirs within him, instead, all are treated equally as he operates out of his goodness. Giving to all without the expectation of receiving something back. One is inclined to think how exhausted such a man would become, offering so much to everyone. However, in the third paragraph we find the answer to how he can give without end. (yes, we have already covered paragraph one and two. They kinda blend into each other.) It explains how the treasures of the universe and so too it's middle man the humble sage have a never ending supply. For as it is used, more is produced.

 I think that this verse is very important for people that find themselves in a leadership position. Treat all as equal, it seems to say. That was one of the main ideas driving the formation of our great United States of America. "With liberty and justice for all" is a statement every american recognizes. After all, it's part of our pledge of allegiance. It's part of our belief system. The idea that attracted people the world over to a new country where any man rich or poor, noble or peasant had a chance to be anything he wished. And furthermore, created a concept of ruling a country that was so revolutionary in it's time that it drove other countries to structure similar forms of government of their own. It's not hard to see how a leader acting in accordance with such beliefs would be loved and supported by his people. 

 Finally we reach the fourth paragraph and again this verse seems to go out with a bang. Even though there is much wisdom in the first three paragraphs, it is the fourth that really hits it home. Because it pertains to how we get there. Where it all comes from. Many people talk about finding your center. In a way it could be viewed as what makes you tick. Your core beliefs and values. To me, at my center is God. Ok, yes God is everywhere but when I think of my telephone line to God, I think of my center. So in other words, the closer I get to my center the better I can hear the words of the Source. Plus I find it to be a perfect place of Love and comfort. I guess that stands to reason. So how do we do this one might inquire. The plain english word is meditation. Sitting, standing, laying silently with a mind free of chatter. I myself found it hard to meditate at first as I was given one of those brains that run on high octane fuel. So sitting quietly with an empty mind seemed impossible. But over time I was able to quiet my mind and in so doing, started to hear the "Truth from within". My Mom has always liked the verse from the Bible that says "be still, and know that I am God". I think it's a perfect scripture for the ending of this verse. Perhaps in another way we could venture to say, be still and know the voice of God. To each his own. 

 In a world of fast paced everything it does tend to be hard to slow down enough to develop such a connection to our Source but the truth is, maybe that is the speed we should have been going all along.

 Namaste

Verse 4

"The Tao is empty but inexhaustible,

bottomless, the ancestor of it all.

Within it, the sharp edges become smooth;

the twisted knots loosen;

the sun is softened by a cloud;

the dust settles into place.

It is hidden but always present.

I do not know who gave birth to it.

It seems to be the common ancestor of all, the father of things."

The Tao is empty but inexhaustible. I have always attempted to allow my thoughts to venture where they may for meanings to such statements. Truly, the best meanings seem to come when I "try" the least. And for me, reading the Tao has always seemed so self explanatory for the most part. However, at times such as this I tend to find myself questioning what Lao-tzu was getting at here. Could he have meant that the Tao is empty in the sense that it welcomes all, that there is room or acceptance for all? As discussed in verse 3, an empty cup can be filled. Then on to say it is inexhaustible in it's giving or blessings? Could he have meant that there is a constant "give and take" of energy, back and forth from one plane to the other? Perhaps he only tries to put across what he seems to reiterate countless times over the entire script which would be the apparent paradox of the Tao in many aspects. In this case being both empty and full at the same time. These words, when considered, can only really pertain to our physical plane however as there is neither full nor empty in the "spiritual" realm. Perhaps it's best to say simply and without deep contemplation that the Tao or God is simply everything. Then go on to say that it brought forth all things from itself, the never ending, no beginning, abundant life Source of all.... Sounds good to me.

 On to paragraph two, things seem to become a bit more clear I think. Simply stated, God has a way of streamlining our lives. Once we learn to become still, quiet the mind and hear that voice speaking out from our center, our actions will become more connected, more smooth. All of the unnecessary struggles or detours can be avoided and our life can go from a life of occasional happiness with things "going our way" sometimes to a life of rich, deep happiness virtually all the time. This is not to say that there will never be struggles, yes that's a bit too extreme. (And I am a firm believer in any extreme being bad) But even in struggles you will feel a contentment knowing that it too is needed at that time for some form of growth. Once that is known, struggles, or what will then magically transform  into challenges will cease to become a negative experience and begin to fuel your growth upward. I tend to like the way in which this paragraph is written as it really makes me feel the comfort that is God. That "just perfect" feeling. I can't explain it any simpler than that.

 Paragraph three, the scientific mans version: God is the hidden framework that is found behind this fancy facade we call reality. Perhaps that doesn't fit every persons grand idea of what it written and I myself tend to see more than that because in my humble opinion, God is everything. The creator and the created. I believe (ok, admittedly with some scientific backing as well as spiritual. Yesss I like both, sue me.) that all that exists on the physical plane is created from pure spiritual energy. God energy if you will. Scientific proof: when sub atomic particles (with a proven mass) are accelerated really really......really (one more) really fast and they collide, the only "thing" remaining is energy. That's correct, zero mass or in layman's terms, no little sub atomic particle particles to sweep out. I like the thought of Oneness. It makes me feel closer to all people and nature alike. No longer do I view a person as a separate being but as a part of the body of God, my body. 

 So in closing, perhaps an old saying coupled with a zesty new add-on could be a good way to end our journey through verse 4. And dare I say it, possibly become the next big hit bumper sticker.

"Go with God....Cuz it just feels right!"

Verse 3

"Putting a value on status will create contentiousness.

If you overvalue possessions, people begin to steal.

By not displaying what is desirable,

you will cause the people's hearts to remain undisturbed.

The sage governs by emptying minds and hearts,

by weakening ambitions and strengthening bones.

Practice not doing......

When action is pure and selfless,

everything settles into it's own perfect place."

It has always amazed me how the value of things in this world can go from nearly zero, to a value of tens, hundreds, or even thousands of dollars in anything from a few minutes to a few years, and then end up back at little or no value again in a matter of time. In some cases it may even go through this cycle a number of times. Antiques are a perfect example. I have a friend that is, depending on the time, either sitting on a goldmine of valuables, or a pile of scrap. Society does a wonderful job of "telling" us what has value and what does not. If we all decided to stop driving cars tomorrow and start using bicycles for our transportation needs what would the impact be on the oil industry? 

 The truth of the matter ends up being that we hold the power to change the value of things. One person alone is but a drop in the ocean, but what is the ocean but a collection of single drops.

 With that having now been brought to an understanding, we can turn to this verse with a bit more clarity. Lao-tzu obviously understood the concept of creating want and greed through the valuation of possessions. Want and greed then produce jealousy, hatred and strife. Surely in his time it was just as beneficial to those in power or those who craved power as it is in today's society. But when values are non existent, there is no want, jealousy or greed. There is only the understanding that we have or acquire only that which we need at the exact time that we need it. Perhaps a book I was offered was of no foreseeable value in my eyes a year ago so being unenlightened I declined the offer. A year later I end up having to purchase the book for twenty dollars. After reading the book I donate it to a library. What was the true value of that book to me, the store, the person who did the offering, the library? Depending on the time, very much or very little. So in essence, value is as fluid as the rest of the universe. All things range from absolute value to no value all the time. And because of this can only be valued at a constant of zero on the physical plane. 

 Once we live by the understanding that there is no "need" for anything as everything essential to us will be provided, we can live a happier, more peaceful life. This understanding will automatically dissolve the competitive attitude that society teaches us to get ahead, get more, get even, and so on. By clearing our minds of these things it leaves us open to enlightenment. It opens up a direct, uninhibited channel to the Source. Or God if you prefer. 

 I ask you to consider the timeless analogy of the cup which is already full. It has no room for more and so anything introduced to it simply spills out rendering it useless. Become an empty cup. Clear yourself of all that you have been taught in this world. The emptier you are, the more room there will be for new knowledge. But remember, as the tea in the cup is poured in to be consumed and thus emptied, so too is the mind to be continuously "filled and emptied". All of creation is in a constant state of change, so too must we. If we wish to follow our divine path. So yes, the old adage "the only constant in life is change" seems to hold true even in this aspect.

 In closing, perhaps the most important statement of this verse appears to be kept for last, "practice not doing". Simple yet profound. It then elaborates to say that once we become empty, silent and open to the Truth (God), we will act out a perfect plan according to divine guidance, not driven by want and greed but love and peace, it is mutually beneficial to ourselves, the world and all others that we touch, it warms our souls, aligns us with God and makes our existence a perfect part of the Masters plan.

What could sound more motivating than that!? 

Verse 2

"Under heaven all can see beauty as beauty,

only because there is ugliness.

All can know good as good only because there is evil.

Being and nonbeing produce each other.

The difficult is born in the easy.

Long is defined by short, the high by the low.

Before and after go along with each other.

So the sage lives openly with apparent duality.

and paradoxical unity.

The sage can act without effort

and teach without words.

Nurturing things without possessing them,

he works, but not for rewards;

he competes, but not for results.

When the work is done, it is forgotten.

That is why it lasts forever."

In this verse it appears that Lao Tzu is showing us a "the way it is versus the way it should be" kind of living. Truly, when one thinks about society and where it guides our thoughts, we see how everything must be split up into one or the other; beautiful or ugly, easy or hard and so on. But consider the everyday sayings like "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" or "every pot has its cover". Each of us can remember a multitude of instances where there was disagreement over the beauty of an item such as a car, a house or even a landscape. When we walk through a park we might be inclined to admire a tree that stands tall with full branches of green leaves and colorful flowers but then turn and mock a tree that stands crooked and appears uneven. In reality there is no difference between them as they are both exactly how they are supposed to be doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing. I often walk through the trees on my property and marvel at how every one has its own unique beauty. Some are "tall" some are "short" some "bushy" and some "sparse". All perfect and perfectly doing what they were intended to do. I can't help but stop on my walks and absorb the Loving energy that they offer me. At that moment I feel engulfed in an unconditional, non-judgmental Love and this is what I offer back to them. Indeed this should be how we approach every thing and everybody in this world as we are all of God and therefore all one and the same being.

 When I move past the world of form and live in spirit I feel the unity and perfection that we are meant to feel in this world of 10,000 things. When we realize that all that we do, all that we encounter is part of  "the plan", part of our journey, hard and easy begin to melt away and only the vision of experience and growth remain. Everything is viewed as necessary now and unnecessary when it is over. For it has played its part in teaching and is no longer needed. Think about how we tend to judge "easy" and "hard" jobs differently  before we begin them. Yet how many times has the outcome been the same? Maybe an understanding that it was necessary coupled with the joy in what we have learned or achieved.

 A truly God realized being or sage understands his place in this wonderful universe. He lives "in the world but not of it". He understands that all things are necessary on the path and therefore doesn't tag things "easy" or "hard", "good" or "bad". His only competition lies within, to be as good as he can be, better than he was before. To care and nurture all that are in need, not only the ones he is close to for we are all one. There is no medal, no tag, no ribbon or recognition for his achievements because as the task is done it is no longer necessary and need not be remembered. All that is important is his purpose, what lies next on his journey. As with God and nature, he moves with the flow of things and lives in every moment.

Verse 1

"The Toa that can be told is not the eternal Toa.

The name that can be named is not the eternal name.

The Toa is both named and nameless.

As nameless it is the origin of all things;

as named it is the Mother of 10,000 things.

Ever desireless, one can see the mystery;

ever desiring, one sees only the manifestations.

And the mystery itself is the doorway

to all understanding."

What is so amazing to me is how obvious all these observations were to Loa Tzu. Truly he must have been enlightened. In this first verse he lays the foundations for all the following verses, that is, God is both material and spiritual. When referring to the Toa that can be told or named he is referring to the Physicality of The Toa or if you prefer, God. This is the God that we see. I guess we need to take a few steps back at this point to look at what that actually means. 

 The God that we see, refers to everything in the physical world, or what Loa Tzu refers to as the "10,000 things". God is not only the creator of this vast wonderful universe/multiverse, he is the universe. In many religions God is portrayed as a spiritual being sitting up in the sky somewhere. But when we start to search for God we inevitably find Him everywhere. Everything we view as "physical or solid or material" came from a state of non-being or nothingness. That is to say from Spirit. God did indeed create everything, and it was created from what we consider nothingness from a worldly view. It actually comes down to understanding that everything of physical form was created out of spiritual energy or Love. When we hear the saying "God is Love" how many of us actually take it literally? I digress. Even in the field of Quantum Physics it is understood that being, or physical particles come from non-being or energy. Alternatively we could say that everything on this plane comes from the spiritual plane. This is the key to manifestation. But I digress again.

 So now that we understand the "Toa that can be named" we can understand that it is not eternal, as all things of being or material form will eventually become non being again sooner or later or, they will die. But it is still God as everything and everybody is a part of the Wholeness of Him. 

 Now that we know all of this it is clear that the "nameless Toa" is the Spirit. And being Spirit, is the creating force behind all that we see. It is therefore obvious that Spirit or the nameless Toa is where the true importance lies. For from this place of supposed non being, we are born.

 Now we venture on to the final two sentences. What Loa Tzu is trying to convey is that if you truly want to know the truth, you must not hunt for it but allow it to present itself to you. This is another foundation of the Toa teaching. The "Wu Wei" that epitomizes the way of God. The non-action or non-doing. As it says in the Bible, God created the earth and then allowed it to be. He stepped back in non-action, he allowed. I think we can all remember an incident were we lost or forgot something, the more or harder we tried to find it the more it eluded us. Yet once we finally gave up (allowed), it presented itself. Sometimes in remarkable ways. This is a perfect example and again the saying "Let go and let God" bears repeating here. So to sum it up, the "mystery" is the awe of Gods creative Spirit. The spirit realm, and trying to see it will only lead you to see what it has produced, the material realm (manifestations) here and now. Now I think the last sentence becomes obvious, but if not, here it goes in plain ole' english. God, Spirit, the Toa is the truth, the way and the life!

 Hopefully this brings you to a place of deeper understanding. I welcome all questions, answers and comments. If you can add light to the way for others please do so. We are all here to learn. 

 Until next time, thank you.

 Namaste

Welcome to Loa Tzu's Tao Te Ching

Hello all, 
 I'm not a good writer but feel compelled to start this blog in the interests of bringing a better awareness of peace and understanding to the world. Many of the verses of the Tao parallel the Bible so closely as well as other holy texts that one could swear that they were taken from the same "book". If this teaches us anything, it's that wisdom has come all through the ages from many enlightened individuals. It is our job as human beings to embrace this wisdom and understand that it doesn't lie in any one "religion" but instead  manifests itself through many different channels. When we learn to tear down the barriers of Religion, Culture and all other separatist beliefs,  and realize that we are One People, One Family ,One Whole, we will begin to change the world. 
 Although there are many books written on the Tao, I recommend reading "Change your thoughts, change your life. Living the wisdom of the Tao" by Dr Wayne Dyer. In his book, Dr Dyer Quotes each Verse followed by a short and to the point interpretation of what the Sage meant to teach us. I think I can safely say that the combined knowledge of the original Sage and Dr Dyer have come together to create a very powerful book.
 It is my wish to see this blog become a reading and meeting place where like and opposing minds can come together and share all of their thoughts. All that I ask is that we remember to be respectful of all opinions and ideas remembering that there are many roads that lead us to the Truth. It is worth mentioning that all the fragmented ideas we bring to the table will do their part in piecing together the Eternal Truth of God
 So with that in mind, I wish you all the Peace, Love and Happiness that is God. Together we can make a difference in this world, for this world.  Namaste.

Humbly, a servant to all,

Erik