Taoism and Lao Tzu
The Tao has never had a name, yet it has brought all things into existence from beginning to end. Remaining undefined and nameless, it embodies the eternal essence of everything under Heaven. It works naturally, flowing through our true nature as the path of the heart and personal experience. Knowing that the Tao itself has no name, yet as virtue it does.
What can only be described as mystical is when reality, measurable by our intellect and senses, exists everywhere in all things. It’s about experiencing reality firsthand. If we depend only on what we can see, we’re left with just a fragment of the bigger picture—one that goes beyond physical evidence or proof.
This leads us to realize that the entire universe is like our own body, a connected harmony shaped from within rather than influenced by outside forces. This idea becomes clearer through the study of Buddhism compared to other sources, leading to what can be called the “body of realization” that refers to the body of teachings and practices that lead to the understanding and realization of the true nature of reality. It encompasses the realization of the four noble truths, the understanding of emptiness, and the attainment of enlightenment.
For now, I’m just noting this as a reference for how others might take the next step, showing how easily one can move from Taoism to Confucianism, then to Buddhism, and back again. Life lived with an awareness of cycles, change, the balance of yin and yang, and the understanding that there are no singulars, only plurals. That everything we touch touches us as well.
There seems to be a seamless connection, aligned with some universal law or cosmic understanding, that they are all simply guides leading to the same destination. It’s about seeing the true harmony of the universe, where everything is free to exist naturally and effortlessly, without interference—like a river of virtue flowing through all things, returning to the Tao.
In Chinese history over thousands of years this phenomenon came to be called shen. Similar names came into being with Indigenous peoples the world over. What we would initially call numinous (meaning a divinity or spirit), came to identify a foundational layer of mystical awareness that lies within human beings… we all have it.
It is how we bridge what is known and unknown with notions of both mind and body that runs through us as something called chi or spirit, that in turn bridges our ideas of energy and matter. Illustrated by what Wang Pi tells us,
“If someone embraces the simple and works without effort and doesn’t burden their true nature with material good or injure their spirit with desires, all things will come to them on their own, and they will discover the Tao for themselves. To discover the Tao, nothing is better than embracing simplicity.”
Following Lao Tzu, we can learn how we view the Tao, or Way, as the ultimate force in the cosmos. It’s a paradox, yet immanent—present naturally in everything, everywhere. It becomes an intuitive principle that’s beyond the reach of any single thing in the universe.
For me, it’s about embracing a kind of positive mysticism that acts as an inner guiding force in every moment of life that connect us to all things found in nature. It blends seamlessly with our thoughts, actions, meditation, and even prayer, sending out vibrations toward what Ralph Waldo Emerson described as transcendence, and even the transcendental.
Verse 32 – The River of Tao runs through me
Going through each chapter of the Tao Te Ching is as if a river is running through me. Cleansing my heart, clearing my head and satisfying my soul. As if I have become nameless and my body non-existent as I become one with the Tao. Living the life as the true sage as the Tao becomes me.
I am forever transformed.
The Way becoming simple and clear as the natural extension of our every action. Focusing on what remains small and beyond command by others except for appearance’s sake. When you expand, however, it is as if you are everywhere. You become both Heaven and Earth combining as one.
Embracing the simple and working without effort, my true nature remains unburdened as material things and desires run through me and dissolve as if they were never really there. Showing the way but leaving others to discover the Tao for themselves.
You appear as if sweet dew leaving no trace. Given a name you become distinct. Showing restraint and finding no trouble your true purpose has run its course.
32. 道之河在我身上流过
阅读道德经的每一个章节，仿佛一条大河在我心中流淌，洗涤我的心，澄清我的头脑，抚慰我的灵魂。与道在一起，我似乎变得无名无姓，身体再也不复存在。道变成了我时，我如同过着真正
圣人的生活。我已经彻底地改变了我自己。
道变得如此简单和清晰，已成为你每一个行动的自然延续。把注意力集中在细节和众人力所不及方面，但不要把心思放在外表上。然而，当你扩展时，你好像无处不在，你成为天和地的合一。
拥抱简朴，劳而不费力。当物欲横流时，我的本性不为所扰，好像它们从来就没有出现过。我替众人引路，但让他们自己去发现道。
你象露水一样不留痕迹。给你一个与众不同的名字，展示你的忍耐力，道路平坦通畅，你的理想已经实现。
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