How can you stop time? You can stop time by feeling content. The more you strip away your worries and your desires, the slower time seems to move. This could be one of the reasons that time felt as if it moved slowly when we were younger.
Contentment alone is enough
Indeed, the bliss of eternity can be found in your contentment - Tao Te Ching, verse 46
When you get there, the world already seems like a better place. No drugs necessary.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Hidden Greatness
Greatness usually surprises us. If we expected greatness, then it wouldn't be great. On the contrary, things that are popularly known as great don't usually turn out to be so. A lot of what we perceive as great is just an illusion. That's when belief in greatness outweighs the reality of greatness.
Specifics? The hype of Hollywood and news from the mass media. Is it me or is the mass media 99% hype? "Come and watch our show," they say. "It will be great!" And it is not. It's the technique of a poor magician.
If you are great, then there is no need to advertise. The people behind the products don't trust our judgment, so they make it for us. That's the commercial world we live in. How much greatness is contained in our commercial world? Not much.
Most greatness is contained in our spiritual world. But we don't "see" people attracted to it because it doesn't advertise. The opposite of advertisement is discovery. Greatness is found from within. Our heart or soul recognizes greatness, and when it tells the brain, the brain realizes its been duped the whole time in the commercial/material world.
These three lines from Verse 45 of the Tao Te Ching inspired today's posting:
Great truth seems false
Great skill seems clumsy
Great eloquence seems like babble
When greatness seems far from it, the advertisers stay away. Greatness is not about image.
Specifics? The hype of Hollywood and news from the mass media. Is it me or is the mass media 99% hype? "Come and watch our show," they say. "It will be great!" And it is not. It's the technique of a poor magician.
If you are great, then there is no need to advertise. The people behind the products don't trust our judgment, so they make it for us. That's the commercial world we live in. How much greatness is contained in our commercial world? Not much.
Most greatness is contained in our spiritual world. But we don't "see" people attracted to it because it doesn't advertise. The opposite of advertisement is discovery. Greatness is found from within. Our heart or soul recognizes greatness, and when it tells the brain, the brain realizes its been duped the whole time in the commercial/material world.
These three lines from Verse 45 of the Tao Te Ching inspired today's posting:
Great truth seems false
Great skill seems clumsy
Great eloquence seems like babble
When greatness seems far from it, the advertisers stay away. Greatness is not about image.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Great Perfection
The Great Perfection seems imperfect, yet this world it creates is never impaired
The Great Fullness seems empty, yet this world it creates is never lacking
Something that seems imperfect to us may actually be the Great Perfection. Having the perception of a single human being, it is impossible to grasp unity, the All.
Think about a cycle. The universe is full of cycles. If you focus at the center of the cycle, you will see its hollow--emptiness. But if you focus at the edge of the cycle, you will see the stages of the process--fullness, containing no ending.
The Great Fullness seems empty, yet this world it creates is never lacking
Something that seems imperfect to us may actually be the Great Perfection. Having the perception of a single human being, it is impossible to grasp unity, the All.
Think about a cycle. The universe is full of cycles. If you focus at the center of the cycle, you will see its hollow--emptiness. But if you focus at the edge of the cycle, you will see the stages of the process--fullness, containing no ending.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Zen
Taoism + Buddhism = Zen Buddhism.
Evidence of the overlapping philosophy can be found at the end of verse 44 of the Tao Te Ching. What does it say? I'll write right here...
Be content, rest in your own fullness--
You will not suffer from loss
You'll avoid the snare of this world
You'll have long life and endless blessings
Why desire what you don't have? When you realize how much you already have, then your life is fulfilled. I'm not talking about materialist things and stuff. Everything you ever need is always with you. That's why you were born they way you were. But how should I know? You are an anonymous blog reader. Don't freak me out.
Evidence of the overlapping philosophy can be found at the end of verse 44 of the Tao Te Ching. What does it say? I'll write right here...
Be content, rest in your own fullness--
You will not suffer from loss
You'll avoid the snare of this world
You'll have long life and endless blessings
Why desire what you don't have? When you realize how much you already have, then your life is fulfilled. I'm not talking about materialist things and stuff. Everything you ever need is always with you. That's why you were born they way you were. But how should I know? You are an anonymous blog reader. Don't freak me out.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Two Good Lines
In the middle of verse 44 of the Tao Te Ching, it says:
Love is the fruit of sacrifice.
Wealth is the fruit of generosity.
This message reads clear to me.
Love is the fruit of sacrifice.
Wealth is the fruit of generosity.
This message reads clear to me.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Ego and Responsibility
I believe there are two kinds of responsibility. The first is thrust upon us by society--our responsibility in the workplace and our responsibility in the family. The second is the responsibility we create for ourselves--our responsibility to whatever group we seek credit. This second aspect of responsibility is ego-driven. Its only purpose is to impress others, make oneself feel "good," and to pursue power. I believe we do not need this.
Verse 44 of the Tao Te Ching states:
One's own reputation--why the fuss?
One's own wealth--why the concern?
I say, what you gain is more trouble than what you lose
When taking on this second aspect of responsibility, one often neglects relationships and shrugs off some of the first type of responsibility, the kind that keeps humanity together. If one pursues the second type at the expense of the first, one will likely find success, but the price will be isolation.
Verse 44 of the Tao Te Ching states:
One's own reputation--why the fuss?
One's own wealth--why the concern?
I say, what you gain is more trouble than what you lose
When taking on this second aspect of responsibility, one often neglects relationships and shrugs off some of the first type of responsibility, the kind that keeps humanity together. If one pursues the second type at the expense of the first, one will likely find success, but the price will be isolation.
Friday, February 01, 2008
The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth
The title comes from the Torah in Psalms 37:11 and in the Gospel of Matthew 5:5. Verse 43 of the Tao Te Ching is very similar. It states:
The most yielding thing in the world will overcome the most rigid
The most empty thing in the world will overcome the most full
From this comes a lesson--Stillness benefits more than action, Silence benefits more than words
Rare indeed are those who are still
Rare indeed are those who are silent
And so I say, "Rare indeed are those obtain the bounty of this world."
I interpreted this verse as saying that patience wins over everything. All aggression burns out, leaving the passive still there. When one has found Unity or God, there is nothing more to gain. The answer or the solution comes to those who are still and silent.
The most yielding thing in the world will overcome the most rigid
The most empty thing in the world will overcome the most full
From this comes a lesson--Stillness benefits more than action, Silence benefits more than words
Rare indeed are those who are still
Rare indeed are those who are silent
And so I say, "Rare indeed are those obtain the bounty of this world."
I interpreted this verse as saying that patience wins over everything. All aggression burns out, leaving the passive still there. When one has found Unity or God, there is nothing more to gain. The answer or the solution comes to those who are still and silent.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Ego or Non-Ego?
This is about prophetic coincidence. I've had this happen several times, but I am skeptical of it carrying any meaning. The first time I had observed this was in 1992. A year or so earlier, I was writing about a group of pathetic superheros who became real superheros. One of the momentous occasions in their adventures started when Chicago experienced a flood. Then in 1992, Chicago experienced a real flood.
My ego swelled up with guilty pride. I thought I had predicted this awful event. And for a brief time, I believed that I could control the future with the stroke of my pen. Then I reflected that I only successfully predicted the future when I did not think about predicting the future. So I came to this new conclusion--I can only predict the future when I don't think about predicting the future. Silly?
Other less remarkable predictions occurred during the early 90s, but I cannot recall them. I just remember being baffled by the amount. A lot of them had to do with those superhero stories I was writing. I even stopped writing because I was going to build up to a horrendous showdown between good and evil. That showdown was never written. So did I save the world?
The predictions coming true in high school gave was to wishes coming true in college. I blogged about this in my "Still Thirty" blog. By the end of 1997, I was freaked out that everything I ever wanted happened--I got a girlfriend, the Packers won the Superbowl, the Beatles released new music, I actually won something athletically. It seemed that everything I based my identity on as a child became reality. I was happy but also uneasy that the world seemingly revolved around me that year.
Then I began traveling around the world for the next decade--something I always dreamed about as a child. Why was God being so good to me, I asked myself. During this decade of travel, many of my apocalyptic dreams of my angst-ridden teenage years were coming true. I was dead certain that we would be in a war and the United States would lose its high status in the world. I wasn't surprised about the turn of events. However I wished I wasn't so gloomy and doomsdayish back then.
That's when I came to thinking that I wasn't predicting or manipulating reality, I was actually tapping into the collective unconscious, the universal mind. I have never been able to do this consciously and I don't think I ever will, but when I came to this conclusion I felt at ease like the world and the human race won't meet a drastic ending anytime soon. I felt no need to worry about the future state of things.
This realization was similar to my mystical experiences mentioned in an earlier posting. We'll always be around. As I get older, I feel as if reality is becoming more and more like me. Or vice-versa I'm becoming more and more like reality. Am I conforming or is the world following me? This is the ultimate question of ego versus non-ego.
If I were a narcissist, I would believe that I was actually controlling the world or reality through some pseudo-scientific method like psychic powers. I don't believe this.
Through reading and experiencing life, I feel like the world is becoming more and more familiar. It's somewhat similar to saying that I am beginning to recognize God. This feeling makes me not afraid to die because I feel as if the universe is me and I am the universe, which to an extent is true. What is in the macrocosm (the universe) is in the microcosm (the mind/body). This sounds egotistical, but it is the opposite. Everybody contains the universe as the universe contains everybody.
Now I sound a bit crazy, but this craziness is supported by the Tao Te Ching and other esoteric spiritual texts. The purpose of this blog is to illustrate how my thoughts evolved from perceiving the world or reality when coincidences occur. Now I don't need coincidences to occur to make me feel or believe this. I've had so many coincidences in my life that I am certain in my beliefs.
Does this certainty make me old?
My ego swelled up with guilty pride. I thought I had predicted this awful event. And for a brief time, I believed that I could control the future with the stroke of my pen. Then I reflected that I only successfully predicted the future when I did not think about predicting the future. So I came to this new conclusion--I can only predict the future when I don't think about predicting the future. Silly?
Other less remarkable predictions occurred during the early 90s, but I cannot recall them. I just remember being baffled by the amount. A lot of them had to do with those superhero stories I was writing. I even stopped writing because I was going to build up to a horrendous showdown between good and evil. That showdown was never written. So did I save the world?
The predictions coming true in high school gave was to wishes coming true in college. I blogged about this in my "Still Thirty" blog. By the end of 1997, I was freaked out that everything I ever wanted happened--I got a girlfriend, the Packers won the Superbowl, the Beatles released new music, I actually won something athletically. It seemed that everything I based my identity on as a child became reality. I was happy but also uneasy that the world seemingly revolved around me that year.
Then I began traveling around the world for the next decade--something I always dreamed about as a child. Why was God being so good to me, I asked myself. During this decade of travel, many of my apocalyptic dreams of my angst-ridden teenage years were coming true. I was dead certain that we would be in a war and the United States would lose its high status in the world. I wasn't surprised about the turn of events. However I wished I wasn't so gloomy and doomsdayish back then.
That's when I came to thinking that I wasn't predicting or manipulating reality, I was actually tapping into the collective unconscious, the universal mind. I have never been able to do this consciously and I don't think I ever will, but when I came to this conclusion I felt at ease like the world and the human race won't meet a drastic ending anytime soon. I felt no need to worry about the future state of things.
This realization was similar to my mystical experiences mentioned in an earlier posting. We'll always be around. As I get older, I feel as if reality is becoming more and more like me. Or vice-versa I'm becoming more and more like reality. Am I conforming or is the world following me? This is the ultimate question of ego versus non-ego.
If I were a narcissist, I would believe that I was actually controlling the world or reality through some pseudo-scientific method like psychic powers. I don't believe this.
Through reading and experiencing life, I feel like the world is becoming more and more familiar. It's somewhat similar to saying that I am beginning to recognize God. This feeling makes me not afraid to die because I feel as if the universe is me and I am the universe, which to an extent is true. What is in the macrocosm (the universe) is in the microcosm (the mind/body). This sounds egotistical, but it is the opposite. Everybody contains the universe as the universe contains everybody.
Now I sound a bit crazy, but this craziness is supported by the Tao Te Ching and other esoteric spiritual texts. The purpose of this blog is to illustrate how my thoughts evolved from perceiving the world or reality when coincidences occur. Now I don't need coincidences to occur to make me feel or believe this. I've had so many coincidences in my life that I am certain in my beliefs.
Does this certainty make me old?
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Belief-o-matic
Today I took the Belief-o-Matic Test from Beliefnet.com. Although the test isn't entirely scientific and I would like to have had more questions, it came fairly close to what I believe. I'd like to share my results with the you and for my future self.
#1 Unitarian Universalism - Anybody would get this as the #1 score because all answers are acceptable.
#2 Liberal Quakers - Yes, I'm very interested in coming to one of the Friend's Meetings.
#3 Mahayana Buddhism
#4 Theravada Buddhism - I'm surprised both #3 and #4 scored this high as I don't like hierarchy in religion.
#5 Neo-Pagan - Not too surprised here, although I don't like the self-righteousness many "neo-pagans" have.
#6 New Age - The only hippie in me.
#7 Taoism - I expected this to be #1, however I disagree with some tenets of Taoist religion as opposed to Taoist philosophy.
#8 Liberal Christian Protestantism - I was raised this way through puberty.
#9 Jainism - I don't know much about this religion.
#10 New Thought - same as above
#11 Hinduism - Although I'm fond of lists, the caste system and the hierarchy of gods annoys me. Besides that, many Hindu things interest me.
#12 Secular Humanism - I don't mind this title.
#13 Orthodox Quaker - How can I tell if a Meeting I attend is Liberal or Orthodox?
#14 Reform Judaism - I don't know much except that it is in vogue.
#15 Scientology - Oh God, please no!
#16 Christian Science - No matter how I hard I tried, I can only see this as religion an oxymoron.
#17 Baha'i - I wouldn't mind experiencing this religion. I like their temple in Skokie.
#18 Nontheist - Yes, I do believe that God is God and Organized Religion is Satan.
#19 Sikhism - Maybe.
#20 Seventh Day Adventist - I don't drink or smoke, but I can't give up meat.
#21 Orthodox Judaism - That would be strange.
#22 Islam - I'm surprised this scored so low. I'm very interested in Islamic philosophy and especially Sufism.
#23 Conservative Christianity - I was raised this way through childhood. I have had enough of that misery. I've died (from them) and gone to heaven already.
#24 Mormons - No vote for Romney from me. Sorry Mitt.
#25 Eastern Orthodox - I saw it in Russia and felt no compulsion to join.
#26 Roman Catholic - They eat their God! Like a doughnut, He is holy.
#27 Jehovah's Witness - Yes, they are a pesky bunch.
If you would like to take this same test, click here for a link.
Addendum: My wife just took the test and we scored the same for #1, #2, #26, and #27. Other close scores, Mahayana Buddhism scored #3 for me and #4 for her, New Age scored #6 for me and #7 for her. The order was roughly the same all the way through. In this sense, she is my soul mate.
Out of One, Many
Verse 42 starts like this in English:
"Tao gives life to the one
The one gives life to the two
The two give life to the three
The three give life to ten thousand things."
God is all and we are a part of it.
Yet in this world we see ourselves as "ten thousand" people.
The Chinese character/symbol for "ten thousand" also means "many."
Out of all these people, you can divide the human race into two:
"Tao gives life to the one
The one gives life to the two
The two give life to the three
The three give life to ten thousand things."
God is all and we are a part of it.
Yet in this world we see ourselves as "ten thousand" people.
The Chinese character/symbol for "ten thousand" also means "many."
Out of all these people, you can divide the human race into two:
- us and them
- men and women
- dominant and passive
- givers and takers
- etc.
But this dualistic view of the world (liberal/conservative) lacks shape and roundedness. What is lacking is the third element--the element that binds us and unites us. Here are some examples of what binds two apparent opposites:
- love - men and women
- money - buyer and seller
- food - cook and consumer
And when we turn our focus from the opposite to the binding element, we then can find peace.
- 1 Man + 1 Woman = 1 child (3 total people)
- 1 Person + 1 Other Person through Love = all things possible (10,000+)
All this I have interpreted from part of a verse in the middle of the Tao Te Ching. What can you get?
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