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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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:

• 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?

I Read the News Today

From The Economic Times at http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Editorials/
You_are_one_with_God/articleshow/2654057.cms

Here is the full text:

Our minds aren’t individually separated entities of the universe. They’re all one. They’re the same. Our minds are interlinked and directly affect each other. This is collective consciousness.

If we catch a cold from someone, we may suffer physically for a few days and we may eventually get over it. But when we catch thoughts from people, we suffer mentally forever. Not just once, but forever. Similarly, our thoughts affect people around us. Our thoughts affect not only those touched by it, but every living thing on our planet.

This connection doesn’t end at the mental level. A deeper connection exists at the deeper levels of consciousness. We can perceive these as energy layers of our body. There are seven energy layers: physical, pranic, mental, subtle, causal, cosmic, and nirvanic.

We all seem different entities, with many differences, at the physical level. We, God and master are physically removed from each other at this level. There is a great deal of distance at the physical level. When we love someone intimately at physical level, his or her love and suffering affects us. We don’t want to suffer but we cannot escape from it. We suffer again and again, whether it’s a physical pain or mental suffering or spiritual bondage. It comes and goes out of your being.

We suffer because we aren’t aware that we’re a part of the collective consciousness. Until we become aware and realise that we are a part of collective consciousness, we think that we’ve an individual identity, a separate ego. In the deeper levels, we don’t have an individual entity; we are a part of collective consciousness.

Let us dive a little deeper, move from the physical level and enter into the next level, the pranic level. The distance is somewhat reduced. Travel farther down, dive deeper to the subtle level the distance between us and master get further reduced. This in turn reduces the distance between us, God and master. The distance between God, master, and us constantly shrinks as we enter into deeper energy layers.

Our journey ends at the nirvanic level where there is no distance between God, master, and us. We are all one. We reach the centre of the universal energy.

Yes, it is very difficult for the intellect to believe or accept it. Your mind will resist it. But, this is the truth. You are God and you become aware of it as you ascend the energy layers.

My Mystical Experience

It occurred in October of 2004. I was sitting on the floor of our home in Seoul, Korea and putting together a reflective play list of music. With only four songs into this play list, I was overtaken by a certain thought and a certain a mood. I got a certain glimpse into life after death--I no longer feared it. I understood for that moment that life is infinite.

I have had these thoughts before, but this feeling was exceptionally strong. And this was the first time I ever heard a voice telling me to write it down this time. This brought me closer to understanding Mohammed and his calling to write the Qur'an. But I wasn't thinking about Islam or any other religion, I was enjoying this peaceful ride of thought. It's something I always look back to and cherish that it is within me.

For about 90 minutes, my hand was writing non-stop the thoughts that were pouring out of my head. The writing stopped when my usual everyday awareness and logic overtook the quiet peaceful glimpse into whatever it was. When I had these experiences before, it was my logic that would always silence this mystic experience. I learned to suspend my skeptical logic and let the idea flow. 90 minutes was the longest I was able to do this--and I now I have a written record of it.

With this information, I sought out the religion that most closely resembled that stream of consciousness. I briefly researched world religions and came upon Taoism. For the next couple of years, I read Taoist texts and found that they expressed what I experienced better than my own writing.

It wasn't until recently that I realized that my experience was a mystical one, not just focused on Taoism. But I believe it would be too pompous to declare myself a mystic. For one, I'm not completely leading the life of my experience. I'm enjoying my current life and am afraid to abandon it for mysticism. So I hold on to both mysticism and nihilism to keep me who I am today. Once I let go of one, I will be a changed man.

Not yet ready for a change of that sort.

What ever happened to that play list?
I've made it into a CD, but it never recreated the mystical experience. It helps me reflect on that experience though.

And I'm Back...and who cares?

Did you ever notice how many "I"s are in nihilism? You probably did.
Did you ever think about that means? If you are a nihilist, you probably did and came to the conclusion that it meant nothing. You would be right.

Then again...you might be wrong. There are 3 letter "I"s in nihilism. And they stand for the ego of the nihilist, which also has 3 "i"s--no coincidence. This analysis alone would annoy the nihilist. There is no meaning in anything, and that includes the words nihilism and nihilist.

Where am I going? I'm diving into the word but not the world of nihilism. It takes a lot of ego to assert that there is no meaning. The nihilist points out how there is no meaning in meaningful events like Christmas. They point out the economic need for this holiday superceding the religious need. Anyway, there is no God, the nihilists point out.

What an ego a nihilist must have to remove the smiles from the believers. Behind the smiles is hope and behind that hope is confidence and the will to live. The educated nihilist has the necessary weapons to remove the soul from the lesser educated believers. Do the nihilists get a kick out of this? I think some of them do. And that gives meaning to their lives--the paradox.

Is it right for the nihilist to find meaning in his or her life? Or am I confusing goals with meaning? A linguistic trap. Do our goals give us meaning? I believe so. So I challenge the nihilists to remove all goals from their lives--and then they can live their nihilistic lives to the fullest.

No, the nihilist must not succumb to the goals of others because that makes their goals to serve someone--like their bosses or their parents or their teachers. Anarchy for no reason with no goal. Is that possible? I say no.

I don't believe in the pure nihilist. As long as there is ego, there is a goal, and there is meaning. Something drives the nihilist, and it can be found in the ego. Maybe it is the ego.

Halftime

I have written and discussed half of the verses from the Tao Te Ching and will take an extensive break from it as I am about to embark on some drastic life changes. I will resume with the second half of the Tao Te Ching as soon as I am settled and have as much free time as I did before. For the time being, hold on. It will return.

Verse Forty-one

When the best seeker hears of Tao, he strives with great effort to know it. When an average seeker hears of Tao, he thinks of it now and again. When the poorest seeker hears of Tao, he laughs out loud.

- Unity interests those who are especially seeking universal truth.
- If one is not interested in truth, then the message is silly.

Application: This reminds me of the Sufi saying, "Teach to those according to their understanding." We shouldn't talk about Taoism or Sufism to those who don't want to hear it. I find myself a seeker these days, so I approach both ways of life with an open mind. I have found extraordinary similarities between the two. The same goes for Quakerism which I have recently come across.

Tao is always becoming what we have need for it to become. If it could not do this, it would not be Tao.

- Unity obeys the needs of all
- If unity obeyed only individuals, then it would not function.

Application: Tao has become what I have need for it to become. The flexibility of the philosophy is what appeals to me. Rigidity in religion is either short-lived or doesn't apply to all people, and that's why most popular religions do no appeal to me.

There is an old saying, the clear way seems clouded, the straight way seems crooked, the sure way seems unsteady.

- Things are not always what they appear.
- If fact, they can appear as their opposite.

Application: This could be interpreted as "beware of false prophets," in which the loudest preachers seem right whereas the quiet ones do not. Usually the forceful or hypnotic prophet is only interest in self-promotion rather than global illumination. The right message always come from a person who is passive and flexible like the Tao itself.

The greatest power seems weak. The purest white seems tainted. The abundant seems empty. The stable seems shaky. The certain seems false. The Great Square has no corners. The Great Vessel is never filled.

A beginner may be clumsy, but after practice--what talent! A large drum may sit silently, but when banged--what noise! Tao lies hidden, yet alone it is the glorious light of this world.

- When one grasps the Tao, then its purpose and function is revealed.
- When one cannot grasp it, it lies hidden and dormant.

Application: I believe I have found the Tao in open-minded meditation, where I found myself understanding everyone including my enemies, and that brought upon love for them. That reminded my of Jesus saying, "Love your enemies." It was then when I totally realized what he meant. The thing is I cannot reveal the Tao to others because it is hidden and is only found through personal insight. Know thyself in order to love your enemies.

Verse Forty

The movement of Tao is to return. The way of Tao is to yield.

- The process of unity is cyclical.
- Even though the cycle is passive, it never stops.

Application: I believe in the cyclical process of nature. I don't believe in the linear concept of life from birth to death. I have seen cycles in everything from good times to hard times. Life is not over when we die, is what I'm getting at. But "heaven" isn't permanent either. There is no permanence except Tao or unity or God or the universe or whatever you'd like to call It.

Heaven, Earth, and all things are born of the existent world. The existent world is born of the nothingness of Tao.

- Individuals are born into the known world
- The known world comes from the unknown and hidden unity

Application: I am beginning to believe that the "stuff" of God is in the emptiness and hidden. God is in silence, the space between objects, the love between relationships, the emptiness of outer space, etc. All that "stuff" is permanent as opposed to the noise, the objects, the relationships, and the physical contents of the universe. This is becoming my worldview.

Is it dada?

Admission!

This dinosaur of a champion has a time-honored bone eater to replace his can. Every fifth invention receives bigger bonuses due to the inflation we see fit to grow faster and quicker. Roses have grown in your honor and we know why. It’s how the runners stop in time to feed the grass. Right now, someone can hear another one chopping an onion. Chop! Chop! It doesn’t take much to imagine someone’s eyes watering from the seething edges of a freshly cut onion. I myself prefer the leek, that underrated vegetable growing so nearby.

I had asked for your attention prior, but apparently you had lent it to a flea-bitten mutt. Dogs have too much of everyone’s attention anyway. I find them disturbing my peaceful sleep and dirtying my neighbor’s lawn. Your attention had been asked by me for reasons unknown to you and most of the royal court. Now it is time for me to uncover that reason in a poem.

Slither, slither, a snail in a snake
Just how long to the tail will it take?

Yes, misters. I’ve witnessed a snake devour a whole snail, but this was no ordinary situation. You see, I wasn’t in my garden or any garden FOR THAT MATTER. The snake had somehow acquired bipedal locomotion (don’t ask me how) and went into a French Restaurant. That bizarre scene caused me too to become a connoisseur of that very restaurant. The snake orders a plate of snail…one snail…just one snail. And I must add that the gastropod was still living and breathing when the snake gormandized it. The Gormandized Gastropod: oh, how I say what a riot it was. Just then I started worrying about the poor snail and how he would meet his end.

Thank for your persnicketiness! And watch out for the wicked for they shall pick at your bones.


Artlessly,

Margrave Rachel Sedgewick

Verse Thirty-nine

From ancient times till now, the One has been the source of all attainments. By realizing the One, Heaven becomes clear, Earth becomes still, spirits gain power, and hearts fill up with joy. By realizing the One, kings and lords become instruments of peace and all creatures live joyfully upon this earth. Without the One, Heaven has no clarity and would crack, Earth has no peace and would crumble, spirits have no power and would lose their charm. Without the One, hearts would dry up, empires would fall, all things would go lifelessly upon this Earth.

- Unity is the source of life.
- When one embraces unity, the power of life rushes in and a sense of peace prevails
- When one denies unity, he is at odds with the perceived world

Application: With all this chaos around the world, it is easy to perceive who has not realized the One. If you do not realizing the One, your goals are selfish and only lead to suffering. I can see this in myself when my goals are selfish. We just have to learn to relax.

Long ago kings and lords called themselves "orphaned," "lonely," and "unworthy." What honor can there be without humility? What heights can be reached without being low?

- A humble position delivers an honorable position.
- When down, the goal is up.
- When up, there is no believable progress.

Application: This is why certain people and institutions gain no respect--they are lacking in humility. I notice this in myself when I'm feeling on top of the world, that people don't like it when I tell them all of my good news without humility. Why do you need support when you have everything else you need? When this happens, the support is taken out from under and how quickly the mighty have fallen. This applies to a personal as well as a national level.

The pieces of a chariot are useless unless they work in accordance with the whole. A man's life brings nothing unless he lives in accordance with the whole universe. Playing one's part in accordance with the universe is true humility.

- To find one's purpose in life, one needs a universal perspective
- A self-serving life yields no rewards

Application: When I finally realized the Tao through contemplation, I gave up my old childhood dreams of becoming famous. I don't care to be famous or materially wealthy. If I do what is in accordance with nature, I will inherit the wealth of the universe. It feels great not to strive for such selfish dreams as fame and fortune.

So whether you're a gem in the royal court or a stone on the common path, if you accept your part with humility, the glory of the universe will be yours.

- Once you've found your calling, happiness is yours.
- No matter your path, it serves another person.

Application: This has caused me to step back from politics. My calling is not to agitate or stir up people for socialist reasons. I believe nature will take care of us more than people can. The less interference from human authority the better. Nature and people won't stand for it. If you don't believe this now, you will soon enough.

Verse Thirty-eight

To give without seeking reward, to help without thinking it is virtuous--therein lies great virtue. To keep account of your actions, to help with the hope of gaining merit--therein lies no virtue.

- Do things for the present, not for the future
- Always give and help when you can without thought of reward or disadvantage

Application: This is tremendously difficult for me at times. Sometimes I can do while others I cannot. It's a mood thing. Somedays I feel more helpful than others. I need to find out how to stay in that helpful mood. Another is helping "takers," people who never or rarely give in return. Nature has a way of always giving in return, I must remind myself. It may not be directly from the "takers." Then there's that argument that I'm being taken advantage of. Where did that argument originate? Is it cultural?

The highest virtue is to act without a sense of self. The highest kindness is to give without condition. The highest justice is to see without preferences.

- Lack of labeling other individuals is virtuous
- Seeing all as on helps to benefit all

Application: Here's the solution to my problem. I'm being selfish when not wanting to help or expecting something in return. I am just part of the whole scheme of things. Helping is always more important than what I am doing unless it's helping another person in greater need. I can do this when I'm employed, but I need to do it more often when I'm working. I have to change my perception of "not working." I'm obligated to help at work under contract. But I'm also obligated to help in life under nature. There are rewards for both.

When Tao is lost, one must learn the rules of virtue. When virtue is lost, the rules of kindness. When kindness is lost, the rules of justice. When justice is lost, the rules of conduct. And when the high-blown rules of conduct are not followed, people are seized by the arm and it is forced on them. The rules of conduct are just an outer show of devotion and loyalty--quite confusing to the heart. And when men rely on these rules for guidance--Oh, what ignorance abounds!

- Rules are for those without Tao, a sense of virtue, kindness, and justice.
- Blindly following rules does not make one virtuous, kind, or just.
- Rules attempt to force individuals as one
- External motivation towards unity is fruitless

Application: Doing the right thing according to nature is something that is found within. The wisest and most virtuous person is internally motivated to do good. Most people can distinguish good laws from bad laws, but we must follow them both. But when are faced with a conflict of breaking the law to do something good or obeying the law to allow something bad, then we must define "good" and "bad." For me, doing something good is doing something selfless and doing something bad is doing something selfish. The more people that benefit from my actions the greater the deed and the more people that lose from my actions the worse the deed. I feel as if I could go on forever, but I prefer to do in person as a debate or argument.

The great master follows his own nature and not the trappings of life. It is said, "He stays with the fruit and not the fluff. He stays with the firm and not the flimsy. He stays with the true and not the false."

- Following nature of unity is superior to following the rules of people
- Harmony is found when they do not conflict

Application: Purposely breaking the rules of people causes more problems than solutions. I'm not one who often breaks rules, but I would if the rules conflicted with my own morality. To give details would require me to give political examples, but I will refrain as this is a more spiritual platform. A book that I'm currently reading that does a good job describing this matter is Leo Tolstoy's The Kingdom of God is Within You. That book falls in line with the Tao in many ways.

Lady's Angelic Men

Berthold Dalyrimple, a stockholder in several of the world’s leading fish markets.

Gordon Trask, inventor of superpolymer 171 and mountain bicycle race champion of the world in 1991 and 1996.

Ernest Hennington, all around relaxed man who happened to save 7 POWs from Vietnamese and Lebanese prison camps in the early 1980s.

These are the 3 men “Lady” has deemed “Angelic,” but only one of these titled men may share a bed with “Lady.” We now urge you citizens of New England and the North Atlantic region of the United States to assist her in such a matrimonial decision.

Please fill out the following (brief) form:
I, _____________, from _________, __ have decided that Angelic Man, _________, is the right man to lay down with “Lady” because of the following 3 small reasons. 1)__________, 2)___________, 3)_________
And one more lengthy reason with a minimum word count of 250. (attach the pages).
I have made the decisions rightly because my background is a highly reputable one.
For example, I go to church __ times a month.
In my prayers, I included such people in my prayers.
1)____________
2)____________
3)____________
4)____________ and other people close to my heart.
Of all the human virtues, I consider the top two attributes to be the most enduring:
1)_______________ & 2)________________
___% of my income is put towards charity per ___day(s)
Besides God, Jesus Christ, and all the Saints, I find the following historical figures to be the most upright in our world’s history: 1)_____________, 2)_____________
3)_______________, 4)_____________
My most treasured material possession in my house is __________ because _________________________.

Verse Thirty-seven

Tao does not act yet it is the root of all action. Tao does not move yet it is the source of all creation.

- All individuals emerge from unity
- All perceptions emerge from the hidden

Application: Here Tao sounds like God. Instead of an active God who judges, rewards, and punishes, he is a passive God. I have adopted this viewpoint of God as one who is the source but not necessarily the controller. So I believe in free will.

If princes and kings could hold it, everyone under them would naturally turn within. Should a doubt or old desire rise up, the Nameless Simplicity would push it down. The Nameless Simplicity frees the heart of desire and reveals its inner silence.

- When the powerful grasp the truth, they lose their power
- One goal of unity is to remove desire from the individual

Application: Here I noticed the mutual exclusivity of truth and worldly power. As the Bible states, the truth will set you free. Most individuals prefer a quest of power than a quest of truth, and that is unfortunate. I think there is a time in everyone's life in which he or she sees the two paths--truth or power--and can foresee the results of both. Worldly power brings worldly glory and that seems much more appealing than truth which brings peace. I'd like to be on the path of truth and I hope my line of work is in harmony with it.

When there is silence one finds peace. When there is silence one finds the anchor of the universe within himself.

- The cessation of perceptions brings one to unity
- Without perception, one perceives unity
- When the individual no longer sees the external, he sees the internal

Application: I am currently reading some Quaker literature, and there is a strong likeness between this part of verse 37 and Quaker ideology. This is evidence that one can be both Christian and Taoist. So one does not need to veer away from Christ to grasp Taoism. My discovery of Quakerism was a pleasant one.

Verse Thirty-six

Contraction pulls at that which extends too far. Weakness pulls at that which strengthens too much. Ruin pulls at that which rises too high. Loss pulls at that which you fill it with too much stuff.

- What goes up must come down.
- Moderation is better than excess.
- Too much of anything is never good.

Application: For some things, I am good at practicing moderation. But for others, I go to extremes like worrying about work or only drinking water. I believe I should avoid addictive things because they only lead you to extreme consumption. With everything else I should practice moderation. This leads me to question if anxiety is addictive.

The lesson here is called "The wisdom of obscurity" -- the gentle outlast the strong, the obscure outlast the obvious. Hence, a fish that ventures from deep water is soon snagged by a net. A country that reveals its strength is soon conquered by an enemy.

- Aggressive individuals burn out faster.
- Those that do not attract attention last longer.
- To live long requires quiet passivity.

Application: I do not have a desire to live long nor do I desire to live short. In many situations, I try to remain passive or obscure. But I am in a career that demands attention from students and peers. I have to find a balance in which I do not seek attention but can remain respected with passive authority. Hmm...

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Question: What is an example of a proper noun?
Answer: The name of the beverage Royal Crown.

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The False Rhymes...
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What's the cola with the fizziest sound?
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You finished off her last Royal Crown.