Taoism as a Doorway
Laozi is a semi-legendary ancient Chinese philosopher, author of the Tao Te Ching. Semi-legendary as his character is regarded as myth, and his opus as collaboration, similar to the Olympian deity Hermes.Traditional accounts say he was born in the state of Quren Village, Chu in the 6th century BC, which is now Luyi in Henan. Chu, in allegiance to the Zhou Dynasty, was one of the most important of the small states contending for power in China between the mid-8th century BC till its surrender to the Qin dynasty in 223 BC after a desperate struggle for supreme control of China.Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism are considered the “three pillars” of ancient Chinese society. These three philosophies mutually impact one another. shaping the cultural, social, and spiritual aspects of Chinese civilization. Buddhism, after its founding in India, spread to and became popular in China in the first century C.E. Part of the reason Buddhism became popular in China was because of Taoism. Some Buddhist practices are similar to Taoist ones, and Buddhist monks would use Taoist concepts to explain Buddhism to the Chinese, overcoming the cultural and language barrier between the Indian and Chinese people.The oldest text containing quotes from the Tao Te Ching dates to the late 4th century BC, written on bamboo slips that were unearthed in 1993 in the Guodian tombs in Jingmen, Hubei Province and date to the latter half of the Warring States period.The Guodian Chu Slips are significant because they predate the previously known versions of the Tao Te Ching by several centuries, offering a unique glimpse into its interpretation over time. The slips contain fragments of other important philosophical works as well, such as the Book of Changes (I Ching) and the Analects of Confucius. The discovery led to a reevaluation of Chinese philosophy and provided scholars with a wealth of new material to study.The discovery of the Guodian Chu Slips has been mentioned as one of the most important archaeological finds of the 20th century, as it greatly enriched our understanding of ancient Chinese thought and culture.
Laozi’s Life The life of Laozi remains a mystery. The principal source of information about his life is a biography in the Shiji by Sima Qian in the first century BC. Describing Laozi being appointed to the office of
shi at the royal court of the Zhou dynasty.
Shi today means historian, but in ancient China the
shi were scholars specializing in matters of divination and were in charge of sacred books.Legend has it that Confucius and Laozi met, more than once. On one occasion Confucius returned from a visit, he was silent for three days. His disciples questioned him, saying:“When you met Lao-tzu, what advice did you give him?”“Finally,” replied Confucius, “I have set eyes on a Dragon! A Dragon that coils to show off the extent of its body, that sprawls to display the patterns on its scales. A Dragon that rides on the Breath of the Clouds, and feeds on the purest Yin and Yan . My mouth simply fell open in amazement. How could I possibly offer such a Dragon advice?”
Wu wei & Ziran The Tao, often translated as "the Way," is the natural order of the universe.Wuwei is the act of finding the Tao, to be in resonance and movement with the subtle hidden force that flows through all things. Athletes and musicians at the top of their game are excellent at this. You may notice the pattern of any learning curve; finding something difficult at first, then mastering the skill to a degree that it becomes effortless, second nature, subconscious. This is the act of Wuwei. It is also recognised as ‘flowstate’, this resonance is essential to mastery of any subject.
Patience and perseverance are the tools of Wuwei. There is no objective to run towards, rather a state of appreciation for the craft that allows a person to experience effortlessness. The things that excite you feel like play over work, it’s something you willfully continue, and enjoy the process. Finding the Tao is achieved by acting upon your highest excitement.Simplicity is key in the Tao Te Ching. The importance of simple concepts can be clouded within chaos & distraction. Doubt and fear causes many to ignore their own intuition and rely on external wisdom. The Tao teaches that all answers return to one.If wuwei is the method, ziran is the precise frequency to be in resonance with the Tao. Tzu-jan [ziran], translating to "self-SO," actually means tzu-huah, "self-transformation." Implying that the operations of Tao in the universe are internally determined. In other words, using our internal compass to guide our actions, as this world is our creation, instead of determining that worldly forces are controlled externally. To find inner peace is to recognise this world is generated through you, as our toroidal field absorbs and manifests. To fully integrate ziran, is to forgive, remember, trust, and follow yourself, as this world is you, and you alone.
Channels and mediums have a fascinating way of describing the ziran in the human experience, explaining that a soul sees only the reflections of other souls relevant to the lessons they wish to experience on Earth. Living in a hall of mirrors.
“Flow is the doorway to the ‘more’ that most of us seek” - Ned Hallowell
Wuji & Taiji Everyone is familiar with the ubiquitous Taiji symbol: In the west we often refer to it as the Yin/Yang symbol. However, in the east it is known as the Taijitu. It is a visual representation of Taiji – the dualistic Yin and Yang
But what came before?
Before the duality of Yin and Yang, what was there?
The answer is Wuji.
The mother of Taiji – and represented with an empty circle: Emptiness, void, timelessness, stillness, nothingness… according to Taoist thought, this is what exists before and after the Taiji.
A place before and after everything, a true home to return to, a perfect state of non-being before the unbound potential of the Taijitu. Wuji becomes Taiji with movement. There is a moment of stillness before form begins, think of it as the state of Wuji. The movement of our mind, body and breath creates a dance of the polarities from which every principle and technique originates.
On completion of the form, it returns to a state of Wuji, back to the unnameable void. We dance the S curve, the boundary between Yin and Yang – and the 10,000 things (principles/techniques) which descend from these two polarities. In the practice of tai chi, students spend a short time appreciating Wuji – feeling the mind emptying – and allowing movement and the creation of energy to naturally spring from the feeling of calmness.Yin-Yang represents the complementary and interconnected nature of opposing forces in the universe. By understanding and embracing the balance between Yin (passive, dark, and feminine) and Yang (active, bright, and masculine), one can achieve harmony with the Tao.
Polarity
Physics mirrors metaphysics
For every matter there is dark matterLogic is the framework for scienceAnd science is the content of logic
The spectrum of all things bounce between two polesTwo full expressions that mirror and mold each otherKnown in its most simple expression as light and darkAll and nothing
Taiji in third dimensional form is a torus
One becomes two, and back to one againTime is complementary to space, they each have what the other needs for expression
Together they are everywhere at once, this is Wuji, the Zero point field, or simply nothing
When looking for balance, we look to reunite the Piscean fish together to create the torusThe awareness of two states existing at the same time
is the third state
This is an effective way to express ziran
Each individual has their own point of view or opinionWith their own reaction to other people's opinions
One is the conscious observation - logical
Other is the unconscious reaction - emotional
Conscious is the lockUnconscious is the key
Your unconscious emotions are a signal to how your conscious logic is constructed
Asking why you feel someway about a structure is the awareness of two states existing at the same time.
Balance
Privilege is the act of giving and taking
What comes natural to us is ours to give
What we suffer from is ours to take
The divinity in our environment is balance
The garden is plentiful for everyone when we each understand our individual gifts
Only then do we see the geometry that is our true nature
The
current sea, the flow, wuwei, acting on our highest intuitionAll energy is exchange, you
spend time, and
pay attentionGood and evil is an act of balance
Good is in service to others
Bad is in service to self
Or vice versa depending on your worship
It is natural to take what you need for yourself in order to provide for others
Our karma is a game of balance
You can decide to be a force of good, or evil, or stay wandering in the middle
Perspective
Each living being is an expression of
12To unify the collective - is to study the language of emotionMultiple points of view create a web of information
A point of view is one angle of the truth
The
truth is all POVs weaved together- the spider is the architect
Only one can tell you the full truth
What we hear and what we see governs our entire experienceLight fragments through a diamond
So to Re-member is to put the members back together
Samsara re-minds us of the spider’s patternIn-formation
Perspective is
12
The pineal gland vibrates frequency of emotion, a measurable unit
A dodecahedron with 12 faces
12 notes in music
12 tones in color
12 emotional drivers
Sometimes you might think when you look at someone who resembles a person you know, they act the same also
12 different distinguishable hair types, eye types, nose types
There are only 12 expressions on earth
There are only 12 lessons to understand
Jesus had his 12 disciples
A language for efficient emotional communication
When we innerstand the 12 types, we innerstand the full range of expression, which leads us closer to the absolute truth, and simpler geometry, leading to the Tao
Rhythm
When we apply
12 theory, we recognise aspects in others, and look for the tones they wish to communicate within themselves to be more authentic, when you are a reflection of the emotion
they want to embody, it is a opportunity for that person to tune their instrument to your pitch for guidance.
When we walk the path of ignorance, striving to take and bring others to our frequency by force, we are causing chaos and imbalance as we are throwing others off their pitch, this creates one less person who knows their authentic truth, at scale this is mass confusion, mind control.
Our sovereignty is being in tune with our emotions and healing ourselves, once you match your suffering with your awareness, you phase these two polar frequencies (suffering one, awareness the other) and they cancel your pain. Phase cancellation is where two exact opposite frequencies clash, they cancel eachother out, this is symbolized in the Caduceus, with the two snakes oscillating in opposite directions to harmonize with each other and extend forward towards the pineal.
Our negative external beliefs, projected to our environment, have a frequency that is out of tune with our instrument. By acting on your highest excitement with humility, and finding ways to express this without the need for external gratification such as investment or praise, you free the ego to be itself by itself.
Sources
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/chinese-religions-and-philosophies/https://www.britannica.com/place/Chu-ancient-state-China-770-223-BCEhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laozihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guodian_Chu_Slipshttps://www.britannica.com/biography/Laozihttps://www.yogi.press/home/when-confucius-met-lao-tzuhttps://lithub.com/did-lao-tzu-and-confucius-know-each-other/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_Taoism#:~:text=Polarity%20(Taiji)%20%E2%80%95%20the%20basic,(yin%20and%20yang)%20symbol.https://whitecraneonline.com/wuji/https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Wu-weihttps://mindowl.org/wu-wei/https://www.britannica.com/topic/wuwei-Chinese-philosophyhttps://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Ziran#Ziran_in_a_Daoist_Context