Looking for Taoist wisdom on Commitment of Journey

[Everything]

Any Taoist quote that speaks specificly about "Commitment of Journey" as in doing things that has to be done. How to go about putting an effort into it. How to complete the thing you have to do without going astray, wandering off the path. How to focus your intention and not forget it. Anything in that direction...

 

I've been trying to look for my self(and will continue to look more), but if anyone already found/know an interesting Taoist quote/text/chapter on this subject its very much appreciated if you could share it.

 

Looking forward to replies

Thanks in advance

[zanshin]

I was going to give you a quote from the Hua Hu Ching, but then thought the whole thing might seem helpful to you (it's online and not that long).

 

http://www.abuddhistlibrary.com/Buddhism/H%20-%20World%20Religions%20and%20Poetry/World%20Religions/Taoism/Articles%20and%20Texts/The%20Hua%20Hu%20Ching/Hua%20Hu%20Ching.htm

 

I know the link says Buddhist library, but it's Taoist, actually I think it was possibly a response to Buddhism.

[Bubbles]

Hi,

 

You can read Chuang-tzu (text found here :My link)

 

1.Section 3: Lord Wen hui is meeting the cook Ting and is admiring of his technique and mastery in cutting an ox.

 

Here it is about how our body is far beyond our common thinking when it comes to intelligence and efficiency in getting things done properly.

 

2. Some quotes about the different levels in our functioning. To be at our best, we should follow a specific way of functioning that breaks off with intentionality, will power (inferior way) because it is a faulty way. We should enter the superior way (Heaven's way) by oblivion of our intentional driven self:

 

From section 18: "When a drunken man falls from a carriage, though the carriage may be going very fast, he won't be killed. He has bones and joints the same as other men, and yet he is not injured as they would be, because his spirit is whole. He didn't know he was riding, and he doesn't know he has fallen out. Life and death, alarm and terror do not enter his breast, and so he can bang against things without fear of injury. If he can keep himself whole like this by means of wine, how much more can he keep himself whole by means of Heaven! The sage hides himself in Heaven - hence there is nothing that can do him harm.

 

From section 17, but one can ponder over the whole section !:"Hence it is said: the Heavenly is on the inside, the human is on the outside. Virtue resides in the Heavenly. Understand the actions of Heaven and man, base yourself upon Heaven, take vour stand in virtue , and then, although you hasten or hold back, bend or stretch, you may return to the essential and speak of the ultimate."

 

"What do you mean by the Heavenly and the human?"

 

Jo of the North Sea said, "Horses and oxen have four feet - this is what I mean by the Heavenly. Putting a halter on the horse's head, piercing the ox's nose - this is what I mean by the human. So I say: do not let what is human wipe out what is Heavenly; do not let what is purposeful wipe out what is fated; do not let [the desire for] gain lead you after fame. Be cautious, guard it, and do not lose it - this is what I mean by returning to the True."

 

The whole Tchuang-tzu is worth reading.

It sheds a different light on your question which is about focusing etc.. but don't be fooled by the names. If it is disturbing, some buddhist texts might help more.

The whole idea is to do nothing and not to let things undone.

 

Hope it helps a bit though

[Dainin]

[thelerner]

 

Another place to look is Dainin's journal in the Personal section. Its not what he's written, but the record and measure of what he does and its consistency that is so inspiring.

 

If we could be like him, we'd all be much further along.

[Marblehead]

Hi Everything,

 

I thought I would add one for you:

 

From Burton Watson's translation, Chapter 12:

 

The Master said: The Way covers and bears up the ten thousand things - vast, vast is its greatness! The gentleman must pluck out his mind! To act through inaction is called Heaven. To speak through inaction is called Virtue. To love men and bring profit to things is called benevolence. To make the unlike alike is called magnitude. To move beyond barrier and distinction is called liberality. To possess the ten thousand unlikes is called wealth. To hold fast to Virtue is called enrootment. To mature in Virtue is called establishment. To follow the Way is called completion. To see that external things do not blunt the will is called perfection. When the gentleman clearly comprehends these ten things, then how huge will be the greatness of his mind setting forth, how endless his ramblings with the ten thousand things!

[Everything]

Wow... This quote seems interesting, bubbles!

"Horses and oxen have four feet - this is what I mean by the Heavenly. Putting a halter on the horse's head, piercing the ox's nose - this is what I mean by the human. So I say: do not let what is human wipe out what is Heavenly; do not let what is purposeful wipe out what is fated; do not let [the desire for] gain lead you after fame. Be cautious, guard it, and do not lose it - this is what I mean by returning to the True."

 

It means that the Heavenly and fates is how we are ment to function and not how things "should" be. We should just follow the Way and not go against the flow by becoming aware of your natural ways? Or is it trying to something else

 

Another thing that caught my attention was that the the drunken man didn't know he was falling, yet he was falling. He made no judgement about it so he just went trough it with his authentic self, not limited by the minds chatter. So we should be aligned with our emotions and not intellect, right? When you don't want to do something, no matter how much intellect you use to persuade yourself to do it, it doesn't seem to work.

 

@Marblehead

Is your text also similar in what it advocates? Inaction also implies to follow the Way to accomplish things, beyond intellectual words, right? The natural self.

[RiverSnake]

"The Great Way is not difficult

for those who have no preferences.

When love and hate are both absent

everything becomes clear and undisguised.

Make the smallest distinction, however,

and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart.

If you wish to see the truth

then hold no opinions for or against anything.

To set up what you like against what you dislike

is the disease of the mind.

When the deep meaning of things is not understood

the mind's essential peace is disturbed to no avail."

[Marblehead]

 

@Marblehead

Is your text also similar in what it advocates? Inaction also implies to follow the Way to accomplish things, beyond intellectual words, right? The natural self.

 

Indeed, Yes. However, ...

 

Remember that we live in the real world. We need to support ourself somehow unless we are a spoiled, rich kid. Oftentimes we must do things that go against how we would like to live our life. Suck it in!

 

But yes, it would be ideal if we could live based soley on our intuititon. I am fully retired and I can't even do that because in real life things need be attended to.

 

And I can tell you this, the more we can live our life according to our "natural self" the more at peace we will be with our inner essence. I get little spurs of it now and again. Nice feeling.

[Everything]

Indeed, Yes. However, ...

 

Remember that we live in the real world. We need to support ourself somehow unless we are a spoiled, rich kid. Oftentimes we must do things that go against how we would like to live our life. Suck it in!

 

But yes, it would be ideal if we could live based soley on our intuititon. I am fully retired and I can't even do that because in real life things need be attended to.

 

And I can tell you this, the more we can live our life according to our "natural self" the more at peace we will be with our inner essence. I get little spurs of it now and again. Nice feeling.

Hmm, I came here to receive a wisdom that would allow me to against my intuition and instead I received wisdom that advocates to not go against my intuition.

 

I think our perception should be aligned with a way of life that is most harmonious at any given moment in that environment. When our perception is set up correctly, we should be able to live naturally and effortlessly. The thing we "have to do" should become the thing we "want to do" as long as the thing we do does not cause disequilibrium. When that happens, it should become the thing "have to do" again.

 

However, there is this question I have of how the environment treats me versus how I treat the environment. It requires a very expanded mind to actually recognize what causes harmony and what disrupts it at any given time and place.

Edited October 27, 2011 by Everything

[Marblehead]

Hmm, I came here to receive a wisdom that would allow me to against my intuition and instead I received wisdom that advocates to not go against my intuition.

 

Hehehe. I never promised you I would always tell you what you wanted to hear.

 

However, there is this question I have of how the environment treats me versus how I treat the environment. It requires a very expanded mind to actually recognize what causes harmony and what disrupts it at any given time and place.

 

That is such a broad-ranging subject I can't even respond to it.

[Everything]

Hehehe. I never promised you I would always tell you what you wanted to hear.

 

 

 

That is such a broad-ranging subject I can't even respond to it.

Hmm, how about more specific.

 

How about me being afraid of spiders. People try to pursuade me with words that spiders are not scary/ugly/dangerous. Not even physical evidence will persuade me. Why? Because the intellectual idea of "spider" is attached to the "scary" emotions. In reality such a believe structure might be allot more complex though.

 

So trying to against my intuition, I try to cut the leaves of my believe structure, "spiders". These leaves keep returning. So I should cut the roots of my believe structure, "ugliness".

 

Then when my mind is blank, it is ready to form a more useful believe structure. I start to look at spiders another way. I witness their fear, when I touch them. I admire their patience, when waiting days in end in cold and stormy weathers. I admire their skill, in building a web so big and with beautiful geometrical shapes.

 

We can eventually turn our perception around so that we don't have to go against our intuition, right?

Edited October 27, 2011 by Everything

[Protector]

If you're bothered by being afraid of spiders, (metaphorically) stab yourself in the leg

[Everything]

If you're bothered by being afraid of spiders, (metaphorically) stab yourself in the leg

(metapohorically) that hurt so much, that I am now for ever afraid to follow another one of your instructions.

[Protector]

The brain is wired in a way that when you have a smaller pain and you stab yourself in a leg, the pain in your leg takes priority and the smaller pain is not felt.

 

The heart chakra is the chakra of emotions and goals.

It is most active and spiny after you are content with yourself, your friends and your wealth(1st three chakras).

How it works in the physical world is, when people strive for wealth power and mucho seks with da ladiez, it gets very hard and sometimes you get none of that(because of the resistance the intention makes). What you need to do to shoot right through these chakras and get to your goal with help of... *drum-roll* passion. Your passion is your goal and if you find it and work hard for it, you will get the money and womenz on your way to the goal. Like, make music and become a rock star, ladiez and drugs will just appear automatically.

Passion makes everything better, the problem is finding your passion...

 

Finding your passion is explained in the next episode

To be continued...

[Marblehead]

How about me being afraid of spiders.

 

Strange you mentioned spiders because that was the hardest fear for me to shake. For so many years I had a dreadful fear of spiders and never felt bad about killing them.

 

I was finally able to convince myself of the important role they play in the environment. They eat zillions of insects that would otherwise be pestering us.

 

Yes, it is all a matter of our mindset. The intuition you spoke of was probably something that was ingrained in your mind because of an expereince you once had with a spider. I know that that was the cause of mine.

 

Yes, we can condition our mind in order to make changes in our lifestyle. It takes time and it is hard work but it can be done.

[Protector]

 

but spiders are so kayut

[Everything]

 

but spiders are so kayut

Haha

[Everything]

"The Great Way is not difficult

for those who have no preferences.

When love and hate are both absent

everything becomes clear and undisguised.

Make the smallest distinction, however,

and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart.

If you wish to see the truth

then hold no opinions for or against anything.

To set up what you like against what you dislike

is the disease of the mind.

When the deep meaning of things is not understood

the mind's essential peace is disturbed to no avail."

No preferences, no believes, no identity, no ego. They're all the same to me.

 

How do you go about having no ego? The Great Way is not difficult for those who have no ego. How difficult is the Great Way for those who have preferences? What exactly are the difficulties and how to go trough them?

[manitou]

One time I read in a newspaper a column by Marilyn Savant, who was asked "What is the best way to get to know yourself?" Her answer was "Go alone to a country whose language you don't speak and try to get along." What an incredibly wonderful idea! One would have to depend entirely on one's own resources, almost like a survival sort of thing.

 

My suggestion to anyone seeking inner clarity would be to start with today. At night, look back over the day and see EXACTLY WHAT PART YOU PLAYED IN EVERYTHING. Arguments, spats, anything. Then zoom up and out of yourself, if you're capable, and see yourself for what you really are, but without a self-pitying emotion. Some call this the Christ-consciousness. The easiest way is to assume that you possess every single character foible in the world; then it just becomes a question of to what degree. No emotion is involved when the Christ-consciousness is obtained. When you discover that within yourself that clouds your inner lens, then act to the opposite. If there's someone that you hate, find a way to love them; even if it's only in your own mind.

 

The consciousness we seek is one in which we have the choice to see things either with emotion or without emotion, as it says in the TTC. Transcendence brings otherwise hidden things into view, which can then be dealt with by going into the dynamic back to childhood, usually, and effecting the change.

[Everything]

One time I read in a newspaper a column by Marilyn Savant, who was asked "What is the best way to get to know yourself?" Her answer was "Go alone to a country whose language you don't speak and try to get along."

Cool, thanks. I totally forgot that.

 

I did also go to another country who's language I speak very badly. Yet I was able to communicate much more effectively there. With my body, emotions, etc. I had a blast of a time and got allong very well with people. Without thinking about the words and thoughts, I was in tune with my deep self and roots, then whatever I felt I just plucked some familiar words from my limited vocabulary and it made sense to them because they were also forced to look beyond the words. I challenged them also, because of my inability to communicate intellectually.

 

The egoless must be our consciousness that is not possible to describe, constant, unchanging. It fills our body with so much energy and joy whenever we need it to. Whats the point in writing about it

 

To answer my own question. The dificulty is as follows:

To forgive yourself

To let go

To remove doubt of god being everywhere

See god

 

We might need some improvement on those instructions, hehe.

Edited October 27, 2011 by Everything