To be diagnosed with an autoimmune disease is a devastating experience. You begin to ask many questions, such as "why me?" Worse, your stress level elevates when the doctor tells you that there are no known cures. Worst, during the prognosis of your disease, your feel frustrated when the medications cannot eradicate some of the symptoms.
But for any disease to heal, a positive mindset is critical. Clarity of thinking helps you see all the treatment options available and take the appropriate actions.
But for any disease to heal, a positive mindset is critical. Clarity of thinking helps you see all the treatment options available and take the appropriate actions.
Tao wisdom is based on "Tao Te Ching," which is an ancient classic from China. The book was written thousands of years ago by Lao Tzu, a sage with all white hair (a sign of wisdom). According to the legend, the great philosopher was forced to put down his profound wisdom in writing before he was permitted to leave China for Tibet. Reluctantly, Lao Tzu concisely and succinctly expressed his unique wisdom in eighty-one short chapters with only five thousand words all told. As a testament to the significance and timelessness of his eternal wisdom, "Tao Te Ching" has been translated into many languages; as a matter of fact, this ancient classic has become one of the most translated works of world literature.
What
has made Lao Tzu's "Tao Te Ching" so unique and popular?
First
and foremost, the language is extremely simple and easy to read. His ideas are
intriguing and thought-provoking, and capable of many different intrepretations.
His wisdom is not only timeless but also universally applicable.
Despite
the simplicity and conciseness of the language, many people find it difficult
to understand Tao wisdom expressed in the short text; especially, it seems to
have so many different interpretations of the text. Actually, understanding
Taoism is not that difficult; all it requires is an empty mind. In other words,
we must first empty our minds of any pre-conceived conventional thinking before we can fully
and truly intuit its profound wisdom. Just be prepared to expect the
unexpected.
Here
is a summary of Tao wisdom in living.
"Tao"
means "the way" to wisdom-or "the way" to achieving just
about anything in life. As opposed to conventional wisdom, the wisdom of Tao is
exclusive and subjective. In other words, "the way" is unique to each
individual -- something like "one man's meat is another man's poison."
That is to say, each individual has to discover or look within the self to find
out what "the way" may look like, unlike conventional wisdom that
provides a blueprint for many, if not for everybody. For this reason, wisdom
cannot be acquired through knowledge, which is merely an accumulation of
know-how from experts, let alone be taught or guided. Wisdom has to be
self-intuited, assimilated, and internalized by an individual based on that individual's
unique life experience.
The
key to intuiting and attaining the wisdom presented by Lao Tzu is abandoning or letting go the
ego-self.
Unlike
conventional wisdom, which puts much emphasis on "self," such as
"self-esteem" and "self-confidence," Tao suggests quite the
opposite: the "non-attachment to self" because the "self"
goes hand in hand with the "ego" -- together, they create the
"identity" of an individual. Once the "identify" is created,
there comes the need to "preserve" or "protect" that
"identity" due to the presence of the "ego." Thus, a host of
other problems will subsequently follow.
Therefore,
the first and the most important requirement is to have "no ego-self" -- which is, however, most difficult to accomplish, because we are
taught to be proud of who and what we are.
With
"no ego-self," you then have "no expectation" in life. To
illustrate, if you have created an ego-self, such as "I am a doctor"
or "I am a mother," then subconsciously you have to, or you are
"expected" to, live up to that image or the ego-self that you have
unconsciously created in your mind's eye.
With
"no ego-self," you will not be too concerned with material things
that often qualify or attach to the "identify" you have created for
yourself. In other words, you will become "non judgmental"-which is
essentially not having to choose what you want and to reject what you do not
want, or rather desiring what you think will enhance the ego-self, and avoiding
what you think may damage your identity or image of the ego-self.
If
you have "no expectation," you need not exert extra effort to meet
your expectations. With less effort, you have more time to yourself, and so you
can live in the present moment, which is the essence of Tao wisdom in living.
In contemporary wisdom, we are expected to do more in order to get more of what
we want; in the wisdom of Lao Tzu, you do "less" for more -- it is all
about the spontaneity of things; you make nature work things for you, which is "non-doing," instead
of working against the forces of nature,
To
conclude, Tao wisdom in living is to have no ego-self so that you can live in
the present. With no ego-self, there is no expectation; with no expectation,
you become non-judgmental, which is accepting and embracing the desirable as
well as the undesirable in life; with non-judgmental, you appreciate non-doing;
with non-doing, you can live in the present and in harmony with nature. So, Tao
recommends no ego-self to live a no-stress life with no worry, no expectation,
no judgment, and non-doing. This is the summary of Tao wisdom in living.
Stephen
Lau
Copyright © by Stephen Lau
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