How to shed the crazy demands of your ego and live a more spiritual life. Tao Te Ching Verse 40

First, thank you Sam! Thank you, Saturday Morning Master Mind (SaAMMM) family! In the way of all the Master Minds I AM a part of, I come to love you all and what we are doing.

First Thoughts

“Returning is the motion of the Tao”

I am conflicted about returning _ always. My emotions tend to query my anticipated welcome (back). How have I left things? Undone, in chaos, in confusion, or in great love? Am I proud of the foundation I’ve laid, or the legacy left? Is this punishment or triumph?

Interestingly, now that I’m beginning to learn how to pry loose from my subconscious mind where some of my responses/reactions find their seed, I recognize a first grade memory and its role in that particular conflict.

Briefly, in that experience I had left the school grounds (unauthorized) with another student at her invitation to go to her home for lunch. This broke two rules; one rule was the school’s, the other was my parent’s. Consequences were wearing a note both directions; first I wore the note from my teacher’s home, then, the next day there was a note from my parents back.

I had taken a belting at home, so I confess I was surprised that the next day, I was not yet done but rather have a memory climbing broad school stairs with my teacher to see the principal. Today, I’m left concluding I must have blacked out on the stairs as that is where that horrific (subjectively) memory ends.

“Yielding is the way of the Tao.”

If you and I met, determined to come up with a basis for discussion, based only on those seven words; Would your first impressions be positive or negative?

This line and the answers to that question are my greatest curiosity in this verse. I confess yielding does not come readily to me, by which I mean to say, generally it does not seem my first and best option.

“The 10,000 things are born of being.”

In surprise, I realize this is the first time it ever has crossed my mind that Lao-tzu may be a woman. Any woman who has ever given birth, and many more who have not, know that contributing to “being” compounding in this world, leads to at least 10,000 more things not previously contemplated. [Note to reader: some writers have what is known as tongue in cheek disorder.]

“Being is born of non being.”

Spell check just performed its disagreeable red underlining as I typed ‘non being’ with no space; which begs two questions in my mind: one, would Lao-tzu correct to spell check? (yield) and, second, is this not reflective of being coming out of non being? It seems spell check came to be resulting from imperfect spellers.

Now, On to the more erudite

Lao-tzu was not referring to twentieth (or twenty-first) century trivia, but, as always our spiritual origins. Quantum physics may make his information more palatable for some, just as it seems we require a variety of religions for a number of us to open the more humble parts of ourselves to consider our origins.

When we look to how we came about, who we are, what is happening here, what comes next, and we do it regularly, we become more erudite. We become like the sages; we become happy and centered in our own spirits.

I love Wayne’s suggestion with the yield sign for reflecting on how we can come from the perspective of our spirits, rather than our ego.

#Sharing from Stefan Stennud-Taoistic.com…

When we say that things happen of themselves, we unknowingly point out the work of Tao. The processes are carried out without apparent force. Things appear and disappear, move in their courses, and at no time do they show signs of being restricted or redirected.
It’s as if Tao makes it all happen by opening doors instead of closing them, by making way instead of showing the way.

May we all learn to be as succinct as Lao-tzu

Hope to see you there!!!

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