Taoist Thought

Finally it’s done! Like the Tao Te Ching’s “A tree barely embraceable grows from a fine tip” [#64], this project began nearly 60 years ago. Now, perhaps it may serve as a “fine tip” to help you approach what chapter 16 and 52 describe as “Nearly rising beyond oneself”.

The following is an overview of the book.

Who are you? Before answering, consider the influences you’ve been inundated with all your life: politics and religion, facts and traditions — all the ins and outs of civilization. Deeper down come the personal needs and fears, desires and worries, friends and enemies, loves and hates… everything that is possible to name and remember! All these elements make up who you think you are.

Now, what would it feel like to return to who you were before taking on all this cultural ‘baggage’?  As much as you’d like, you can’t just discard the cultural story bred into you from birth. Returning to an impartial original self needs to be undertaken over time in order to replace the cultural ‘offspring’ with the ‘origin’. As the Tao Te Ching (#52) hints, “Already knowing its offspring, return to observe the origin. Nearly rising beyond oneself.”

TaoistThought‘s 288 short essays gradually grind away at cultural baggage by addressing various aspects of daily life from a Taoist point of view.  Read one short essay every few days and sleep on it. Drawing this process out over a few years gives your sub-conscious mind a chance to see outside its biased cultural box.

TaoistThought provides much outside-the-box grist for your mind’s mill. You provide the grains of experience — your stories, ideals, beliefs and biases. The Tao Te Ching (#16) describes this journey to rising beyond our biases…

Knowing the constant allows, allowing therefore impartial,
Impartial therefore whole, whole therefore natural,
Natural therefore the way.
The way therefore long enduring,
Nearly rising beyond oneself.

Honestly, perhaps only one in ten of these stories will resonate deeply… if that. Certainly, the Taoist process unfolds gradually as biases turn to impartiality. After all, the first time I read the Tao Te Ching (1963) only one or two chapters resonated deeply with me. It took decades for my intuitive knowing to catch up to the deeper Taoist message. Thus, even if only one story initially moves you closer to Nearly rising beyond oneself, the journey will be worthwhile.

If you are interested, here is the link:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1722202033.