Wednesday, December 1, 2010

My daily happiness commitment: Inspirational reading ‘The Tao Te Ching’

When you stop to compete, no one can compete with you. Anyone who read my “Me” section will know what I am talking about. Yeah right lao tzu again. Did anyone one hear me before repeating everything happens for a reason? I was upset last week extremely upset. When I feel bad I whether eat chocolate, watch TV or in 70% of case read and I usually read something positive. I read articles and quotes before about or referred to Lao Tzu but I have never read The Tao Te Ching. So when I felt that way; I said go and learn some wisdom J and I read the book. It was easy and fun to read it.

I will share lessons that I have really enjoyed learning from The Tao Te Ching:

Always without desire we must be found,
If its deep mystery we would sound;
But if desire always within us be,
Its outer fringe is all that we shall see.

Duality is a subject that triggers my attention since first year journalism; I firstly payed attention to it during history class. How much we need love as much as we need hatred, work as much as we need rest. Anything on earth is nothing without its contrast. It is only full when it made up of tow of the yin and yang the male and female.

Lao Tzu says to explain such a magic mystery at least for me this way:

So it is that existence and non-existence give birth the one to
(the idea of) the other; that difficulty and ease produce the one (the
idea of) the other; that length and shortness fashion out the one the
figure of the other; that (the ideas of) height and lowness arise from
the contrast of the one with the other; that the musical notes and
tones become harmonious through the relation of one with another; and
that being before and behind give the idea of one following another.

Next time you realize how miserable you are, think again; next time you realize how mistaken you are, think again. Misery and mistakes are parts from a bigger image. This is what they call bigger picture or seeing outside the box. Perception is always missing something. And as we perceive one thing at a time, we will only focus on one thing at a time. We focus on the mistakes and forget millions of right or good things we have done. We focus on misery and we forget millions of things we are blessed to have. “Is he still breathing? Yes he is. So there still is a way.” That is what the dragon told Mirelon when he was worried about Arthur. Are you still breathing? If you answer yes (which is obviously what will happenJ as you are still alive reading this note ) believe there is a way you may not about to see it now under those circumstances but existence and non existence give birth the one to the other.

And as we do things, we have to satisfy our intention to help. Living for oneself only could be fun but our hearts need to hug someone need to share need to feel alive. That is why when we give unconditionally the world gives us more. It is only when we are not waiting for anything in return we have everything we want.

Therefore the sage puts his own person last, and yet it is found in
the foremost place; he treats his person as if it were foreign to him,
and yet that person is preserved. Is it not because he has no
personal and private ends, that therefore such ends are realised?

You must never underestimate yourself or what you can do. There is no such thing as weak or incapable. There is nothing that you cannot do if you strongly want to do. If you are too lazy to do something don’t say I cannot or I am not able to, say I don’t have enough welling to do it, I don’t want to do it. Because when you start doing it, you will become amazed of what you can do and how possible can describe all your secret wishes and wild dreams.

Empty your cup; when it is full. Sometimes asking for more is exactly striving for less. When your cup is full anything more you add will be wasted. When you work harder and harder that is great but we have to recognize the moment when we have to stop and watch. Life is too fast and nothing deserves to consume all your time.

It is better to leave a vessel unfilled, than to attempt to
carry it when it is full. If you keep feeling a point that has been
sharpened, the point cannot long preserve its sharpness.


I have extremity enjoyed reading The Tao Te Ching and I am thinking to read it again. J

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