Can We Walk With The Tao? Zen Reveals Tao Gift

the tao: “… we all want to walk with the Tao …” ~ Trevor Rufli

the tao: “… Like the empty sky it has no boundaries, Yet it is right in this place, ever profound and clear …” ~ Alan Watts, The Way of Zen

Indeed … we all want to walk with the Tao 🙂 …

Some might say, what does that mean … OR maybe we need to ask a more fundamental question first: what is the Tao ? …

August Gold, a teacher of the Tao for decades, in his Introduction to Jonathan Star’s outstanding translation of Tao Te Ching, (the classic, foundational text of Taoism) says that it

“… fed our hunger, quenched our thirst, and ignited our desire to live our everyday lives in new ways—simply, deeply, richly, fully, meaningfully …” and it leads “… you into a personal, direct, and even mystical experience of the Tao, which will uplift and transform your life in countless ways. Expect it to engage you not only intellectually, but emotionally, mentally, and spiritually …” {excerpted from our past exploration of Jonathan’s Tao Te Ching in a 5-part series}

So, then it would seem that … walking with the Tao … would not only be most intriguing … but would likely have a great, if not the greatest, appeal 🙂 …

Another equally appealing – and intriguing – remark about the Tao is from Trevor Rufli: “… There is no-one who can climb into our mind to be with us. But the Tao can …”

Turns out, Trevor dedicates a chapter on the matter of Walking With The Tao in his recent book Zen to reveal the extraordinary Tao … and he opens this chapter with:

“… We all want to walk with the tao but unless we happen to be fully enlightened it will be our self, your self, my self that is traveling the path. We would all like to reach the destination where we realise: the path there is but none who travel it. But until we get there, if we get there, however likely or unlikely that might be, it will be you who is travelling it. …”

So, today, in this part 3 (of a multi-part series previewing this book), we offer his thoughts on this intriguing matter … via two sub-section excerpts of this chapter: what might be balanced seeking … followed by thoughts on The Tao shines on self … …

We’ve been exploring Trevor’s book … in the form of substantive chapter excerpts:

… in Part 1 we addressed the practical matter of separateness or more accurately the illusion of separateness and why we can’t see through it … …

… in Part 2, we took a mini dive on the perplexing – yet inevitable – matter of seeking … that seemingly creates this illusion of self … which prevents us from realizing what we already have …

{All italicized text in this post is from Trevor’s book and is published here with the publisher New Sarum Press’ generous permission. Scroll to the bottom for a free downloadable Table of Contents.}

Balanced Seeking

While we use the Zen insight method of direct pointing, it is wise to apply it in a relaxed way—we don’t have to go on an energetic pursuit of it. Rather we can let Zen drop gently into our lives. You will notice that when you apply paradox there is no strain, there is no task, there is nothing to be done. It is perfect freedom.

If we pursue the Eastern spiritual path too strongly this may have a negative effect on our psychological wellbeing, because, as mentioned earlier, we are on automatic pilot most of the time. We just cannot maintain a constant vigilance where we try and hold onto any particular insights. Unfortunately we soon find that we are lost in our thoughts and internal dramas with all the associated feelings. This is why it’s wise to apply insights gently, let them permeate our awareness where they can gradually become the backdrop to our lives.

There are other less intellectual approaches in Eastern philosophies. The main one of course is meditation but you may also like to try some of the movement oriented disciplines such as yoga or Tai Chi, for example. Such pursuits are useful for self development and transpersonal development at the same time.

The Tao shines on self

In our spiritual search we are not in an all or nothing situation. It is not the case that either we are experiencing breakthrough moments or that isn’t happening and we are left with nothing. If we do come to know something of the Tao for even a moment—if we experience an insight, a glimpse, a brief knowing—it can have a profound impact for the rest of our lives. It is indeed true: for this one rare event, gladly I would give a thousand coins of gold.

If we see through the illusion of self for one brief moment, we will not forget what we have experienced. From that moment on we will always know that there is a greater reality to be known beyond the restrictive tension of self. We will also know that there is a deep peace within us that is covered over by the tension of self and that all we need to experience this peace is for this tension to release. Having known the Tao will give us a comfort that we can carry through our lives, a comfort that we will know even in the dark times. Coming back to the analogy of the river and the sea, imagine being a river in life, a river that knew about the sea and had been there.

Knowing the Tao gives us more perspective and understanding of our present conscious condition.

Negotiating our way through life with an I-centred consciousness is challenging and we find ourselves in a world where we are vulnerable, both physically and psychologically. We can come to see that, at any point in time, we are just doing what we can, given the resources, both internal and external, that we have at our disposal. We see that as a result of being trapped in the illusion of self we are also trapped in our personal dramas. We can’t prevent the feelings or thoughts that arise within us and we shouldn’t feel bad for having them, regardless of their content. Whatever arises in us is not our ‘fault’. Whatever is going on is the ‘fault’ of our present evolved state of consciousness. We use our self-awareness to make the best choices we can and we also use this self awareness to go easier on ourselves. The more we can allow in the perspective that brings self-acceptance, the more we find that we are walking with the Tao.

Having an I-centred consciousness means that we are always alone in the world. Even though we can have closeness around us, we are alone in our minds. There is no-one who can climb into our mind to be with us. But the Tao can. The Tao can be a presence in our isolation because when we know the Tao we experience connection, the very opposite of isolation. Rather than feeling lonely we can experience how we are a completely integral part of something much greater. For example, we can look at the stars and feel very alone, or we can look at the stars and experience the special place we have in the universe, that we are looking at an extraordinary and beautiful vastness that is our home, and we have a special place in it.

The following Zen poems attempt to communicate something of solitude. The poems can be experienced as being stark, lonely and isolating or they can communicate something magical, joyful and utterly tranquil:

Wind subsiding, the flowers still fall;
Bird crying, the mountain silence deepens.

Alan Watts, Way of Zen

and:

With the evening breeze
The water laps against
The heron’s legs.

Alan Watts, Way of Zen

Stay tuned for the conclusion of … Trevor’s insights from Zen to reveal the extraordinary Tao …

All italicized text above (except otherwise noted) is from Zen to Reveal the Extraordinary Tao and is published here with the publisher New Sarum Press ‘ generous permission.

And click here for a FREE downloadable copy of the Table of Contents, graciously and generously made available by the publisher New Sarum Press.

You can purchase the book at Amazon.