v
CHANGE Your THOUGHTS - Change YOUR Life
Living the Wisdom of the Tao
52-59
11th Verse
Thirty spokes converge upon a single hub;
It is on the hole in the center that
the use of the cart hinges.
Shape clay into a vessel;
it is the space within that makes it useful.
Carve fine doors and windows,
But the room is useful in its emptiness.
The usefulness of what is
depends on what is not.
Living from the Void
-Lao Tzu gives us 3 examples of things whose usefulness comes from their empty aspect.
-The wheel whose empty hub allows it to flex and roll,
-The vessel that is useful only because it has an empty space used to hold something,
-The room with its walls and doors that hold the empty space that is the room.
-Just as we do not usually think of what is not there in regard to the wheel, the vessel and the room, he challenges to change the way we think about ourselves, to live from the void at the core or our being.
-The sum of all of the parts of your body visibly laid out separately is not “you,”
-The usefulness of those parts depends on what is not visible, “what is not.”
-Other examples that demonstrate the importance of “what is not” or what is invisible are:
-Music, in which the silence from which each note emerges is as important than the note itself.
-A tree whose leaves, branches and bark are what is but its imperceptible, invisible life force are what is needed for a tree to do what a tree does, (grow and produce oxygen.)
-The following is what Dr. Dyer feels Lao Tzu is saying in regard to living in the void.
Your imperceptible center is your vital essence.
-What does shifting your attention to your invisible essence beckon you toward?
-The space emanates from what’s responsible for all of creation and the thoughts that emerge from your inner self are pure love and kindness.
-All of your thoughts and perceptions flow from your essence into the world.
-Allow the center of pure love to activate your unique usefulness
-Allow thoughts that emerge to enter your physical self and then leave.
-Allow and let go like your breathing.
Practice the power of silence every day.
-One of the best ways to do this is meditation, a tool to help you feel the bliss that accompanies a connection to your inner void.
-The difference between saints and the rest of us is that they function from their essence, where the way of the Tao flows invisibly through their physical being.
-This is the primary purpose of learning to meditate, to invite your essence to reveal tself and allowing you to live In the void.
Do the Tao Now
-
Spend at least 15 minutes today living in the void, meditating, looking out at the world from “what is not.”
12th Verse
The five colors blind the eye.
The five tones deafen the ear.
The five flavors dull the taste.
The chase and the hunt craze people’s minds.
Wasting energy to obtain rare objects
only impedes one’s growth.
The master observes the world
but trusts his inner vision.
He allows things to come and go.
He prefers what is within to what is without.
Living with Inner Conviction
-Too much attention to the pleasures & experiences of the senses, creates a world of illusion.
-Everything in the material world that we tend to hunt for and chase down is transitory.
-Locked in pursuit of sensory satisfaction and material gain, you lose your inner vision.
-The quest for adoration, money and power is a waste of energy because there’s never enough, and the striving becomes a daily regimen.
-You can‘t arrive at a place of peace and inner satisfaction because your existence is motivated by not having enough, which is a formula for craziness.
-The master or sage, one who lives according to the Tao lives in the world, observes it, knows it is temporary and trusts his inner vision and inner convictions.
-Dr Dyer believes Lao Tzu was saying to us:
Extend your perspective beyond the sensory level.
-You want to decline the chase and live from the inner conviction that your true essence is not of this world, just as a rose is more than a flower.
-Perceive the invisible creative force that changes the seed to the miracle of a rose, the spirit animating the colors, scents and textures.
Discontinue pressuring yourself to
Perpetually accumulate more.
-Focus inward, cultivate awe and appreciation rather than accumulation.
-Allow things to come and go in this transitory world without attachment
Do the Tao Now
MEDITATE (or) plant a seed and watch with awe as it becomes a flower and extend the awe to yourself and the seed that contained you.