When the Tao is lost, there is goodness.
When goodness is lost, there is morality.
When morality is lost, there is ritual.
Ritual is a husk of true faith, the beginning of chaos.
– – Tao Te Ching, chapter 38
The aim of the Tao, as with all other true methods, is to enlighten the reader. You are supposed to read it and wake up. We have modern books that can achieve the same thing, through direct pointing, but that same teaching is contained within the original manuscript of the Tao.
Look at the warning which I copied from the Tao Te Ching above and you can see that process has taken place to create almost every religion in the world.
(I say almost because i) I don't know every religion in the world and ii) I am fairly sure there will be some that never had an enlightened beginning)
When people cease to try to be Awakened by the teachings they then decide to be 'good'. It makes sense to them, because the enlightened Masters were 'good'.
When people cease to try to be Awakened by the teachings they then decide to be 'good'. It makes sense to them, because the enlightened Masters were 'good'.
Eventually this practising of goodness turns into a code of morality. People are now expected to follow this code of morality if they are to be considered good and to be following the 'way' of the Masters.
The final stage is when the rituals arise around the original teachings and Masters. They take over from the morality and from the 'goodness' and from the Awakening which started it all. People then form a Religion.
The final stage is when the rituals arise around the original teachings and Masters. They take over from the morality and from the 'goodness' and from the Awakening which started it all. People then form a Religion.
The concept of a Taoist religion would horrify the author of the Tao Te Ching.
The author was Awakened and, to other enlightened beings, his teachings make complete sense. I find great beauty in his teachings and, since becoming Liberated/Awakened/Enlightened/Annihilated, understand them completely and get so much more out of them than I ever could have previously.
I now spend this life embodying the Tao in this unit, moment by moment. I have no desire to follow any religion because, from the enlightened viewpoint, all religions are empty and pointless.
Everything you need to know and apply is contained within it. If you cannot understand it, that is simply because you are not looking at it the right way. It is a book about the One Thing that is going on written by someone who was abiding in it. Find someone who is Awake and ask them about it.
I now spend this life embodying the Tao in this unit, moment by moment. I have no desire to follow any religion because, from the enlightened viewpoint, all religions are empty and pointless.
If you want to use the Tao Te Ching for anything, use it to wake up!
Everything you need to know and apply is contained within it. If you cannot understand it, that is simply because you are not looking at it the right way. It is a book about the One Thing that is going on written by someone who was abiding in it. Find someone who is Awake and ask them about it.
It is not about a religion. It was never about a religion. It was always about finding out who you really are.
No comments:
Post a Comment