My Testimony, At This Point
Posted: Sat Jun 10, 2017 5:51 am
The Tao Te Ching is about choosing to follow "the way". That's what "Tao" means, way. However, tao also means way of being. Lao Tze, the author of the Tao Te Ching says the way is wide and easy. Walking our own personal path should be effortless and easy. A hummingbird doesn't have the same Tao as an oak tree. Even two oak trees within the same forest will have different Taos and forcing the hummingbird to have the same Tao as the oak or the oak the same Tao as the hummingbird will be difficult and fruitless.
Since experimentally following this belief, my challenging life has gotten so much easier! I just mindfully go from one moment to the next, remembering that the best expectation I can have in any situation will be to have a genuine, contented smile. I go to church and I listen to people talking and singing about a straight and narrow way (Tao). The contrast is stunning to me. A narrow, constricted path that is intentionally difficult. It doesn't matter if that path isn't appropriate for everyone, it is the one true path. All other paths are dangerous. In our religion, the hummingbird has the same Tao as the oak tree.
I've come to the conclusion that an aspect of my personal tao is compassion. I've found ways to incorporate it into my life. Just like the yin-yang symbol. As each entity has just a little of it's opposite in it. By having just a little bit of boundary drawing in my compassion. That little bit of don't fool me twice, I can have that compassion without being steamrolled. One of the things I've discovered in incorporating more compassion into my life is something called a lovingkindness meditation. When I hear a speaker who is preaching damaging doctrines or I come across a person who wishes me harm, I simply think the words of my lovingkindness meditation at them.
May you be happy
May you be well
May you be peaceful
May you be loved
It works wonders for me.
I thought of something, yesterday. I was raised in the church, but my moment of choosing to walk the church's straight and narrow path was when a former co-worker of mine killed a co-worker of mine in a botched revenge robbery attempt. I had come to the conclusion, trouble will just come into our lives uninvited and I want to live as peaceful and drama-free life as possible. I came to the conclusion, the path that offered the most safety and peace was the church's straight and narrow one.
Since I've made that decision, life has been just one soap opera after another. Now, I realize that life will simply bring drama and a major source of that drama will be other people. Simply by having other people in our lives, we will have drama. However, I just seem to have an extraordinary amount. I've learned that we create drama in our lives by having expectations for other people. Then, when they don't do what we want, rather than allowing them to choose their own Taos, we try various ways to get them to walk the Tao we believe they should walk. Meanwhile, they are doing the same thing to us. I think a major source of drama in my life has been the church. It is entirely about people walking a narrow, constricted path that may or may not be right for them. This will naturally lead to some tension simply in voluntarily walking that path. Then there are others who think that my walking this path isn't good enough. I need to walk it in the way they prescribe. Drama. Or if I decide to walk a different path,. Drama. Then, the church gives us a Savior to hold to as our Prince of Peace, because we sure aren't going to give each other peace in this life. Just keep that drama flowing and hope for something better in the next life.
There are other paths. The peace may come not only from the path we choose, but allowing others to walk the path that is appropriate for them. Choosing the path that is true to each of the individual ways God made us. Our particular path will resonate within us. The way through any challenge will frequently be the most simple and direct. This results in less emotional energy expended and less drama.
I say these things out of peace and love, in complete personal responsibility. Amen.
Since experimentally following this belief, my challenging life has gotten so much easier! I just mindfully go from one moment to the next, remembering that the best expectation I can have in any situation will be to have a genuine, contented smile. I go to church and I listen to people talking and singing about a straight and narrow way (Tao). The contrast is stunning to me. A narrow, constricted path that is intentionally difficult. It doesn't matter if that path isn't appropriate for everyone, it is the one true path. All other paths are dangerous. In our religion, the hummingbird has the same Tao as the oak tree.
I've come to the conclusion that an aspect of my personal tao is compassion. I've found ways to incorporate it into my life. Just like the yin-yang symbol. As each entity has just a little of it's opposite in it. By having just a little bit of boundary drawing in my compassion. That little bit of don't fool me twice, I can have that compassion without being steamrolled. One of the things I've discovered in incorporating more compassion into my life is something called a lovingkindness meditation. When I hear a speaker who is preaching damaging doctrines or I come across a person who wishes me harm, I simply think the words of my lovingkindness meditation at them.
May you be happy
May you be well
May you be peaceful
May you be loved
It works wonders for me.
I thought of something, yesterday. I was raised in the church, but my moment of choosing to walk the church's straight and narrow path was when a former co-worker of mine killed a co-worker of mine in a botched revenge robbery attempt. I had come to the conclusion, trouble will just come into our lives uninvited and I want to live as peaceful and drama-free life as possible. I came to the conclusion, the path that offered the most safety and peace was the church's straight and narrow one.
Since I've made that decision, life has been just one soap opera after another. Now, I realize that life will simply bring drama and a major source of that drama will be other people. Simply by having other people in our lives, we will have drama. However, I just seem to have an extraordinary amount. I've learned that we create drama in our lives by having expectations for other people. Then, when they don't do what we want, rather than allowing them to choose their own Taos, we try various ways to get them to walk the Tao we believe they should walk. Meanwhile, they are doing the same thing to us. I think a major source of drama in my life has been the church. It is entirely about people walking a narrow, constricted path that may or may not be right for them. This will naturally lead to some tension simply in voluntarily walking that path. Then there are others who think that my walking this path isn't good enough. I need to walk it in the way they prescribe. Drama. Or if I decide to walk a different path,. Drama. Then, the church gives us a Savior to hold to as our Prince of Peace, because we sure aren't going to give each other peace in this life. Just keep that drama flowing and hope for something better in the next life.
There are other paths. The peace may come not only from the path we choose, but allowing others to walk the path that is appropriate for them. Choosing the path that is true to each of the individual ways God made us. Our particular path will resonate within us. The way through any challenge will frequently be the most simple and direct. This results in less emotional energy expended and less drama.
I say these things out of peace and love, in complete personal responsibility. Amen.