New to Tao

As I stated in my brief introduction, I am a soon to be psychologist and I adore sincerity and honesty. I am a mind wracked with anxiety and unease. I have tried medications and I have tried therapy and both had their merits so I am certainly not going to speak poorly of either but I really feel a level of toxicity in my spirit and I certainly can't claim a truly virtuous path as a sage could so recently I have branched out from my Zen practice (which let me say is going very roughly at the moment) and have begun to work through Tao literature.

As I understand it there is an ultimate balance to Tao (please correct me if I am wrong)

So I read this out of my version of the Tao The Ching and I had a question or two perhaps you might help me with

When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad.

Is Tao simply effort through non-effort? Is it essentially balance in the way the Yin-Yang is balance?

If that is the case how do I simplify myself enough in this modern world to get on a correct path?

Sorry for the overly-deep and newbish questions

Thank you for listening

Greetings..

Originally Posted by TaoZen

As I stated in my brief introduction, I am a soon to be psychologist and I adore sincerity and honesty. I am a mind wracked with anxiety and unease. I have tried medications and I have tried therapy and both had their merits so I am certainly not going to speak poorly of either but I really feel a level of toxicity in my spirit and I certainly can't claim a truly virtuous path as a sage could so recently I have branched out from my Zen practice (which let me say is going very roughly at the moment) and have begun to work through Tao literature.

As I understand it there is an ultimate balance to Tao (please correct me if I am wrong)

So I read this out of my version of the Tao The Ching and I had a question or two perhaps you might help me with



Is Tao simply effort through non-effort? Is it essentially balance in the way the Yin-Yang is balance?

If that is the case how do I simplify myself enough in this modern world to get on a correct path?

Sorry for the overly-deep and newbish questions

Thank you for listening

Lao Tzu is reminding us that judgement creates conflict.. i sense Tao as the 'isness' of existence..

When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad.

If you can experience 'things/situations' as they relate to the experience itself, there is no need to judge beautiful/ugly or good/bad, the appropriate responses are revealed apart from the distraction of judgement..

Be well..

Originally Posted by TaoZen

As I understand it there is an ultimate balance to Tao (please correct me if I am wrong)

Is Tao simply effort through non-effort? Is it essentially balance in the way the Yin-Yang is balance?

If that is the case how do I simplify myself enough in this modern world to get on a correct path?

Tao is not a balance. Chapter 1 of the Tao-te-ching is very clear about what can be said about Tao. Effort through non-effort means no unnecessary effort. Yin and Yang in balance although Yin may be also be Yang and Yang may also be Yin, because they are both relative. So something can be in balance while it is at the same time out of balance.

Simplification is easy, just don't complicate things.

Originally Posted by pre-dawn

Tao is not a balance. Chapter 1 of the Tao-te-ching is very clear about what can be said about Tao. Effort through non-effort means no unnecessary effort. Yin and Yang in balance although Yin may be also be Yang and Yang may also be Yin, because they are both relative. So something can be in balance while it is at the same time out of balance.

Simplification is easy, just don't complicate things.

So is it just acceptance of things as they are?

dealing with, choosing the potentials oneself aims for will be the guide of life nevertheless.

If someone has a friend and then moves on with time and improves within, how about that friend being left aside and behind? If oneself is better now than then, how did Tao apply as a result with it's peaces.

The main thing with the function of tao is the ease of comfort to and more so that. Life, will outgo according to how many privilages oneself allowed to be handled in the surrounding made evident.

Originally Posted by aser's homie

dealing with, choosing the potentials oneself aims for will be the guide of life nevertheless.

If someone has a friend and then moves on with time and improves within, how about that friend being left aside and behind? If oneself is better now than then, how did Tao apply as a result with it's peaces.

The main thing with the function of tao is the ease of comfort to and more so that. Life, will outgo according to how many privilages oneself allowed to be handled in the surrounding made evident.

I apologize greatly in advance but I am not sure exactly what you are saying here and rather than try and guess I figured I would ask

[athribiristan]

This is describing the concept of duality. Take the light/dark duality as an example. Without darkness the concept of light becomes meaningless. Without darkness light is simply what is, there is no need to name it 'light' because there is nothing to compare it to.

So when people start to call certain things beautiful other things become ugly. One defines the other. That is duality and is fundamental to understanding the Tao. As you said/asked....mostly the Tao is about accepting all that is as simply all that is.

A wise sage once said 'there is no longer any need to name, for to let all be as it is is the greatest gift of all.'

I think he must have been a Taoist.

Originally Posted by TaoZen

So is it just acceptance of things as they are?

Acceptance of what? Acceptance on its own sounds not very balanced, does it?
The thing is that as human we want, can, and must do things. Inherent in that is non-acceptance. The body alone, and on its own, protests against deprivation and has one do things.

Just acceptance of things is definitely not Tao.

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by TaoZen

So I read this out of my version of the Tao The Ching and
I had a question or two perhaps you might help me with:

1. Is Tao simply effort through non-effort?
2. Is it essentially balance in the way the Yin-Yang is balance?

If that is the case
3. how do I simplify myself enough in this modern world to get on a correct path?

Welcome here TaoZen - what a refreshingly honest person. Oh, how I love that.

1. No, practicing the Tao is not simply effort thru non-effort, imo.
2. No, it is not essentially balance in the way the Yin/Yang is balance.
3. How do you simplify yourself?

Ahh.

You do not do anything, imo.

When one knows what the Tao Is...
then all falls into place.


So horse before the cart - cart before the horse.

Does one practice things they have read to get to a 'Goal'- or does one experience the 'Goal' and thus all things fall into there natural perfect order ?


The same in Christianity - doing "works" - does that get you to the "Goal"
Or experiencing the "Goal" - doing 'good' just comes naturally.

One must ask themselves what exactly "is" the Tao?
All falls into place when you know 'that".



Did that confuse you more? Didn't mean to.
Miss Hepburn

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

Did that confuse you more? Didn't mean to.
Miss Hepburn

Darn right it confused me :-p

But that's fine. It seems as if perhaps I need to stop trying to define and just be