Spirituality 101: How to Align with the Tao with Author Deng Ming-Dao
Today, as part of our 101 series on Spirituality, we're exploring Taoism through the lens of author Deng Ming-Dao's teachings.
We're beginning our journey with Taoism, which is one of the oldest spiritual traditions in the world.
Taoism emerged in ancient China over 2000 years ago, and it's rooted in the teachings of Lao Zi and the foundational text known as the Tao Te Ching. At its heart, Taoism is about living in harmony with the Tao, which is this mysterious, intangible force that flows through all of life. Taoism speaks to me, because it reminds me that we're part of something greater, that there's a natural flow and rhythm to life, and that harmony is possible through flowing with life, rather than fighting it or resisting it.
At its core, Taoism encourages us to stop grasping and to let go of the illusion that we have to force or control things to happen, and instead, just allow ourselves to align with the natural rhythms that are already all around us. And for those of us who are living in a modern world full of schedules and pressure and performance, Daoism just offers a refreshing way to look at things, to be still and to flow.
Deng Ming-Dao is a Taoist Master, author and artist whose work has opened the doors of Taoist wisdom for readers all over the world.
What exactly is Taoism?
Taoism is about living in harmony with the Tao.
The Tao means the way. The Tao is a natural flow of life. It's a quiet rhythm behind everything in the universe. You can't fully describe it with words. Instead, you have to feel it and follow it and live in tune with it.
According to Deng Ming-Dao, Taoism is a label for many, many different kinds of systems that follow Tao. They say that there are 360 ways to enter Tao, which is a reference to the degrees in a circle so anyone can enter it. The first definition of Tao it that its a path or a road. And the idea is that there's a way for each person to follow in their lives, and a way that the universe proceeds all the time. The simple idea is, can you synchronize your personal path with a universal path? That's the first idea.
The second definition of Tao is truth and reason. A third definition of Tao is skill and method. The fourth one is ethics and morality, and the fifth one is to say or to speak.
Those are the major definitions of the word Dao, and there have been a bewildering number of ways to pursue that, everything from sorcery to martial arts to asceticism to worship, to poetry, music, all sorts of different ways. So there are a vast number of ways to pursue Tao, and we get to choose the one that resonates with us.
Aligning with the Tao means living in harmony with the natural rhythms of life.
It means acting with honesty, presence and awareness, and letting go of resistance so that you can flow.
Tao is movement. Everything moves; from the smallest subatomic particle to the largest galaxy. Everything is in motion. We know even the atoms in a rock are in motion. If you could total all those motions, it would still form patterns and a trajectory. One of the observations of Taoists is that everything is cyclical. That means there's a pattern to the movements, so if we could discern all those movements and see where they're going, that's the Tao. The way.
Alignment with the Tao is important because it helps you avoid missteps.
You're more like a hiker who can see the path before you clearly, and it also helps you connect to something greater, while also honoring your own individuality.
Even if you have suffering, difficulties, struggle, you can see that as part of a larger scheme, and then you can persevere through that. At the same time, if you have wild success, great pleasure, you realize it too is part of a larger stream, and give it the proper proportion and emphasis.
You have a personal Tao, which is your own way, your own path in life, and that one of the tasks of life is actually to find your personal Tao and to align yourself with it.
Living your personal Tao means discovering what is real and true for you, and then walking that path with awareness and integrity. It means aligning your daily choices with that deeper rhythm. And in doing so, you would not only synchronize with your personal Tao, but you would be in flow with the greater Tao of the universe.
One version of your personal Tao is your lifetime.
So here's the irony; we know that there's going to be a spring, summer, fall and winter to our lives. We don't know what they're going to be like. We don't know how long our life is going to be, but we knew, do know, that that pattern will happen, and so for that lifetime, what do you want to achieve?
The question, the premise of Tao is that there is a natural personality that is innocent, unblemished, wise, spiritual, but that it's been obscured by socialization.
Taoism can be practiced not only as religion, but also as a life philosophy.
When asked if Taoism is a religion or a philosophy, Deng Meng-Dao tells us that it can be both, and that division doesn't quite make sense in a Chinese context.
We tend to divide that in a scholarly sense, because we're interested in the philosophical part. But remember, that's only one degree out of the 360.
And there's an aspect of Taoism that involves living with effortlessness.
By aligning ourselves with the way, there's a sense of effortlessness, like water just flowing with life instead of forcing things.
This concept of doing by not doing is called Wu Wei. Wu means no or not. Wei means action. But, you'll see it also means the preposition for, F-O-R. So one interpretation of Wu Wei is effortless action. But, let's go back to what we were saying about musicians who practice–you can only have effortless action if you're practiced at it.