True Tao is Universal
by Brother Beatnik
February 5, 2004
Sectarianism and Mathematics
2+2 is 4 in China as it is 4 in the USA. It would also be 4 in the Andromeda Galaxy. It would be 4 in heaven and hell too.
Notice that there are no sects in mathematics. For instance, there isn't a sect called "2+2=5" and there isn't a sect called "2+2=100". Note also that issues about truth in mathematics are not settled through warfare, as in religion, but are settled through reason and logic. This is why the Greeks were obsessed by mathematics. They thought that only mathematics could guarantee certainty and truth. Pythagoras thought the mathematics contained the key to salvation, truth and reality. Pythagoras based his teaching on number mysticism. A basic tenet of the Pythagorean School was that the book of nature was written in mathematics. Scientists are discovering that the laws of the universe are written in mathematics.
Tao is Universal
Tao is also like this. Tao is everywhere. Tao is not an invention of the Chinese mind. Tao is universal. Tao is the foundation of everything. Tao is true in China as it is in Jamaica. Tao is like mathematics. Tao is the real. Tao is truth. Tao is found in all traditions and cultures but it is called different names. These names are subjective projections, and they differ from culture to culture and from religion to religion. But true Tao is beyond name and form. However, to speak of Tao we have to use words, understanding that the words are only a shadow of the reality of Tao.
Tao is called God. Tao is called Brahman. Tao is called Dharma and so on. But these are just names. The true Tao is nameless, beyond conception, beyond definition, eternal, immutable, absolute…
Named Tao(s) are not the nameless Tao. Named Tao(s) can lead to Tao, though not always. Tao cannot be stated in words. Tao cannot be grasped. Tao is subtle. Tao is mysterious. Tao is near. Tao is far. Tao is in all and beyond all. Tao supports all. Tao nourishes all. Tao does not discriminate. Tao does not hate. Tao does not expect to be thanked or worshiped. Tao cannot be owned or possessed, but Tao possesses all. Tao can be accessed by rich and poor, black and white, male and female. Tao is the Power that powers everything. Tao is the shaper of all things, but has no shape. Tao is formless. Tao is the mother and father of all.
True Tao cuts through the confusion of tongues, cuts through the confusion of religion, cuts through the confusion of cultures. The clarity of Tao slices through the Tower of Babel like a laser slices through metal. True Tao cuts through illusion, through darkness, through ignorance, through fanaticism, through hate, through hell. When connection with Tao is lost, worlds plunge in to war and there is poverty, disease and environmental disaster. When the world is in harmony with Tao is there is peace, prosperity and justice everywhere, and the light of Tao shines without obstruction over all. Just like the sun shines over all on a cloudless day.
Don't be a victim of the Tower of Babel. Walk round the pit of sectarianism. Don't fall in!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
A Beatnik's Guide to the Galaxy VII
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Being a math person myself, I like stuff that's easily followed, as math is to me.
ReplyDeleteBut understanding Tao seems to require a high level abstraction. It seems as if I would have to tease my brain with all kinds of "it is but it isn't" sort of confusing philosophical statements.
So, how is it better than religion? If it is hard to explain and understand, then wouldn't misunderstandings lead to dissension?
Just wondering, and sincerely seeking an answer.
I have wondered of late, that when physicists and such seek a 'Grand Unified Theory', that it isn't just Tao they're using another name for.
ReplyDeleteJust drop the "Taoist" label. Neither you nor your blog has anything to do with real Daoism; you are a secular humanist with some hippie-like views. Which is fine, but why label yourself a Daoist?
ReplyDeleteLorena,
ReplyDeleteFinding Tao within yourself is as easy or difficult as one makes it. Since each path to Tao is different, who cares what anyone else thinks?
The difficulty of Tao is trying to put our understanding into words. For me, that's why it sometimes seems difficult to understand -- In my quiet moments, however, it's easy to understand.
Theresa,
Yes, I think that would be a good to explain it -- though I don't think any physicist will ever discover the "Grand Unified Theory" because the universe is simply to broad for humans to comprehend.
Anonymous,
It's a label. In fact, every way we each describe ourselves is a label. I like this one. You don't have to. :)