I can certainly imagine that there are some people that read this blog regularly who may think to themselves something like this: "The various philosophic points raised really resonate with me. Still, what I can't figure out is how to meld the philosophy of Taoism with my very own everyday life."
Of course, I can't tell you how to incorporate the perspective of Taoism into your routine. We each have to figure this out for ourselves. What may work for 100 others may not work for you and what works for you may not be the sort of path that anyone else would take. The best that I can offer are two important ways the Taoist philosophy has made a tangible difference in my life and, perhaps, this might motivate you to explore how it could impact your life in your own way as well.
One point that both Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu repeat several times is that we need to accept our own internal nature. For years, I fought mine and this caused inordinate amounts of internal stress and guilt.
Since as far back as I can remember, I've been an anxious person. I was an anxious little boy. I was an anxious teenager. I was an anxious young adult and I am now an anxious man of 52. For years, I used to beat myself up for being anxious. I would privately berate myself each time my anxiety seemed to get the best of me and I would feel immense guilt for being incapable of not being anxious.
Over the past few years, my outlook on this predilection has changed dramatically. I still wrestle with anxiety issues, but I now accept this as part of who I am. I realize that certain events and situations will cause my anxiety levels to increase. So, instead of waging a constant battle within myself, I flow with my anxiety and, in some ways, this has caused my stress level to decrease. I realize that may sound counterintuitive or like a paradox, but it has and continues to work for me.
And this leads directly into the second facet of philosophical Taoism that's had a positive impact on my life -- the idea of not forcing things. Too often, I would try to force myself not to be anxious. It should go without saying that this tack rarely worked! All this force really engendered was even MORE anxiety. So, by accepting my internal nature for what it is and not trying to force myself to be something or someone I am not, I am far better equipped not to allow my anxiety to get the best of me.
While a certain degree of the anxiety remains, I don't let it stop me from doing what needs to be done which is something that used to happen quite frequently.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
Of course, I can't tell you how to incorporate the perspective of Taoism into your routine. We each have to figure this out for ourselves. What may work for 100 others may not work for you and what works for you may not be the sort of path that anyone else would take. The best that I can offer are two important ways the Taoist philosophy has made a tangible difference in my life and, perhaps, this might motivate you to explore how it could impact your life in your own way as well.
One point that both Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu repeat several times is that we need to accept our own internal nature. For years, I fought mine and this caused inordinate amounts of internal stress and guilt.
Since as far back as I can remember, I've been an anxious person. I was an anxious little boy. I was an anxious teenager. I was an anxious young adult and I am now an anxious man of 52. For years, I used to beat myself up for being anxious. I would privately berate myself each time my anxiety seemed to get the best of me and I would feel immense guilt for being incapable of not being anxious.
Over the past few years, my outlook on this predilection has changed dramatically. I still wrestle with anxiety issues, but I now accept this as part of who I am. I realize that certain events and situations will cause my anxiety levels to increase. So, instead of waging a constant battle within myself, I flow with my anxiety and, in some ways, this has caused my stress level to decrease. I realize that may sound counterintuitive or like a paradox, but it has and continues to work for me.
And this leads directly into the second facet of philosophical Taoism that's had a positive impact on my life -- the idea of not forcing things. Too often, I would try to force myself not to be anxious. It should go without saying that this tack rarely worked! All this force really engendered was even MORE anxiety. So, by accepting my internal nature for what it is and not trying to force myself to be something or someone I am not, I am far better equipped not to allow my anxiety to get the best of me.
While a certain degree of the anxiety remains, I don't let it stop me from doing what needs to be done which is something that used to happen quite frequently.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
While I applaud your progress attributed to applied philosophical/practical Taoism, I would not agree that "the anxious person" is your "internal nature", your true self or inner nature. As long as one believes that "the anxious person", or whatever, is one's "internal nature", one will never be free of it and cannot know one's true self (which may be found through meditation).
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't say this really, except for your postings that follow (precede?), Chen Jen Number 5 & 7. What do you think they are speaking of?
And Number 6 reminds me of Bob Dylan:
"He not busy being born is busy dying."