Tuesday, October 21, 2014

From Having to Being

The Tao is like a well: 
used but never used up. 
It is like the eternal void: 
filled with infinite possibilities.
(Lao Tzu; Tao Te Ting)

Walking the Tao is a journey of finding ourselves. Before our journey started we thought happiness was about "having" instead - having a prestigious job, a hot partner, stuff, money, a big house. But then we didn't find peace even though we objectively had what others would lust after. So we started looking for something more meaningful. A journey of finding the truth started.

It was not hard to find our peace and joy in religion or in spiritual communities. We finally understood what happiness and serenity is all about  and wanted to be in that state every day. However, even then our struggles and restlessness return. Spirituality is not a panacea. We can even lose our freedom when we join a network and we find that interpersonal conflict can be as rampant in a spiritual community as in the worldly world. We were looking for peace but we did experience struggles and conflicts here as well. So we ended up realizing that we have always have been looking for peace, love and joy in the external world in vain.  Finally we realized that we have to look within. It is the light that we are after - a bush that burns without ever being consumed. 

This fountain of energy has to be discovered within. Nothing external - no guru, no fancy house or job title -can help us with it. We have everything we ever needed and then some at our disposal. We have all the strength and skills we need to dance with life. The never-ceasing well that Lao Tzu discovered many thousands of years ago is still with us. Life is about being, not having. "I Am That I Am" - Yahweh - is the burning bush that is never consumed by the fire. When you have found the Source, share the light freely by just being yourself. Joy, peace, love, wisdom, strength, spring all over you and you are Home, finally.

By Christian and Su Zhen

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