Embracing Life Wholeheartedly

 When you walk a the spiritual path for a while, you  will be encouraged over and over again to open up to life. Suddenly every event and every encounter that is coming your way is perceived as a present, no matter what. So you realize over time that as long as you align yourself with the flow of life, the outcome will be good for everyone involved in the end.  You learn to say yes to life.  You naturally let go of your worries and fears as the Tao helps you transcending your own narrow agenda. It is the people you encounter and the events you face that help you understand who you truly are. Let the Tao mold you; we think you will like the way you turn out.

We all have a split mind.  We welcome friends, colleagues and family half-hearted, and most of the time we hide an agenda behind our smiles. Accept this split mind, what else can you do? You can't wish your agenda away. Repressing your desires is like trying to push a basket ball under water. They will pop up with a splash. What you can do instead is to embrace all people that come your way and learn over and over again that everybody has a present in hand for you. If you truly open up to them you have a priceless opportunity to let them help you transcend your agenda. True love will wash away all the schemes of your mind.

The Tao is the road towards wholeness. We spiritual folks tend to be one dimensional when it comes to our passions. We accept the good stuff, the love, the holiness. Yet we struggle when it comes to the - what we perceive to be -  not-so-holy desires. Yet the Tao doesn't seem to care about our value judgements. Whether we like it or not, temptations are coming our way. So let's deal with them as best as we can.  Whatever we resist persists. So let's embrace life and let the light that comes our way shine away the darkness we encounter. The Tao will only bring  challenges that we can master and the bigger the challenge, the higher our potential for spiritual transformation.

Walking the Tao is actually the way towards becoming whole.  You let go of your judgments, your agenda and your attempts to control anything. Experience everything as it is.  Let the people and events that come your way bring sunshine as well as thunderstorms. Like plants you require both to grow. The psychologist C. G. Jung once said before he wanted to be whole before he wanted to be holy. Yes, this is a step in the right direction. What the Tao has taught is is that wholeness and holiness are two sides of the same divine coin.


By Christian and Su Zhen