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Tao Te Ching Verse 34: Practicing Humility by Emulating the Tao

Tao Te Ching Verse 34: Practicing Humility by Emulating the Tao

Released Friday, 15th May 2020
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Tao Te Ching Verse 34: Practicing Humility by Emulating the Tao

Tao Te Ching Verse 34: Practicing Humility by Emulating the Tao

Tao Te Ching Verse 34: Practicing Humility by Emulating the Tao

Tao Te Ching Verse 34: Practicing Humility by Emulating the Tao

Friday, 15th May 2020
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Tao Te Ching Verse 34

translated by Anonymous

That which makes everything exist, is present everywhere
It spreads itself throughout the entire Creation
Everything owes its existence to It, everything to its own nature
It gives everything for nothing
It cherishes and guards everything and everyone, but expects nothing in return
Because It does not wish for anything, It seems to be important
It makes everything appear and disappear again
But Itself is eternal
Therefore the one who is wise is modest
And because she is modest,
Her actions are grand

Photo by Noah Buscher on Unsplash

The Tao is Everywhere

Lao Tzu tells us the Tao is like water - it gets in everything.  Even if water is in its non-liquid form - steam, for example, it can get into places that wouldn’t seem possible.  Like condensation inside two panes of glass, for example.  In fact, Water is one of the recurring devices Lao Tzu uses in the Tao Te Ching to describe the Tao’s properties of pervasiveness, softness, persistence, vitality - the list goes on quite a bit.  I think it’s definitely helpful to observe water and see it as an imitation of Tao.  But how does that apply to us?  Like how do we actually sense the Tao being everywhere?  Water’s a great parallel, absolutely - but you know how in the very first verse we talk about how the Tao can’t be talked about, it must be experienced?  Like dancing?

Do you remember in verse 28, Staying Close to Inner Nature, when we did that mediation?  In short, we became mindful of our senses, then we shifted that focus inward to our breathing and heartbeat.  Then we connected with our life force - that always on, quiet humming in our bodies that started at our core and emanated outward, in all directions.  We said that that feeling was the Tao within us.  Our inner natures.

I’d like you to bring up the image of a loved one or a friend, now.  See them smiling with their eyes in your mind.  I’ll bet they have that same glow inside them that you do.  Let’s sit here for a moment and appreciate them.  Now, imagine that person is looking at you, and we’re just appreciating each other for a moment.  Gently now, imagine what it would feel like if you were inside that person, looking at yourself smiling back.  Does this other person have the same glow inside that you do?  Coming back to ourselves now, can we feel our own glow again?  Can we look at the other person one more time and realize that while their circumstances, points of view, their personal issues are a little different than ours, that they have basically the same set of senses and feelings that we do? 

Perhaps we actually are the same person, only we’re having different experiences in this moment.

Perhaps all the other people with whom you come in contact, either virtually or in person, are just like you in this way.  They all have the same thing inside of them - the Tao.  The Tao is everywhere.  It’s in all of us.  It’s in animals.  It’s in the insects.  In the trees, in the grass - I’ll bet that while it may feel a little different for each thing, that little warm glow is present in each of those things, too.  

Today, I’d like to challenge you to try and find a place where Tao is not.  I’ll bet you can’t.

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From The Podcast

The Tao Te Ching for Everyday Living

Email the podcast: [email protected] Welcome to the Tao Te Ching for Everyday Living. I’m your host, Dan Casas-Murray. This podcast is for the Tao Curious, those looking for a random bit of wisdom once in awhile, or for those who want to dive into this wonderful teaching.I’ve been studying the Tao Te Ching for just short of a year now, and have reconnected with a natural feeling of inner peace and contentment. I don’t hold a doctorate, nor am I qualified to teach anything about the Tao Te Ching - I’m just an ordinary person who has experienced the wonderful side effects of following the Tao. Since everyone’s experience with this wisdom is different, the only thing that I can hope for is that mine helps you to connect with the Tao in your own, unique, personal way. Feel free to listen to each episode a day at a time or any time you need a quick “Tao-shot.” You can listen while on your way to work or after that, when you’re winding down. It’s always a good time to observe the Tao.In each episode, we’ll do four things:1. We’ll read a verse of the Tao Te Ching2. Break it down into everyday language3. I’ll share my own thoughts and experience4. Apply the Verse with a couple of the many ways you can put the Tao into practice for yourself.That’s pretty much how I’ve been practicing the Tao every day - by listening to Lao Tzu, reflecting on his words of wisdom, listening to other comments, and trying to practice them in everyday life.

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