![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tm.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/tao-de-ching-laozi.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Laozi <\/strong><\/p>\n He<\/a> lived in the capital city and served as the keeper of the archives at the royal court. A man of great wisdom, he attracted many people, who gathered around him and considered him their teacher. But as he observed the moral decay of the city and the kingdom, he felt out of place and resolved to leave.<\/p>\n He journeyed westward, planning to cross the country\u2019s far western border and there, in the frontier, in solitude, live out the rest of his life. <\/p>\n But when he reached the kingdom\u2019s western gate, the guard recognized him. He entreated the wise man to set down a record of his teaching before departing the country for good. <\/p>\n Thus, according to legend, was born the Tao Te Ching<\/a> <\/em>(or Dao De Jing). The wise man of China was Laozi.<\/p>\n Out of this great work emerged the great philosophical and religious tradition known as Taoism (or Daoism), which have been such a powerful force in Eastern Asia for more than two millennia, and which have exerted their influence in the West for that last two centuries.<\/p>\n We know very little about Laozi. Some scholars question whether a man of that name existed at all (Laozi<\/em> means old master<\/em> or old masters<\/em>). Some believe the works attributed to him were written by a collection of people over time. It doesn\u2019t matter. What matters is the wisdom, and whoever wrote the Tao Te Ching<\/em> possessed great wisdom indeed.<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to imagine what life was like in China in the 6th century BC, 2,600 years ago, when Laozi and his disciples lived. But the teachings could not be more relevant today. Laozi offers practical guidance as well as counsel for political rulers. <\/p>\n What is Laozi\u2019s central teaching? The most important thing people can do in life, Laozi asserts in the Tao Te Ching<\/em> and other works attributed to him, is to gain a state of silent awareness \u2014 to open the mind to its source:<\/p>\n Become totally empty To know this process brings enlightenment Be still Whoever knows this truth lives forever Laozi calls on us to \u201cbecome totally empty,\u201d to \u201cquiet the restlessness of the mind.\u201d Then we experience the \u201cemptiness\u201d that forms source and goal of all things. This \u201cbrings enlightenment\u201d and \u201creveals the secrets of eternity.\u201d Grounded in this experience, one attains a \u201cvision of oneness,\u201d leads a life of \u201cuniversal love,\u201d and achieves immortality. In contrast, \u201cto miss this process brings disaster.\u201d To this transcendental field of life Laozi gives the name Tao<\/em>, or Dao<\/em>. Dao<\/em> is usually translated as the Way<\/em>, or the Path<\/em>. The term is often understood to mean \u201cnature.\u201d Clearly it refers to a very deep level of nature, because, as Laozi says, when you gain the Tao, you gain \u201call eternity.\u201d<\/p>\n Experiencing the Tao, Laozi observes in this next verse, involves allowing the mind to move beyond the superficialities of thought and perceptions:<\/p>\n A mind free of thought, To experience \u201cthe essence of the Tao,\u201d Laozi indicates, is to apprehend the truth. And the key, again, is to let the mind settle inward, beyond thought, into itself.<\/p>\n Here are some passages from the Hua Hu Ching<\/em>, another work attributed to Laozi:<\/p>\n The superior person settles his mind as the universe settles the stars in the sky. As the mind settles inward, Laozi tells us, it expands, culminating in unbounded awareness. This experience, he emphasizes in the same work, is the key to everything good \u2014 while missing this experience, he cautions, leaves you forever lost:<\/p>\n Remain quiet. Discover the harmony in your own being. Embrace it. If you can do this, you will gain everything, and the world will become healthy again. If you can\u2019t, you will be lost in the shadows forever. [4]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Here is a final passage from Laozi, this one from a work called the Wen-Tzu<\/em>, again speaking about allowing the mind to settle beyond thoughts to \u201cutter simplicity.\u201d This, he emphasizes, is \u201cthe great attainment\u201d:<\/p>\n Clarifying their eyes, they do not look; quieting their ears, they do not listen. Closing their mouths, they do not speak; letting their minds be, they do not think. Abandoning intellectualism, they return to utter simplicity; resting their vital spirit, they detach from knowledge. Therefore they have no likes or dislikes. This is called the great attainment. [5]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n If you practice the Transcendental Meditation technique, Laozi\u2019s words shine with a new light. You\u2019ll notice immediately that Laozi is talking about transcending<\/em>. Many people who practice the Transcendental Meditation technique have had experiences just as he describes. Here is an example: <\/p>\n I distinctly recall the day of instruction [in the Transcendental Meditation technique<\/a>], my first clear experience of transcending. Following the instruc\u00actions of the teacher, without know\u00acing what to expect, I began to drift down into deeper and deeper levels of relaxation, as if I were sinking into my chair. Then for some time, perhaps a minute or a few minutes, I experienced a silent, inner state of no thoughts, just pure awareness and nothing else; then again I became aware of my surroundings. It left me with a deep sense of ease, inner renewal and happiness.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n As many meditators will realize, the Tao is not some abstract concept. It is the field of pure consciousness, the source of thought deep within. It is also the source of nature\u2019s intelligence, the unified field of natural law described mathematically by quantum physics.<\/p>\n This same field is described everywhere in the world\u2019s great philosophical and religious traditions. Plato refers to it as the Good<\/em> and the Beautiful<\/em>. Aristotle calls it Being<\/em>. For Plotinus it is the Infinite<\/em>, for St. Bernard of Clairvaux the Word<\/em>, for Ralph Waldo Emerson the Oversoul<\/em><\/a>. It is referred to in Christiantity as the kingdom of Heaven within<\/em>, in Judaism as Ein Sof<\/em>. The direct experience of this transcendental field is referred to in India as Yoga<\/em>, in Buddhism as Nirvana<\/a><\/em>, in Islam as fana<\/em>, in Christiantity as spiritual marriage<\/em>. It is a universal teaching based on a universal reality and a universal experience.<\/p>\n Every time I read a work like the Tao Te Ching<\/em> or the Wenzi<\/em>, I appreciate the greatness of those enlightened people of past who propounded this universal teaching so beautifully in their time and whose words continue to inspire and guide us today. <\/p>\n And I appreciate what we have from Maharishi<\/a> \u2014 a simple, natural, effortless technique that anyone can learn and practice, and by which we can enjoy the priceless experience of transcending twice each day. <\/p>\n REFERENCES A NOTE ON TRANSLATIONS ___________________________________________________<\/p>\n Dr. Craig Pearson<\/strong><\/a> is Executive Vice-President of Maharishi University of Management<\/a> in Fairfield, Iowa. He has served the University in a variety of roles over the past 33 years, including Dean of Faculty, Dean of Students, Director of Maharishi University of Management Press, Director of Freshman Composition, and Professor of Professional Writing.<\/p>\n He holds a PhD in Maharishi Vedic Science from MUM and is the author of two books on the development of full human potential, The Complete Book of Yogic Flying<\/em><\/a> and The Supreme Awakening: Developing the Infinite Potential Within (forthcoming). He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment<\/a>.<\/p>\n Other posts by Craig Pearson:<\/strong><\/p>\n Alfred, Lord Tennyson – \u201cA state of transcendent wonder\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Helen Keller \u2013 \u201cI feel the flame of eternity in my soul\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Walt Whitman \u2013 \u201cThe luminousness of real vision\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Ralph Waldo Emerson \u2013 \u201cWithin man is the soul of the whole; the wise silence; the universal beauty”<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Henry David Thoreau \u2013 \u201cWe become like a still lake of purest crystal\u201d<\/a><\/strong> He is Executive Vice-President of Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa. He has served the University in a variety of roles over the past 33 years, including Dean of Faculty, Dean of Students, Director of Maharishi University of Management Press, Director of Freshman Composition, and Professor of Professional Writing. He holds a PhD in Maharishi Vedic Science from MUM.<\/p>\n Click here<\/a> to see his other blog posts, adapted from The Supreme Awakening<\/em><\/a>. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The wise seer Laozi lived in the capital city and served as the keeper of the archives at the royal court. As a man of great wisdom, he attracted many people, who gathered around him and considered him their teacher. But he was not pleased by the moral decay of the city and the kingdom. So he decided to leave. Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,3],"tags":[39,38,37],"class_list":["post-310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-enlightenment","category-meditation","tag-daoism","tag-tao-te-ching","tag-transcend"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.tm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.tm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.tm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.tm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.tm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=310"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usa.tm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.tm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.tm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.tm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n6th century BC – China<\/p>\n![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/www.tm.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/chinese-painting1.jpg\" "\\"chinese")
<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nQuiet the restlessness of the mind
\nOnly then will you witness everything
\n\tunfolding from emptiness
\nSee all things flourish and dance
\n\tin endless variation
\nAnd once again merge back into perfect emptiness\u2014
\n\tTheir true repose
\n\tTheir true nature
\nEmerging, flourishing, dissolving back again
\n\tThis is the eternal process of return<\/p>\n
\nTo miss this process brings disaster<\/p>\n
\nStillness reveals the secrets of eternity
\nEternity embraces the all-possible
\nThe all-possible leads to a vision of oneness
\nA vision of oneness brings about universal love
\nUniversal love supports the great truth of Nature
\nThe great truth of Nature is Tao<\/p>\n
\nThe body may perish, deeds may be forgotten
\nBut he who has Tao has all eternity [1] \t\u2014 Chapter 16<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nmerged within itself,
\nBeholds the essence of the Tao
\nA mind filled with thought,
\nidentified with its own perceptions,
\nbeholds the mere forms of this world. [2]\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nBy connecting the mind with the subtle origin, he calms it.
\nOnce calmed it naturally expands, and ultimately his mind becomes as vast and immeasurable as the night sky. [3]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n![\"Flower-Nature\"](\"https:\/\/www.tm.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Flower-Nature2.jpg\" "\\"Flower-Nature-1\\"")
Every time we meditate, every time we transcend, we experience this unbounded field. We awaken it. We enliven it. Our consciousness expands. Our creativity and intelligence increases. Our thoughts and actions come into harmony with natural law. The force of natural law gathers behind our every thought and action, so that we can fulfill our desires without effort.<\/p>\n
\n[1] Laozi, Tao Te Ching<\/em>, trans. Jonathan Star (New York: Tarcher, 2003), 29.
\n[2] Tao Te Ching<\/em>, 14.
\n[3] Hua Hu Ching: The Unknown Teachings of Lao Tzu<\/em>, trans. Brian Walker (San Francisco: HarperOne, 1995), 7.
\n[4] Hua Hu Ching<\/em>, 25.
\n[5] Lao-tzu, Wen-Tzu: Understanding the Mysteries<\/em>, trans. Thomas Cleary (Boston and London: Shambhala, 1992), 35.<\/p>\n
\nThere are hundreds of translations of the Tao Te Ching. It ranks only behind the Bible as the most translated book in the world. I like Jonathan Star\u2019s translation for its simplicity and poetry and well as for its clear rendering of Laozi\u2019s central message. Other good translations include those by Stephen Mitchell (Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006) and Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English (Vintage, 1997).<\/p>\n
\n———————-
\nDr. Craig Pearson is the author of two books on the development of full human potential, The Supreme Awakening: Experiences of Enlightenment Throughout Time \u2014 and How You Can Cultivate Them<\/em><\/a> (from which this article was adapted), and The Complete Book of Yogic Flying<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n