I have been asked several times how to find a
- Don't concentrate on the definition of the Tao (this will come later naturally)
- Understand what Taoism really is. Taoism is more than just a "philosophy" or a "religion". Taoism should be understood as being: A system of belief, attitudes and practices set towards the service and living to a person's own nature.
- The path of understanding is simply accepting yourself. Live life and discover who you are. Your nature is ever changing and is always the same. Don't try to resolve this contradiction; instead learn acceptance of your nature.
- Having a set of basic guidelines can be helpful. However, realistically guidelines don't determine how to live; instead by living you will express your nature.
My guidelines are the following: - With care, I aid those who are extended expressions of my nature.
- Be true to myself.
- Connect to the world as I want to be treated.
- Connect to those outside my nature with decisive action.
- To those unwilling to accept me for my true nature, no action is required: Just silently let them be themselves as I remain myself.
- I own nothing; I am merely a passing custodian of items outside of my nature.
- Discover a set of practices to aid keeping the mind, body and spirit engaged and strong. Remember practices should support your essence with the activities fitting the needs of the moment. Which means this is a shifting balance of activities relative to your needs. For example I practice martial arts to keep my body strong, yoga to make my body subtle, meditation to clear my mind, bike around simply to fly and lift my spirit. Poetry as lenses of examination. All these and more are my shifting practices to support my essence and in doing each, each helps me learn more about myself and the world.
- If you need a guide first start with these three books: Tao Te Ching, The Chuang-tzu, A Personal Tao. I recommend starting with A Personal Tao, as it's specifically written with a modern perspective to help people discover their nature. Due to the nature of Taoist writings you can easily read all three at the same time and intermix the ideas.
- Take time, relax and just explore and poke around. No plans - follow your gut feelings and trust your instincts.
- If you really desire a person as a guide, you can find a Taoist temple, Zen Dojo or local sage to simply chat with occasionally. Taoism's deepest truths must come from the inside, but at times it's helpful to get an outside perspective to see your own nature. If you cannot find any of the above, then start keeping a journal and over time review it. Since we all change over time, we can with the help of a journal teach ourselves.
- At times the process of learning is also a process of healing. Take time to heal (don't rush and hurt yourself more in the rushing).
- There are 6.5 billon people in the world, and so 6.5 billion paths to Taoism, every person can teach us something.
- Sometimes you need quietness; it's ok to take a retreat to only hear yourself and not the noise of civilization at times.
- Lather, Rinse and Repeat, and then toss the instructions away to do what is right for yourself...
Casey Kochmer is a poet, programmer, and patterner who has written a modern interpretation of the Tao called A Personal Tao. Click here to see his blog and click here to access an online version of the book.
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