{"id":10546,"date":"2014-07-14T17:39:22","date_gmt":"2014-07-14T21:39:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yang-sheng.com\/?p=10546"},"modified":"2014-07-14T17:45:11","modified_gmt":"2014-07-14T21:45:11","slug":"illuminating-the-dao-%e6%82%9f%e9%81%93-when-less-is-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yang-sheng.com\/?p=10546","title":{"rendered":"Illuminating the Dao \u609f\u9053 — When Less Is More"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Illuminating the Dao \u609f\u9053]<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0When Less Is More<\/strong><\/h1>\n

by Michelle Wood<\/strong><\/p>\n

(First published in Qi Dao Newsletter September 25, 2009)<\/p>\n

\u00a0I had the great pleasure of attending a birthday party a few weeks ago. The guest of honor was my friend\u2019s beautiful little granddaughter who turned three that day.<\/p>\n

There were lots of people, about eight children and as many adults, and there was food galore and fun things to do, a big inflatable jumping house, games and prizes, cake and ice-cream, and of course gifts! Lots and lots of gifts.<\/p>\n

There was also a great deal of bewilderment on the face of the guest of honor. Most of the afternoon, she just couldn\u2019t figure out what was going on. After the gifts were opened, she just stood there, so wanting to play with all the toys at once but unable to decide what to do first.<\/p>\n

What a fitting metaphor for our lives! We become swept up in the tide of all the things swirling around us, accumulating things and things to do until we are suddenly overwhelmed with all the items and activities, but at the same time we become attached to each and every thing that comes into our lives whether we need it or not, and don\u2019t seem to be able to let go of one or two or a dozen.<\/p>\n

\"Calligraphy<\/a>

Calligraphy of “Dao” and the first sentence of Dao-de-jing<\/p><\/div>\n

Here is the most amazing part of this process: it often happens without us being aware of it! When we do finally realize that we are swirling in chaos, we often shrug and say, \u201cThat\u2019s just how life is these days.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wanting and enjoying things are a part of a healthy human life and can bring much enjoyment, but the things which overwhelm, the attachments to which we cling, can be destructive on many levels.<\/p>\n

When you become a slave to your passions and collections, you worry about keeping what you have and getting more<\/p>\n

When you desire to do so many things you don\u2019t know where to start, you become confused and indecisive.<\/p>\n

When you collect and play with your things to the exclusion of spending quality time with your friends and family, you lose sight of the true purpose of life.<\/p>\n

When your entire focus is on keeping and getting more for the sake of quantity instead of quality, you have stepped off the Path, and have fallen out of harmony with Dao.<\/p>\n

Falling out of harmony with Dao is like hopping onto an extended ride on an emotional roller-coaster with your eyes closed. On a roller-coaster, change occurs every moment, usually drastic change at that, but you never know which way the roller-coaster car is going to turn, or when it\u2019s going to go crawling up or charging down, and that emotionally charged and draining wild ride leads to physical illness.<\/p>\n

And yet. . . we accumulate and hang on to all those things because we think they will bring us happiness, overlooking the fact that true happiness comes only from being in harmony with Dao.<\/p>\n

Here is the writing \u201cHappiness\u201d from page 138 of Everyday Tao by Deng Ming-Dao<\/p>\n

\u201cAll abundance is provided by Tao.\"Picture2\"<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

If we appreciate that, we will see that we are surrounded by happiness.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cLike everything else in Tao, happiness comes from within. What minimal support we need from the outside \u2013 a bit of food, some shelter \u2013 can actually be very simple and plain and is readily available. Nevertheless, people are unhappy because they do not know moderation.<\/p>\n

\u201c \u2018All I need to be happy is to be rich,\u2019 many say. But the newspapers are filled with stories of wealthy people who live in deep despair. In fact, the simple phrase, \u2018All I need to be happy is to be rich\u2019 \u2013 complete with your choice of substitutes for he word \u2018rich\u2019 \u2013 is am immediate indication of the source of our unhappiness: there is no end to what we want.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnow when enough is enough. Some die from hunger, but many die from overeating.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo to be happy, we have to control our desires. The ancients taught two ways to do this. Sometimes they used discipline to curb desire. Sometimes they satisfied their desires. This is the genius of Tao: Moderation. We do not need to cleave to the extremism of the ascetic. We do not need to lose ourselves in the indulgence of the hedonist. We follow Tao, the middle path.\u201d<\/p>\n

How do you complete the statement, \u201cAll I need to be happy is __________.\u201d ?<\/p>\n

Sometimes, though, our attachments are not to things, but to thoughts, ideas, and outcomes.<\/p>\n

There may be something you want to do or to have happen, and you focus upon a particular method for the completion or manifestation of that thing. This makes you blind to other ways your dream may come to fruition. You simply don\u2019t see them due to your focus in one direction instead of allowing them to come about in the way that is most harmonious with your mental, emotional, and spiritual environment.<\/p>\n

Related to that, and another thing that not only stands in the way of happiness but also is the cause of many illnesses, is the attachment to a belief, often precipitated by a traumatic even from the past, that causes a negative emotional response in the present. The illnesses caused by these emotionally-damaging beliefs are the warning signals to you that there are internal conflicts, and the results of these continuing conflicts are distressing physical symptoms that continue to worsen as long as you do not examine and resolve the conflict.<\/p>\n

I heard a phrase recently that sums up this damaging belief pattern rather concisely: \u201cSome people would rather be right than happy.\u201d They would rather hold on to those old, outworn, outdated, damaging ideas and beliefs instead of letting go and finding harmony, being happy, and getting healthy.<\/p>\n

So, how do you know if you are attached to things \u2013 physical items, thoughts and ideas, or beliefs \u2013 that are better let go and left behind? Here is a very simple barometer to measure your attachment: Examine each item, idea, or belief and ask: \u201cCan I live with out that _____?\u201d If your answer is \u201cNo,\u201d ask yourself, \u201cWhy not?\u201d If you can\u2019t come up with a life-affirming answer as to why you are hanging on to these things, your attachments may be interfering with your happiness and your health.<\/p>\n

Daodejing verse 44, Steven Mitchell\u2019s translation, gives us advice in how to recognize our attachments and help in letting them go:<\/p>\n

Fame or integrity: which is more important?
\nMoney or happiness: which is more valuable?
\nSuccess or failure: which is more destructive?<\/em><\/p>\n

If you look to others for fulfillment,
\nyou will never truly be fulfilled.
\nIf your happiness depends on money,
\nyou will never be happy with yourself.<\/p>\n

Be content with what you have;
\nrejoice in the way things are.
\nWhen you realize there is nothing lacking,
\nthe whole world belongs to you.<\/p>\n

\u540d\u8207\u8eab\u5b70\u89aa?
\n\u8eab\u8207\u8ca8\u5b70\u591a?
\n\u5f97\u8207\u4ea1\u5b70\u75c5?
\n\u662f\u6545\u751a\u611b\u5fc5\u5927\u8cbb.
\n\u591a\u85cf\u5fc5\u539a\u4ea1.
\n\u77e5\u8db3\u4e0d\u8fb1.
\n\u77e5\u6b62\u4e0d\u6b86.
\n\u53ef\u4ee5\u9577\u4e45.
\n<\/span>—\u00a0 Chinese characters,\u00a0Tao Te Ching<\/i>, Chapter 44<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Here is how the advice of this verse can lead to letting go of attachments and lead to harmony, happiness and health:<\/p>\n

Fame or integrity: which is more important?<\/em><\/p>\n

When you have Fame, you are more concerned with your public face and ego, not necessarily who you really are. When you strive for fame, you play the role that you believe will be admired by the most people. However, this is the very reason that most people experience only \u201c15 minutes of fame;\u201d admirers are looking for authenticity, and turn away in disappointment when they learn the object of their admiration is just a mask.<\/p>\n

When you live with Integrity, you are in the state of being whole. You live as your true, authentic self without striving. When you live authentically, people admire you for being true to yourself. This is a far more honest and harmonious relationship, and fame is irrelevant.<\/p>\n

Money or happiness: which is more valuable?<\/em><\/p>\n

If you want to become a conscious human being, you already know that money won\u2019t do that for you, not with all the books or equipment that can aid the process. Worth more than all of them combined, and of utmost value, is the harmony which bring happiness which creates health.<\/p>\n

Success or failure: which is more destructive?
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Personally, I think this is a bit of a trick question. It\u2019s all about ego, perceptions, and self-judging. Success can go to your head, and failure can make you lose heart.<\/p>\n

Success can bring a sense of satisfaction that makes you feel good, and that\u2019s a good thing showing you have healthy self-esteem. The destructive forces arise when you pursue success to attain fame and fortune, or strive to satisfy others\u2019 expectations instead of yourself. Success is not a substitute for self-esteem.<\/p>\n

The best use of failures is as lessons that teach you what to avoid doing in the future. Failures taken as negative judgments on self-worth or self-esteem can be extremely unhealthy since those feelings are what ultimately influence your life and create your future.<\/p>\n

As you see, Success and Failure can be equally destructive under the right circumstances. The most destructive of all is the ego that makes the judgment in the first place and bestows importance where none is needed. When you live as an authentic being, you see success and failure simply as two cycles among the many other cycles within which you live your life.<\/p>\n

If you look to others for fulfillment,
\nyou will never truly be fulfilled.<\/em><\/p>\n

Fulfillment is just like happiness, sadness, anger, or any other state of being; it is totally dependent on your inner self. You choose to be happy, sad, or fulfilled by virtue of your reactions to your relationships, and by the resistance you put up when things don\u2019t go your way. If you allow yourself to be filled with the harmony of each moment, you need never look anywhere but at yourself, where you will always find fulfillment.\"260310_118293611592689_117732484982135_169061_1223998_n\"<\/p>\n

If your happiness depends on money,
\nyou will never be happy with yourself.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Money is such a nebulous thing. Not only does it come and go, but the value of it fluctuates. Certainly more time is spent worrying about making money or keeping money. This seems to be one of life\u2019s greatest frustrations for people not in harmony with Dao: no matter how much you have or what it\u2019s worth, you will never be able to buy happiness with money.<\/p>\n

Be content with what you have;
\nrejoice in the way things are.<\/em><\/p>\n

To be content means to be without struggle. Struggle only causes distress and disease. If you can accept everything as being right for this moment and rejoice in that correctness, you will be in harmony. In harmony, you will find contentment, for who could possibly be discontent amidst harmony and correctness?<\/p>\n

And to this final statement, there is nothing I can add except that it is a good affirmation to meditate upon, and upon understanding you will know why you need never be attached to anything:<\/p>\n

When you realize there is nothing lacking,
\nthe whole world belongs to you.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Michelle\"<\/a>[Michelle Wood\u00a0<\/b>–\u00a0Rev Michelle K. Wood holds a degree in Holistic Relaxation Therapy from Natural Health Institutes, is a student of the Yijing, and embraces the philosophies of both Daoism and A Course In Miracles. Since 2007, she\u2019s taught qigong and meditation classes and workshops both privately and through Central Oregon Community College and St Charles Hospital in Bend, OR. Participation in Bhakti Yoga (kirtan), Indian devotional singing, led her to study the archetypal vibrations found in Sanskrit mantras and chants, culminating in a 74-day pilgrimage to the sacred sites and cities of India in 2012. Now in Boise, ID, she serves you through group counseling via a weekly grief-recovery and transitions group (Stepping Stones to Joy) as well as individual spiritual counseling. For more information, please visit:\u00a0http:\/\/michellekwood.com ]<\/address>\n

 <\/p>\n

Do you like this? Please share it:<\/div>
Tweet<\/a>