One can not reflect in streaming water.
Only those who know internal peace can give it to others.❞
― Lao Tzu
(570-490 BC)
ram0ram wisdom note
learning from the enlightened master Lao Tzu…..
few words but full of silence and wisdom ……
reflection comes from mirroring inside ……..
and mirroring is oneness inside …..
oneness bring peace and peace gets reflected in cup of life …..
have a sip today and everyday ….
love all.
(c) ram0ram ……. freedom to right copy and share
Tao Te Ching: Chapter 14 = Mystery
Look, and it can’t be seen.
Listen, and it can’t be heard.
Reach, and it can’t be grasped.
Above, it isn’t bright.
Below, it isn’t dark.
Seamless, unnamable,
it returns to the realm of nothing.
Form that includes all forms,
image without an image,
subtle, beyond all conception.
Approach it and there is no beginning;
follow it and there is no end.
You can’t know it, but you can be it,
at ease in your own life.
Just realize where you come from:
this is the essence of wisdom.
text credits : http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/
“While there is neither light nor darkness, neither sound nor silence, neither heard nor unheard, neither positive nor negative, neither sweet nor tasteless,only that which is constant and eternal pervades beyond creation and destruction”.
now Zero explained through a mythological story…
“O most unfortunate Prahlada, you have always described a supreme being other than me, a supreme being who is above everything, who is the controller of everyone, and who is all-pervading. But where is He? If He is everywhere, then why is He not present before me in this pillar?”
Prahlada then answers, He was, He is and He will be. In an alternate version of the story, Prahlada answers He is in pillars, and he is in the least twig.
Hiranyakashipu the father ….. the symbol of logical intelligence …..the symbol of ego ….. unable to control his anger, smashes the pillar with his mace, and then following a tumultuous sound, Vishnu in the form of Narasimha appears from it and in defence of Prahlada moves to attack his father.
In order to kill Hiranyakashipu and not upset the boon given by Brahma, the form of Narasimha was chosen. Hiranyakashipu could not be killed by human, deva or animal, Narasimha is neither one of these, as he is a form of Vishnu incarnate as a part-human, part-animal. He comes upon Hiranyakashipu at twilight (when it is neither day nor night) on the threshold of a courtyard (neither indoors nor out), and puts the demon on his thighs (neither earth nor space). Using his sharp nails (neither animate nor inanimate) as weapons, he disembowels and kills the demon.
Even after killing Hiranyakashipu none of the present demigods were able to calm Narasimha’s fury, not even Shiva. So all the gods and goddesses called His consort, the goddess Lakshmi, but she was also unable to do so. Then, at the request of Brahma, Prahlada was presented to God ……. the childhood friend of God…
so the cosmic energy is neither feminine nor masculine …..neither human nor animal …… neither positive nor negative ……neither soul nor body ….. neither time nor timeless …..neither light nor darkness ….essence of this chapter is we can’t know it, but we can be it,……be aware ….be in oneness …..be a childhood friend of God …and to feel …..feel the evening …….SANDHYA ….the oneness of light and darkness …..taste of now ….taste of zero …..
love all….
Tao Te Ching: Chapter 14 = Mystery
Look at it, you cannot see it. It is invisible.
Listen to it, you cannot hear it. It is inaudible.
Reach for it, you cannot grasp it. It is intangible.
These three qualities are unfathomable
and so they fuse together and become one.
The upper part is not bright.
The lower part is not dark.
Ceaselessly the Unnamed moves back to nothingness.
It has the form of the formless,
the image of the imageless.
It is indefinable and shadowy.
Go up to it and you will not see its front.
Follow it and you will not see its back.
Yet, hold fast to this ancient Tao
and you will experience the present now-moment.
Know its beginnings and you can follow the path of the Tao.
Image credits : http://www.thebigview.com/tao-te-ching/chapter14.html
“When you are content to be simply yourself
and
don’t compare
or
compete,
everyone will respect you.”
Searching value in other’s eyes will always bring stress
researching own value within will always bring peace
this contentment with own self
is
true gem of life
(c) ram0ram …… freedom to right copy and share
wisdom of life is not to swim against the current of time …..
nor to race with the current of time ……
but to flow naturally and neutrally with current of time …
oneness with current of time is oneness with self ….
and
oneness with self is oneness with cosmic self …
oneness with cosmic self is purpose of life ….
love all.
(c) ram0ram ………. freedom to right copy and share
Success is as dangerous as failure.
Hope is as hollow as fear.
What does it mean that success is a dangerous as failure?
Whether you go up the ladder or down it,
you position is shaky.
When you stand with your two feet on the ground,
you will always keep your balance.
What does it mean that hope is as hollow as fear?
Hope and fear are both phantoms
that arise from thinking of the self.
When we don’t see the self as self,
what do we have to fear?
See the world as your self.
Have faith in the way things are.
Love the world as your self;
then you can care for all things.
Image credits :
http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/core9/phalsall/texts/taote-v3.html#13
many time people ask ….. why Indian fine art is not signed by the artist …… because Indian artist always dedicated their work to God and considering themselves as medium for God never wanted to have credits ….. success inflates our ego so also defeat deflates our ego …..both are equally dangerous.
The fact is, the body we have during this lifetime is the only one we have got for our spiritual growth, we know that we will continue on this journey, and that we are going to have more beauty and love in our life because of it.
we have to remember to maintain our bodies as well and take good care of ourself and the more we know about ourself, the easier it becomes to take body for granted as guru or a teacher to fulfill its obligation to guide till final frontier in time to timelessness.
So
1. keep the body (car) clean from outside or healthy,
2. keep it clean from inside or sensitive,
3. drive carefully means do not hurt any body in any way.
4. give fellow passengers good journey means take care of your family, society, and nature.
When the driver ( soul ) is good and is aware of the true value of the car remains careful not to hurt , not to race , not to risk own life and fellow passengers life for temporary materialistic achievements Therefore:
a person who treasures own body as much as the world
Can care for the world.
a person who loves his body as much as the world
Can be entrusted with the world.
wisdom of life is not to swim against the current of time …..nor to race with the current of time ……but to flow naturally and neutrally with current of time …
oneness with current of time is oneness with self ….
and oneness with self is oneness with cosmic self …
oneness with cosmic self is purpose of life ….
love all.
(c) ram0ram ………. freedom to right copy and share
Honor and great distress are like the body.
What does it mean that praise and disgrace cause fear?
Praise leads to weakness.
Getting it causes fear, losing it causes fear.
This is why praise and disgrace cause fear.
What does it mean that honor and great distress are like the body?
The reason for great distress is the body.
Without it, what distress could there be?
Therefore:
He who treasures his body as much as the world
Can care for the world.
He who loves his body as much as the world
Can be entrusted with the world.
Fear
Fear rules our existence to the extent that there are few things we do without it being one of our reasons, more often than not the most important one.
We worry about not getting what we want, and dread losing what we have.
we fill our everyday lives with numerous precautions, and still we worry about what the future might bring.
Safety first to Flee from our fear, we make our lives more and more of an imprisonment.
The ultimate fear is that of death. It lies inside every other fear.
The death we fear is that of the body. We know nothing else for certain. Our bodies will cease to function and then decay. So we guard this mortal coil with desperation. We are obsessed with our bodies. Their demands make us dependent, and their fragility makes us fearful.
Neither praise nor disgrace will stick to us if we don’t value the body, the physical entity to which they are connected. The same is true for honor as well as distress.
The body is vulnerable. The more important it is to us, the more vulnerable we will be.
Rule by Caution
Still, Lao Tzu doesn’t condemn our dependence on our bodies. We need to know that it is so, but then it can be a fortunate circumstance – especially in the case of rulers. The one who rules his realm with the same care he shows his own body, will not hasten to take risks with it.
Because he worries about the world around him as much as he worries about his own body, such a ruler will be cautious. Then he will do little harm.
Not only rulers should live by this code, but every one of whatever means. If we treat our surroundings with the same care and love as we have for our own bodies, then we are unlikely to cause trouble or damage.
So, Lao Tzu regards the fear we have as an asset, as long as we are aware of its cause and act accordingly. We should aim to preserve the world as we do our bodies. In that way, fear is a good thing. It keeps us alert and cautious, and it helps us set things in their right perspective.
By one simple question, we can stop ourselves from numerous follies that we might otherwise indulge in unwittingly:
Is this worth dying for?
text credits : from the text © Stefan Stenudd.
“By letting go it all gets done.”
― Lao Tzu
“Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear?”
― Lao Tzu,
“The best fighter is never angry.”
― Lao Tzu
Racing through the field and hunting make the mind wild.
Searching for precious goods leads astray.
Therefore, the sage attends to the belly,
And not to what he sees.
He rejects the latter and chooses the former.
Moderation : © Stefan Stenudd.
The five colors in the Chinese tradition are green, red, yellow, white, and black. The five tones of the Chinese musical scale are C, D, E, G, and A. The five flavors are sweet, bitter, salty, sour, and pungent.
This division into five is likely to have come from the Chinese concept of the five elements: water, fire, wood, metal, and earth. In ancient China it was believed that everything in the world was made up of these five materials. This can be compared to the old Greek elements, which were four: fire, earth, air, and water.
Lao Tzu warns against any form of excess. A multitude of colors is chaotic, straining for the eyes to watch, and not a pretty sight. Any artist would agree.
Similarly, all the instruments in the orchestra playing at once should not go on for long. It works in a crescendo, but rarely elsewhere.
A skilled chef limits the number of flavors on a dish, or none of them becomes delightful.
Disciplined moderation is a key to great art of whatever genre. Less is more.
Precious objects, no matter how tempting, should not lead our steps. They are just things. If we allow them to control our lives, we are sure to choose paths that have the least to do with what we need. Of true and lasting value is what happens inside of us, .
The Belly
The sage stays within, caring for the needs of his belly instead of striving for what his eyes can see. This refers not only to making sure of getting food, before searching for other delights. In the Eastern tradition, the stomach is regarded as far more than the location of one’s intestines. It’s the seat of personal resources, even awareness of sorts. The stomach is the center of the human body.
Traditionally, the belly is also the center of personal power. Of course, this is quite accurate from a medical standpoint, since the stomach processes the food and extracts the nutrition and energy we need to survive. The old Chinese teaching also tells us that inside the belly is the major source of the vital breath, the life force ch’i (also spelled qi).
According to this tradition, the center of the stomach is tan t’ien (also spelled dantian), the red rice field, from which great energy emerges. To stimulate the flow of life force within yourself, you need to focus on this center and act according to its impulses.
So, when Lao Tzu says that we should attend to our belly, instead of what our eyes can see, he also means that we should make sure to stay centered. Focusing on the belly keeps you grounded and collected. It’s how to guard your integrity and get to know yourself properly. When our eyes trick us to forget what our bellies tell us, our minds get lost and our bodies are sure to suffer.
Lao Tzu reminds us to get our priorities right. In doing so, we get to know ourselves and stay true to what we really are. What the eyes show us may very well be illusions, but what we feel inside our bellies is for real.
In this manner the sage cares for people:
He provides for the belly, not for the senses;
He ignores abstraction and holds fast to substance.
Ram0ram wisdom notes on chapter :12 : substance
Mind ‘ is the energy bridge between right and left brain, soul and body , subjective and objective, emotional intelligence and logical intelligence , space and time, vertical dimension (beyond time) and horizontal dimension (with in time ) ,positive and negative……
there is a great epic story Ramayana…..and last fight between Lord Rama and Demon Ramana ( mind of Rama ) normally prounced as Ravana……Ramana has ten heads ….each representing our ten senses…..now Lord Rama cuts one head ….instantly another head crop up…..people fight to work or fulfill one desire …another crop up and it goes on……
finally Lord Rama been asked to target the naval in the stomach where the AMRIT or eternity is hiding …and done so ….the demon become silent.
this is a spiritual and scientific story of atom and at OM … where body or electron center in left brain so when confused one always hold head…….when soul or proton center in heart so a emotional person keeps one’s hand on heart……as women natural inclination towards right emotional brain….that is the reason we say they think from heart rather than head…..
when one centers in naval ….like the nucleus in atom …and see children breathing from naval….the consciousness centering there the oneness happens and body, mind, soul, spirit all disappears and what remains is SAT CHIT ANAND ….. eternal happiness the taste of God.
so a masculine mind centers in head…..a feminine mind centers in heart…….. a neutral mind like innocent child centers in naval or belly …..freedom with childhood friend God.
be a child inside…. whether women or men outside….
that is the substance …..
love all…
Beyond the Rainbow 