The concept of Tao is an important and ever-present aspect of the teachings. Allow me to attempt to shed light upon this concept by referencing the following excerpt from my upcoming book.
“We shall begin our brief discourse on Taoism at the same point as The Tao Te Ching. Chapter 1 reads: The Tao that can be stated is not the Eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the Eternal Name. For starters, this sort of contradictory language is common in Zen thought and can easily lead to frustration. What are we to make of such a statement?
In this case, Lao Tzu, the author of said writing, is pointing in the direction of Tao. At the same time, he is challenging us to let go of the analytical mind. We must accept the limits of what we can know, of what can be expressed in words. These are fundamental elements of our practice. In short, part of a Zen practice involves becoming comfortable with the idea of not knowing.
Describing the indescribable
What can we know of this Tao then? In Taoism, as in many eastern schools of thought, there exists the concept of a creative force which transcends reality as we experience it. This creative force is the first cause of all creation, as it precedes experiential reality. As it precedes the birth of form, it is formless. As it is the first cause of all things, including words, it can neither be known through experimentation or adequately described with language.
Let’s consider a common analogy for a moment. Imagine we are ants on an engine under the hood of a car (granted, highly intelligent ants.) We can crawl around and, over time, perhaps discover some of the ways by which the inner workings function. It is unlikely, however, that we would extrapolate whatever we learned into the perfect image of the car surrounding us.
Perhaps Wei puts it more succinctly when he states, ‘For how can that which is to explain all things be susceptible of an explanation?’ The Guiding Light of Lao Tzu (Henry Wei, 1982)
Importantly, we should resist any urges to create images of it in our minds. Tao cannot be characterized as some sort of bearded man sitting on a cloud, looking down upon his creation, judging good or bad, right or wrong. Form was born after creation, therefore, Tao is formless. Judgement was born after creation, therefore, Tao does not hold judgement. Bearded men were born after creation, therefore, Tao is not a bearded man. You get the picture.
To know Tao, we experience Tao
Tao cannot be understood through words or concepts. However, the teachings do make us the promise that, through proper method, Tao may be experienced. Henry Wei goes so far as to say, ‘…the supreme goal of life is union or identification with Tao.’ Later he goes on to say, ‘…the Sage and other wise men will choose cultivation of inner peace and serenity in preference to the gratification of the senses.’ We can come to know Tao by emulating its traits and prioritizing inner growth.
Yet if this Tao is so elusive and mysterious then how can we know it when we have come into contact with it? As we have said already, Zen often discourages us from attempting to describe such inner, personal experiences. We will know it when we feel it.
Inexhaustible and abundant
According to the text, Tao became materialized in heaven and earth. This gave rise to what Taoism poetically and playfully calls the ten thousand things, or all of manifest reality as we know and experience it. So the one became two which became the many. Importantly, Tao did not change into the ten thousand things, thus losing itself in the transformation. Rather, it produced them. Indeed, it still produces them through this very moment. Tao selflessly creates and protects all that we see around us. Even in seemingly hard times its abundance is clear in the green of the trees, the chirping of the birds and the warm energy of the sun. In emulating Tao, we too can be selfless and charitable.”
Tao is our true nature. It is who we really are. Other teachings may refer to it by other names, such as the Absolute or the Supreme Ultimate. In the context of our teachings, we shall always refer to this first cause of all creation by the name of Tao. In doing so, we are referring to the true self, as well as all of the other concepts presented in this lesson. Further context on this idea of the true self versus the false self can be found in this lesson pertaining to the authentic self/the false self of the ego.
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