The Tao Te Ching for Everyday Living
Dan Casas-Murray
Email the podcast: DailyTaoLife@gmail.com Welcome to the Tao Te Ching for Everyday Living. I’m your host, Dan Casas-Murray. This podcast is for the Tao Curious, those looking for a random bit of wisdom once in awhile, or for those who want to dive into this wonderful teaching.I’ve been studying the Tao Te Ching for just short of a year now, and have reconnected with a natural feeling of inner peace and contentment. I don’t hold a doctorate, nor am I qualified to teach anything about the Tao Te Ching - I’m just an ordinary person who has experienced the wonderful side effects of following the Tao. Since everyone’s experience with this wisdom is different, the only thing that I can hope for is that mine helps you to connect with the Tao in your own, unique, personal way. Feel free to listen to each episode a day at a time or any time you need a quick “Tao-shot.” You can listen while on your way to work or after that, when you’re winding down. It’s always a good time to observe the Tao.In each episode, we’ll do four things:1. We’ll read a verse of the Tao Te Ching2. Break it down into everyday language3. I’ll share my own thoughts and experience4. Apply the Verse with a couple of the many ways you can put the Tao into practice for yourself.That’s pretty much how I’ve been practicing the Tao every day - by listening to Lao Tzu, reflecting on his words of wisdom, listening to other comments, and trying to practice them in everyday life.
Kategorier: Religion og åndelighet
Hør på den siste episoden:
Tao Te Ching Verse 81
translated by Isabella Mears
Faithful words may not be beautiful,
Beautiful words may not be faithful.
Those who love do not quarrel,
Those who quarrel do not love.
Those who know are not learned,
Those who are learned do not know.
The riches of the self-controlled person are in the Inner Life.
When one spends for others, one has more for oneself.
When one gives to others, one has much more for oneself.
Heavenly Tao blesses all and hurts no one.
The way of the self-controlled person is to act and not to fight.
Photo by Nastya Dulhiier on Unsplash
Staying Connected
In this final verse of the TTC, I feel like there are three things with which Lao Tzu leaves us:
The first is that when we are connected with Tao (which is always, btw), we can
See without looking
Listen without hearing
Feel without touching
Internalize without smelling or tasting
The second is the property of reflection - both internal and external to ourselves, which to me means that when I look inside, the Tao is reflected back. Ripples in a pond, while they emanate outward, always return to the source.
And the third is that emulating the Tao is the way to align ourselves with it, just like a magnet points toward the closest pole.
How do we practice all of this? That is our individual choice! Throughout the podcast, we have discussed different ways to put the principles into practice, and have acknowledged that those aren’t the only ways. In fact, I suspect that like the Tao, the number of ways I can use to practice those principles are infinite. In my short journey so far with the Tao, I have learned four centering mindsets that lead to different practices for different times, and I’ll leave them with you for your consideration:
- I must approach the Tao with as much sincerity as I can. It doesn’t matter how deeply sincere I am - just the best I can do in the moment is enough.
- I ask Tao for the willingness to see things a different way. I ask for awareness.
- I ask Tao to show me what I can do to practice.
- I ask Tao to help me be willing to practice once I know the way.
This is pretty much the cycle for me. It is simple, AND easy to do, at least most of the time. This mindset has helped me to become open to new ways of seeing things, new meditations, new contemplations, and what I feel is the coolest thing yet: being able to work with Tao to transmute my hangups, fears, and the negativity that has been with me since childhood into a loving, very real connection with myself, others, and the environment around me.
I am experiencing being human. It can be great. It can be horrifying. It can be incredibly beautiful. I can choose to do it alone. I can choose to do it with Tao. The choice is mine alone, and the action is mine to take.
Tao is impartial to my choice - so even Tao doesn’t influence my choice or action. How profoundly poignant is that? This is my journey. It is your journey. It is our journey. We all share this human experience, and yet we experience it individually. I am grateful that I have been willing enough to experience Tao in all its myriad forms. I am grateful for this human experience. I am grateful I can know compassion, contentment, and humility. I am grateful I have had this experience because of and with...you.
Tidligere episoder
-
82 - Tao Te Ching Verse 81: Staying Connected with Truth Fri, 09 Apr 2021
-
81 - Tao Te Ching Verse 80: Accessing the Utopia Within Fri, 02 Apr 2021
-
80 - Tao Te Ching Verse 79: Staying Forgiving Fri, 26 Mar 2021
-
79 - Tao Te Ching Verse 78: Staying Humble Fri, 19 Mar 2021
-
78 - Tao Te Ching Verse 77: Staying Content Fri, 12 Mar 2021
-
77 - Tao Te Ching Verse 76: Staying Compassionate Fri, 05 Mar 2021
-
76 - Tao Te Ching Verse 75: Abstinence Fri, 26 Feb 2021
-
75 - Tao Te Ching Verse 74: Disqualifying Ourselves from Managing Fri, 19 Feb 2021
-
74 - Tao Te Ching Verse 73: The Tao's Perfect Outcome Fri, 12 Feb 2021
-
73 - Tao Te Ching Verse 72: Reflecting Fri, 05 Feb 2021
-
72 - Tao Te Ching Verse 71: Working Toward Conscious Awareness Fri, 29 Jan 2021
-
71 - Tao Te Ching Verse 70: Paying Attention Fri, 22 Jan 2021
-
70 - Tao Te Ching Verse 69: Practicing Humility Humbly Fri, 15 Jan 2021
-
69 - Tao Te Ching Verse 68: Practicing Non-Contention Fri, 08 Jan 2021
-
68 - Tao Te Ching Verse 67: The Three Treasures Fri, 01 Jan 2021
-
67 - Tao Te Ching Verse 66: Leading from Behind Fri, 25 Dec 2020
-
66 - Tao Te Ching Verse 65: Staying on the Path Fri, 18 Dec 2020
-
65 - Tao Te Ching Verse 64: Getting Proactive with the Tao Fri, 11 Dec 2020
-
64 - Tao Te Ching Verse 63: Refining Ourselves with the Tao Fri, 04 Dec 2020
-
63 - Tao Te Ching Verse 62: Giving the Tao Fri, 27 Nov 2020
-
62 - Tao Te Ching Verse 61: Practicing Vulnerability Fri, 20 Nov 2020
-
61 - Tao Te Ching Verse 60: Un-Managing with the Tao Fri, 13 Nov 2020
-
60 - Tao Te Ching Verse 59: Widening the Channel Fri, 06 Nov 2020
-
59 - Tao Te Ching Verse 58: Practicing Balance Fri, 30 Oct 2020
-
58 - Tao Te Ching Verse 57: Practicing Gentility Fri, 23 Oct 2020
-
57 - Tao Te Ching Verse 56: Staying Silent Fri, 16 Oct 2020
-
56 - Tao Te Ching Verse 55: Practicing Harmony with the Tao Fri, 09 Oct 2020
-
55 - Tao Te Ching Verse 54: Evolving with the Tao Fri, 02 Oct 2020
-
54 - Tao Te Ching Verse 53: Keeping to the Tao Fri, 25 Sep 2020
-
53 - Tao Te Ching Verse 52: Integrating with the Tao (Owning Your Stuff) Fri, 18 Sep 2020
-
52 - Tao Te Ching Verse 51: Giving Freely Fri, 11 Sep 2020
-
51 - Tao Te Ching Verse 50: Practicing Immortality Fri, 04 Sep 2020
-
50 - Tao Te Ching Verse 49: Collaborating with the Tao Fri, 28 Aug 2020
-
49 - Tao Te Ching Verse 48: Gaining by Losing Fri, 21 Aug 2020
-
48 - Tao Te Ching Verse 47: Knowing the Tao Fri, 14 Aug 2020
-
47 - Tao Te Ching Verse 46: Abandoning Desires Fri, 07 Aug 2020
-
46 - Tao Te Ching Verse 45: Letting it Flow Fri, 31 Jul 2020
-
45 - Tao Te Ching Verse 44: Practicing Contentment Fri, 24 Jul 2020
-
44 - Tao Te Ching Verse 43: Allowing the Tao Fri, 17 Jul 2020
-
43 - Tao Te Ching Verse 42: The How and the Why of the Tao Fri, 10 Jul 2020
-
42 - Tao Te Ching Verse 41: Laughing at the Tao Fri, 03 Jul 2020
-
41 - Tao Te Ching Verse 40: Going with the Ebb and Flow Fri, 26 Jun 2020
-
40 - Tao Te Ching Verse 39: Making Peace with Ego Fri, 19 Jun 2020
-
39 - Tao Te Ching Verse 38: Just Being Ourselves Fri, 12 Jun 2020
-
38 - Tao Te Ching Verse 37: Doing Nothing Fri, 05 Jun 2020
-
37 - Tao Te Ching Verse 36: Harnessing Opposites Fri, 29 May 2020
-
36 - Tao Te Ching Verse 35: Connecting with the Tao Fri, 22 May 2020
-
35 - Tao Te Ching Verse 34: Practicing Humility by Emulating the Tao Fri, 15 May 2020
-
34 - Tao Te Ching Verse 33: Getting Comfortable with Immortality Fri, 08 May 2020
-
33 - Tao Te Ching Verse 1: Welcome to the Tao Sat, 23 Nov 2019