Turning to China, we find the best in Buddhist thought passing into the religious tradition of the Chinese. But along with this, we may note the message taught on his own by Lao Tze, the father of Chinese Mysticism (Hsuanchiao) or Taoism. The term Tao meaning “road” or way, denotes the hidden “ principle of the universe.” Lao Tze speaks of Tao as “Absolute Tao” which is the “ Essence” and Quintessence” (the spiritual truth) quite apart from and yet immanent in its manifestations. Just as Indian mystics had distinguished between the Aum that we chant and the Aum that Aum that is the Indescribable, Inexpressible, wordless word, So too Lao Tze tells us: The Tao that
can be told of Is not the
Absolute Tao; The names
that can be given Are not Absolute Names. Of the character of Tao, it is further said: Tao is all -
pervading And Its use
is inexhaustible! Fathomless! Like the fountainhead of all things. Again: The Great Tao
flows everywhere, (Like a
flood) It may go left or right. The myriad
things derive their life from It, And It does
not deny them. And again: The Tao never
does, Yet through
It everything is done. In Book II, dealing with the application of Tao, is given the Principle of Reversion: Reversion is
the action of Tao, Gentleness is
the function of Tao, The things of
the world come from Being, And Being comes from Non-Being. Tao is the source of all knowledge: Without
stepping outside one’s door, One knows
what is happening in the world. Without
looking out of one’s window, One can see
the Tao of Heaven. The further
one possesses knowledge, The less one
knows. Therefore the
sage knows without running about, Understands
without seeing, Accomplishes
without doing. The grand
Harmony of Tao, the mysterious secret of the universe, becomes manifest when : When the
mystic virtue becomes clear , far –reaching , And things
revert back (to their source), Then and then
only emerges the Grand Harmony. Of his own
teachings (as of the great sages), he said: My teaching
are very easy to understand and very easy to practice, But no one
can understand them and none can practice them. In my words
there is a principle, In the
affairs of man there is system, Because they
know not these They also
know me not . Since there
are few that know me, There fore I
am distinguished. Therefore the
sage wears a coarse cloth, But carries
jade within his bosom. And finally,
speaking of the way to Heaven , he says: True words
are not fine sounding, Fine-sounding
words are not true. A good man does not argue; He who argues
is not a good man. The wise one
does not know many thing; He who knows
many things is not wise. The sage does
not accumulate (for himself). He lives for
other people, And grows
richer in himself; He gives to
other people, And has
greater abundance. The Tao of
Heav Blesses,but does not harm. The way of
the sage Accomplishes,
but does not contend. From the above, it would be clear
that Tao is the way; the way to reality, the ineffable and transcendent, the
very ground of all existence, the womb from which all life comes into being .
It comes only through the cultivation of stillness, or ridding the mind of the
mind-stuff, a stillness which but a few can practice, enjoy and radiate to
others. The process of approach to inwardness lies through reversion and
purification of the spirit by putting the “self” aside. “Bide in
silence, and the radiance of the spirit shall come and make its home.”It is by
the alert watch- and –wait method that the mind becomes blank and still . it is
to such a mind, that Nature yields her secret. We Wei or “Creative Quietude,” which comprises and connotesat once
“supreme activity” supreme relaxation ,” is vitally necessary for the
realization of Tao. It is “life lived Beyond tension,” thet acts as a magic
spell. Tao works without working and can never be learned and so” a senible man
prefer the inner to the outer eye.” The way to Tao is ever in concord with
Nature and comes by a drive toward simplicity. It is a way of life to be lived
that brings in the all embracing continuity of Tao. But now,
Taoism without Lao Tze has lost its original deep meaning and has acquired a
secondary sense, denoting Just individual
may order his life , and it is difficult to see how far one can by
himself come to Tao by ordering his life without a Master –soul to put him on
the path. |