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Taoism applied to everyday life Practice not-doing and everything will fall
into place (Chapter 3). In Taoism this is the concept known as wu wei. Wei wu
wei is the practice of doing and not-doing. This concept comes from the theory
of the Yin and Yang. The Yang, along with wei, is the practice of doing. The
Yin, along with wu wei, is the practice of not-doing. One compliments the other,
and each cannot exist alone. The Tao tells people to practice not-doing because
it will bring happiness in their life. By not-doing, the Tao means not
performing actions, which are unnecessary and uncalled for. People should just
take things as they come in life and they will live a life full of happiness and
pleasure. If you don't interfere with the Tao and let things take their natural
course, everything will work out in your life (Chapter 10).
If powerful men and women could remain centered in the Tao…all people would
be at peace… (Chapter 32). If you work against your Tao, you will never find
happiness. The Sage practices wu wei. He teaches without words and performs
without actions (Chapter 43). He knows and therefore does not speak (Chapter
56). Many people mistake conceptual knowledge for the map to the territory. The
Sage is our map to the Tao. He points his finger to show us the way, but does
not really tell us what to do and how to practice Taoism. Lao Tzu's concepts of
the Tao can be a guide to rational living. If one follows these beliefs he is
guaranteed happiness in his life. However, it is very difficult to follow the
Tao, even though the teachings are said to be easily understood and easily put
into practice (Chapter 70). The reason the Tao is so difficult to grasp is
because you cannot know that you are practicing it. The Tao is beyond all words.
If you give it words, it does not exist. It is unnamable. If you concentrate on
the Tao, you will never understand it. You cannot think about it, you must just
do it. This is very difficult because people always think about what they do,
but this does not work with the Tao (Chapter 1).
You cannot look for the Tao; you cannot listen for the Tao. You must just
accept the idea that it is always there, omnipresent, and you can't see it. This
is all very important because if one cannot understand these first simple steps
in Taoism, they will be lost the rest of the way. In personal life, you should
never define yourself. When you define yourself, you are actually putting limits
on yourself. If a man defines himself as a doctor, he is limiting himself to
science. If a man defines himself as a singer, he is limiting himself to music.
By limiting yourself, you are not allowing yourself to experience life fully
(Chapter 24). Also, you should never define any object because they will always
have an opposite. If you define something as good then its opposite is defined
as bad, when in reality it might not be (Chapter 2). When a man is about to buy
a car, he will want to buy a company with a good name.
He has defined one car as good and the rest are bad. When he realizes he
cannot afford the good car he is unhappy. He has to buy a bad car. While driving
his bad car, he thinks about what people will say. He worries that they will not
approve of his new purchase. If the man had not originally set such high
expectations of buying a good car, he would not be upset with his situation. By
caring about other people's approval he becomes their prisoner (Chapter 9). If
you see things as they are, then you will be happy with whatever you have. If
you see things through other's eyes then you will never achieve the high goals
you are setting. In family life, be completely present (Chapter 8). All family
members should always be there for each other. You should be completely present
for the rest of your family, this way other members can talk to you whenever
necessary. This gives a sense of security to the rest of the family. Parents
should always be there for their children, children should always be there for
their parents, and siblings should always be there for each other.
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