The reason why people have emotional experiences such as pain, regret, sadness, etc. is because their emotional needs do not match reality, and they will have various emotions depending on things and people. The source of these emotions is desire. , the separation of thoughts and current behaviors and abilities.
In the previous chapter, Lao Tzu preached about the dialectical relationship between existence and non-existence. He talked about the sage’s inaction and teaching without words. He also talked about the glorious peak of life, the awareness to retire after having achieved success, to protect one’s life and prolong one’s life. .
Lao Tzu gradually talked about the way of human beings from the great road, from the external behavior to the inner world. Regarding the exploration of the spiritual level, Lao Tzu raised such questions!
Can spirit and body become one and never be separated?
Can you be like a baby by concentrating your energy and becoming gentle?
Clear away distracting thoughts and examine your heart. Can you be flawless?
Is it possible to care for the people and govern the country without doing anything?
When using your senses to contact external objects, can you remain weak and give in without fighting?
After having a thorough understanding of the world, can we be incapable of ingenuity?
Tao gives birth to and nurtures all things, but it does not take it as its own, does not rely on its own abilities, and leads but does not dominate. This is the lofty and profound virtue of Tao.
Sincerity leads to spirituality
Everyone is busy for survival. After food, clothing and survival are satisfied, there will be higher needs. Confucius said: "Eating and drinking, men and women, are the great desires of people." "Desire is like the sea. Even if you are powerful and wealthy, your heart will still not be satisfied. I warned the world to "retire after success."
Faced with such warnings, will people listen? Lao Tzu asked the question of the soul, can your soul and body be integrated into one? It's not that the human soul flies out of the body, that's a fantasy story.
When doing things for others, sincerity leads to spiritual success. Only when people are sincere and focused, body and mind are in harmony, and exert force in the same direction can everything produce a result.
If orders are changed day by day, thoughts are changing all the time, things only have a beginning, and there is no end. Life is always about choices, and hard work is also painful. So, Lao Tzu asked, can mind and body be together? Is it possible to stay true to your original intention?
Focusing on Qi brings softness, accumulating essence and Qi
The baby's body is soft and tender, and it is pure and flawless. This is the result of gathering essence. Because the mind is flawless, it has no desires. Only by having no desire can the energy be kept intact.
On the surface, this sentence is to teach people how to maintain health. The best way to accumulate essence and energy is to have no desires and desires. Go deeper and realize that the way to be a human being is the same. Desire is deep, and the body and mind are hard and easy to break.
Lao Tzu said: "It cannot be kept long if it is caught and sharpened." It is easy to break when it is just past it, and it is hardest when the grass and trees are withered. In short, if you have excessive desires, you will have more obstacles in life. Contentment can always lead to happiness.
The mind is as pure as a bright mirror
Lan Tongjian means mirror. Xuanlan refers to the heart. The human heart is compared to a mirror. Our perception of the world is the image of the world reflected on the mirror.
The brighter and cleaner the mirror, the more realistic the image. The human heart is like a mirror. Only by wiping it frequently can we remove the false and retain the true, and see the true colors of things. I asked, can you wipe the mirror so that it is clean and bright without stains?
If you achieve the state of being flawless and bright, you will not follow what others say and follow the trend in life. The most painful thing about this heart is "drifting and drifting with the trend." If a person knows his true self, he can be his own savior and act as he pleases. , gain freedom in life.
The saint’s behavior is to do nothing. He does nothing but teaches without teaching. So I asked, can you love the people and govern the country without doing anything?
Opening and closing of the Heavenly Gate
Historically, different schools of thought have different understandings of the term "Tianmen", and there are many interpretations. The most direct one is the theory of sense organs, which defines breathing through the mouth and nose as the gate of heaven.
Contact Lao Tzu's previous chapter "The gate of the mysterious female, the root of heaven and earth, is as long as it exists, but if you don't use it diligently." Between breathing and breathing, can you achieve the female state of being still and still, as long as it exists? ?
Many Taoist practitioners regard this sentence as a guideline, and later extended many breathing and breathing skills for self-cultivation and health. Lao Tzu is good at using things to describe people. This is the experience we gained when explaining the previous chapters. Of course, this sentence is no exception. The gate of heaven, the gate of heaven and earth, opens and closes as an opportunity for movement.
The heaven and earth move according to the Tao, so as not to rely on themselves or dominate, but to generate and nourish all things. Therefore, when we say that the gate of heaven is open and closed, we ask, can it be said that it is female? Lao Tzu uses rhetorical questions to express his affirmative views.
Because of enlightenment, both body and mind are enlightened, and you can understand the four reaches and deeply understand the path of Tao. You can see the laws of the development of things, and you know the context of development. Before taking action, you already have it in your heart. A blueprint.
Laws are never based on personal will. Put aside personal standpoints, personal feelings, and preferences, and you can follow nature. When people follow the Tao, they have the nature of Tao, and all things are natural in their eyes. It went smoothly.
Some people can’t stand this or that, and feel that nothing is going well for them. In fact, this is retrograde.
Those who follow the path will naturally understand the four directions and the rules. Can they not change the rules according to their personal wishes? I have once again conducted a soul torture. You understand, can you execute it?
The Tao of nature is endless
In the last sentence of this chapter, Lao Tzu returned to "Tao" and made a high-level summary. Tao begets and transforms all things, gives birth to them, and nourishes them, but it does not exist. Although it has given birth to and transformed all things, it does not take it for itself.
Although I have made so many contributions, I will not rely on this to rely on my own merits. Although we nurture all things, we do not want to dominate them. If we have the ability, we will fulfill our obligations, but we will not enjoy what we get. If we are wise, we will steer the ship, but we will not dominate it. This is the Xuande of Tao, the supreme virtue.