Inner Realm

Change Your Thoughts Change Your Life Living the Wisdom of the Tao, by Wayne Dyer.

19th Verse

Give up sainthood, renounce wisdom,

and it will be a hundred times better for everyone.

Throw away morality and justice,

and people will do the right thing.

Throw away industry and profit,

and there will be no thieves.

All of these are outward forms alone;

they are not sufficient in themselves.

It is more important

to see the simplicity,

to realize one’s true nature,

to cast off selfishness

and temper desire.

Living Without Attachment

Upon first reading this 19th verse of the Tao Te Ching, it appears that Lao-tzu is encouraging us to abandon the highest principles of the Tao. Renounce sainthood, wisdom, morality, justice, industry, and profit, says the great sage, and all will be well. Lao-tzu tells us that “all of these are outward forms alone” and are insufficient for living according to the highest Way.

The first of these categories represents education and the way you look at your sources of learning. This verse advises you to alter your concept of being saintly just because you follow the teachings of an organized religion, and to change your view of self-importance because of degrees you’ve received from an educational institution. Lao-tzu gently informs you that it’s far more valuable to cultivate your true nature.

As with virtually all of the teachings of the Tao, the greatest trust is placed in your accessing the sacred Tao center of yourself. Within you lies a piece of God that instinctively knows what to do and how to be. Trust yourself, Lao-tzu advises, and reevaluate the ultimate importance of educational and religious institutions. When you modify how you see them, you’ll notice that the true essence of you is “a hundred times better for everyone.” Lao-tzu might say that a truth is a truth until you organize it, and then it becomes a lie. Why? Because the purposes of the organization begin to take precedence over that which it first attempted to keep in order.

“Throw away morality and justice,” this verse urges, “and people will do the right thing.” Here, in the second of the outward forms, Lao-tzu reveals a legal system that takes precedence over your natural internal integrity. When you know that you emerged from an impeccable Source of honor and equality, you don’t have to rely on a system of justice. Lao-tzu reminds you that it’s very important not to view yourself as relegated to an inferior position because laws of morality tell you who you “really” are. See yourself centered with the perfection of the Tao, which is your nature, rather than needing to consult a law book, a courtroom, or a judge to determine your ethical standing. These labyrinthine systems designed to determine all issues of right and wrong are evidence of our drift away from the simplicity of our inborn nature.

The last of the outward forms is the whole world of business. “Renounce profit seeking, give up ingenuity, and discard record keeping, and thieves will disappear altogether,” could be one interpretation. Lao-tzu advises you to stay centered within the all-encompassing integrity of the Tao and to release your view of profits and monetary gain as indicators of your level of success. When you see your life through the perspective of the Tao teaching, you’ll have no need to hoard large sums of money. Instead, you’ll discover the pleasure of serving others in a spirit of endless generosity. Or, as this translation of the Tao Te Ching puts it, you’ll “cast off selfishness and temper desire.”

These then are the three outward forms: education, justice, and business. You’re being encouraged to update how you see the reasons for, the methods used by, and the way you’ve been taught to value those arenas of life by well-meaning people. When you change how you see them, you’ll note the simplicity and sacredness of a higher principle, which will enrich those institutions with the free-flowing Tao. You’ll realize your own true nature, cast off selfishness, and temper your desire. Be in the world of education, justice, and business—but not of it—and you’ll see the inner world where you’re centered in the Tao.

This is what Lao-tzu is saying to you, through me, from his 2,500-year-old perch:

Observe your relationship to systems of

education, justice, and business.

Notice attempts to compartmentalize you: Are you dependent on a system of reward and punishment for approval? Do the rules and codes of conduct you follow come from a heart-centered space, or are they designed to create a designation of “specialness”? Don’t fight these institutional pressures or even the fact that they exist—simply let go of all attachments to them. You are not saintly (a good person) because an organization says so, but rather because you stay connected to the divinity of your origination. You are not intelligent because of a transcript; you are intelligence itself, which needs no external confirmation. You are not moral because you obey the laws; you are morality itself because you are the same as what you came from.

Choose to see the outward forms as poor substitutions for your true nature, and you’ll begin to live without attachment to those forms. You’ll see your own inner laws, which never require codifying; you’ll live with freedom and simplicity. Trust first and foremost in yourself.

Live without attachment by being generous.

Let go of evaluating yourself on the basis of how much you’ve accumulated and what is in your financial portfolio. Stop putting a dollar value on all that you have and do. Let go of your need to get a “good deal” and choose instead to be a being of sharing. You’ll be happily surprised by how nice it feels to simply change your belief that you’re only successful if you’re making money. The less you focus on making a profit—instead shifting your energy to living your purpose in harmony with everyone else—the more money will flow to you and the more opportunities for generosity will be available to you.

The world of institutional pressures is built on an endless list of human-made dos and don’ts. Lao-tzu advocates that you discover your heart’s true desire, all the while remembering that no one else can tell you what it is.

Do the Tao Now

Post the following affirmation for your constant attention: I am moral, profitable, and a genius extraordinaire, regardless of what any institutional transcript or bank statement says. Repeat this mantra until it becomes your way of being. You will feel a sense of inner peace as you release the hold outer forms have on you.

*** ***

20th Verse

Give up learning and you will be free

from all your cares.

What is the difference between yes and no?

What is the difference between good and evil?

Must I fear what others fear?

Should I fear desolation

when there is abundance?

Should I fear darkness

when that light is shining everywhere?

In spring, some go to the park and climb the terrace,

but I alone am drifting, not knowing where I am.

Like a newborn babe before it learns to smile,

I am alone, without a place to go.

Most people have too much;

I alone seem to be missing something.

Mine is indeed the mind of an ignoramus

in its unadulterated simplicity.

I am but a guest in this world.

While others rush about to get things done,

I accept what is offered.

I alone seem foolish,
earning little, spending less.

Other people strive for fame;

I avoid the limelight,

preferring to be left alone.

Indeed, I seem like an idiot:

no mind, no worries.

I drift like a wave on the ocean.

I blow as aimless as the wind.

All men settle down in their grooves;

I alone am stubborn and remain outside.

But wherein I am most different from others is

in knowing to take sustenance from the great Mother!

***

Living Without Striving

In this verse of the Tao Te Ching, you’re encouraged to experience your life free of worldly striving. Lao-tzu advises you to slow down your incessant demands for more, and to relax your efforts to fill up every moment in anticipation of being somewhere else. You’re invited to experience life in a way that can be summarized in the title of Ram Dass’s book Be Here Now.

Be here in your mind as well as in your body, in a state of appreciation and an absence of longing. Let go of wondering about doing the right thing. Release the what-ifs and all of your goals for the future, replacing them with the power of this instant. Be here, and remember to do it now, for thinking about being someplace else uses up your precious present moments. The enlightened sage makes a practice of immersing himself completely in the current “nowness” of his life.

Being here now is accomplished by adopting an acceptance of life as it is presented by the great Mother, or the Tao. It’s a surrendering process, if you will—simply allowing this great all-creating, all- nourishing Source to take you where it will. You give up the idea of having to get more or to be in another place in the future, and instead see yourself as whole and complete just as you are. This surrendering process allows you to bear witness to the unlimited abundance and eternal light that is always present. You retrain yourself to give up your beliefs about lacks and shortages; you instead trust in the great Source to provide what you need, as it has always done for all beings.

Lao-tzu emphasizes that this wasn’t a socially accepted standard even 2,500 years ago, as he refers to himself as an outsider who is unlike most people. Striving for satisfaction was viewed at that time as a proper role in life, just as it is today. The narrator of this verse admits that he is drifting, not knowing where he is, yet his tone is ironic. It’s as if he’s saying, “No one really knows where they are in this endless universe with no beginning and no ending, so why not admit it and allow yourself to be moved by the Tao that brought you here from nowhere?”

You’re being encouraged to simplify your life by not seeking another thing. Yes, others might judge you as unmotivated and call you an ignoramus, but your reward will be the strong sense of inner peace that comes from a direct knowing that you’re here as a guest who’s always being provided for. Yes, you may seem to be missing something, but the something is really only an illusion. You’re no longer living inside of yourself with a desire to be someone else or to gain something that seems to be omnipresent in all of those around you—you’ve traded in striving for arriving.

“I accept what is offered,” says the narrator of this provocative verse in the Tao Te Ching. He continues to express that this may seem foolish, perhaps echoing your thoughts as you contemplate letting go of striving. Lao-tzu is telling you to change how you see what’s here now in your life, for then it will become exactly what you need in order to be happy. In other words, you can change how you look at striving and have contentment without anxiety and fear.

When you live by the tenets explained in this verse, you begin to have a worry-free existence. Imagine that! No concerns or fears—only a sense of being connected to the Source of all, knowing that all will be handled for you by the same force that’s always handling everything. Lao-tzu is teaching you to free your mind from its persistent nagging. The world and everything in it are already taken care of by the Tao . . . it has always done this and always will.

Your mind continually urges you to strive in spite of the all-providing perfection of the Tao; it prompts you to pursue fame, to look for a groove or purpose. Lao-tzu encourages you to do precisely the opposite: Stay outside the rat race and let your mind be in peaceful harmony with the Tao rather than worrying and fighting. The concluding line of this passage of the Tao Te Ching says it all, instructing you to change how you look at your life by “knowing to take sustenance from the great Mother!”

The following are suggestions coming from Lao-tzu to you in the 20th verse of the Tao:

Practice letting go of thoughts about what’s not here now.

Just allow yourself to meld into the perfection of the universe you live in. You don’t need another thing to be happy; it’s all being provided for you right here, right now. Be in this moment, and free yourself of striving for something more or someone else. This is a mind exercise that will put you in touch with the peace of the Tao. Affirm: It is all perfect. God’s love is everywhere and forgets no one. I trust in this force to guide me, and I am not allowing ego to enter now. Notice how free you feel when you relax into this no-fears, no-worries attitude.

Take time to “let go and let God,” every single day.

Say the words over and over to yourself until you can actually tell what the difference feels like. Letting go is a markedly distinct physical and psychological experience, much different from striving. Let go of your demands, along with your beliefs that you can’t be happy because of what is supposedly missing in your life. Insisting that you need what you don’t have is insane! The fact that you’re okay without what you think you need is the change you want to see. Then you can note that you already have everything you need to be peaceful, happy, and content right here and right now! Relax into this knowing and affirm, again and again: I am letting go and letting God. I am a glorious infant nursing at the great all-providing Mother’s breast.

Do the Tao Now

Begin to notice the situations where you’re not in the moment because you’re striving to complete or attain something for a future benefit. You may not realize how often you endeavor to accomplish all sorts of things with the idea that once you do, you’ll finally have the time to do what you really want. This is one of the most pernicious ways that many of us unconsciously prevent (or perpetually postpone) a life free of striving. It’s a tough one to become aware of, and may be easiest to see when our free time becomes hijacked by family members or business emergencies.

Here’s an example: You’ve put in extra hours at work all week in order to have a deliciously imagined free day to [fill in the blank], when you learn that your spouse has invited a friend of a friend who’s never been to this part of the country before—and whom you’ve never met—to stay at your home.

There are two opportunities to practice living without striving in this situation. The first, of course, is to catch yourself wrapped up in striving for future benefit, notice what you’re doing, and focus on the now. The second comes after the example above, which is a difficult but incredibly rewarding exercise. Do the Tao now by accepting what is offered—that is, know that this situation, in some way that your striving ego rejects, is actually sustenance from the Great Mother.

*** ***

46th Verse

When the world has the Way,

running horses are retired to till the fields.

When the world lacks the Way,

warhorses are bred in the countryside.

There is no greater loss than losing the Tao,

no greater curse than covetousness,

no greater tragedy than discontentment;

the worst of faults is wanting more—always.

Contentment alone is enough.

Indeed, the bliss of eternity

can be found in your contentment.

***

Living Peacefully

If you’re presently evaluating your level of achievement based on how much you’ve accumulated, prepare to sense a major shift in your state of personal satisfaction and contentment. Verse 46 of the Tao Te Ching invites you to discover a more peaceful and self-satisfying way of knowing success—and as your determination to acquire more begins to weaken, your new views will change the world you’ve known. You’ll find that the experience of inner peace becomes your true gauge of accomplishment.

This 46th verse begins with a look at what happens when a planet loses its connection to the Way. Countries begin needing to conquer more territory . . . and in their quest for more land, power, and control over others, they must constantly prepare for war. Lao-tzu speaks symbolically of horses here: When connected to the Tao, the animals fertilize the fields; when disconnected from it, the beautiful creatures are bred for war.

In a modern translation of the Tao Te Ching, Stephen Mitchell interprets this message in present-day terms:

When a country is in harmony with the Tao,

the factories make trucks and tractors.

When a country goes counter to the Tao,

warheads are stockpiled outside the cities.

It’s painfully obvious that our world has largely lost contact with the Way as described by Lao-tzu. These days so much of our energy is placed on breeding warhorses at the expense of using our resources to fertilize our fields so that we can live in peace. The United States is chock-full of weapons of mass destruction, and we continually legislate more funding to make our weapons so menacing that they’re capable of rendering our entire planet uninhabitable. The “disease of more” has created an environment that personifies Lao-tzu’s observation that there is “no greater tragedy than discontentment.” But even if so many of our Divine selves seem to be engulfed by the flames of unease, you can begin the process of putting Lao-tzu’s advice to work.

When you truly understand what it means to live peacefully, satisfaction will begin to replace your desire for more. Your world will begin to become tranquil as you change your own life and then touch the lives of your immediate family, your neighbors, your co-workers, and ultimately your nation and the entire planet. Begin by simply thinking of the opening line of the famous Prayer of Saint Francis when you notice that you’re demanding more of anything.

Silently say, Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love. As that instrument of peace, you’ll radiate tranquility to those in your immediate surroundings, and you’ll feel the flicker of a new and different success in contentment, perhaps for the first time in your life. By refusing to lose the Tao, regardless of how lost others are and what our world’s governments elect to do, you’re living harmoniously. Your connection to the Tao will make a difference, gradually inching Earth away from the precipice of discontentment that Lao-tzu called “no greater tragedy.”

The sublime Hafiz beautifully sums up the kind of success I’m referring to in his poem “Would You Think it Odd?”

Would you think it odd if Hafiz said,

“I am in love with every church

And mosque

And temple

And any kind of shrine

Because I know it is there

That people say the different names

Of the One God.”

Getting back to Lao-tzu, here are his messages from the powerful 46th verse that are applicable today in your personal life:

Practice gratitude and contentment every day.

When your feet hit the floor every single morning, without exception, say, “Thank You for an opportunity to live in a state of contentment.” Invite the magical energy of the Tao to freely flow through you and inform your responses throughout the day. You’re in harmony with your Source when you’re soliciting gratitude and gratification in these ways.

Be one with your nature.

In a world that seems to produce more and more violence, become a person who chooses to be an instrument of peace. Let your nature be the “horses” that are bred to till the fields, feed the hungry, and offer comfort to the lame or less fortunate. Live as if you and the Tao are one, which of course you are when you’re in your natural state.

When enough of us are able to do this, we’ll reach a critical mass, and eventually the Great Way will surpass the demands of the ego. I truly believe, to use a baseball analogy, that nature always “bats last.”

Do the Tao Now

Set aside time to make a conscious effort to send peaceful energy to someone or some group whom you think of as the enemy. Include a competitor; an alienated family member; a person of a different religious persuasion; or those you oppose in a government, political party, or disagreement. Then literally send something to them if that feels okay to you, such as a flower, a book, or a letter. Begin your conscious effort today, right now, to surrender to the Tao and know authentic success, which has no separation.

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The following excerpt is taken from the book Change Your Thoughts Change Your Life Living the Wisdom of the Tao, by Wayne Dyer.  It is published by Hay House (June 2007) and available at all bookstores or clicking on the right Wayne Dyer link....