Change Your Thoughts—Change Your Life
Page 23
Not that evil is not powerful,
but its power will not be used to harm others.
Not only will it not do harm to others,
but the sage himself will also be protected.
If only the ruler and his people would
refrain from harming each other,
all the benefits of life would accumulate
in the kingdom.
Living with
Immunity to Evil
Your assignment in this verse of the Tao Te Ching is to change the way you view the presence of evil in your personal world, as well as the entire planet. You can do so by acquiring an inner awareness that evil simply can’t impact you if you’re centered within the protective net of the Tao. If you live in accordance with the Great Way, refusing to have injurious thoughts directed either toward yourself or others, then the powers of wickedness and wrongdoing will be rendered impotent.
The Tao isn’t about destruction or visiting harm on anyone; rather, it gives sustaining energy to everyone, without exception. When people violate this principle, they’re only successful when others respond in kind. This is when war erupts and dissension becomes present in the family and the community. Negativity then begets more negativity, and the leader or ruler will ultimately be destroyed as the larger grouping falls into chaos.
Update your viewpoint on the presence of malevolence in the world to one that emphatically affirms: My loved ones and I cannot and will not be impacted by the presence of evil anywhere in the world. Your inner landscape will immediately begin to change as well. So when you see or hear reports of violent thinking and action, your immediate reaction must be, This is not about me. I choose not to have any thoughts of harm directed to anyone by me. I am a being of lightand love, and therefore the only thoughts that can emerge from me are in harmony with the great loving Tao. In other words, whatever comes your way because of other people won’t evoke a plan of revenge and hatred. That’s because you’ve made yourself immune to negativity by being Tao centered.
Now you may think that this sounds too simplistic, but imagine if large numbers of people began thinking this way—and then imagine if rulers began to emerge from this kind of consciousness. As Lao-tzu says in this verse, “If only the ruler and his people would refrain from harming each other, all the benefits of life would accumulate in the kingdom.” Ultimately, our world must live by this principle or humanity will cease to exist . . . and it begins with you.
As Tao awareness grows one person, one family, one community, and one country at a time, priorities will shift. Our energies will go into building more environmentally sensitive vehicles and homes rather than instruments that reflect a belief that we can do whatever we want to the planet without repercussions. We’ll find ways to destroy the stockpiles of unimaginably horrendous weapons of mass destruction. Cooperation will replace hatred and thoughts of harm. It will come about, as Lao-tzu states, when rulers and people change the way they think about harming each other.
As you reexamine this passage of the Tao Te Ching, see how it can impact your daily life. When negativity feels like it’s directed right at you, retreat to that place of kindness and love within and deflect that energy. Remember, it’s impossible to pick a fight with someone who refuses to fight! So your refusal to enter into battle is your most potent weapon against evil. You can change an angry person’s attempt to inflict harm by refusing to lower yourself to the level of their abusive thinking. From an enraged motorist’s curse to the harsh words of a disgruntled clerk or upset family member, these outbursts are easily shifted when you stay centered inwardly. Become immune to such harmful thinking and action by knowing that none of this is about you.
As he dictated this 60th verse some 2,500 years ago, Lao-tzu was thinking about all of humanity. He knew that hurtful behavior could be rendered impotent if enough people were willing to live in ways that encourage cooperation and a spirit of love in place of competition and revenge. Now he asks you to implement the wisdom of this verse by making the following changes in the way you think about evil and its potential impact on you and the world: 60th Verse
Bolster your immunity to negativity by controlling yourself in the midst of noxious thinking.
Catch yourself when you have judgmental thoughts that could be considered harmful for yourself or others. For example, if you see yourself as unworthy of respect, that’s a damaging thought directed at you. Change it to the following affirmation: I deserve and anticipate receiving only Divine love. This is what I attract. When you’re confronted with any reports of hatred and evil on our planet, suspend your fantasies of revenge toward the perpetrators. Change your mental energy to something like: I send loving, kind thoughts to all and trust that this love will help them see the folly of their hatred. Be conscious of all of your thoughts, changing them midstream if necessary. Become one person who brings the benefits of the Tao to our world.
Declare yourself immune to injurious entreaties.
Visualize a protective shield all around you, guarding you against what’s perceived as evil in the world. Your shield is permeable only to energy that harmonizes with the Tao. Love, kindness, and help can all get through—but if any harm comes near you, it will be repelled by your shield. This means you create a great sense of faith in the Tao. With this kind of inner trust, when evil rages around you, it won’t be able to impact you directly. Become the sage, the leader who governs your life and the lives of those around you, and who can’t be hurt. Declare it, practice it in your every thought, and walk freely in the midst of danger. This isn’t having a false sense of security; instead, it’s an awareness that you and the Tao are one.
Do the Tao Now
The next time you think that you’re the target of a harmful thought from a stranger, a family member, or a co-worker, make every effort to remember to respond from your inner nature, which is the Tao. Send back a loving, kind response, and then retreat to a silent and peaceful knowing that you’ve begun the process of immunizing yourself from harm. By practicing with even a seemingly innocuous statement, you’ll witness how effective this is. Approach the universe with the Tao in your heart rather than reacting defensively.
61st Verse
A great country is like the lowland,
toward which all streams flow.
It is the reservoir of all under heaven,
the feminine of the world.
The female overcomes the male with stillness,
by lowering herself through her quietness.
So if a great country lowers itself before a small one,
it wins friendship and trust.
And if a small country can lower itself before a great one, it will win over that “great” country.
The one wins by stooping;
the other, by remaining low.
Living by
Remaining Low
Most of us have been taught that it’s important to tower over lesser folks in virtually all of life’s endeavors. We’re told to “get to the top,” “stand out in the crowd,” “be the best,” and “honor champions” who defeat challengers. We’re expected to pay homage to those who make the most money, collect the most material objects, and evoke the most fear and obedience because of their positions of power; and those who deign to live among the “commoners” are the least deserving of our respect. This passage of the Tao Te Ching invites us to reevaluate these beliefs.
Look at the ocean: It’s the most powerful force on the planet because it stays lower than the streams, which are necessarily and inescapably drawn to it. As the rivers flow downward to become one with it, the sea is able to be the great reservoir of all under heaven. This is what Lao-tzu refers to throughout the Tao Te Ching as the “great Mother” or the “feminine of the world.” That female energy, or yin, is the true receptor of all; by remaining quiet and still, it ultimately overcomes male (yang) efforts to subjugate and conquer.
In the 61st verse of the Tao Te Ching, Lao-tzu speaks of the advantages of leadi
ng by remaining low, using entire countries as his examples. He makes the case for nations both large and small to be like the great ocean. As he observed warring territories attempting to vanquish each other by exerting their strength, he saw that peace and harmony could only be possible if the territories behaved in accord with the Tao—that is, by subjugating their egos rather than their neighbors.
Lao-tzu was addressing countries and their political leaders in this chapter, but countries are made up of individual men and women. We need to become a critical mass of individuals who are willing to model the wisdom that the great Chinese master offers us. We all must learn the value of making a dramatic change in the way we think of ourselves and each other. Yes, it may require a complete about-face on our part, but if we begin to lessen ego-dominated thinking, sooner or later the world will get the message that Lao-tzu proposed in ancient times. Nations all over the globe will find that leaders with feminine yin energy are beneficial. After all, this is the way of nature . . . it is the Tao at work.
You can apply the wisdom of this verse in the business world or with anyone you encounter by updating the notion that towering above others in the yang approach of masculine domination is the way to get ahead. Instead, see the value of living as if you can win trust and friendship through a yin approach of feminine receptivity and stillness.
As you try on these new attitudes and behaviors, quietly watch as the energy from the following suggestions begins to influence your reality:
Reassess your personal view of what constitutes strength.
Can you see power in humility, stillness, and remaining low and out of sight? In martial arts, the strongest conqueror is the one who uses the least force and converts the lunges of his opponent into his own might. Look at the story of violence throughout human history: Those obsessed with positions of power ultimately resort to brutality, and then incur the same kind of violence on themselves. And so it is in your personal life.
By staying calm and under the radar, others will ultimately flow to you, joining with you in creating friendship and trust. As you stay in this yin, feminine, Divine-Mother mode, you’ll radiate energy and strength and win over others . . . including those with an aversion to change. Think of yourself as the ocean and stay low enough to allow all others to stream down to you and create a “great country” wherever you elect to settle.
Emulate those whose greatest impact on humanity used the least violent methods.
There are many examples to be found for living by remaining low, replicating the example of stillness and yin energy. Jesus Christ, Buddha, Mohammed, Zoroaster, Saint Francis of Assisi, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and others of the highest spiritual persuasion serve as wonderful role models for us. By demonstrating the exact opposite of what has become known as power by force, they changed the course of human history. Furthermore, they are remembered with the highest esteem by all people.
You can become a similar leader of the Tao in your immediate environment, smiling inwardly as you see yourself as that low, patient ocean. All those who wish to tower above you in conquest will ultimately flow down to you.
Do the Tao Now
Each day as you grapple with how to be an effective leader in your family, in your country, and in the world, apply the following advice from Sai Baba. This is what he counsels readers to do whenever they question what action to take or how to think:
When head fast eyes are horrified
by the cruelties of life . . .
When your mouth is parched
and you can hardly speak,
The first sip of cool water
I am soothing you.
Think of me.
In a moment of crisis, silently say Think of me to your mental image of the person who won you over by stooping and remaining low. You’ll immediately find your way, as if that individual were directing you to overcome the struggle, addiction, or ego-dominated thoughts that seem to take you away from your feminine, Tao nature.
62nd Verse
The Tao is the treasure-house,
the true nature,
the secret Source of everything.
It is the treasure of the good man
and the refuge of the bad.
If a person seems wicked,
do not cast him away.
Awaken him with your words,
elevate him with your deeds,
repay his injury with your kindness.
Do not cast him away;
cast away his wickedness.
Thus when a new leader is chosen,
do not offer to help him
with your wealth or your expertise.
Help him to meditate on the principle;
offer instead to teach him about the Tao.
Why did the ancients make so much of the principle?
Is it not because it is the Source of all good,
and the remedy for all evil?
It is the most noble thing in the world.
Living in the
Treasure-house
of the Tao
Imagine having access to a very special place where we could retreat and commune with the sacred Source of everything. Here we’d find “the treasure of the good man” and a space where the bad man goes to be forgiven. This is where great rulers and the wisest among us would meditate for guidance to carry out awesome responsibilities, where we’d be given the secret for casting out all wickedness without personally needing to cast out anyone ourselves. In this wonderful locale, we would absolutely know the Source of good as well as the remedy for evil.
As I studied and contemplated this passage, I began calling it the “Count your blessings” verse. It reminds me that I can access a sacred treasure-house deep within me, as can you and all other conscious beings. It reminds me to change the way I see the appearance of darkness in our world today. It reminds me that within me is the wondrous wellspring of the Tao. It reminds me to be willing to change the way I view myself and my role here as one of the 10,000 things.
You can modify your conditioned way of viewing most things by looking at all that appears to be weighted with hatred, wickedness, and evil. According to Lao-tzu, no one is evil or wicked; rather, those who live in contradiction to the Tao’s teaching only appear to be so. Instead of casting them aside, you must reconnect them to the Great Way. So stay centered by thinking and behaving in ways that harmonize with the all-loving, all-knowing Tao, keeping in mind that this Source doesn’t inflict harm on, exclude, or judge anyone—it just gives life.
Where you perceive negativity, alter your view to see pure love and kindness that’s mistakenly being directed to seek a sacred place in the material world. That energy is powerful, and it’s moving away from its Source instead of returning and replenishing in the spiritual cycle that is its originating point. When you’ve succeeded in changing how you perceive so-called wickedness, invite others to see the difference as well. Thanks to your new point of view, you’ll be quite comfortable discussing the difference between material-world satisfactions and the riches of the Tao. And if requested, you’ll even be able to offer a map or path to the sacred treasure-house of the Tao.
In a translation of the Tao Te Ching by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English, the 62nd verse concludes with the following words:
Why does everyone like the Tao so much at first?
Isn’t it because you find what you seek and are forgiven when you sin?
Therefore this is the greatest treasure of the universe.
Here’s what Lao-tzu offers you in this “Count your blessings” gem of a verse:
Practice seeing the door of the treasure-house opening to you.
See yourself as a Divine creation of the eternal Tao, with the entrance to a sacred space always available to you. Know that what you’ve thought of as negative can never be if it’s able to enter the treasure-filled Tao. Visualize a house that’s opening its front door to you and welcoming you to bask in the sacred warmth of its interior, and imagine leaving all angst and fear be
hind as you walk in. Make this home of the Tao a private retreat that you’re free to enter with this meditative visualizing technique. It is divinity itself, and it can be your sanctuary at any time.
Practice forgiving, and avoiding judgment, when you see reprehensible or evil-minded ways.
Take Lao-tzu up on his advice for dealing with those who appear to be wicked people by mentally separating the individuals from their toxic behavior. Remember that they are Divine creations of the Tao who simply believe that ego should control life. In your thoughts, erase the vileness, the wrongdoing, and the addictive or harmful actions; and allow those folks to just be there apart from their malevolent behavior. See the unfolding of the Tao in them, and picture them as innocent children who are overstimulated by ego’s temporary stronghold. In your mind, forgive the evil conduct, and make every effort to wrap loving arms around the children you see before you.
Lao-tzu urges you to treat yourself in a similar manner: Cast out any behavior you dislike about yourself, allow your pain to be felt, and absolve yourself. With these behaviors removed, visualize embracing yourself, and notice the radiant being of light who is yourself in your imagination. Practice elevating yourself with your Tao deeds and doling out kindness to others as well as yourself. This is how you apply this verse of the Tao, which is indeed the remedy for all evil.
Do the Tao Now
Today, make the decision to help one other person, if only for a few moments, to meditate on this verse’s principle. But do so without mentioning the Tao Te Ching or this book. Possibly send out an expression of love where you might have chosen anger. Or mail a greeting card with a particularly meaningful verse of the Tao to someone who’s assumed a new position of leadership. Whatever you do, your motivation is to help that man or woman unlock the door to his or her treasure-house by offering keys in the form of your own Tao-centered thoughts and behaviors.