{"id":135202,"date":"2019-06-17T12:00:42","date_gmt":"2019-06-17T11:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=135202"},"modified":"2019-06-09T15:07:05","modified_gmt":"2019-06-09T14:07:05","slug":"lao-tzu-on-living-an-inspired-and-peaceful-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2019\/06\/lao-tzu-on-living-an-inspired-and-peaceful-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Lao Tzu on Living an Inspired and Peaceful Life"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Lao Tzu means \u2018Old Master,\u2019 and he was believed by some to be a God-realised being.<\/p><\/div>\n

A Philosophy of Heart<\/em><\/p>\n

Many centuries ago, Lao Tzu, spoke of the four cardinal virtues, teaching that when we practice them as a way of life, we come to know the truth of the universe. The ancient Chinese master said that living and practicing these teachings can open you to higher wisdom and greater happiness, as they realign you to the source and enable you to access all the powers that source energy has to offer.<\/p>\n

When you succeed in connecting your energy with the divine realm through high awareness and the practice of undiscriminating virtue, the transmission of the ultimate subtle truths will follow. \u2013 Lao Tzu<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Lao Tzu means \u2018Old Master,\u2019 and he was believed by some to be a God-realised being. The Four Cardinal Virtues are found in the Tao Te Ching, a collection of sayings expounding the principal Taoist teachings. It has 81 short poetic verses packed full of universal wisdom for politics, society, and personal life, and aims to support personal harmony through the right view and understanding of existence. The Tao (also known as the Way or the Dao) has baffled its readers for centuries with its cryptic and deliberate contradictions, yet it offers a profound contemplation to seekers, lending itself to varied interpretations and inner questioning.<\/p>\n

The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The Tao is both named and nameless. As nameless it is the origin of all things; as named it is the Mother of 10,000 things. Ever desireless, one can see the mystery; ever desiring, one sees only the manifestations. And the mystery itself is the doorway to all understanding. \u2013 Wayne W. Dyer, Change Your Thoughts \u2013 Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Tao Te Ching is the basic text of Taoism, but it has also influenced Confucianism and Chinese Buddhism and is among some of the most translated works in world literature. This powerful text of the Tao, road or way of life, reflects the force of the universe and even the universe itself. While many have tried to make sense of its mystery, one man immersed himself in this text, literally living its wisdom, and then distilled the essence of these ancient mystery teachings for a modern audience.<\/p>\n

In 2006, the late Wayne Dyer was inspired to spend his entire 65th year reading, researching, and meditating on Lao Tzu\u2019s messages, going into retreat to practice them and ultimately write down the insights he felt Lao Tzu wanted us to know.\u00a0Dr Dyer researched ten well-respected translations of the text and the result of that life-changing year was his best-selling book\u00a0Change Your Thoughts\u2014Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Affectionately known as the Father of Motivation, Dr Dyer says Lao Tzu\u2019s four cardinal virtues represent the surest way to leave habits and excuses behind and reconnect to your original nature. \u201cThe more your life is harmonised with the four virtues, the less you\u2019re controlled by the uncompromising ego.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Dr Dyer says Lao Tzu\u2019s four virtues represent the surest way to leave habits and excuses behind.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Tao encourages us to be in touch with our own selves, particularly our deepest selves, for when you know who you really are, that is when you discover eternal peace.\u00a0Lao Tzu liked to compare different parts of nature to different virtues. He said, \u201cThe best people are like water, which benefits all things and does not compete with them. It stays in lowly places that others reject. This is why it is so similar to the Way (Dao).\u201d Each part of nature can remind us of a quality we admire and should cultivate ourselves\u2014the strength of the mountains, the resilience of trees, the cheerfulness of flowers.<\/p>\n

We enter life with a seemingly clean slate, a spectacular pathway ahead of us with unlimited potentials and choices. To navigate our lives and get a handle on the challenges and gifts life will throw at us, it is useful to have some sort of compass so that we don\u2019t end up on the rocks or lost at sea.<\/p>\n

For many people, this may be religion, morality, or the belief systems passed down by their family, and they may derive a sense of strength and direction through their strongly held inner compass sourced in this integrity. No matter what happens in life, they\u2019ll always fall back on that maxim, whether it be, for example, to lead from the heart, or to be kind.<\/p>\n

To realise the constancy and steadiness in your life is to realise the deep nature of the universe. This realisation is not dependent on any transitory internal or external condition, rather it is an expression of one\u2019s own immutable spiritual nature. The only way to attain the Universal Way is to maintain the integral virtues of the constancy, steadiness and simplicity in one\u2019s daily life. \u2013 Lao Tzu<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The four cardinal virtues, or rules for living life, can provide a framework for a life filled with inner peace and purpose.<\/p>\n

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A framework for a life filled with inner peace and purpose.<\/p><\/div>\n

1. Reverence for all Life<\/h3>\n

This virtue manifests as having unconditional love and positive regard for all creatures in the universe, starting with ourselves, then this will naturally flow out to all others. This reverence is for all life, not just some forms.\u00a0It is honouring all forms of life, and at its core has an innate spiritual understanding of how the universe truly works \u2013 that we are all sparks of the one fire. When we live with reverence for all life, we surrender our need to control and to dominate. We naturally come into heartfelt appreciation and gratitude for all of life. This first virtue is the key to diminishing the ego.<\/p>\n

Affirm this as often as you can, for when you see yourself in a loving way, you have nothing but love to extend outward. And the more you love others, the less you need old excuse patterns, particularly those relating to blame. \u2013 Wayne Dyer<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

2. Natural Sincerity<\/h3>\n

This virtue encompasses kindness and authenticity. To me, it has a feeling of compassion and an all-encompassing love for all beings. When we are sincere and act with integrity, we move towards peace and inner tranquility. Our conscience clear, we don\u2019t have the inner niggles over our dishonest actions that can erode a peaceful mind. Much of these four pillars relate to\u00a0karma<\/a>, the law of cause and effect, and maintaining equilibrium and impeccability. This virtue is honesty, simplicity, and faithfulness, says Wayne Dyer. It is about being true to yourself and walking your talk.<\/p>\n

According to Dyer, if you find this challenging, try affirming, \u201cI no longer need to be insincere or dishonest. This is who I am, and this is how I feel.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Having unconditional Having unconditional love and positive regard for all creatures in the universe.<\/p><\/div>\n

3. Gentleness<\/h3>\n

Gentleness is a deeply powerful trait. Often interpreted as weakness, gentleness is sensitivity, respect, and reverence for all life. Perhaps this virtue can be summed up by the Dalai Lama who often says; \u201cmy religion is very simple, my religion is kindness.\u201d In life, it is far more important to be kind than to be right, and to be kind rather than important. Gentleness is an umbrella for forgiveness, acceptance and love. It is much like the yogic term ahimsa,\u00a0<\/em>or non-violence. When we give up being right and being superior, we start accepting ourselves and others, and so much conflict in our lives drops away.<\/p>\n

Gentleness generally implies that you no longer have a strong ego-inspired desire to dominate or control others, which allows you to move into a rhythm with the universe. You cooperate with it, much like a surfer who rides with the waves instead of trying to overpower them. Gentleness means accepting life and people as they are, rather than insisting that they be as you are. As you practice living this way, blame disappears and you enjoy a peaceful world. \u2013 Wayne Dyer<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

4. Supportiveness<\/h3>\n

When we are supportive of ourselves, with kind words, loving actions and self-care, we are naturally supportive of others. This virtue is the basic tenet of humanity. We are naturally social beings and, at our core, we want to be with others and to help others. Many experiments show how humans are motivated by connection and will move towards this rather than other things. When we give to others, share and support others, we become happy. \u00a0Our lives become meaningful and our hearts full. Supportiveness is about service. Open-hearted service for the sake of helping others and benefiting others, with no thought to our own gain. Supportiveness is also about holding space for another<\/a>, listening to another, and being there for others. It is radical loving kindness in action. This quote by the poet, Hafiz, sums it up:\u00a0\u201cEven after all this time, the sun never says to the earth \u2018you owe me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The greatest joy comes from giving and serving, so replace your habit of focusing exclusively on yourself and what\u2019s in it for you. When you make the shift to supporting others in your life, without expecting anything in return, you\u2019ll think less about what you want and find comfort and joy in the act of giving and serving. \u2013 Wayne Dyer<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Let these four virtues fragrance your life, and notice the grace and ease that will come your way. For each one of these virtues brings in a way of being that is light, graceful and flowing and will help you shed destructive, self-defeating patterns that sabotage your inner peace and happiness.<\/p>\n

The four cardinal virtues are a road map to the simple truth of the universe. To revere all of life, to live with natural sincerity, to practice gentleness, and to be in service to others is to replicate the energy field from which you originated. \u2013 Dr Wayne Dyer<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Azriel ReShel<\/a> – I\u2019m a Writer, Editor, Social Worker, Mentor and Yoga Teacher. It\u2019s my passion to support people to share their rich and unique stories in a journey of discovery that helps them understand their world and find their authentic voice. I edit and write for individuals and businesses working in the healing and creative arts, as well as mentor writers.<\/em><\/p>\n

Go to Original \u2013 upliftconnect.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When you succeed in connecting your energy with the divine realm through high awareness and the practice of undiscriminating virtue, the transmission of the ultimate subtle truths will follow. \u2013 Lao Tzu<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":100992,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[1177,1178,1179],"class_list":["post-135202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspirational","tag-inspirational","tag-lao-tzu","tag-tao-te-ching"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135202"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135202\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/100992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}