A Christian's End in Sight: My Contemplation of Verse 50 of the Tao Te Ching

Dr. Dyer's book is Change your Thoughts--Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao.

Today, I am focusing on verse 50 of the Tao Te Ching:

Between birth and death,

three in ten are followers of life;

three in ten are followers of death.

And men just passing from birth to death

also number three in ten.

Why is this so?

Because they clutch to life

and cling to this passing world.

But there is one out of ten, they say, so sure of life

that tigers and wild bulls keep clear.

Weapons turn from him on the battlefield,

rhinoceroses have no place to horn him,

tigers find no place for claws,

and soldiers have no place to thrust their blades.

Why is this so?

Because he dwells in that place

where death cannot enter.

Realize your essence

and you will witness the end without ending.

Eternity--it's an abstract idea.  Do we fully understand it?  Do we believe in it?  What do religions say about living forever?  How do we define eternity?

According to Wikipedia, immortality is the ability to live forever.  Countless stories have been created with characters, who live forever.  Gods in mythology have been attributed with immortality, too.  Our fascination with life and death is never-ending.

The Bible tells us that we can live with Jesus forever.  The Bible prescribes how to attain everlasting life with the King of all Kings.  Just imagine what that would be like.  Living in the glory of God would be awesome.

Here's what I imagine: I visit with Jesus, walking and talking with Him.  I ask Him lots of questions.  I sit with Him, without uttering a word.  I live in a vibrant environment with wondrous surroundings akin to the Garden of Eden.

This verse of the Tao Te Ching explains that not everyone sees life in these terms.  There are those who are more concerned with the dying aspect of life.  That's pretty depressing.  Instead of seeing that God can protect your feet from being hurt, this type of person is dwelling on the next injury or illness.  What about trusting in God for protection?

I feel sad for those who hone in on the idea of no life after the death of the body.  They believe that once their body dies, that's it; there's no more life.  That's a sad type of existence--to believe that there is no more to the person after the death of the physical body.

We will witness the end without an ending.

The Bible tells us that death will not sting us.  We, who are believers in Christ, have had death defeated.  When Jesus sacrificed His life, He beat Death.  Once we fully understand this, we can rest assured that when the body dies, our spirit lives on.  Our spirit goes back to the origin--God the Father--until the great resurrection in which we will all have new bodies. 

Thanks for reading this entry about how a Christian truly sees his/her end.  

I appreciate you taking the time to read it.  

My dear readers, I've got some questions for you: How do you see life and death?  Do you believe in life after death?  Have you ever considered what happens when our physical bodies die?  Visit the websites above.  They give a better understanding of eternity and our fate with God on our side.  It's worth your time.  I promise.   

I pray that we all would seek wisdom from the Source of everything--Our Heavenly Father, God.  I pray that we would ask God for His help to experience a deep, loving relationship with Him.

May God bless you, my beloveds, with His wisdom and peace, in Jesus' name.  Amen!

This has been an entry for Wisdom Wednesdays.

I am currently drawing inspiration from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer's book and the 81 verses of the Chinese wisdom book the Tao Te Ching.

Putting Away the Weapons: My Contemplation of Verse 31 of the Tao Te Ching

Dr. Dyer's book is Change your Thoughts--Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao.

Today, I delve into verse 31 of the Tao Te Ching, especially these portions:

Weapons are the tools of violence;

all decent men detest them.

Therefore, followers of the Tao never use them.

Arms serve evil.

They are the tools of those who oppose wise rule.

For peace and quiet are dearest to the decent man's heart,

and to him even a victory is no cause for rejoicing...

With the slaughter of multitudes,

we have grief and sorrow.

Every victory is a funeral;

when you win a war,

you celebrate by mourning.

 

 

As I mentioned on Sunday's blog entry, I am here to talk about putting away weapons.  What do weapons do?  What is the purpose of weapons?  What is the result of using weapons?  Who uses these weapons?

 

Weapons destroy.  Weapons maim.  Weapons kill.  Weapons ruin fertile ground.  In short, weapons are no good for our society.

Weapons are evil.  If our society is to be civilized, we must put away our weapons.  They are useless in improving our society.  To gain a win with weapons, at a last resort, is not to be celebrated.  What we should aspire to is peace, at all costs, even if we are trained to use them.

Living according to the Tao, or The Way, means to give life.  We have been given life and spirit so that we can be a blessing to those around us.  When we use weapons, whether they be physical or verbal, we are doing the opposite.  We must use every opportunity to be united.  Being peacemakers is what we should strive for in our communities.

If we all came from the same Father, God, we should seek harmony with one another.  Let's have something to celebrate--the embracing of the Way of life.  Let's use life-giving language, behavior, and material.  Let's use concrete words to say kind words to each other.  Let's make a nice meal for family and friends and celebrate the good times.

There's enough time for the negative.  Let's just try this out:  Do kind deeds for one another.  Pay for a stranger's meal.  Smile at a stranger.  Buy some flowers for a hurting loved one.  You get the idea.

 

Thanks for reading today's post.  

I appreciate it.

How about it, my friends?  Are you using weapons in your home?  Are you putting away the weapons?  Are you willing to do kind deeds for your community, family, and friends?  I pray we all live according to the Tao, in peace.  Let's celebrate life and give life to one another.

May God bless you, my beloveds, with His wisdom and peace, in Jesus' name.  Amen!

This has been an entry for Wisdom Wednesdays.

I am currently drawing inspiration from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer's book and the 81 verses of the Chinese wisdom book the Tao Te Ching.

Life At a Natural Pace: My Contemplation of Verse 29 of the Tao Te Ching

Dr. Dyer's book is Change your Thoughts--Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao.

Today, I delve into verse 29 of the Tao Te Ching, especially these portions:

Allow your life to unfold naturally.

Know that it too is a vessel of perfection.

Just as you breathe in and breathe out,

there is a time for being ahead

and a time for being behind;

a time for being in motion 

and a time for being at rest;

a time for being vigorous

and a time for being exhausted;

a time for being safe

and a time for being in danger.

A few days ago, I embarked on a diet.  Well, I won't go into too many details about it, except to say that a natural process happened.  I was anxious to make a process go faster, but I had to be patient.  I learned that you cannot rush anything.  I learned that I have to let life go at a natural pace.

When I read this particular verse of the Tao Te Ching, the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible came to mind.  Chapter 3, verses 1-8, are very similar:

1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 2 A time to be born , and a time to die ; a time to plant , and a time to pluck up that which is  planted ; 3 A time to kill , and a time to heal ; a time to break down , and a time to build up ; 4 A time to weep , and a time to laugh ; a time to mourn , and a time to dance ; 5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together ; a time to embrace , and a time to refrain from embracing ; 6 A time to get , and a time to lose ; a time to keep , and a time to cast away ; 7 A time to rend , and a time to sew ; a time to keep silence , and a time to speak ; 8 A time to love , and a time to hate ; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Listen to the words in these two sets of words, whether from the Tao Te Ching or the Bible.  You will see that the word, "TIME," is in both.  It means to me that just like we have and want good times, we must also ride the bad or challenging times.  Life is not always pleasant.  I learned that on Monday.  

When trying to get healthier, we must go through the ugly side.  Getting to the good side of health takes time.  Doing unpleasant exercises or diets is not fun.  Often, we would rather have shortcuts; however, we must practice patience.  Oh, and I'm gonna be honest: I am not always patient!

Some medical advice tells of a die off period when a person is healing.  This happens when an infection is clearing up, for example.  The pain is excruciating at the beginning.  Believe me; I know!  The relief does come, though, after the passage of time.

The next time we want a positive outcome to a given situation, we must remember that there is a time for everything.  Sometimes, we mourn.  Sometimes, we celebrate.  Sometimes, we suffer.  Sometimes, we prosper.

Thanks for reading today's post.  

I appreciate it.

How about it, my friends?  Are you allowing nature to takes it course in your life?  Are you patiently awaiting the good things in life?  Or are you trying to rush things along?  I pray we wait on God for the good things.  Let's be patient when the trying times occur.

May God bless you, my beloveds, with His wisdom and peace, in Jesus' name.  Amen!

This has been an entry for Wisdom Wednesdays.

I am currently drawing inspiration from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer's book and the 81 verses of the Chinese wisdom book the Tao Te Ching.

How to Live Right: My Contemplation of Verse 28 of the Tao Te Ching

Dr. Dyer's book is Change your Thoughts--Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao.

Today, I am focusing on verse 28 of the Tao Te Ching, specifically the following portions:

One who understands splendor

while holding to humility

acts in accord with the eternal power.

To be the fountain of the world is

to live the abundant life of virtue...

Truly, the best governor governs least.

God's creation is marvelous.  See the same type of flower with the same amount of petals.  Leaves have veins on them through which water comes from the stem of the plant.  A human baby eats nutrients from the mother via the umbilical cord.  

Ponder those facts for a moment.

How should we treat the earth and its inhabitants?  Should we throw litter out the window while riding in a car?  Should we smack our kids in the face when they disrespect us?  Should we dump motor oil down the kitchen sink?  The answer to all of these questions is a resounding, "No."

Let's think about the gray areas.  Should we homeschool?  Can we afford to go on vacation?  Should we buy a new car to replace the 20 year-old clunker?  The list goes on.

I think you get the picture: 

How do we live right?

Following are some strategies for living right:

1. Get out of the way.  According to some psychologists, we are often selfish.  We want to please ourselves.  We want to do things that benefit us.  The Chinese wisdom of the Tao Te Ching turns that around.  We need to humble ourselves and let God have control.

2. Tap into the Way of life.  Once we understand the need to put ourselves out of the equation, God can work in our lives.  We need to turn to the Word of God (the Bible) for instructions.  Only God can help us know our next moves in the chessboard called life.

3. Be a vessel through which God's love flows.  After knowing how to proceed through life, we allow God to work through us.  Maybe God compels us to visit the housebound.  Perhaps, we should provide grocery for a family that is struggling.  Doing these kind deeds shows people that God loves them.  You never know if your good acts are answers to prayers.

My readers,

how can God work through you?

I hope you will consider these nuggets on how to live the right life.  You could be a blessing to the earth and those around you.

How about it, my friends?  Are you living right?  Are you tapping into God's wisdom?  Are you a vessel through which God works?  I pray we all turn to God for instruction on how to live right.  The Bible is full of advice.  Turn to it now.

May God bless you, my beloveds, with His wisdom and peace, in Jesus' name.  Amen!

This has been an entry for Wisdom Wednesdays.

I am currently drawing inspiration from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer's book and the 81 verses of the Chinese wisdom book the Tao Te Ching.

Training Up a Child

Training is part of a child's upbringing.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

--Proverbs 22:6

I thought I would start this entry in a funny way.  Perhaps seeing this picture of a train will remind you of this entry.  This old Hot Wheels train has been in our family for many years.  You can see how old it is by looking at its wheels.  Yes, it has been played with so many times.

Just like that Hot Wheels toy has been played with many times, this Bible verse has been used many times as well.  I like to use a concordance, specifically The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.  I use it to define words that I might not understand.  I use it to help me get a better grasp of something special in the Bible.  It is a perfect companion for Bible studies.

Let's break down the verse I am focusing on:

train-to discipline; to hone in on the learning; to dedicate

child-youth

way-journey; course of life

old-grown up

depart-reject; leave undone

Now that we have a few definitions, we can understand more fully what the Bible verse says.  Basically, the parent, guardian, caretaker, teacher, or any other such person dedicates his/her life to raise the youth.  This person must discipline and/or hone the learning for the child.  This individual is charged with showing the child the journey or the course of life that he/she should follow.  When that youth grows up, because of all the learning he has done, in the hands of the teacher, he will leave nothing undone.  

He/She will not reject their learning because it is ground down into their psyche.  Now, I'm gonna give you the definition of psyche:

psyche  psy·che (sī'kē)
n.
 The mind functioning as the center of thought, emotion, and behavior and consciously or unconsciously mediating the body's responses to the social and physical environment.

psyche. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary. Retrieved March 27, 2011, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/psyche

I added psyche to the mix because it explains why the child will not veer from what he has learned.  It is like the child has information seared into his brain, like a rancher who brands his cattle for identification.  This is like when a person burns songs onto a CD.  

I'm just trying to help you, my reader, understand why it is so important to take the time to assess what the youth around you are learning.  

Our children are constantly learning from us, whether we understand it or not.  I think it is important to purposely teach our children what they need to learn.  After all, our children are a reflection of us.  We must teach our children quickly before they leave our homes.  It is important to note that what we teach them will determine how they interact with the world around them.

Oh, there is so much to teach.  

Will we fit it all in?  

With God's help anything is possible.

How about you, my readers?  Do you every wonder what your children are learning?  Are you taking time to discuss with them their path in life?  I hope you do have conversations with them.  Our youth need direction.

My beloveds, may God bless you all with His peace and wisdom.

This has been an entry for Spiritual Sundays.  I hope you enjoyed it.

To compile this mini- bible study, I visited: http://www.biblestudytools.com/

My Contemplation of Verse 16 of the Tao Te Ching

 

Earthen vessel--our bodies are containers for our souls.

 Today, I am diving into verse 16 of the Tao Te Ching, specifically the following portions:

Amidst the rush of worldly comings and goings,

observe how endings become beginnings...

Things flourish, each by each,

only to return to the Source...

to what is and what is to be...

Not knowing this cycle 

leads to eternal disaster.

Knowing the constant gives perspective...

This way is everlasting,

not endangered by physical death.

It's amazing how one can get caught up with the things of this world.  The deadlines one has to meet and the doctors appointments, I hate, hate, hate with a passion.  Can you tell that I dislike being rushed?  I like to take it easy and not be rushed.  Some people don't mind the madness of it, but I am not one of those that can allow this world to stop me from appreciating life with a little rest.

This verse from a Chinese wisdom book encourages us to see the endings of chapters of our lives with a new perspective.  Have you lost a loved one?  Has a relationship in your life gone sour?  Take time to view it as a beginning to something new.  Endings lead to beginnings.

I know it's hard to view the bad situations in your life as opportunities for wonderful things up ahead.  I've been there.  I've seen both of my parents pass away.  I've lived through several broken relationships.  I'm still here.  I'm not gonna lie to you; these were tough situations for me.

I also know that I will go through more tough times in the future.  Nothing is certain, except that there are ups and downs in life.  A friend dies or decides he/she doesn't need you anymore.  A mother's tired body gives up, even though in her mind she wants to go on living.  It is hard to see her suffering, and you have to set your emotions aside.

I think true maturity in a person is in realizing that there are life events that end.  There, if you understand this concept, you are able to contemplate it and move on to the new chapters of your life.  I also believe that when something bad happens in your life, or a sad event is experienced, you should try something new.  I know that some authorities on grief recommend you should hang onto what is familiar, but sometimes you need to take on new traditions.  I know that for me, I could not celebrate Christmas the same way, after my own mother passed away.

During the Christmas season, she liked to decorate her house, with lights and a tree.  She liked to give gifts to the grandkids.  I used to wrap the presents (when I was a teenager) for her because I enjoyed the chance to be creative.  As I write this, tears well up in my eyes; it took a few years for me to develop new traditions within my own little family.  I must add here that I even became grief-stricken this past Christmas because my mother-in-law's health was deteriorating.

I share from my heart what I've been through to give encouragement and hope to those of  you grieving; you can move on from the sadness.  It is a climb to get past the event.  Believe me; I've been there.  Yes, when I was a teenager, the bad breakup with a beau hurt so much that I thought I would stop breathing, but I got through it.  You can, too.

Please understand that there is a life and death cycle of people, relationships, pets, plants, and anything else under the sun.  Even the chrome on a fancy car rusts, our bodies fail us, and people can be fickle--they will forsake you.  Isn't that so depressing?  The story doesn't end there, though.  There's more to this life.

The Source (Tao or God) of the Te (Power of God) is at work.  From the Bible, we know that God created the world and humans.  When our bodies (the containers that hold our spirit) fail us, our spirit does not die.  Our spirit returns to God.  Our spirit returns back to the Source (the Holy Spirit) from which it came.

Can you see why I am enjoying reading about the Tao Te Ching?  This wisdom book mirrors what the Bible says about our God and our relationship with Him.  Knowing the truth that our spirits live on helps me to continue living on this earth without that beloved person (my mother) who has departed from this world.  The way I come to terms with the passing of my own mother's physical body is to think that she (her spirit) is on a vacation and can't be reached.  At this point, she is simply resting in peace.

Am I sad that I can't call my mother and share with her what my week has been like?  Yes.  I still miss her; I'm human with emotions that God has allowed me to have.  I am able to understand, though, that I'm on this side of heaven and will someday see her, after the container of my spirit breaks.  The hope I have in me is that I'll be able to see my lovely mother again.

More than anything, I will be the happiest to see my savior, Jesus Christ.  I wait until the day I fall into His arms as He says, "Welcome.  You have toiled enough on earth.  It's time for you to rest."  Even I acknowledge that my body will someday fail me.  I have come to terms with that fact.

Do I have a death wish?  No.  I will say, though, that I have suffered so much physically and emotionally.  I just know that God loves me no matter what anyone says.  I will now offer this quote, in case there are naysayers who would like to punish me for looking at another source for spiritual insight:

³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us [me] from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

--Romans 8:38-39 (New International Version, ©2011)

How about you, my readers?  What is your perspective on life and death?  What helps you deal with loss in your life?  I hope you have a faith that propels you forward in life.

Thanks so much for reading, my dearest friends and family.  I pray that what I just wrote about the life and death cycle gives some comfort for those who are hurting.

My beloveds, may God give you His peace.

To read past entries about the Tao Te Ching (verses 1-15), please visit:
http://www.thoughts.com/Rebagv

Disclaimer: To the many friends and followers who are Christian, I express a deep gratitude for teaching me and/or sharing with me about the Bible.  Please understand that I am looking at spirituality from a different slant to solidify my faith and leaning on the God of all Gods, the Father of Jesus Christ.  I have decided to share of what I am learning from Dr. David W. Dyer's book called Change Your Thoughts--Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao.  If this offends thee, thou is welcomed to by-pass this blog entry and others like it, in the future.  God bless you all.