Musings of the Sundarman

The Tao Te Ching, By Lao Tzu

One of the most amazing spiritual & philosophical classics I have read...

But does the Tao Te Ching, written by a records-keeper in the kingdom of Chin between 5th and 3rd centuries B.C.E have ANY relevance to my complicated life in America today?

I submit that it is. Apart from being the oldest Taoist text and meditative treatise, it is also a volume on the POWER that is INHERENT in HARMONY with NATURE. It has been adopted as a modern leadership manual and provides compelling advice for contemporary life.

The title means "The Classic of the Way", but also has the meaning "The Way of Power and Virtue". The Tao (way) determines the Te (Virtue, or manner of behavior). The idea is that the virtue, or manner of behavior DEPENDS on the WAY being EMBARKED UPON.

Main Points:

1. Whatever can be defined is NOT TAO. It is the timeless spirit that runs through ALL BEINGS, creating the ESSENTIAL ONENESS of the universe.

2. The Tao is not God, since GOD is an entity that has SPRUNG from the TAO.

3. The Tao Te Ching paints a picture of a person in full attunement with the Tao, and, therefore, with the universe. Thus, the universe is a universe of ORDER, that we MUST WORK WITH, and not attempt to go against its essential grain, or flow. ATTUNEMENT, rather than mindless striving, delivers us what we need.

4. As we get in attunement with the Tao, our actions cease to seem like actions. This is a STATE of FLOW, where everything we do seems to have a positive result seemingly effortlessly. In contrast, REGULAR ACTION involves the manipulation, or exploitation of objects or beings to accomplish a goal -- an act of WILL, in other words.

5. TAO LEADERSHIP -- Lao Tzu saw TWo TYPES OF LEADERS-- a conventional WARRIOR king who uses force to conquer men and materials to his/her will. This type of leader is symbolized by the YANG, or MASCULINE aspect. The second type of leader is the HEALER king, represented by the YIN aspect. The latter is the concept of SERVANT Leadership. In this model, the leader blends into the background, so that his/her PEOPLE CAN STAR.

6. Today's best-run companies use team-work, synergy and flat hierarchies to achieve great results. They attempt to INCREASE EFFECTIVENESS by SHARING power. In the future, the ideal leader may become harder and harder to spot in an organization, since power is wielded less and less -- the EMPLOYEES take TRUE OWNERSHIP of the organization. This is the principle of the Healer King/Queen.

In Lao Tzu's words,
"The wise stand out because they see themselves as PART of the WHOLE,
They SHINE, because they do not want to impress,
They achieve GREAT THINGS, because they don't look for recognition,
Their wisdom is contained in WHAT they ARE, not their opinions.
They REFUSE to ARGUE, so noone argues with them.

7. Listening, Yielding, Cooperating, Being Open, Seeking the Best Possible Outcomes. These YIN aspects MUST BALANCE the go-getting YANG force. The integration of the two is the mark of the NEW LEADER. Their credibility rests, not in what they say, or even in their past achievements. Their WISDOM lies in WHAT THEY ARE.

8. TAO SUCCESS: While being a book about successful living, the Tao seems to offer very strange advice. "Give up, and you will succeed." Well, how the heck do we reconcile such a statement? The answer is that the Tao goes against the grain of most "You can do it!" advice. It is a manual on how to lead a very simple life (does Warren Buffet's life ring a bell?!!).

9. We do not aim to seek power, fame or riches, if we follow the Tao Te Ching model. There is a QUIET ECSTASY to living in the moment, not trying to force something to happen, according to the Tao. This is a book about the POWER of TIMING.

"BE STILL, and allow the mud to settle.
Remain still, until it is the TIME TO ACT."

Which way is better: Relentless Focus and Massive action toward goals, or going with the flow of the universe and allowing the goal to manifest? hmmmm... I wonder...