Tuesday

dao spine

woman sits on large rocky beach, watch wild geese and quiet water, far left LOOK! see the artist!


spine Chinese characters for "spine"


Tao is the road up your spine.
Tao is the road of our life.
Tao is the road of the cosmos.


People are often confused about Tao because there are references to it on so many different levels. After all, it permeates all existence. Indeed it might be said that the Tao is existence itself. It might seem odd that we can talk about Tao on a level so mundane as physical exercise and on a level as exalted as holiness itself. Those who follow Tao do not think of divinity as something “up there.” They think of it as everywhere.

Tao can be tangible when it wants and intangible when it wants too. One tangible aspect of Tao is the road in the very center of our spines. That is the path of Tao in us. It is the spirit road connecting the various power centers of our bodies.

On a philosophical level, Tao is the road through life. It is the change from one stage to another, the dealing with circumstances, the expression of your inner character against the background of nature and society. On a metaphysical level, it is the evolution and movement of the cosmos itself.

Now take these three levels—the movement of energy up the spine, the philosophical understanding of one’s own path in life, and the very progression of the universe—and meld them into one combined concept. Then you will have a glimpse of the genius of Tao.



spine

365 Tao
daily meditations
Deng Ming-Dao (author)
ISBN 0-06-250223-9

Chinese characters for "ping sha luo yan"

Wild Geese 1950
by Fu Bao Shi
the truth is spoken, the world awaits, all eyes on Canada

**Suggested reading of daoist texts ancient poetry and contemporary Chinese literature is available at the site.
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