2008 – A Year With the Tao
Each week during 2008 I am going to contemplate and reflect on a different chapter from the Toa Te Ching. Of course my reflections will come as a western Christian, which is my primary place of commitment and practice and the worldview which I most naturally wear. I would imagine my reflections to be an effort at integrating Taoism, which comes from an Eastern Chinese tradition, with and through my primary commitment as a western follower of the Way of Christ and a covenant member of a Christian community. On the other hand, I also understand myself to be a mystical integrative theologian and to some degree, I trust I am able to rest in a unitive experience of reality beyond my personal or cultural bias and to reflect from a place where there is no distinction between Taoism and Christianity. From that place and deep source even the apparent dichotomies between these traditions become meaningful paradoxes rather than problems to be solved or even integrated.
Why Taoism and the Tao Te Ching?
As I continue to be attentive to the concept of “flow” in my life I find the texts and traditions of Taoism to be insightful and helpful. They intuitively feel “true” to my soul and insightful to my journey of seeking to be transparent or “flowfull” to Spirit or reality as it presents itself moment by moment. Toa is usually translated as “way” or “path” but feels to me more active - like “Spirit.” Unfortunately, Taoism has been associated with one of its primary ideas of wu-wei (non-action) which western liberalism associates with not “taking a stand” or not “doing justice.” In actuality wu-wei is “non-ego-attachment action” or action that originates from a place of harmony with the movement of the Spirit rather than from personal ego drives and desires. Soul flow rather than ego drive!
The Toa Te Ching was written in the 6th Century BCE, by Lao Tzu and is foundational text of Taoism, similar to the way the gospels function for Christianity. Not sure why this text is the one I have chosen to journey with over the year. It feels more like it has chosen me. So, we will see how that unfolds over the year. Unless noted otherwise, I will be primarily be using the english translation done by Stephen Mitchell.
I welcome your thoughts and comments along they way!
