BRIGHT WISDOM OF TAOTim Chiu

English Tao ClassKuang Ming Saint Tao TempleApril 6th, 2013

SYNOPSIS

"Bright Wisdom is a series of books which contain the words of wisdom of Saints and Sages that help us rediscover, manifest, and apply the inherent wisdom that we all possess but have often forgotten While simple and succinct, the words are profound and yet applicable to the challenges that we encounter in our daily lives. In this talk, we will share a few excerpts from the books so that we may be introduced to this hidden treasure which can help us live an even happier and peaceful life."

ORIGINS OF BRIGHT WISDOM

• Bright Wisdom – the book series– Published by the Guan Hui Corporation in

conjunction with the Taipei Tao society – Organized collection of the words of wisdom from the

Saints and Sages• What is Tao, Cultivation of the Heart, Four Topics of

Cultivations, Learning and Practicing Tao• Overcoming Obstacles, Understanding Our Purpose,

Propagating Tao, and Mood Management– Succinct to read in one sitting, practical to apply to

our daily life, and profound to study for a life time– Great book for new and senior Tao members– Available in English and Chinese

BRIGHT WISDOM OF TAO

Read and follow the wise words of Tao teachings contained in the books literally Need to take into consideration the context in which it was said

and the translator’s interpretation and understanding Read to remind us of the inherent kindness and wisdom

that we all possess Saving a drowning child

Read the books as a means to rediscover and reconnect with our True Nature and the bright wisdom that we possess so that we may follow it at all times True Nature, or True Self, is the manifestation of Tao in all

human beings; Find our centered, the highest virtue in Doctrine of Mean, and be

in peace and harmony

WHAT IS BRIGHT WISDOM

We all have the same Tao inside of us, manifested as our True Self, but it is usually hidden by our desires Story of the six pack

We all have the same innate wisdom which is part of our True Nature, but some of us are more clouded by our desires and attachments

Desire for eating ice cream, french fries

WHAT IS TAO – INDESCRIBABLE• “What is spoken and written is not Tao. Your actions and

behavior is the real Tao”– “The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao” - Tao De

Jing• The infinite Tao can not be fully described by our limited language and

understanding• Like dark matter, we can infer its existence from its effects on visible

matter, but can not detect or see it with telescopes since it neither emits or absorbs light

– “What does a fish know about the water in which it swims all its life?” – Albert Einstein

• No concept of water, even though it flows through its blood and exists in its food, body, and environment

• Tao to us is like water to the fish – pervasive and essential to life– Love can not be seen or fully described

• From the bottom of my “heart”, but it’s not in the heart• How do we express our intangible love? Actions!

– Tao is like Love, we can’t see it, but our actions manifest it– Experience it through our actions, similar to how the warmth of the

water in a cup can only be known to the drinker

WHAT IS TAO - ORIGIN

• “Tao is the head, the source, the origin. Important like our ‘head’, we must follow it or else we will never reach the source.”– Discovering where we came from, our origin

• Reveals who we are and our relationship to each other• Truest form of Self discovery, and not just our temporal

preferences and possessions (my + X != me)• Our source, our True Self, can help guide us

– Tao is the path, or way, to finding our True Self• Chinese character (道)

– “To rid our desires, we need to first find the source” –Great Learning

• Hot dogs and ramen noodles– Find the origin and we know why we shouldn’t eat it

WHAT IS TAO - PERVASIVE

“Constantly observe the existence of Tao and you shall find that Tao exists not only at the temple. Tao can be applied in all aspects of Life everywhere you go.” Tao temple is a great place to learn, but the

actual application and cultivation happens outside of templeEveryone is on their best behavior, so no tests to

experience The real world is where we are truly tested

and the lessons are put into practice I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I

understand

WHAT IS TAO - NATURAL

“Sleep when we should sleep is Tao. Sleeping when we shouldn’t sleep is not Tao.” Tao is very natural

Eat when hungry, rest when tired Eating and going to the restroom is Tao

What goes in, must come out; go with the flow As technology advances, there are more distractions and

temptations (E-mail, YouTube, Facebook, SMS, etc) Worldly Person vs. Cultivating Monk

Eats: he is not eating as he is enslaved by his desires for better food and fortune.

Sleeps: he is thinking about having a better house, better clothes, or better person to accompany him.

Though the actions are the same, but the heart of a worldyperson and a cultivator is very different

CULTIVATION OF THE HEART – WHY? “If our heart is not righteous, then even the perfect

words and righteous actions are not in accordance with the true Tao.” Why is it the heart and not our words or actions?

Act of helping someone but with a motive = helping ourselves Sincerity

Watch heart -> thoughts -> words -> actions -> habits -> character -> destiny

Conduct worldly affair with a holy heart -> Holy Caring for family and friends w/o any expectations

Conduct holy affair with a worldly heart -> Worldly Caring for Tao members with an ulterior motive

Holy = Selfless, altruistic Worldly = Selfish, reciprocation Our actions do not determine the righteousness of our

heart. It is our heart that determines the righteousness of our actions

CULTIVATION OF THE HEART - OURSELVES

“The biggest obstacle in cultivation is always asking others instead of ourselves. See clearly and ask ourselves before asking others.” Cultivation is internal reflection and not external

criticism; to manifest and behave according to our True Nature See other people’s mistakes clearly but are not able to see

our own faults Let others be a mirror and reminder of what we should and

shouldn’t do Man in the mirror – Michael Jackson

Lead by example, then encourage others to follow Story of Ghandi and eating candy

Exercising and eating right

CULTIVATION OF THE HEART - INTERNAL

“Learning meditation and seeking special powers are not needed to be a Buddha. With a natural, merciful, and sincere heart, one will become a Buddha.” After receiving Tao, we no longer need to seek

outward and pray to a Buddha We ourselves are a Buddha, but have simply forgotten Hindu story of the gods and human

Story of the Zen Master and Meditating Monk Grinding a brick to make a mirror is like meditating to

be a Buddha Buddhahood is not reached by sitting in a particular

position as it has not specific form nor is its heart attached to Buddhahood

By using our most sincere heart while fulfilling our roles, we will become a Buddha naturally

CULTIVATION OF THE HEART - GRATEFUL

“In our daily lives, remember to use a grateful heart to face everything. No matter how difficult the problem is or how much you dislike it, always maintain a grateful heart.” Why be grateful when things don’t happen the we want it?

Grateful for being sick Sine wave of emotions

8AM meeting -> Breakfast -> traffic -> meeting canceled -> coworkers with many questions-> lunch -> food coma -> work -> traffic

Grateful for the opportunity to cultivate and learn new skills while being paid!

Grateful heart helps us see things in a different perspective A civic is not luxurious, but it’s cheap on gas, DMV, insurance, and

fees Everything happens for the best

Story of the King and his Advisor

CULTIVATION OF THE HEART – INNER PEACE

“If your heart is unbalanced and not at peace, then you will be angered easily.” Getting cut-off while driving

Unbalanced/Ego: Angry and upset at the crazy driver for almost getting ME into an

accident! Tell HIM/HER to open his/her eyes. Balanced/Peace:

Grateful it didn’t cause an accident and nobody was hurt Remind ourselves that we’ve made the same mistake unintentionally

before, and the importance of avoiding these actions in the future now that we know how it feels

The same events may or may not anger us depending on the state of our heart See things in a different perspective and reflect on own

cultivation -> balance and peaceful heart See things in your own narrow perspective and dwell onto

others’ lack of cultivation -> unbalanced and angry heart Be masters of our emotions instead of mastered by our

emotions by cultivating our heart Not about not having any emotions, but to be aware of them and utilize

them instead of controlled by them and our external stimuli Exhibit the emotion of “Anger” to teach children discipline

FOUR CULTIVATION TOPICS – TEMPERAMENT

“When people yell and criticize you, you do not become angry, you are unmoved. That is good temperament.” Anger usually happens due to differences in opinion

Heart is filled with ego and attachment to one’s own view and preconceived ideas. Mine is the only “right” view and the others are “wrong” views.

Good temperament is not about holding in the anger and now showing it, but to rid its existence by understanding its cause by changing our perspective Holding it in, or “忍”, is like a knife stabbing your heart, which will

ultimately explode someday Need to use our wisdom to prevent the rise of anger by ridding the

source of our anger – our ego and attachment to own narrow views “Anger is punishing ourselves for other people’s

mistakes” – E. Roosevelt High blood pressure, resentment, poisons -> bad for our health Apologize for words said which we didn’t mean Can’t change the past or prevent it in the future

CONCLUSION

Tao is the origin and the truth which is indescribable and pervasive

Our True Self, or True Nature is the manifestation of Tao in us

Following the natural path of Tao, or cultivation, is simply behaving according to our True Self at all times

Maintain a grateful heart and be open to different perspectives and you heart will be balanced and at peace

By recognizing our ego and our attachments, we can easily use our wisdom to prevent the rise of anger