The Tao.

 The Tao that can be explained or talked about is not the Eternal Tao just as one cannot explain or talk of Allah or God. Lao Tzu ( sometimes fondly called 'Old Boy' in Chinese) wrote down his teachings some 2500-600 years ago as  upon a request made by a gate keeper who would not allow him through unless he did so.  has till this day Lao Tzu's Tao te Ching or sometimes known as 'The Book of Changes' has till this day become one of the most referred to spiritual guide among many both in the East and West. A contemporary of Gautama the Buddha in India and Zoroaster in Persia among others, this teaching has helped to revolutionized human spiritual evolution. The Tao Te Ching is not easily grasped by the unskilled minds or the mind that is not familiar with spiritual or esoteric teachings and today most of us are not. We are lost in the words even for those of us who have some understanding of what is being transmitted. Mystical teachings of the ancients are not for the mind but for the human heart to conceive mostly through intuition and insight. 
I came upon the teachings of Lao Tzu when i was in College and as part of my 'Comparative Religions course I did my research of this Book. The Philosopher Zen Master, Alan Watts explanation of the Tao Te Ching was my reference and guide among others. 

Alan W. Watts

Born

in Chislehurst, The United Kingdom 

January 06, 1915

Died

November 16, 1973

Website

http://www.alanwatts.com/

Genre

Nonfiction, Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality

Influences

D.T. Suzuki, G.K. Chesterton, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Lao Tzu, Zhuangzi

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Alan Wilson Watts was a British philosopher, writer and speaker, who held both a Master's in Theology and a Doctorate of Divinity. Famous for his research on comparative religion, he was best known as an interpreter and popularizer of Asian philosophies for a Western audience. He wrote over 25 books and numerous articles on subjects such as personal identity, the true nature of reality, higher consciousness, the meaning of life, concepts and images of God and the non-material pursuit of happiness. In his books he relates his experience to scientific knowledge and to the teachings of Eastern and Western religion and philosophy.

What had touched me most about the teachings of LaoTzu is the fact that it is simple and direct and cuts away all speculations and fantasizing. I caught a glimpse of the meaning to this teachings when I first encountered the texts and then it was gone and then over time it keeps materializing in my life off and on and there would be a message in it for me like a key to unlock a puzzle before me. I could never comprehend the teachings in its entirety by reading the whole book

Act without doing;
work without effort.
Think of the small as large
and the few as many.
Confront the difficult
while it is still easy;
accomplish the great task
by a series of small acts.-  

Verse 63 - S. Mitchel

This verse (63) has been one of my favorite, I have tried to live by it over the years and has  benefited from it in many ways especially on days when I find myself trying to make up my mind whether or not do something or other. when in absolute doubt I would choose not act but allow myself to do nothing and trust in my inner being for something to happen and every so often I would be surprise to find that by not acting  I would end up doing a great deal than i anticipated. 

"Contemplate the turmoil of all beings and watch their return.' Allow the external to manifest and move on its own, (unhindered) and watch  how they return into emptiness or the void In other words become a witness to all the motions around you but remain detached  'Bare attention', wu wei or inactive action, or detached involvement. Everything manifest from the source and returns to the source, only the source is eternal all else is impermanent. That which makes this observation, the observer, the witness is the eternal consciousness of being... which who you truly are.

67

Some say that my teaching is nonsense.
Others call it lofty but impractical.
But to those who have looked inside themselves,
this nonsense makes perfect sense.
And to those who put it into practice,
this loftiness has roots that go deep.

I have just three things to teach:
simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and in thoughts,
you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world.

S.Mitchel.

to be contd.