The LOVEolution » The Tao and The Kingdom of God: Part Two

The Tao and The Kingdom of God

Taoist and Christian teachings presented side by side to emphasize the Universal Love and Light of these timeless philosophies; the similarities are astonishing!

The Tao and The Kingdom of God: Part Two

by Michelle Garrison-Hough

June 14th, 2010

To be one with the subtle essence of the universe is to enjoy everlasting life. Such a one will be preserved, even after the dissolution of his physical body. -TAO TEH CHING, CHAPTER 16

Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life. –JOHN 4: 13-14

One who embraces the subtle essence dies yet does not perish and enjoys true immortality. -TAO TEH CHING, CHAPTER 33

This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate, and died, he who eats this bread shall live forever. […] It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. -JOHN 6: 58, 63

Christianity emphasizes the concept of eternal life; the true believer is promised a life everlasting. Along with Islam, Christianity is criticized for its insistence upon an afterlife and the belief that our existence on Earth is a mere preparation for eternity in the Kingdom of God. What is meant by “eternal life?”

I was surprised to find references to eternal life in the Tao Teh Ching. Here was an opportunity to approach this concept from a different cultural perspective.

In placing these Taoist and Christian verses side by side, we see that the “bread of life” and “living water” are metaphors for the subtle essence of the universe. They are a resource available to us, an ever present truth that is simple, yet impossible to grasp. You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. -JOHN 8:32. Grasp it, but it is beyond your reach. […] There is nothing that can make this subtle essence of the universe distinct. -TAO TEH CHING, CHAPTER 14. The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit. –JOHN 3:8.

Our culture wants to make all things literal. We strive to rationalize and simplify. We have heard people say, “Every word of the Bible is true,” and other such meaningless statements. Because the reported words of Jesus have been filtered through the lens of interpretation for over two thousand years, the truth in Jesus’ words is veiled in deeper layers of mystery. This is why comparative study with other spiritual texts is so illuminating.

Those of us with strong faith believe that spiritual truth is universal. We know it is omnipresent. It has existed in all places from time immemorial. Seeing it expressed by other writers, from other traditions, in fresh permutations can unlock new doors in our hearts and minds.

So what does it mean to have eternal life? Which is the part of us that lives on? How may we drink living water and embrace the subtle essence of the universe? According to Jesus, we must be born again, of the spirit. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. […] unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. -JOHN 3: 3,5. According to Lao Tzu, we must renew ourselves. Renewal and rebirth are parallel concepts. Yet, they all must return to the root again, each to its simple source. Knowing to return to the root is to be refreshed. This is called subtle revitalization. To know constant renewal is to have achieved clarity. -TAO TEH CHING, CHAPTER 16.

Spirit is not evident to us. The subtle essence of the universe is not apparent. Jesus taught the “way”, indeed, he said that he is the way, the truth and the life. The Tao Teh Ching teaches the subtle way of the universe. Jesus was crucified by men. Lao Tzu wrote, The subtle Way of the universe appears to lack strength, yet its power is inexhaustible. TAO TEH CHING, CHAPTER 4.