From a childhood of regular church attendance, certain verses of the Bible are well etched in my memory.  Resting just under the surface of the conscious mind, most of these words remain one-dimensional.  To fill them out with understanding is to meditate on them deliberately.  Adding new dimensions to stale, rote lessons requires us to widen our experience.  This opening is well accomplished through travel, or any activity that pushes our mental, physical and cultural boundaries.

Studying the Tao Teh Ching broadens my view of spirit.  Upon hearing or reading the chapters, echoes of Christian teachings resurface in my mind.  There is clarity where there was once imprecision.  Chapter Twenty is dense with concepts that are basic, yet perpetually misunderstood: In high truth, is there any difference between yes and no?  Between good and evil, is there any absolute distinction?  Must one fear what everyone fears? It is still too early for the subtle truth to dawn on those who are so self-assertive.

A major stumbling block for followers of Western spiritual traditions is the insistence upon duality.  In Chapter Twenty of the Tao Teh Ching, duality of thought is contrasted with the subtle truth.  For a wise man, it is foolish to hold on to certainty.  Christianity is a Western tradition unfailingly positing good against evil.  My way out of this quagmire is to refine my understanding of what is meant by evil, freeing the concept from traditional cultural trappings.  Letting go of the common definition of evil, the following New Testament passage reflects the truth of the Tao:  Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS, BUT SHALL FULFILL YOUR VOWS TO THE LORD.’ But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.  Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.  But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’ and anything beyond these is of evil. MATTHEW 5:33-37. In this passage, I understand “evil” to mean harmful.  Jesus taught that rigidity of thought and certainty of opinion are foolish, the message of these verses.  We become trapped in our insistence upon black and white, thereby doing harm to ourselves and others.  This attitude separates us from the subtle truth.  Therein lies the congruence between Lao Tzu and Jesus on the assertion of absolute truth.

Intellectual wisdom and worldly knowledge were equally shunned by Jesus and Lao Tzu.  The concepts of subtle wisdom and the innate knowledge of the soul are elusive and unfamiliar to most.  Nonetheless, we are asked to abandon our intellects for our hearts as we progress on a spiritual journey.  The isolation inherent in such a process is described in Chapter Twenty of the Tao Teh Ching: The people of the world have more than enough.  I alone appear to have nothing.  The people of the world appear shrewd and wise.  I alone look foolish.  I like to be forgotten by the world and left alone. Jesus was also known for his practice of withdrawing from other people to meditate.  His demeanor and behavior were at odds with the masses.  Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to depart to the other side.  And a certain scribe came and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”  And Jesus said to him, “The foxes of the air have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” The solitary path of the subtle truth is lonely and unpopular.  Again echoing this sentiment, Lao Tzu wrote in Chapter Twenty, Everyone seems so clever and self-assured.  I alone appear unlearned and original, insistent upon a different direction than other people pursue.  I alone value taking my sustenance from the Mother. Speaking of truth and wisdom, Jesus prayed thus, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. MATTHEW 11: 25.

The practice of comparing these texts is intellectual, yet it leads me to a place in the heart.  It is of great comfort to me to draw parallels between diverse traditions.  I am reminded that in spite of external conflicts, there is a middle place where the cultures of the world can meet in spirit; it is “Love,” it is “Tao,” it is Yoga (union).  Whatever we choose to call it or which vehicle we use to reach it, it is there.

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.

As many before me have done, I am comparing the teachings of Jesus and Lao Tzu.  I will be posting verses from the Tao Teh Ching and the New Testament of the Bible.  Following the readings will be commentary elucidating the common themes.  This work is personal and subjective.  I am sharing the product of my devotional time with you as an act of love and an invitation to celebrate the Universal Divine.

June 10, 2010

Heaven is everlasting and Earth is perpetual.

Why so? Because they live

without holding onto any consciousness of self.

Therefore, they can endure forever.

One who does not separate his being

from the nature of universal wholeness

lives with the universal virtue of wholeness.

He, too, dissolves all consciousness of self

and lives as the universe.

By putting himself behind others,

he finds himself foremost.

By not considering his own personal ends,

his personal life is accomplished.

He finds himself safe, secure and preserved.

Because he does not hold a narrow concept of self,

his true nature can fully merge

with the one universal life.

-TAO TE CHING, CHAPTER 7.

For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. –II CORINTHIANS 5:1

For thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. –MATTHEW 6:8

But many who are first will be last: and the last, first. –MATTHEW 19:30

But the greatest among you shall be your servant.  And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled: and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. –MATTHEW 23:11-12

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself. –PHILIPPINANS 2:3

In Chapter Seven of the Tao The Ching we first encounter the theme of the eternal nature of Spirit.  Our bodies die, but we perceive the Universe as everlasting.  This common thread unites diverse traditions.

How can we access the eternal within ourselves?  Where does our identity merge with the Universal identity?  How are we One and how do we access the One? The way to do this according to Lao Tzu is to “live without holding onto any consciousness of self.”  What does this mean?  Put others before yourself.  Seek to attain the quality of humility.  Jesus taught the same principle of selfless service.

In a culture of self-consciousness, we are often at odds with these teachings.   We are preoccupied with our appearance and outward success.  Looking in the mirror, we see only ourselves.

Can we be self-aware without being self-conscious?  If so, is this self-love? Jesus taught, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself—there is no greater commandment.” –MARK 12:31

When our awareness shifts from ego to love, we touch our eternal nature and become one with the Universe.  This is our challenge.

The scriptural passages above are from The Complete Works of Lao Tzu, Translation and Elucidation by Hua-Ching Ni, and The New American Standard Bible.