When I was about 12 a very wise man turned me on to Lao Tzu’s philosophies. It made more sense to me than the fairy tales I was being taught in church. This same man spent a lifetime studying & mastering various martial arts and eastern philosophies. To this day I have never met another human so at peace with himself and the world around him.
There are things I’m in need of getting past…I took a little stroll down memory lane if you will.
Governing a big country is like cooking a small fish.
Let all under heaven be governed in accordance with the Tao,
and the demons will not manifest their power.
It is not that they lack power
but rather they will not use their power
to harm people.
They are not the only ones who have power
and do not use it to harm the people.
The True Person does not harm the people.
whenever there is ho harm done,
that power flows into the common Virtue.an excerpt from the Tao Te Ching
The ‘common virtue’ is a frequent reference. It is a.k.a the “Golden Rule” in the west. Anger, rage, resentment, disappointment, jealousy, envy and greed are often the Demons. You can’t defeat them as they are always there. It’s a part of nature.
One of my favorite writings from the Tao is how the small willow is mightier than the oak. When the strong winds come, the willow bends and flows with the wind. THe oak is solid and rigid and is eventually knocked down. You can see where this philosophy is a cornerstone in most martial arts.
It is tempting and almost 2nd nature to respond with anger when someone “attacks” us. This is how we use power to inflict harm, and put others down. When one lowers themselves to the damaging energy of retaliation be it physical or verbal abuse, the demons gain power. If we are not affected by them, and flow with the wind they will have no power over us. The demons will lose their power to inflict harm and balance is restored. I’m in need of a little more balance myself.
