家人囉嗦煩惱生，靜觀承擔任運消，解使結，便前行；
同事爭功氣又生，折騰半天覺醒來，無一物，誰來爭；
生活，就是修行。
Close ones complaint emotion rises, contemplate own surrender dissipate, knots untied, move forward;
Colleagues fight credit qi arises, half day inflated but after rest, nothing there, who to fight;
Life itself, is the cultivation ground.
Dear readers,
After 26 months of discussion and exploration, we have finally completed our online discussion on the core teachings of the three great classics in Chinese Civilization.
With the focus on personal and spiritual cultivation, we first learnt about the transcendental reality and the way towards it from Laozi’s Daodejing. After understanding our self, and going beyond it, we then learnt the importance of fulfilling our personal, family and social responsibility in the world through practical advises from Confucius’s Analects. Finally, after mastering the world and the reality beyond it, we learnt from the Buddhist Diamond Sutra that all teachings and phenomena, no matter how extraordinary and spectacular, are temporary like dreams and bubble and therefore are not to be attached.
If we can gain a throughout understanding of these three classics, and integrate them into our daily life, then a solid foundation is laid on the roadway of personal and spiritual cultivation. Hopefully these discussions could serve as an opening door and overall guidance for further studies and practice.
This concludes this series of our online classes. As Laozi said, “excessive speeches exhaust our reason, it’s better to stay centered.” The foundation understanding of cultivation has been laid and it is time for practice and integration into our life. If you have further question on the topics mentioned, you may contact me for advice or further discussion. Thank you for your interest and support all along.
Best wishes to you in your life, studies, and practices.
Regards,
Li Siming
March 2014
more at our new page: https://www.lisiming.net/study-with-derek/dereks-approach/
-> When one has been to, and is everywhere, one cannot be traced or described by a particular trace.
-> They communicate perfectly and completely and therefore left no fault.
-> All is known and there is no need to count or record.
-> Job is done perfectly without extra and unnecessary measures.
-> When Sage embrace everything completely, there is nothing left out and unsaved.
-> Sage embrace and treasure all impartially, including the layman and those labelled undesirable.
-> When one still have bias in receiving certain people (whether sage or layman) or situation, one is still in the dualistic separation of a self and others, and therefore is away from the reality of oneness and nonduality.
* * *
Chapter 27 Discussion:
Instead of labeling people as good or bad, sage or layman, Laozi recommended embracing all, and treasuring all without personal bias. When one does this, every people and situation can be seen as blessings to cultivate one self, is welcomed and treasured, for they provide opportunity to test what’s left in personal bias, and opportunity to cultivate awareness and compassion. Gradually ones acceptance and compassion will grow and eventually to encompass all. Gratitude (described as treasure by Laozi) therefore, is an useful attitude in cultivation and to face life.
Bilingual text of Chapter 27: https://www.lisiming.net/philosophy/chinese-philosophy/daoist/daoist-philosophy/dao-de-jing-core-33-chapters/ddj11-3/
-> Even sky and earth cannot escape from changes, how can we as man fixate on the transient?
-> Laozi is describing a way to face the world here. When Dao as the unchanging context is realized, stay in it. When virtue manifested, stay in it. Even when lost occurs (to the self), stay in it.
-> How to stay? By welcoming it, and let go resisting it. Phenomenon comes and goes, like wind and rain. One rides in wind and rain:,centered and unmoved, aware and transcended. Like in meditation: despite of sensations, emotions, thoughts, and phenomena comes and goes, one welcome all, centered and unmoved, aware and transcended. Soon the wind and rain will go, content changes and context remains, such is the meaning of abiding in center.
-> We are so used to attachments, to body, to thoughts, to objects, to sensations, to perceptions. Most believe life is secured through gain, resist and control. Who would believe, that everlasting peace could be found through welcoming and staying in the center?
* * *
Chapter 23 Discussion:
In this Chapter, Laozi describes both the end point and the pathway to Dao.
We are full of attachments. We welcome people and situations we like, and resist otherwise. This personal bias of what i like and what i don’t like creates conditions for discomfort and suffering. Therefore, by facing and surrendering of our personal bias (which includes our attachments and aversions), we become more and more free in facing the world and closer to peace.
Welcoming, is the first step of surrendering. We have to welcome something before it can come to our awareness for process (or else we would be resisting or in denial). When applied in meditation and in daily life, notice, when you encounter winds and rains, welcome it, let it run, and let it go. Yes, it will be some discomfort, but if you do it properly and persistently, next time it occurs you will be less vulnerable, less affected, and you will recover faster. Welcoming, therefore, is an useful attitude on the way.
Bilingual text of Chapter 23: https://www.lisiming.net/philosophy/chinese-philosophy/daoist/daoist-philosophy/dao-de-jing-core-33-chapters/ddj11-3/
He discusses the general outline of different stages of Daoist cultivation, structure of the human essence-energy-spirit system, important explanation on key concepts such as truth, nature, spirit, mind, foundation practices in breathing and meditation, and barriers and useful attitudes to facilitate the practice.
As the master said, practice proceeded blindly leads one to go nowhere (section 16). This article therefore helps practitioner to focus their efforts on the core and direct pathway towards the Dao.
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