Brian’s Reflection: Wednesday, September 19, 2007


When we are under stress, awareness of Tao is impossible. If we
are fighting on the battlefield, or fighting in the office, or fighting in
your home, or fighting in your mind, there is no such thing as being
with Tao. If you are involved in this type of life, then you must content
yourself to face your problems bravely - until you can do nothing other
than renounce it.

- Deng Ming Tao



I don’t in any way claim to understand that much about the Taoist tradition. The Western mind is mostly befuddled by Eastern thought. “Tao” seems to be “the Pattern of the Universe”, of “Existence”. And the implication is that there is a sensible path that each of us can follow which will, to put a very subjective spin on it, make us happy, content, calm. You know what? I’m all for that!

It seems to me that “being with Tao” is paralleled in Christianity by the phrase either “being in union with God”, or “doing God’s will”. The Gospel is, I think, very clear that we will be “happy” only when we are “one with God”. It also more than implies - and most people don’t see this - that prayer is only “answered” in proportion to this unity. “Asking in Christ’s name” is not a magic spell, conjuring up answers to prayer by the right incantation of words. “Asking in Christs name” means praying “in union with God”, that is, willing what God wills.

Stress is incompatible with “being in Tao”. I believe it is incompatible with “being one with God”. Certainly the stress that results from conflict, from division. When I realized this, I was somewhat stunned! I realized that prayer for any blessing is useless when we fight, exclude, reject. Utterly pointless. It is only when we renounce the life of stress/fighting/tribalism/greed/intolerance/false witness against our neighbour, that we can be happy. We say that God hears all prayer. Perhaps She does. But God “cannot” answer prayer which is contrary to Her nature.

You are wondering when I am going to get to Love? Now! Love is path to “oneness with God. Unless we love, unless we renounce anything else, we are doomed to unhappiness.

So: get busy!

Brian+