Taoist Mysticism

 Virtue is a state of being that manifests when discipline is no longer an exercise of control but an extension of wisdom. 

~

What we don't know is a mystery. The mystical journey begins by summoning the courage to embrace the depths of the psyche. This is the hero's journey and the warrior's path. 

Regardless of race, sex, or religious affiliation, all of humanity participates equally in this great mystery. Whenever our known universe began, you are, right now at this present moment, the product of that beginning.

The logic of science tells us the universe is billions of years old. Alongside the capacity for reasoning and logic, there is a flower within the psyche that, when blossoming, dispels the mind and its ordinary function of logic. This is, perhaps, the locus of intuition and insight. Yet this flower exists with and within the flower of logic. The wise application of both forces moves humanity forward. 

Simplicity | Harmony | Non-Aggression

Almost all mystics throughout history have had one thing in common: they manifested a high level of virtue in their lives. The seed of virtue is moral discipline, adherence to a set of values or rules. Virtue itself is a state of being that manifests when discipline is no longer an exercise of control but an extension of wisdom. 

To cultivate oneself through Taoist teachings, one heeds three basic principles: 

• Simplicity, by living simply and not craving. However, one must not crave simplicity -- that is, not force austerities on oneself;

• Harmony, by respecting and being open to others, finding moderation in excesses, and understanding the cycles of activity and rest;

• Non-Aggression, by recognizing the roots and limitations of anger and competition, not harming others or oneself, and not manipulating others or deceiving oneself.