Tao Te Ching Chapter 21-10 By Tao's name

Today's Tao

How do I know that all the roots of material beings are like that?


By the name of Tao. (Ch.21)


"I!"

"You!"

What do we mean by that?

These individual selves are not ours.

They are just holograms.

Our personal feelings are part of our hologram, which is an illusion.

So, who are you?

True You are Tao.

It doesn't matter what you call it.

The name is not important.

Tao, Love, Buddha, Zen, or whatever you like. You can even call it "you".


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-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 21


Tao answers your question!



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-Dogen means "the root of Tao". Shobogenzo Zuimonki (the book on the right) was not written by the master himself. It is much easier to understand. There are quite a few English translations of Shobogenzo. They may be helpful to understand Dogen's teachings, but I cannot recommend any, the one on the left included. My best and honest recommendation is, though I know it is too demanding, to learn Japanese and read the original. A Japanese man can learn English and read Shakespeare. Why can't an English-speaking person learn Japanese and read Dogen? Shobogenzo is written in old Chinese and Japanese. It is an amazing mixture of two different grammars. While Chinese has a word order closer to English (in principle, Subject - Verb - Object and others), Japanese has the one completely different from English (Subjets, Object, or others followed by a suffix which functions as a preposition - Verb often followed by suffixes which function as an auxiliary verb or "not") Dogen is truly a Jackson Pollock of Japanese literature.

Tao Te Ching Chapter 21-9 Tao supervises all

Today's Tao

And it serves, supervising all the roots of material beings. (Ch.21)


Tao is the headquarters.

It supervises all the aspects of creation.

Our brains project the world in the head.

The world defines our own self, or what we are.

There are many "roots of material beings".

There are many holograms.

Tao is the source of the energy for all.

As Zen Buddhists say, life is the mirror where Buddha (=Tao) manifests itself.

Trust Tao.

He is a good supervisor, much better than bank managers.


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-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 21


Tao answers your question!



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-Yukio Mishima was once hired as a bureaucrat by the ministry of finance, the headquarters of all the Japanese bankers. You never know. He could have been a saviour of financial crises.

Tao Te Ching Chapter 21-8 Tao's name

Today's Tao

From now to the olden days, Tao's name does not go away. (Ch.21)


"Old soldiers never die; they just fade away."

The word "Tao" is definitely worse because it never goes away.

But "from now to the olden days"?

Isn't it supposed be "from the olden days to nowadays"?

Never mind.

Time doesn't exist in Tao.

It is a concept we create in our mind.

We use the concept of time in order to reconstruct the world in a comprehensible way.

In Zen Buddhism, they say that past, present, and future are being created simultaneously.

Plus, the function of Tao had existed even before Lao Tzu or someone invented the word "Tao".


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-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 21


Tao answers your question!



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-He initiated a land reform in Japan. Some rich got poorer. Some poor got richer. Other rich stayed the same. Other poor stayed the same. The Japanese middle class enjoyed Hello Kitty and Mario Brothers some decades later.

Tao Te Ching Chapter 21-7 Sure thing

Today's Tao

There is something sure inside it. (Ch.21)


Some are afraid of believing.

"There are plenty of traps, religious or financial," they might say.

Others are afraid of doubting.

You've got to believe what you believe no matter what its name is.

Whatever the name is, we are talking about the same thing.

It is about the fundamental energy which constitutes everything.

Are you afraid of admitting that true You are the energy, which I happen to call Tao?

Don't worry.

It is a sure bet.

I guarantee you.


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-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 21


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-Sure thing in a different sense, but could be as good as any.

Tao Te Ching Chapter 21-6 Genuine

Today's Tao

This essence, or the root of energy, (as clean as polished rice), is very genuine. (Ch.21)


Tao is the essence of everything.

Tao's essence is pure energy.

But this energy doesn't have time or space.

So, please do not picture a Milky-Way-like thing circulating or shining.

It is genuine energy. Period.

No time. No space. No objects. No thoughts. No self.

It is true You only.

It is Tao only.


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-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 21


Tao answers your question!



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-Shuji Terayama, a poet and theatre-maker, was definitely one of the most influential Japanese artists in 60s and 70s.

Tao Te Ching Chapter 21-5 Essence

Today's Tao

Though it is deep and dark, and dim, there is the essence, or the root of energy, (as clean as polished rice), inside it. (Ch.21)


Tao is deep, dark, and dim.

Dark Depth is another name of Tao.

Tao is the essence.

All existence is created and projected right here.

All energy comes from this source.

Tao is the root of everything.

Tao is nothing since it doesn't have space.


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-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 21


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-Ukiyo, the floating world. Where is it floating?

Tao Te Ching Chapter 21-4 Images

Today's Tao

Though it is elusive and vague, there are images inside it. (Ch.21)


Images are projected in your mind.

Well, it is understandable. Right?

Tao is the energy and information which create and "transmit" the images.

Well, it is acceptable. Right?

You are the TV set which receives the energy and information and projects the images.

Well, well. It is still comprehensible.

What do you think if I say: "You, the TV set, are an illusion as well as the images you see on the TV set, which are what we call the world"?

"It is not logical."

"It is contradictory."

All right. All right.

But do you remember what people said to Galileo Galilei?


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-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 21


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-Setsuko Hara, the image of an "authentic" Japanese woman which has been lost and probably we will never see in Tokyo.

Tao Te Ching Chapter 21-3 Formed objects

Today's Tao

Though it is vague and elusive, there are yet formed objects inside it. (Ch.21)


Here you are! This is one of the key sentences in Tao Te Ching.

Please picture the image.

First, you have Tao, the energy, the essence and in-form-ation. (Its etymology is interesting. The word knows what it means.)

Second, you have formed objects inside Tao the energy / information.

This second part includes your own self and the rest of the world, in other words, you (=your own self, not true You) and non-you.

In Tao and Zen, the radio receiver (=your own self, =«you» in the conventional sense) and the sounds it creates (=non-you) belong to the same sphere, which is your hologram.

Dogen taught it to us clearly.

Kitaro Nishida repeated it with modern terminology.

Daisetz Suzuki repeated it again in English.

We are not supposed to have a problem of «self», are we?


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-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 21
-Tao by Matsumoto / You and non-you


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-Important works by Kitaro Nishida

Tao Te Ching Chapter 21-2 Object

Today's Tao

As an object, Tao is vague and elusive. (Ch.21)


Here, Lao Tzu approaches Tao as an object.

But Tao is not an object.

It is invisible and intangible.

You cannot touch Tao.

What you see is your hologram.

Still, Lao Tzu tries hard to explain it.

Probably the least harmful comparison is radio waves.

Tao is information in waves in this analogy.

The world, which is your hologram, is the sounds on the radio.

You are the radio and speaker.

The most important thing is that you, the radio and speaker is part of the hologram or the sounds in this context.

Of course, neither Lao Tzu nor Dogen was able to use radio waves as a metaphor.


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-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 21


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-Once we had transistor radios made in Japan.

Tao Te Ching Chapter 21-1 Tao only

Today's Tao

The characteristic of the great attainment is to follow Tao and Tao only. (Ch.21)


"Follow Zen and Zen only! Otherwise, you will never get Satori."

"Follow Tao and Tao only! Otherwise, you will never attain Tao."


Sorry. I don't want to sound like a fundamentalist.

A fundamentalist-like attitude is far from Lao Tzu's way.

Plus, the attainment of Tao or Satori is, in fact, very easy because you don't have to do anything.

All you have to do is to remember that you are already in the state of Satori and you are always one with Tao.

Lao Tzu, the old man, just wanted to tell you:

"Do not doubt it".


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-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 21


Tao answers your question!



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I saw this movie in Japan. It is about Master Dogen's life. Directed by Banmei Takahashi, who used to work for Nikkatsu Corp. His actress wife, Keiko Takahashi (Sekine) played Dogen's mother. If you like Sony Chiba and B-class Japanese films, don't forget to check the word «nikkatsu» on a search engine. I can guarantee you that you will find unknown gems of Japanese cinema.

If you are interested in Zen but have no time to read voluminous Shobogenzo, the film is an useful introductory lesson to know about the master.

Attainment

Today's Tao

The characteristic of the great attainment is to follow Tao and Tao only. [Ch.21]


The attainment of Tao is very easy. So is Satori in Zen Buddhism.

You don't have to do anything. Do nothing.

When you learn to do nothing, you have already attained Tao and reached Satori.

"Do nothing" means "Accept all".

If you can accept all, you remember that you are Tao.

All you have to do is to remember it.

This is the attainment of Tao (or Satori).

It's easy, isn't it?


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