Believers often ask with a devout heart, “What is the path of cultivation, Daoist?” Some even go straight to the essence: “What is the essence of this intangible existence, Daoism?” Faced with such profound questions, even successful Daoists find it difficult to summarize them in a word, because the depth of the “Dao” cannot be fully expressed in words.
What is’ Dao ‘? Although Laozi’s 5000 word “Tao Te Ching” attempts to depict it, it ultimately boils down to “the Tao is the Tao, the Tao is extraordinary”, with endless meaning and endless words. Zhuangzi also attempted to define it in “The Grandmaster”, stating that it is “sentient and faithful, formless and intangible”. It is transmitted but cannot be received, acquired but cannot be seen, transcends time and space, born before heaven and earth, and endures forever. Such descriptions not only fail to dispel confusion, but also add mystery and provoke deep reflection.
Under the Taoist cosmology, “Dao” is the source of all things, transforming and giving birth to all things, going through the process of “Dao giving birth to one, one, two, two, three, and three”. Chaos begins to emerge, the Tao sprouts, yin and yang differentiate, and all things are born from it. The state of Dao, just like the beginning of chaos, has no distinction of size, front and back, or height, and is an infinite realm. Yin and Yang are intertwined, and harmony arises, allowing all things to be nurtured and giving rise to the fireworks of the human world.
What the cultivator seeks is not him, but the ‘Way’ itself. The key to achieving enlightenment lies in “tranquility”. The saying goes, ‘If you follow nature, you will become an adult; if you go against it, you will become an immortal.’ This means that if you follow nature, you will become a human; if you go against nature, you will become an immortal. In human life, the yang energy gradually fades and the yin energy gradually grows, eventually leading to aging and death. Practitioners go against this natural path, ensuring the fullness of yang qi and preventing the invasion of yin qi, in order to achieve longevity and longevity. This is the true meaning of ‘reverse leads to immortality’.
In the Tao Te Ching, it is said that the state of a baby is full of energy and vitality, with constant crying and vigorous vitality. As adults, their yang energy gradually diminishes and their yin energy increases day by day. Cultivation is the process of finding the opportunity to reverse in the flow of yin and yang, using stillness to brake and steadfastness to respond to changes. The human heart is difficult to subdue, only tranquility can keep true. The true way is to see the truth in the ordinary and not be moved by the changes of external things. Observe the myriad phenomena of the world with a calm mind, and witness the invisible path with tranquility.
The Taoist couplet goes: “The Tao gives birth to one, gives birth to two, gives birth to three, and gives birth to all things; humans follow the earth, the earth follows the sky, the sky follows the Tao, and the Tao follows nature. The path of cultivation is actually a process of imitating all things and returning to nature. Although the Tao is not inexhaustible, one can cultivate in tranquility and find contentment in the path of nature. May every practitioner find the way in their heart and realize the true essence of the Tao.
