Laozi His mind becomes as vast and immeasurable as

the night sky

by Craig Pearson, Ph.D.

Laozi
6th century BC China

He lived in the capital city and served as the keeper of the archives at the royal court. A man
of great wisdom, he attracted many people, who gathered around him and considered him
their teacher. But as he observed the moral decay of the city and the kingdom, he felt out of
place and resolved to leave.

He journeyed westward, planning to cross the countrys far western border and there, in the
frontier, in solitude, live out the rest of his life.

But when he reached the kingdoms western gate, the guard recognized him. He entreated the
wise man to set down a record of his teaching before departing the country for good.

Thus, according to legend, was born the Tao Te Ching (or Dao De Jing). The wise man of
China was Laozi.

Out of this great work emerged the great philosophical and religious tradition known as
Taoism (or Daoism), which have been such a powerful force in Eastern Asia for more than
two millennia, and which have exerted their influence in the West for that last two centuries.

We know very little about Laozi. Some scholars question whether a man of that name existed
at all (Laozi means old master or old masters). Some believe the works attributed to him were
written by a collection of people over time. It doesnt matter. What matters is the wisdom, and
whoever wrote the Tao Te Ching possessed great wisdom indeed.

Its hard to imagine what life was like in China in the 6th century BC, 2,600 years ago, when
Laozi and his disciples lived. But the teachings could not be more relevant today. Laozi offers
practical guidance as well as counsel for political rulers.

What is Laozis central teaching?

The most important thing people can do in life, Laozi asserts in the Tao Te Ching and other
works attributed to him, is to gain a state of silent awareness to open the mind to its source:
Become totally empty
Quiet the restlessness of the mind
Only then will you witness everything
unfolding from emptiness
See all things flourish and dance
in endless variation
And once again merge back into perfect emptiness
Their true repose
Their true nature
Emerging, flourishing, dissolving back again
This is the eternal process of return

To know this process brings enlightenment

To miss this process brings disaster

Be still
Stillness reveals the secrets of eternity
Eternity embraces the all-possible
The all-possible leads to a vision of oneness
A vision of oneness brings about universal love
Universal love supports the great truth of Nature
The great truth of Nature is Tao

Whoever knows this truth lives forever

The body may perish, deeds may be forgotten
But he who has Tao has all eternity [1] Chapter 16

Laozi calls on us to become totally empty, to quiet the

restlessness of the mind. Then we experience the emptiness
that forms source and goal of all things. This brings
enlightenment and reveals the secrets of eternity. Grounded
in this experience, one attains a vision of oneness, leads a life
of universal love, and achieves immortality. In contrast, to
miss this process brings disaster. To this transcendental field of
life Laozi gives the name Tao, or Dao. Dao is usually translated
as the Way, or the Path. The term is often understood to mean
nature. Clearly it refers to a very deep level of nature, because, as Laozi says, when you
gain the Tao, you gain all eternity.

Experiencing the Tao, Laozi observes in this next verse, involves allowing the mind to move
beyond the superficialities of thought and perceptions:

A mind free of thought,

merged within itself,
Beholds the essence of the Tao
A mind filled with thought,
identified with its own perceptions,
beholds the mere forms of this world. [2]

To experience the essence of the Tao, Laozi indicates, is to apprehend the truth. And the
key, again, is to let the mind settle inward, beyond thought, into itself.

Here are some passages from the Hua Hu Ching, another work attributed to Laozi:
The superior person settles his mind as the universe settles the stars in the sky.
By connecting the mind with the subtle origin, he calms it.
Once calmed it naturally expands, and ultimately his mind becomes as vast and immeasurable
as the night sky. [3]

As the mind settles inward, Laozi tells us, it expands, culminating in unbounded awareness.
This experience, he emphasizes in the same work, is the key to everything good while
missing this experience, he cautions, leaves you forever lost:

Remain quiet. Discover the harmony in your own being. Embrace it. If you can do this, you
will gain everything, and the world will become healthy again. If you cant, you will be lost in
the shadows forever. [4]

Here is a final passage from Laozi, this one from a work called the Wen-Tzu, again speaking
about allowing the mind to settle beyond thoughts to utter simplicity. This, he emphasizes,
is the great attainment:

Clarifying their eyes, they do not look; quieting their ears, they do not listen. Closing their
mouths, they do not speak; letting their minds be, they do not think. Abandoning
intellectualism, they return to utter simplicity; resting their vital spirit, they detach from
knowledge. Therefore they have no likes or dislikes. This is called the great attainment. [5]

If you practice the Transcendental Meditation technique, Laozis

words shine with a new light. Youll notice immediately that Laozi is
talking about transcending. Many people who practice the
Transcendental Meditation technique have had experiences just as he
describes. Here is an example:

I distinctly recall the day of instruction [in the Transcendental

Meditation technique], my first clear experience of transcending. Following the instructions of
the teacher, without knowing what to expect, I began to drift down into deeper and deeper
levels of relaxation, as if I were sinking into my chair. Then for some time, perhaps a minute
or a few minutes, I experienced a silent, inner state of no thoughts, just pure awareness and
nothing else; then again I became aware of my surroundings. It left me with a deep sense of
ease, inner renewal and happiness.

As many meditators will realize, the Tao is not some abstract concept. It is the field of pure
consciousness, the source of thought deep within. It is also the source of natures intelligence,
the unified field of natural law described mathematically by quantum physics.

Every time we meditate, every time we transcend, we experience this unbounded field. We
awaken it. We enliven it. Our consciousness expands. Our creativity and intelligence
increases. Our thoughts and actions come into harmony with natural law. The force of natural
law gathers behind our every thought and action, so that we can fulfill our desires without
effort.

This same field is described everywhere in the worlds great philosophical and religious
traditions. Plato refers to it as the Good and the Beautiful. Aristotle calls it Being. For Plotinus
it is the Infinite, for St. Bernard of Clairvaux the Word, for Ralph Waldo Emerson the
Oversoul. It is referred to in Christiantity as the kingdom of Heaven within, in Judaism as Ein
Sof. The direct experience of this transcendental field is referred to in India as Yoga, in
Buddhism as Nirvana, in Islam as fana, in Christiantity as spiritual marriage. It is a universal
teaching based on a universal reality and a universal experience.
Every time I read a work like the Tao Te Ching or the Wenzi, I appreciate the greatness of
those enlightened people of past who propounded this universal teaching so beautifully in
their time and whose words continue to inspire and guide us today.

And I appreciate what we have from Maharishi a simple, natural, effortless technique that
anyone can learn and practice, and by which we can enjoy the priceless experience of
transcending twice each day.

REFERENCES
[1] Laozi, Tao Te Ching, trans. Jonathan Star (New York: Tarcher, 2003), 29.
[2] Tao Te Ching, 14.
[3] Hua Hu Ching: The Unknown Teachings of Lao Tzu, trans. Brian Walker (San Francisco:
HarperOne, 1995), 7.
[4] Hua Hu Ching, 25.
[5] Lao-tzu, Wen-Tzu: Understanding the Mysteries, trans. Thomas Cleary (Boston and
London: Shambhala, 1992), 35.

A NOTE ON TRANSLATIONS
There are hundreds of translations of the Tao Te Ching. It ranks only behind the Bible as the
most translated book in the world. I like Jonathan Stars translation for its simplicity and
poetry and well as for its clear rendering of Laozis central message. Other good translations
include those by Stephen Mitchell (Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006) and Gia-Fu
Feng and Jane English (Vintage, 1997).