When the people of the Earth all know beauty as beauty,
   There arises (the recognition of) ugliness.
When the people of the Earth all know the good as good,
   There arises (the recognition of) evil.

Therefore:
   Being and non-being interdepend in growth;
   Difficult and easy interdepend in completion;
   Long and short interdepend in contrast;
   High and low interdepend in position;
   Tones and voice interdepend in harmony;
   Front and behind interdepend in company.

Therefore the Sage:
   Manages affairs without action;
   Preaches the doctrine without words;
All things take their rise, but he does not turn away from them;
He gives them life, but does not take possession of them;
He acts, but does not appropriate;
Accomplishes, but claims no credit.
It is because he lays claim to no credit
That the credit cannot be taken away from him. (Tao Te Ching, Chapter 2, Lin Yu Tang trans.)

In my last post, I explained the manifestation. I want to continue that explanation and provide a way to live in and utilize the manifestation to achieve spiritual advancement.

I explained the manifestation’s existence in my last blog, but it was only after posting it that the true reason for it came to mind.

The Tao is based on balance. What Lao Tzu calls opposites (I prefer complements) exist everywhere; it is only logical, therefore, that if the “formless” exists, then the “formed” must also exist. And indeed, they do. Both the formless and the formed (the manifestation) exist and have existed for all time.

That said, it clears up a lot about the manifestation. As I mentioned in my previous post, the manifestation is real. It is not an illusion, as some Eastern writers believe.

While the manifestation is not an illusion, it is a distraction. As I have often said, when we incarnate our true selves, we incarnate into a body that has a mind and an ego. They soon come to believe that they are in charge. Our true self is masked and hidden, but it can be reactivated through meditation.

Remember, the mind and ego are not living beings. They are tools that come with the body when a true self incarnates. The true self utilizes the mind and ego to facilitate life in the manifestation.

It is essential to remember that you are not your mind and ego, regardless of what they think. You are your true self.

This leads to the second part of this blog post: how does one maneuver through the manifestation?

The vast majority of people living in the manifestation live lives dominated by their minds and egos. The true self is in the background. It makes subconscious “suggestions” to the mind to do certain things that the true self is here to experience.

However, there is no awareness of the true self in the mind or ego. People in this state believe that they are their minds and egos.

A much smaller group of people are those that have a more advanced true self. They are aware that there is something more out there. They are on the path to knowledge.

This path can vary. Each person has a path they must follow. Even if that path is tied to well-known disciplines like Zen or Taoism, they will bring their slant based on their life experiences.

As I mentioned earlier, the problem is that by the time we begin our path to knowledge, our minds and egos are already in control. The manifestation becomes an obstacle to that awareness. That is why many writers talk about illusions. It’s not that the manifestation is an illusion; it’s that you have been looking at it through your mind/ego. It is that `interpretation of the manifestation that is the illusion.

The goal is to activate the true self fully. Some call this an awakening, but it is the full activation of something already awake. The only way to do this activation is through meditation.

In meditation, you will learn to shut off your mind and ego. This is so you can see the other aspect of the Tao- the formless or the secret, as Lao Tzu calls it. You must see this “without passion,” as Lao Tzu instructs. In other words, without your mind/ego.

At first, you may succeed in silencing your mind for only a few seconds. Eventually, you can extend this silencing of the mind for minutes.

It is in this silence that you become aware of the true self. Once you are aware that there is something else in you that is not your mind and ego, you will be on your way to achieving full awakening.

This process is long and has many traps and blocks that you must work through.

That said, we do live in the manifestation. You cannot meditate in silence forever.

As an old  Zen proverb explains: “Before enlightenment, chopping wood, carrying water. After Enlightenment, chopping wood, carrying water.”

You go on living your life.  The only significant difference is that you are now an aware person. Perhaps your true self is not fully active, but you know it exists and that you recognize it as your true self.

You will see the manifestation in a different light, but it remains the same manifestation. You still have basic needs, such as food, rest, shelter, clothing, etc. Those needs are still here. How you deal with them will change.

Once your true self awakens, your mind and ego are still present. They are, however, no longer totally in control.

Teachers will appear as you progress along your path and provide you with additional lessons. Some traps and blocks will be more challenging to overcome. These will need time. Eventually, however, you can and will overcome them.

You will find yourself more peaceful; depending on what your true self is here to experience, you will probably be less aggressive. You will see traps when they arise and learn to ignore them.

You will then be free to experience the manifestation for what it is- the Tao, as the father of all things. Then you will begin to understand the secret of all life, as Lao Tzu explains in chapter  1 of the Tao Te Ching:

These two (the Secret and its manifestations)
Are (in their nature) the same;
They are given different names
When they become manifest.

They may both be called the Cosmic Mystery:
Reaching from the Mystery into the Deeper Mystery
Is the Gate to the Secret of All Life

Namaste,

Michael Tavella, author of

“Break Through To Your True Self”

Yourtrueself.blog