The Tao is a hollow vessel,
   And its use is inexhaustible!
Fathomless!
   Like the fountain head of all things,
   Its sharp edges rounded off,
   Its tangles untied,
   Its light tempered,
   Its turmoil submerged,
Yet dark like deep water it seems to remain.
   I do not know whose Son it is,
   An image of what existed before God. (Tao Te Ching, Chapter 4, Lin Yu Tang trans.)

One of the things I have tried to do in these posts is to discuss the importance of the manifestation as reality. Remember, in chapter 1 of the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu says:

Oftentimes, one strips oneself of passion
In order to see the Secret of Life;
Oftentimes, one regards life with passion,
In order to see its manifest forms.

These two (the Secret and its manifestations)
Are (in their nature) the same;
They are given different names
When they become manifest. (Tao Te Ching, Chapter 1, Lin Yu Tang trans. Emphasis added.)

So, the Secret and the Manifestation are the same in their nature. And, one looks at them differently to experience them.

Finding and experiencing the secret is hard work and requires hours of meditation to quiet the mind so we can experience it without passion, as Lao Tzu says.

Experiencing the manifestation, on the other hand, is easy. We do it all the time because it is where we reside.

On Earth, three kinds of people experience the manifestation. All have true selves. The difference is the level of awareness of that true self.

The first group is those people who have no idea they have a true self and are not on any open path to knowledge. They make up the vast majority of the seven billion people who live here.

Although they don’t know of the true self, it is there operating in the background, subconsciously. Remember, it’s here to gain experience of the manifestation. So, it will maneuver the mind and ego into the direction it wants to go, as I said, subconsciously.

Ironically, although they are not on an open path to knowledge, they live the Tao in a pure form.

You ask, “But how can that be? They don’t even know the Tao exists!” The answer is that it doesn’t matter! Lao Tzu said to see the manifestation, you regard it with passion. Those people do that all the time. The fact that they are ignorant of the Tao does not mean that they are not experiencing it.

The second group of people is those on the path to knowledge, but who have not reached enlightenment.

This group is interesting because they struggle with the manifestation. Some practices tell them they should treat the manifestation as an illusion. It is not real. The only thing that is real is our true self, which is reached through meditation without the mind/ego.

Others stress meditation while acknowledging the manifestation is real, but not the focus.

Many treat the mind, ego, and even the body as the “enemy” that is working to prevent enlightenment. While the  mind and ego do inhibit and even block progress, they are not an “enemy.” They are an integral part of who we are when we come here and are essential tools used by our true selves to navigate and live in the manifestation.

As I have said, the mind and ego block our progress because, at an early age, they believe they are “us”. Breaking through the mind/ego barrier is the focus of this stage of the path, and it is a difficult undertaking.

It’s difficult because no matter how hard we try, we simply cannot ignore the manifestation. True, we do see the Tao differently in deep meditation, but that’s not a permanent state of being.

Also, we did not come here to meditate and be “apart” from the manifestation continuously. Rather, we are here to experience the manifestation.

The only reason we meditate is to fully awaken our true selves. Once that happens, we are enlightened and free to experience what we came to experience.

The other reason we are here is to gain energy so that we can advance to the next plane of existence (past the astral). Being on the path to knowledge is a big step. It’s the step that helps us reach that level where we can project ahead.

So, while we are on the path, but not yet enlightened, we move between two different worlds—one of meditation and one of the manifestation, that is, reality. The problem is that, in this reality, controlling the mind and ego is always difficult. Even after enlightenment, the mind and ego are fighting for control.

The final group is those beings who have become enlightened. As the old proverb states: “before enlightenment, chopping wood, carrying water. After enlightenment, chopping wood, carrying water.” This clearly means that enlightenment doesn’t eliminate our needs in the manifestation.

We don’t magically transform into super beings that are wise beyond words. We are who we came here as. The only difference is that our true selves are fully awake and active.

No matter what happens to us, we still have basic needs of food and shelter. Many of us have medical needs or financial needs, too, depending on what we came here to experience.

Those who are enlightened experience the manifestation fully, with our true selves in charge of what we do. Everything we do moves us in the direction our true selves have chosen. Outwardly, they look like people who are living in and experiencing the manifestation as it comes.

We are here in the manifestation for a set amount of time. Many die in childhood. Some die young. Others live till the average life expectancy, and some live to a ripe old age.

You may say, “Well, Duh!” but each life span is set by our true selves before we come here. What we do in that lifespan is the key to our existence here. Never forget that.

Namaste,

Michael Tavella, author of

“Break Through To Your True Self” Yourtrueself.blog