8.  Water

The best of men is like water;
   Water benefits all things
   And does not compete with them.
It dwells in (the lowly) places that all disdain –
   Wherein it comes near to the Tao.

In his dwelling, (the Sage) loves the (lowly) earth;
In his heart, he loves what is profound;
In his relations with others, he loves kindness;
In his words, he loves sincerity;
In government, he loves peace;
In business affairs, he loves ability;
In his actions, he loves choosing the right time.
   It is because he does not contend
   That he is without reproach. Chapter 8 Tao Te Ching, Lin Yu Tang trans.)

In my last post, I talked about the manifestation as being the Tao. I also said that many people on the path shun the manifestation as not being real.

In fact, the manifestation is the Tao itself. It is real, and we live in it every day.

It’s also important to remember that your true self is a consciousness. It has no way of directly interacting with the physical domain, which is the manifest form of the Tao.

It needs the body, mind, and yes, the ego to move through and interact with the physical domain. So, we cannot completely dismiss the mind, body, and ego.

I also described three states of being: before you know the path to knowledge, on the path to knowledge, and enlightenment.

Before the path to knowledge, we have no idea of our true selves. Our minds and emotions are in control, and we live day by day, moving within the manifestation with our true selves operating through our subconscious.  

After enlightenment, our true selves are fully awake. Our minds and egos still exist, but our true selves control them.

For those who are on the path, the road is difficult because we are never sure who is in charge. Are we acting purely from mind and ego? Are we in touch with our true selves?

And if so, how can we tell when we are acting purely from mind/ego or from our true selves?

This post should help you understand the difference and how to recognize what is actually going on.

For those who are just starting on the path, you are aware that there is a higher self that is a part of us. You may not call it a true self. You may not know what the true self is or how it works.

At this point, you should concentrate on meditating, as this is the only way to discover the true self. Don’t worry about Wu Wei or controlling the mind/ego. It’s most important to understand the other nature of the Tao, i. e., the secret. That can only be reached through meditation.

As you advance on the path, you become aware of the true self (usually called the higher self or higher consciousness). You may also be aware that your mind/ego is doing most of the controlling.

Again, as you move through life, don’t worry about whether it is mind or true self. At this point, it is still mostly the mind.

The trick is that as you increase your contact with the true self, it begins to take over and awaken. Your mind is aware of this and works to keep itself in control. Instead of outright conflict, the mind can work to draw you into the world of the “higher consciousness”. It can focus your attention on all sorts of things that are part of what I call “new Age” stuff, from past-life regressions to mental tricks like manifesting things through thought.

Now, some of these things are legitimate and interesting areas of study and learning. But remember, your mind will use them as distractions to keep you from focusing on your true self and making it stronger.

Also know that as your true self begins to awaken, you can use it to observe what is going on. Look at events in your life, little things and big things. Look at the choices you make, try to understand why you made them. Is it mind or true self?

All that being said, believe it or not, it is not important to know the difference between interacting with the manifestation from the mind/ego or from the true self.

In reality, we always interact with the manifestation with the true self; either indirectly through the subconscious or from a place of awareness.

Remember, your true self may take you in directions that are not necessarily purely spiritual. That is because it is here to experience different aspects of life.

You may never fully understand what your true self wants to experience. Know that it is here to experience and to build energy so that it can eventually move forward to the next plane of consciousness.

In the state of pure consciousness, things happen instantly. There is no time to digest or to fully experience what is happening. 

Here in the physical dimension, things move slowly. We can experience what happens. That leads to understanding and advancement.

In my next post, I will discuss how to live in the manifestation.

Namaste,

Michael Tavella, author of

“Break Through To Your True Self”

Yourtrueself.blog