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Cure #6: "Getting Back to Basics" Learning to Live Life Holistically

In my experience, today's numerous health problems are largely caused because most people have lost touch with the basics. Worse, most do not know what the basics are. Fortunately, there is a lot of ancient wisdom about the basics of life as relevant today as they were millenia ago. It is relevant because the "hardware" - body, mind, and spirit - has not changed much since these teachings "came out".

The selections below on "the simple way of holistic living" come from the "Hua Hu Ch'ing", the oral teachings of the Chinese master, Lao Tse.

The "teachings are simple: if you try to make a religion or science of them, they will elude you. Profound yet plain, they contain the entire truth of the universe. Those who wish to know the whole truth take joy in doing the work and service that comes to them. Having completed it, they take joy in cleansing and feeding themselves... This unadorned path leads to peace, virtue, and abundance." (1)

Practice "undiscriminating virtue: take care of those who deserve it and equally take care of those who do not... extend your virtue in all directions..." (2)

Learn to "embrace all things... hold no resistance to any idea or thing... rid yourself of the concept of separation: male and female, self and other, life, and death... enter into harmony and oneness." (3)

"Every departure" from these principles "contaminates one's spirit... Over many lifetimes, the burdens of contamination can become great... There is only one way to cleanse oneself from these contaminations... and that is to practice virtue... (4)

...selflessly offering assistance to others, giving... one's time, abilities, and possessions in service, wherever and whenever needed, without prejudice concerning the identity of those in need. If your willingness to give blessings is limited, so also is your ability to receive them." (4)

"Stop striving for admiration... Place your esteem on God... Live in accord with It... Share with others the teachings that lead to It, and you will be immersed in the blessings that flow from It." (9)

"Let your ego go. Let the senses go. Let desires go. Let conflicts go. Let ideas go. Let the fiction of life and death go. Just remain in the center, watching... and then forget that you are there." (10)

"Along the way, avoid thinking of the Oneness of All as unusual, exalted, sublime, transcendent... Because it is the Oneness, it is beyond all that. It is simply the direct, essential, and complete truth." (14)

"To the ordinary being, others often require tolerance. To the highly evolved being, there is no such thing as tolerance because there is no such thing as other... Never hate, never resist, never contest... always just keep learning and being... (15)

Loving and hating, having expectations: all these are attachments. Attachment prevents the growth of one's true being... Be attached to nothing, let your very existence benefit all..." (15) "Those who cultivate themselves for the sake of all: to these, the whole truth of the universe is revealed." (16)

"If you want to worship God, first discover It in your own heart: then your worship will be meaningful." (17)

"There is no one method for attaining realization of God: to regard any method as THE method is to create a duality which can only delay your understanding of the truth." (18) "Within the Great Oneness... all things are seen, all things are understood, all things are forever in their proper place." (20)

"The past cannot be kept, however beautiful. The present cannot be held, however enjoyable. The future cannot be caught, however desirable..." Being "possessed by the ideas of the past or preoccupied with the images of the future" causes you "to overlook the plain truth of the moment." (21)

So "if you are willing to be lived by God, you will see It everywhere, even in the most ordinary things." (22) "Your nature and the integral nature of the universe are one and the same: indescribable, but eternally present... open yourself to this." (24)

"Channel your emotions and life energy toward the light... Without the discipline to practice this, you will tumble constantly backwards into darkness... High of awareness of this subtle truth is gained through virtuous conduct and sustaining disciplines, so also is it maintained" this way. (29)

"The only way to understand God, is to directly experience It... The highest teachings are wordless... My own words are... not the destination but a map to help you reach It..." (30) So "can you be still and look inside? If so, then you will see that the truth is always available, always responsive..." (31)

"Truth is everywhere you turn... if you can let go of it with your mind and surround it with your heart, it will live in you forever." (33)

"...your existence is determined by the energies to which you connect yourself. If you attach yourself to gross energies - liking, hating, rejecting, indulging... - then you will lead a series of heavy, attached lives. This can go on for a very long and tedious time.... So join with higher things... by holding to that which is refined... you can go anywhere without ever leaving the center of the universe." (34)

"The beginning of immortality... is insight... because your spirit follows you through cycle after cycle of life, death, and rebirth, you have the ongoing opportunity of cultivating insight... Refined over time: insight becomes pure, unwavering" (35)

"It is entirely possible for you to achieve immortality and to experience absolute joy and freedom forever... by practicing undiscriminating virtue.... Practicing kindness and selflessness, you naturally align yourself with God." (36)

"Difficulties are the very road to immortality: by meeting them calmly and openly, however they unfold, and by joyfully developing yourself in response... you become as natural and as complete as God Itself." (36)

"Respect the earth as your mother, the heavens as your father, and all living things. Care for them, you care for yourself. Give to them, you give to yourself. At peace with them, you are at peace with yourself." (37) So "remain quiet... Discover the harmony within your own being... Embrace it!" (38)

It is "part of the cosmic law, that what you say and do determines what happens in your life" so "cultivate yourself to act in accord with it, bringing moderation to actions and clarity to living... This is the profound and simple truth: you are the master of your life and death. What you do is what you are..." (40)

"Simply see that you are at the center of the universe... Accept all things as being part of your infinite body. When you perceive that an act done to another is done to yourself... you understand the great truth." (42)

"In ancient times, people lived holistic lives...." (43)

"They did not overemphasize the intellect, but integrated body, mind, and spirit in all things. This allowed them to become masters of knowledge rather than victims of concepts. If a new invention appeared, they looked for the troubles it might cause as well as the shortcuts it offered. They valued old ways that had been proven effective, and they valued new ways if they could be proven effective." (43)

"If you want to stop being confused, then emulate these ancient folk:"
..........Join your body, mind, and spirit in all you do.
..........Choose food, clothing, and shelter that accords with nature.
..........Rely on your own body for transportation.
..........Allow your work and your recreation to be one and the same.
..........Do exercise that develops your whole being and not just your body.
..........Listen to music that bridges your body, mind, and spirit...
..........Serve others and cultivate yourself simultaneously." (43)

"Understand that true growth comes from meeting and solving the problems of life in a way that is harmonizing to yourself and others. If you can follow these simple old ways, you will be renewed." (43)

Credits: from Lao Tse "Hua Hu Ch'ing" as translated by Brain Walker