Tao and Sensibility

The Tao is a bit different to the other texts in a special way. The Bible is stories put together to explain faith in God, the Bhagavad Gita is only the teachings of Krishna to one man, and The Analects were a colection of thematic books exploring the teachings of Confucious. The Tao differs to all of these because instead of just telling you the lesson, it adds flavor to it. What does that mean? Some kind of sauce they put on it that makes it better? Not at all. Its the way in which the Tao feels like a poetry book. Everytime I read a new section, it didnt feel like I was reading a new religious book. It was more like I was back being a little girl reading Shell Silvertein in my second grade classroom.

Sure with the Bible I got to imagine all the characters of the story and how what happened to them could be interpreted as a lesson from God. But with the Tao it triggered a deeper sense in me that made me feel both calm and relaxed as I read it. None of the other texts made me feel this way. With The Bhagavad Gita I was scared someone might kill the guy in the middle of the battle but with the Tao there is a sense of serenity when one reads that doesn't come with aditional stress. Never in my life have I felt relaxed while reading texts (then again I always read cliff hanging romance books). It opened something deep inside of me.

I liked the descriptions of heaven given throughout the reading. I dont know if we will be described heaven in the Bible but I liked how in the Tao they show it is a place above all of us. How "under heaven all can see beauty as beauty only because there is ugliness"(2). This just shows that why should you be scared to die if your going to a place where everything is better? Earth is fun and all but it is not the end. I know there are people that dont believe in heaven but I justs can't imagine stop existing. To me heaven is a place where my existence will remain intact and go on to live forever.

"The highest good is like water.

Water gives life to the ten thousand things and does not strive.

It flows in places men reject and so is like the Tao."

(8)

I really liked this metaphor to water. It is true that without its existance human kind would stop existing so by saying its like water, is the Tao an esential to exist? I dont really understand the last part about being where men refuse it. Maybe it is just found in unexpected places that are hard to get to and pose a challenge for men.

I am enjoying the Tao up to now and hope it will continue making me questioning certain aspects of life like heaven.