Many religions teach us to fight our natural instincts and intuitions under the impression that humans are uncultured beasts. Taoism, on the other hand, teaches us to embrace our nature and understand that any self-cultivation method is actually what can turn us into beasts (something I will explore more in chapter two). Most of us have rarely or never been taught to accept ourselves as we are. In a roundabout way, society, some religions, education, and, in some cases, our friends and family subtly cultivate in us a sense of not being good enough as we are and also that we don’t belong. Taoism’s the opposite. It explains that we are innately good enough and that we do belong. We actually cannot be disowned. This natural belonging and intrinsic value are big factors as to why it is hard for someone to truthfully follow the Tao when they are part of a different religious or philosophical worldview.
We are so shortsighted when we try to discredit Taoism. We will make up all sorts of excuses why Taoism doesn’t work: How can we be fundamentally good when we see the bad actions of others? How can allowing nature to run its course without interference achieve anything? We can’t see that, for example, it is society that creates people with wrong intentions, and so it should be the social structures and belief systems that should be reevaluated. We have built the world in reverse, where the world is informing you rather than you informing the world. The Tao is not induced in us but rather moves through us naturally. Nature is grown from within to without to beautify the world. But if the conditions are wrong and we accept this reverse system of without to within, then this is where all sorts of trouble begins. The reverse stream is basically the template for many differing schools of thought—the idea that Tao is induced rather than naturally within us. Taoism is the way of radically reversing this stream to its original position.
Instead of criticizing Taoism from fear of it being so different, why not just try it and test it for yourself? It is hard to honestly criticize something unless you’ve been intimate with it. The irony is, when we criticize Taoism, we are criticizing ourselves and nature, which is in part why we have a domineering relationship to nature. The fundamental point is most of us have never tried Taoism wholeheartedly. We’ve rarely given it a chance outside of how it will benefit us and accentuate our preexisting beliefs. We have almost never been taught to accept ourselves the way we are as humans. We’ve almost always been uncomfortable in our own skin, so we designed all sorts of beliefs to make sense of life and alleviate this unnecessary discomfort. But what is staring us in our faces all the time is that we need to accept the human condition rather than avoid it.
In avoiding the human condition, we suppress our nature, which causes all sorts of psychological damage and social unrest. It is through accepting the human condition that equanimity of mind and peace on Earth will prevail. Taoism, the way of nature, is that vehicle waiting for all of us if we are willing to accept it wholeheartedly.
Taoism is pushing humanity to evolve by being radically human, not some transcendent philosophy about overcoming our humanity. We need to lean into our humanity to push through the boundaries that divide us from each other and the Tao.
Excerpt from my new book, 'The Tradition of Natural Taoism.' To order a copy today, please click the following link: amzn.to/4aD3X6B
Jason Gregory
Many religions teach us to fight our natural instincts and intuitions under the impression that humans are uncultured beasts. Taoism, on the other hand, teaches us to embrace our nature and understand that any self-cultivation method is actually what can turn us into beasts (something I will explore more in chapter two). Most of us have rarely or never been taught to accept ourselves as we are. In a roundabout way, society, some religions, education, and, in some cases, our friends and family subtly cultivate in us a sense of not being good enough as we are and also that we don’t belong. Taoism’s the opposite. It explains that we are innately good enough and that we do belong. We actually cannot be disowned. This natural belonging and intrinsic value are big factors as to why it is hard for someone to truthfully follow the Tao when they are part of a different religious or philosophical worldview.
We are so shortsighted when we try to discredit Taoism. We will make up all sorts of excuses why Taoism doesn’t work: How can we be fundamentally good when we see the bad actions of others? How can allowing nature to run its course without interference achieve anything? We can’t see that, for example, it is society that creates people with wrong intentions, and so it should be the social structures and belief systems that should be reevaluated. We have built the world in reverse, where the world is informing you rather than you informing the world. The Tao is not induced in us but rather moves through us naturally. Nature is grown from within to without to beautify the world. But if the conditions are wrong and we accept this reverse system of without to within, then this is where all sorts of trouble begins. The reverse stream is basically the template for many differing schools of thought—the idea that Tao is induced rather than naturally within us. Taoism is the way of radically reversing this stream to its original position.
Instead of criticizing Taoism from fear of it being so different, why not just try it and test it for yourself? It is hard to honestly criticize something unless you’ve been intimate with it. The irony is, when we criticize Taoism, we are criticizing ourselves and nature, which is in part why we have a domineering relationship to nature. The fundamental point is most of us have never tried Taoism wholeheartedly. We’ve rarely given it a chance outside of how it will benefit us and accentuate our preexisting beliefs. We have almost never been taught to accept ourselves the way we are as humans. We’ve almost always been uncomfortable in our own skin, so we designed all sorts of beliefs to make sense of life and alleviate this unnecessary discomfort. But what is staring us in our faces all the time is that we need to accept the human condition rather than avoid it.
In avoiding the human condition, we suppress our nature, which causes all sorts of psychological damage and social unrest. It is through accepting the human condition that equanimity of mind and peace on Earth will prevail. Taoism, the way of nature, is that vehicle waiting for all of us if we are willing to accept it wholeheartedly.
Taoism is pushing humanity to evolve by being radically human, not some transcendent philosophy about overcoming our humanity. We need to lean into our humanity to push through the boundaries that divide us from each other and the Tao.
Excerpt from my new book, 'The Tradition of Natural Taoism.' To order a copy today, please click the following link: amzn.to/4aD3X6B
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