Do the Tao Now
I leave you with these words of Lao-tzu from Tao Te Ching: A New Translation, which were translated by Sam Hamill. Here’s the final verse:
The sage does not hoard,
and thereby bestows.
The more he lives for others,
the greater his life.
The more he gives to others,
the greater his abundance.
Copy these words by hand, study them, and put them into practice at least once each day. You will energize the flow of the Tao in your life, in this world of 10,000 things.
Namaste,
Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
Epilogue
I close this yearlong project on a personal note to share with you how these 81 verses unexpectedly increased my personal sense of awe and incredulity concerning the power and vast wisdom in this ancient classic.
Reread the display quote at the beginning of this book, which is attributed to Confucius. Legend has it that this master was so impressed by Lao-tzu’s influence that he sought him out for consultation on etiquette and rules, which was the major focus of Confucian philosophy but considered to be hypocrisy and nonsense by Lao-tzu. After meeting Lao-tzu, Confucius told his disciples that the man was a sage—a dragon with mysterious powers beyond the understanding of most people, including Confucius himself.
Throughout the writing of these 81 short essays, I felt an almost mystical attraction to Lao-tzu. In the early verses, I thought of him as a great educator offering all of us advice on how to apply his wisdom from an ancient Chinese perspective to our modern world. As time passed and I became more engrossed in his teachings, I began to feel that Lao-tzu was speaking directly to me . . . and then through me to you, and even to coming generations. It felt at times as if Lao-tzu was intently saying that we had to get these important messages or perish as a civilized society. As this book unfolded, there were times that I could even feel his presence.
When I concluded writing this manuscript, I had an unavoidable and painful opportunity to experience the dragonlike qualities that impressed Confucius. Through the Tao Te Ching, Lao-tzu gave me insight into the Way to confront the winds and clouds of time and space, along with what initially seemed to me to be an insurmountable crisis.
As I reread the final edit of Change Your Thoughts—Change Your Life, I was presented with perhaps the greatest personal challenge of my life. I felt the deep internal hurt that often drives human beings into conflicts. I felt the anger that allows people to think of themselves as victims and ultimately leads to the extremes of war that are addressed so frequently throughout the Tao Te Ching. My thoughts struggled with how Lao-tzu could speak of never having enemies—surely it would be impossible for anyone to stay serene and feel connected to their Source of love and well-being in the face of what I was going through. What good fortune could be hidden in this misfortune that seemed to emerge out of nowhere for no justifiable reason? Was I now to be the designated teacher for “bad men”? On and on went the questions within me as I read each verse.
Then it began to feel as if Lao-tzu’s dragonlike character appeared, burning my face as I read. It was almost as if he spoke these words directly to me:
So you think you’ve mastered the Great Way because you’ve spent a year reading and interpreting these 81 verses. Here’s an opportunity to explore your mastery of the Tao. Here’s something unexpected that’s capable of turning you upside down and inside out spiritually, physically, intellectually, and emotionally. Apply all that I’ve taught you: Stay peaceful; trust your nature; know that it is all perfect; and most of all, do nothing. Live the hidden virtue of the Tao. If you feel dragged into a war, refuse to have any enemies. Don’t have any violence in your mind—no revenge and absolutely no judgment. Do this while staying centered in the all-loving, all-knowing perfection of the Tao in the face of what you think of as insurmountable. Then you will be able to call yourself a man of the Tao.
I began to feel that Lao-tzu was warming me with his dragon fire, as each verse was exactly what I needed each time I reread it. What at first seemed so hopeless and devastating became my ultimate calling: to live joyously and with deep gratitude for all that the Epilogue Tao brings me. As you close this book, it is my wish that you, too, will be able to apply this great wisdom of the Tao so that you can, even in the most difficult of times, change your thoughts and enjoy changing your life as well. I may not be a Tao master, but I am a man of the Tao. However these words of the Tao Te Ching came to be written and to endure for over 25 centuries, I’m honored to have been called to help clarify them for you. I am at peace.
Thank you, Lao-tzu.
Acknowledgments
I thank the translators and authors of
the following ten books:
The Essential Tao: An Initiation into the Heart of Taoism through the Authentic Tao Te Ching and the Inner Teachings of Chuang Tzu, translated
and presented by Thomas Cleary
The Illustrated Tao Te Ching:
A New Translation with Commentary, by Stephen Hodge
Tao Te Ching, by Lao Tsu;
translated by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English
Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition,
by Lao Tzu; translation and commentary by Jonathan Star
Tao Te Ching:
