Stress plays havoc not only with
your body but also your mind. Stress can impair your mind power.
How do you unwittingly create stress in your daily life?
According to Zen living (an
ancient concept of living based on the profound wisdom of Lao Tzu,
the ancient Chinese sage, who authored the world immortal classic Tao
Te Ching), life is never a problem, and Zen lifestyle is
never meant to be stressful. Unfortunately, it is your mind that
has created the problem in the first place, and hence the stress.
Logically, a problem requires a
solution. Your thinking mind presents to you a number of
options to solve the problem you have created for yourself.
Your rational mind then begins to analyze and choose the
possible options; and stress is thus created in the process of analyzing and
choosing. In Zen, the rational mind is not a friend, but quite
often an enemy, of Zen health.
Your stress is further reinforced
if you made the wrong choice: you become ridden with guilt and regret over your
choice.
Zen living or the Way of Tao (the
wisdom of Lao Tzu) is simple: Do not make life into a problem, and there
will be no problem. Do not look backward. Do not look
forward. Just being in the present completely and fully.
Yes, Zen focuses on the present moment
— not the past, and surely not the future. Your
unconsciously project your past experiences into the future, which can be
either positive or negative. If they are negative, it may create worry and
stress -- not good for the mind. If they are positive, they may generate
expectation that involves picking and choosing -- not beneficial for the mind.
Alas, we are living in a
goal-setting world in mad pursuit of fame, fortune and success. The Way or Tao
wisdom, on the other hand, accomplishes things without exerting undue efforts.
Lin Yutang, the great contemporary Chinese
writer-philosopher, aptly epitomizes the paradox of the wisdom
"accomplishing things without much doing" in his famous
quotation: "A wise man is never busy, and a busy man is never wise."
Essentially, Tao or the wisdom of
Lao Tzu means do, but don't over-do. Live in the
present, and neither worrying about the future nor ruminating over the
past. In other words, you focus only on the process, not
the result, of doing things. It is tantamount to the Christian
concept of “doing your best, and letting God do the rest!”; or what Jesus said
in the Lord's prayer "Give us this day our daily bread." God does not
promise you a tomorrow, and man proposes but God disposes. Just do what you must
do at this very present moment, and do not be anxious of the outcome.
Concentrate on the "doing", and not the expectations of the
result. This is the Way of Tao wisdom!
The problem with most of us is
that we permit our rational mind to be in control. We desperately want to
get things done our way, and in doing so have created undue
stress in our lives. Remember, the rational mind is more of an
enemy than a friend.
To understand the ancient wisdom of Tao or Lao Tzu, read the following books:
This book is about stress relief not through conventional relaxation, such as meditation and yoga, but through understanding the ancient wisdom from
Use the ancient Tao wisdom to live
a stress-free life. Remember, you are living in a compulsive world of speed,
and your mind is preconditioned to be compulsive. Learn how to quiet you mind.
This book contains the 81 chapters
of the translated text of the ancient Chinese classic on human wisdom, written
by the Chinese sage Lao Tzu. It also explains in plain English the
essentials of Tao wisdom, which is the wisdom of TAO TE CHING.
The original text of Tao
Te Ching in Chinese is difficult to understand, not to mention to
translate it into another language, because the text without any punctuation
mark was intended to be controversial and open to multiple interpretations. It
should be noted that more than 2,600 years ago Lao Tzu was reluctant to put
down his wisdom in words; as a matter of fact, he was specifically told by the
guard at the city gate that he could not leave China
for Tibet
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen
Lau
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