How to perform in accordance with the Tao

How to perform in accordance with the Tao

Nov / 12 /2022 – Nov / 13/ 2022

Hello everyone, welcome to our Dharma talk at Dharma Rain Meditation Center.

In last couple weeks we discussed perform according to the Tao, where does Tao come from, the significance of performing in accordance with the Tao, so today we are going to talk how to perform in accordance with the Tao.

Tao is the law of the universe; it is the path to cultivate the mind and heart; Tao is the path from this shore to the other shore, a process of cleansing, purification, sublimation, and ascension of our body and soul. There can be 48 million ways to perform in accordance with the Tao, but in the final analysis, the premise of following the path is “no-self.” In other words, walking on the road approaching “no-self” is performed in accordance with the Tao.

So, “Diligently practise discipline, concentration and wisdom; Extinguish greed, anger, and ignorance “is performing in accordance with the Tao; “Do not do any tiny evil, and perform in accordance with the good deed” is performing in accordance with the Tao; Always observe our body, speech and mind, don’t create bad karma also means performing in accordance with the Tao; “to cut off evil, cultivate goodness, purify the heart, keep the precepts, recite the Buddha’s name chant mantras and sutras, meditate, insist six paramitas”, is to perform in accordance with the Tao. Anything that obeys Buddha’s teaching is performing in accordance with the Tao.

Performing in accordance with the Tao is the inevitable choice of life liberation, ascension, and the only way to achieve the final freedom. Performing in accordance with the Tao also need to walk one step at a time. The first step is to keep the precepts; this step has become an obstacle to many lives. The five most basic precepts in Buddhism require people: no killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, no reckless speech, and no intoxicants. The Five Precepts are not just about being passive and not doing evil. Keeping the Five Precepts itself represents an attitude: from this moment on, I will cut off evil and turn good, and no longer harm other lives. As time goes by, our compassion will be raised. If a person can’t even keep the most basic precepts, and he says that “I am performing according to the Tao, ” this person is ridiculous. Because the Tao, the cosmic law, is equality, respect, harmony, full of love, and will never hurt any beings.

Performing according to the Tao needs to choose the method that suits you; performing in accordance with the Tao does not mean that you must become a Buddhist. As Osifu said, cultivation should not be restricted by religion. However, compared with other sages on this planet, the Buddha’s awareness of the universe and life is profound and thorough. The most important thing is that the Buddha is the only one who taught humans: we should not ask for liberation from any god, including himself. We own the freedom and wisdom by ourselves. Everyone can achieve enlightenment by themselves. Therefore, the 84,000 teachings of the Buddha teach us how to realize the origin and truth of life in different ways, educating us to keep the Dharma in their hearts and not seek outside. We should not distinguish those teachings as high level or low level; we should find suitable ones for ourselves. Believe in yourself instead of superstitiously believing in external forces, this is Performing in accordance with the Tao.

The most needed thing to performing in accordance with the Tao is faith. Western philosophy encourages people to ask questions, the question if life is the basis for a breakthrough. But cultivation is a super logical thing; most answers beyond the human imagination and logic. Just like, even if we can find the most brilliant philosophers and the most outstanding scientists in NASA’s and make them cooperate, they can’t tell me to a clear path to avoid the experience from the suffering of birth， of old age， of sickness， of death， suffering of being apart from the loved ones, suffering being together with the despised ones, the suffering of not getting what one wants, and suffering of the flourishing of the Five Skandhas. Nor can they tell me the origin of the universe, where time begins, and how it will end. The person who can tell me those answers or lead me to find those answers must be a person who has realized the truth of life in the universe. Buddha is such a person. He attained enlightenment as an ordinary person. His path of cultivation and enlightenment can be copied. This is the meaning of the Buddha’s saying that all beings have the wisdom and virtue of the Tathagata, and will eventually become Buddhas. Therefore, our practice requires heart rather than logic. Our logic always stays at the level of the earth, which is pretty unadvanced. If we can believe with the heart and correspond with the Buddha, we can correspond and receive cosmic energy. With this pure energy, we stand some possibility to see the truth of life and the universe.

Therefore, letting go of logic, letting go of self-ego and attachments, beginning to believe in the Buddha and the Dharma is the process of being egoless and unconditioned; it is also the process of performing according to the Tao.

To sum up, The Buddha used his life to explain what it means to perform according to the Tao and used forty-nine years to taught 84,000 Dharma gate for all beings to teach them how to follow the Buddha’s path. Follow the laws of the universe, perform according to the Tao, and return to the origin of the universe will be the final path for every sentient being. Life is colourful, and there may be countless ways to perform in accordance with the Tao, but the strict observance of the precepts is a necessary condition, and faith is an essential condition. The process of being egoless and unconditioned is also the process of performing in accordance with the Tao.

Thank you for your listening!