Embracing The Mystery Of Lao Tzu To Inspire Peace And Wonder In Your Life

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“ Ever desireless, one can see the mystery;

ever desiring, one sees only the manifestations.

And the mystery itself is the doorway

to all understanding”. – Lao Tzu

A dream

Waking from a dream recently I felt an incredible urge to reach for the journal next to my bed. Still in a state of grogginess I picked up my pen and scribbled down the two words burning to transcend from my sleeping life to my waking life:

Lao Tzu.

Lao Tzu? Why did I write this?

I racked my brain for recollection of my dream and could not find a linkage. Had I been dreaming about the ancient Chinese philosopher and master of modern Taoism? Or had he reached out to me from the realms where slumber, spirit and reality collide, announcing his arrival into my mind?

The truth is, I had no logical reason to be thinking or dreaming about the alleged 2,500 year old Chinese prophet. I had not been reading about him, or researching him, in fact I had barely heard much about him (which is slightly embarrassing to admit given my passion for the spiritual life!).

A mysterious book

As I was pondering the meaning of his name and its mysterious appearance, a book flashed to mind. I could see it in my mind in green and white with a mandala background of flowers and I knew it was somewhere in my bookcase. It was skinny, with an unusual title. It was, of course, a copy of the revered Tao Te Ching, which I had picked up by chance some years before at a second hand book sale. Once I found it, it took on a new meaning and importance once I learned of the author!

I felt mesmerised, captivated by the structure of the 81 verses of this ancient Chinese classic that was apparently written by the man from my dream. I contemplated how a text so skinny and succinct could offer a way of living that incorporated and respected the balance of opposites in our world from such a moral and spiritual perspective. It was mysterious, yet emblazoned with truth. It was simple, yet complex and thought provoking. It was written before Jesus was born, yet its relevance to modern living was indisputable.

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I paused and chuckled at the serendipitous circumstances of the dream, the name and the book.

An instant peace of mind

My morning seemed lighter already, with the inner peace and wonder that came with learning of this man and his book’s existence. I imagined his white beard, his calligraphy pen, his dutiful horse and his mystical relationships with others of the same era (such as Confucius).

The mystery of Lao Tzu (or is it Lao-Tze, as written on the front of my version of the book?) weaves and intertwines through every reference and source on the subject. Some question whether the ancient prophet walked the earth at all, but in my opinion that is beyond the point. The fact that his life itself was a mystery is part of the mystery too!

Living peacefully – the 46th verse

The 46th verse of the Tao Te Ching offers such wisdom about peace that it instils an instant sense of calm throughout my body. Referencing the beauty of horses and fields and the subsequent freedoms that come with a world in harmony with the Taoist ‘Way’, I reflect on a selection of the carefully crafted words that make up this verse:

“….the worst of faults is wanting more – always.

Contentment alone is enough.

Indeed, the bliss of eternity

can be found in your contentment.”

I found myself yearning to simplify my day, to clear space in my home dedicated to meditation and stillness, to connect deeply with my children and to ground myself in nature with a walk on the beach and a ride through the park. I settled into stillness and started to find a new sense of peace and wonder.

To allow the ancient ways of the Tao and the teachings of Lao Tzu to inspire the wonder in your own life, all you need to do is open your mind and ask. You never know, he might just turn up in your dreams too!