Dear Friend,
The world is shaped by our minds. In Taoism, this refers to the Te of the Tao and Te. There are both mystical components and non-mystical components present.
We shape the world based on the things that we repeat to ourselves within our heads. Those little words, floating around in there, that self-conversation. In what Taoist practice do we see that occurring? Invocation. The thoughts in your head, all day long, are a prayer.
We also shape the world based upon what we imagine, what we visualize within the world.
These two forces follow a simple rule, a rule from the universe itself–a true divine law. Whatever is repeated grows.
The Mind Repeats the World
The thing repeated in your head controls how you process information and the opportunities you seek.
Repetition also strongly influences the way you behave toward others. You may find this most easy to understand by examining your interaction with others. Search your mind to find a situation where you have observed someone very different than yourself, and you were able to predict his or her behavior.
If you were sufficiently unattached from that person, you should have been able to see the person interpret other people’s actions to fit his or her view of the world. You should have also seen him or her steer the actual physical acts of others to fit his or her world. For some people that will be a strong influence. For some it will be a weak influence.
In this example, the mind creates the world that it is obsessed with. This is a doing–an imposition of the mind upon the world.
Now the Mystical, The Te
The thing repeated in your head changes the flow and structure of choice that makes you up, the building blocks of you, and the things around you. The ability to deliberately Will the structure of these things is dependent on 4 factors:
- Repetition
- Focus
- Karma
- Qi
Everyone can modify their personal selves. That is a mandate of divine law. Not everyone can modify the things around them. Modification of surroundings is strongly limited by Karma. A person with little to no karma is unable to influence the environment of others in any significant fashion.
Spiritual Enlightenment, How Does this Apply?
Enlightenment is a process of reshaping the self. In so doing, the impact that self has on the world changes dramatically. The rules of mind have tremendous bearing on the spiritual process, because the self is shaped by the exact same processes talked about above. It is not limited to just these processes, but includes them.
Warm Regards,
Master Mikel Steenrod
Keeper of the Gate of Man and Heaven
(Lineage Holder of the 4 Ascendant Spheres Purity Adept School of the Tao)
