Delusion and Reality

I was asked this question a month or two ago.

How do you tell delusion from reality

The first part of the answer is to answer what is delusion

Here is the definition (one of many)

Delusion is rooted within ego's belief thinking we are separate from the universe and then to "project" out a different world based solely upon our own image.

So delusion is the active projection of ego creating a false illusion of what reality is.

How to tell the difference.

1) I use my third eye, in other words when using the third eye: delusions have no substance: the third eye cannot see delusion. It "sees" potentials... which people often mistake for delusion.

I will have to define what the third eye is later, since so much confusion exists on the nature of the third eye. The answer will surprise many as it isn't as mystical as many make it, even if in effect it produces mystical experience. The third eye is a Meta-organ, your mind and senses working together to form a larger more "sensitive meta 6th sense" which can give us surprising insights and capabilities.

For those developing the third eye. Separating out the images of potential that the third eye overlays upon your natural 5 senses and the reality your senses show is a very confusing issue.

Here is the tricky part: since our third eye reuses and projects information upon our other senses. In this, nothing your third eye reveals is "real". However, It's not delusion, nor illusion: rather it's information and pattern overlay only: Representing the various potentials of the situation or object you are examining within your third eye.

As a result I apply the yin/yang of truth/falseness filters I teach students to use to navigate the information you receive. In other words: as a projection it's information to be used relative to the situation.

The third eye is a very real part of our nature. With the information you gain from the 3rd eye it's possible, to embrace, navigate and even shape what others would call reality.

What is important to grasp is :

Much of Taoist practice reverses the shaping that we do upon ourselves. We can start off as one shape, to let go of form, shedding aspects of our nature...

to then become whole and formless again.

To un-carved oneself.

This is the path of releasing ego.

The true potential of transformation is limitless by the very definition of transformation.This includes becoming the un-carved block of pure potential, of innocence again: if that is the transformation one wishes to fulfill.

The point becoming: Ultimately you can fully release into the empty state: the Formless state. We then use the third eye's information about the various overlays of possible shape , of our nature to then overlay our formless state with: to become that vision.

At that point it becomes possible to shape yourself.. or even reality relative to those forms and images your third eye reveal. In other words the third eye is revealing potentials and possibility... which you then as a Taoist can literally shape life towards.

So delusion is when you try to shape something relative to ego... which in fact is destructive and lessens your nature:

VS.

Reality being a spectrum of possibilities, which with your third eye, you can navigate between and experience, or by measuring completely cause to happen.


Later this month I will write up a post about the nature of the third eye.

Peace

Understanding

Taoism views everyone as a Taoist, Each person has their own "way", Each person has a personal choice on how to live life.

Taoism as a practice falls into several categories (I am just using western terms now to keep things simple)

1. Just living
2. Actively seeking
3. Letting go
4. Transformation

Most people fall into the just living category and at each "level" Taoist practice offers different advice to movement of life.

The advice and the teachings in Taoism will always be relative to where you are in life.

So a person who is just living often leaves things alone: - to be as is - ; while a person seeking often stirs things up to find answers.

As a teacher I am careful when answering questions for this reason and vary my answers to each person to best fit to where they are. So when reading answers in my blog, my site, or in books like the Tao Te Ching: know the answers received are not static. That as you look at the materials you will see answers and ideas shift as you explore life.

Westerners want defined answers which are true at all angles: a Taoist instead views answers as shifting depending on the angle of life.

Now this is important for many reasons: however here is one consideration right now.

Often times when stuck trying to understand a Taoist answer or writing. Look at it not in terms of the answer you think it contains, instead look at the statement in terms of release.

An important Taoist key in translating various Taoist texts: Taoism is "rarely" ever about destination, so conversely never about direct answers. Taoism is about the way, a path, a journey itself. So most passages are the key -not to answers- but rather towards some form of release of assumptions, expectation, ego, etc anything that hold s a person down.

A key is about opening possibilities and not about what is actually in the locked box that the key opens.

This means when stuck a person is often looking at the Taoist passage or answer in older personal terms which they need to release in their life to move on. So when stuck, always look the element of release over a solid answer which helps you move on in your life.

peace

Sorting Out Retreat Locations

Looks like we have sorted out movement details

We will be in Taos NM until end of July
Then in Minnesota for August
Then in Hilo Hawaii for the Fall.

When in the US Mainland it looks like we will rotate within a 400 mile circle about the Four Corners area.

I will update the retreat page in a few days to reflect this.

Peace

Passings and Death

Three people we know passed away this week. I started to write this poem today as my thoughts came out to pay respect.


Death's Gate

No words cover the experience.
No time undoes the feeling.
In love having fullness.
Only to be left releasing:
A shovel, a handful of dirt and the hole left behind.

In love, in sharing: becoming angels.
Living itself: is the wing beat of being an angel.
Even when forced to face death
Coming down to find the ground.

No words fulfill this hole.
Not enough dirt hide the remains,
within the mind, memory and visions
which as if alive
continue to play out.

In peace
I wish you peace
to say in oneness
Death is a reflection
Looking back from the depths
towards the light
where we all are one.

This is truth
The reason no words work
in that Death is the merging,
Becoming alight
with the Tao.

---

May 2008
For Susan and Lynne

To my friends, I wish peace and love

Masters Part III

Here are several questions I was asked about learning from a Master.

Question 1

-How do you know a person is a Taoist Master?

The core to what a Taoist Master teaches

1) Acceptance of who we are

2) Acceptance of the connections in life

3) Enjoyment of life

4) Various practices (which vary slightly depending on the school of Taoism the Master is from) which aid 1,2 and 3

When you talk to a Taoist master, if they don't laugh, if they don't play and test reality , if they hold themselves higher or as if they hold onto special truth... then you know you are not talking a Taoist master.

We are just here to live and we share in that, because it's part of our joy to do so.

Everything I said here or teach is just one way of looking at the universe. Humanity has create thousands of ways to explore they all are equally as truthful and of value.


Now here are the tricks to understand.

Not every practice will match to each person

1) Understand it's OK to explore practices / systems of belief to find one which fits your expression

2) In time, as one move in the expression of life, what they see and feel changes so the practices will correspondingly change

3) Masters come and go, they are simply the person there at the right moment to help you connect to the larger essence at that moment.


Question 2

-If you train under someone who doesn't necessarily know what they're doing but purports to be a master, how do you learn to do it correctly?


Several ways: Here is one of several techniques to sort thru the issue you mention:

The yin and yang of truth / falsehood

There is no absolute truth , no absolute falsehood which means in every thing you can find both truth and false hood.

This is a very very important fact since it means: you can discover truth within everything. it's a matter of perspective.

Many Taoist teachings are weaved into the fabric of society itself, you will find many references and aspects of Taoism even within western culture.

A Taoist embraces the negative as much as the positive since (think yin and yang) it all plays part to opening up our understanding and spreading truth.

The world is always our teacher, that all the lessons and truths are at our disposal : always. Its just a matter of being open to seeing things for many perspectives, from many voices. Coming to a retreat might help speed up the learning curve, but the information is already around you now to help open up doors.

Now also be careful (think yin and yang) if you embrace your ideas of truth too hard, you will push your truth into falsehoods.

Embrace truth lightly to have the clearest view of the world.

When learning from a person, strangely even when being taught incorrectly: a true Taoist will learn from that and reverse it back into truth.

Also you listen to your body, essence, and mind. People listen to others too much... even true masters at the price of hurting themselves, at the price of lessening their own nature... listen to yourself as much as the master. At some point you learn enough and leave. You learn from everyone. Its just some people you learn what you need to know in 5 seconds and then move on.

Peace

Master Part II

Master is an interesting term.

Am I my own master?... Really think about that. I am casey, I define myself fully and completely by being myself...

To myself, I am never a Master, merely myself. However, because I define myself so well, others would and do see me as my personal master. I never see myself as a master in this sense since then there falls the trap of ego: Thinking more of oneself than one should.

Instead: I am. That is enough.

I am...

All is relative to perception on that front.

Master also implies other things. It implies connection to the past, to teachings, to practices.

Since I do teach Taoism and help people be themselves. I am a Taoist Master. But again it's a relative term. I accept that I am a Taoist Master for this reason. Does that mean I know everything. Nah a good Taoist knows they know nothing. I merely accept everything else. In terms of acceptance people get confused on what acceptance really means also, but I talked enough about acceptance in previous blog posts.

To some I would be a Master, that would mean I represent an ideal through which they gain connection to the larger world. As I said earlier, I am just casey...(notice lower cased!) but due to perception and connection I also fall under the category of a Master.

Master is such a strange concept. But I use the term Master since it does refer to this process of connection and when teaching others I am at times a Taoist Master, at other times not.

It all just depends. To me it makes no difference as I remain myself through the whole debatable issue of language.

peace

PS tomorrow I will chat about how does a person find a Master, or "validate" a Master is a Master.