ESSENCE OF THE TAO 25physics, the world is fundamentally made of dancing energy; energy that is
forever manifesting itself in and out of existence.
So, when the Taoists looked at a tree, they saw more than just the wood.
Their enlightenment allowed them to see the tree as dancing energy. In his
book, The Dancing Wu Li Masters (1979), Gary Zukov writes about the simi-
larities between physics and mystical enlightenment:
A closer examination, however, reveals that physics and enlighten-
ment are not so incongruous as we might think. Enlightenment en-
tails casting off the bonds of concept (‘veils of ignorance’) in order to
perceive directly the inexpressible nature of undifferentiated reality.
‘Undifferentiated reality’ is the same reality that we are part of now,
and always have been a part of. The physical world, as it appears to
the unenlightened, consists of many separate parts. These separate
parts, however, are not really separate. According to mystics from
around the world, each moment of enlightenment (grace/insight/
samadhi/satori) reveals that everything—all the separate parts of the
universe—are manifestations of the same whole. There is only one
reality, and it is whole and unified. It is one. (p. 270-271)Taoism recognizes both the inner and the outer world. Many people go
through their entire lives without connecting inward. It’s like somebody going
through life looking down the entire time. All they see is the ground, grass,
rocks, asphalt, bugs, and maybe some trash. They never look up. They don’t
know that right above them is the sky, clouds, birds, leaves of a tree, sun,
moon, and stars. Can you imagine? They are seeing only half the picture. That
limited perspective restricts their potential to experience what’s truly possible.
“Form is emptiness and emptiness is form.”
—Prajna Paramita SutraOne who follows the Tao is interested in the entire picture. They move
through the outer world while still connected to the inner world. They carve
time out of their life to go inside. As the attention goes in, they begin to focus
and concentrate. This focus penetrates the noise of thoughts into a substratum
of deep quiet.
This concept of a world inside of you may seem strange and perhaps New
Agey. I get it. Since the moment you were born, you have been bombarded
with external stimulation. Much of this stimulation has pulled you away from
what’s happening internally. Through radio, TV, magazines, and billboards,
you have been enticed to indulge in countless products by major corporations.
They want you to buy their products and they spend millions of dollars to
convince you that if you buy what they’re selling then you will be happier.
Of course, this is an illusion and it’s also a potential trap.