THE MIDDLE WAY; THE STRAIGHT PATH; AVOIDING EXTREMES

Jesus advised us to take the path which is straight, and avoid the extremes on either side.

Blessed are the meek: for they will inherit the earth. (5:5)

Blessed are the merciful: for they will be shown mercy. (5:7)

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they will see God. (5:8)

The point to remember is that if we follow the correct path, everything is hunky dory.

...

Buddhists believe in taking the The Middle Way, avoiding extremes.

The Taoists believe in avoiding the extremes.

The taoist Lao Tzu said:

The great Way is easy, yet people prefer the side paths.

Be aware when things are out of balance. Stay centered within the Tao.

Stay Centered - A Simple Explanation of Absolutely Everything.

"Another way to 'stay centered' is expressed by the Golden Mean, which Aristotle described as keeping to the beneficial middle and avoiding extremes."

In philosophy, especially that of Aristotle, the golden mean is the desirable middle between two extremes, one of excess and the other of deficiency. 

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BUT, if Jesus avoided the extremes, what about the crucifiction? 

Was that a story added on to the New Testament, to tie in with Jewish myths?

According to theologian Gunnar Samuelsson, Jesus did not die on a cross.

There is always a suspicion that the 'official story' is not entirely true.

There is a suspicion that the 'biography' has had untrue bits added, and that there is a lot of 'spin'.

"Late in the third century B.C. Cleomenes, king of Sparta, embarked on a revolutionary policy of cancellation of debts, redistribution of land and emancipation of the helots (slaves). 

"He was driven out of Sparta... 

"In the story preserved by Plutarch, Cleomenes and twelve friends have a last supper together on the night before his death. 

"He is betrayed to his enemies... 

"His dead body is crucified. 

"A prodigy occurs after the crucifixion; and the people of Alexandria call him a 'hero and son of the gods'." 

The Legend Of Jesus Christ - Text-only version

So, the 'real Jesus', who taught that one should tune in to the Holy Spirit, may not have been crucified?

Photo from Photobucket

Let's look at Taoism.
1. The Force

Consider Luke Skywalker and how Obi-wan Kenobi taught him about "the Force".

Luke had to avoid being distracted by things like fear and anger.

He had to learn about spontaneity.

On one occasion, Luke was trying, without success, to avoid laser blasts from a 'remote'.

When Obi-wan Kenobi placed a helmet on Luke's head so he couldn't be distracted, he easily deflected the remote's laser blasts.

The idea is that when you are aware of the 'Tao' and feel 'the force', you can flow with it, and the right action appears for itself, spontaneously.

(More here: http://www.exn.ca/starwars/taoism.cfm / http://www.belief )


The economy does not work when things are out of balance.

2. What are the essentials of Taoism?

(http://www.godquest.org/taoism.htm / Http://www.crystalinks.com/taoism.html)

Some Taoists and Christians and others believe that bliss can be achieved when:

1. One is compassionate

2. One is moderate (Avoid large numbers?)

3. One is humble (Avoid large numbers?)

4. Everything is in balance (+ X - X rather than +X - 1000X?)

5. One is in tune with the Holy Spirit or the Tao or whatever one wants to call it. One goes with the flow.

6. One avoids the use of force; one avoids pitting one's will against the universe.

..

The Christians talk about God’s spirit.

God nourishes us.

The Taoists talk about the Tao being a force that flows through everything. 

The Tao nourishes us.


healmypet.com.

3. The Tao and Yin and Yang:

When the Tao is in balance one can be happy. (+ X - X rather than +X - 1000X?)

There is Yin and there is Yang (just as there is black and white, up and down, male and female).

'When they are equally present, all is calm. 

'When one is outweighed by the other, there is confusion and disarray.

'The Tao surrounds everyone and one must listen to find enlightenment.'

True Taoism does not get bogged down with theology. "The Tao that can be named is not the true Tao."

Taoists love their enemies. "I am good to the man who is good to me, likewise, I am also good to the bad man."


The USA's Phoenix programme (left) involved torturing and killing civilians. The USA's ISIS force is also going to extremes. www.thesleuthjournal.com

4. Wu wei is action through inaction; ‘a practice of minimal action, particularly minimal violent action’. 

Don’t overdo the antibiotics or the pesticides. 

Don’t bomb your enemies.

Consider the lilies.

Don't force yourself or others to be compassionate. Be spontaneous.

Genuine love is spontaneous love.


The USA is out of balance. www.youtube.com

"The Master does not see evil as a force to resist, but simply as an opaqueness, a state of self-absorption that is in disharmony with the universal process, so that, as with a dirty window, the light can't shine through. 

"This freedom from moral categories allows him his great compassion for the wicked and the selfish" - Stephen Mitchell

"The Tao regulates natural processes and nourishes balance in the Universe. 

"It embodies the harmony of opposites (i.e. there would be no love without hate, no light without dark, no male without female.)"



5. Henry C K Liu wrote in the Asia Times about Taoism.

(http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/EH01Ad01.html ).

Where does evil come from?

There can be no ‘good’ without ‘evil’.

"Controlled quantities of the bad can be good. 

"Excessive amounts of the good can be bad. 

"Poison kills. But when handled properly, it can cure diseases. 

"Without poison, there can be no medicine.

"To employ poison to attack poison is a Taoist principle."

The secret is to avoid extremes.


Americans carrying out torture in Vietnam.

How should we act?

We should avoid producing unintended consequences.

"Not taking premature or unnecessary actions keeps all of one's options open, so that the most appropriate action remains available. 

"Actions always elicit reactions. 

"Each action taken provokes reactions from all quarters that, taken together, are always more powerful than the precipitous action itself. It is the ultimate definition of the inescapable law of unintended consequences."

"To follow the dao (path) of life is to go with the natural flow of life and to avoid going against it.

"The ethical theories of Taoism lean toward passive resistance, believing that evil, by definition, will ultimately destroy even itself without undue interference.

"Yet it would be a mistake to regard Taoism as fatalistic and pessimistic, instead of the ultimate sophistication in optimism that it is.

"Only by not applying effort can one achieve that state in which nothing is not attainable effortlessly.

"A little ambition is a good thing. Total elimination, even of undesirables, is an extreme solution, and it is therefore self-defeating.

"Life is a prison from which one can escape only if one does not try to escape. It is the desire to escape that makes a place a prison, and the desire to return that makes it a home. Home is not where one is, it is where one wants to return."

Photograph: Seyllou

6. Taoism and other religions.

The following comes from: http://www.jadedragon.com/archives/tao_heal/teach01.html

From Taoism: happiness comes from helping others; wealth comes from giving to others. 

"Love the world as yourself; then you can care for all things."

From Buddhism: "Set your heart on doing good. Do it over and over again, and you will be filled with joy." 

Buddha: "See yourself in others. Then whom can you hurt? What harm can you do?"

From Islam: "There is a reward for your treatment of every living thing." Muhammad also said: "None of you is a believer until you like for others what you like for yourself."

From Christianity: "Do unto others as you would have them do to you."

Veritopian refers to Yin & Yang Mathematics. http://everythingforever.com/st_math.htm