See Things As They Are

THE WISDOM OF SEEING THINGS AS THEY ARE

Reflect on your current state of being, and see others as the same. They are not better nor worse than you are, but just different in their own ways. There is no basis for you to be angry with them, or to be envious of them. There is no rhyme or reason for you to dwell on “what could have” or “what should have”—they only prey on your mind, preventing you from being a better and happier you.

To be a better and happier you, follow the behaviors of the ancient masters and sages.

“The ancient masters were

subtle, mysterious, profound, responsive.
The depth of their knowledge is unfathomable.
Because it is unfathomable,
All we can do is to describe their appearance.
Watchful, like men crossing a winter stream.
Alert, like men aware of danger.
Courteous, like visiting guests.
Yielding, like ice about to melt.
Simple, like uncarved blocks of wood.
Hollow, like caves.
Opaque, like muddy pools.
Who can wait quietly while the mud settles?
Who can remain still until the moment of action?
Observers of the Tao do not seek fulfillment.
Not seeking fulfillment,

they are not swayed by desire for change.”
(Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 15)

“Be watchful: be aware of living in the present moment.

Be alert: be mindful of self and others; be perceptive of the whole picture so as to see the reality of anything and everything.

Be courteous: be loving of self, and be compassionate to others.

Be yielding: be ready and willing to embrace what life has to offer—including life challenges and difficulties.

Be simple: be simple in your needs and wants; simplicity leads to non-attachment.

Be hollow: be open-minded and receptive to new ideas.

Be opaque: Be patient, letting go of anything and every-thing, and allowing nature to run its course because the way of nature is unchanging.

Based on the above, just about anyone who has an empty mind can attain the profound wisdom of Lao Tzu to become a better and happier individual.

Knowing your true self

is the pathway to enlightenment.

Knowing others is wisdom;
Knowing self is enlightenment.”
(Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 33)

As long as you know your real self and others, you can and will become a better and happier you.

There is an old Latin axiom: “nemo dat quod non habet” —meaning, one cannot give what one does not have.  If you don’t have the wisdom to know your real self, you won’t have the wisdom to understand others, especially who they are and what they need. In order to understand others, you must first and foremost have the wisdom attained through asking self-intuitive questions throughout your life. Then, with mindfulness, you observe with a nonjudgmental mind what is happening to you, as well as around you. Gradually, you will be able to see things as what they really are, and not as what they may seem to you: anything and everything in life follows its own natural cycle, just as the day becomes night, and the night transformed into dawn.

With that wisdom, you may become enlightened, which means you begin to know your true self—what you have and what you don’t have, and you were created to be who you are, and not what you wish you were or want to become. Knowing what you have, you can then give it to others. It is the giving, rather than the receiving, that makes you a better and a happier you.

Stephen Lau        

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

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