HEALTH
Health is wellness of the body, the mind, and the soul; their alignment with one another is the art of living well.
and
TIPS
WISDOM
Wisdom is understanding of the self, others, and the nature of things; it is essential to living as if everything is a miracle.
HEALTH
Health is wellness of the body, the mind, and the soul; their alignment with one another is the art of living well.
and
TIPS
WISDOM
Wisdom is understanding of the self, others, and the nature of things; it is essential to living as if everything is a miracle.
MORE TAO WISDOM
CLARITY OF THINKING
Tao wisdom is human wisdom, and Biblical wisdom is spiritual wisdom. The art of living well in this contemporary world requires both. But neither is easy to come by. Why? Because Tao wisdom requires an empty mind with no preconditioned thinking of conventional wisdom, while Biblical wisdom requires the suspension of disbelief. That is to say, both require clarity of thinking, which is not easy to attain, except through meditation and concentration, that is, focusing the mind on the present moment.
Your mind is incessantly alternating between the past and the future, going back and forth without consciously knowing it.
Say, if you are watching TV at the present moment, your compulsive mind is continually retrieving both conscious and subconscious thoughts and memories from the past directly or indirectly related to what you are now watching on the television screen, as well as projecting them into the future. Your mind never really stays in the present moment, although you think it does because you are watching the TV.
To illustrate, you are watching a CNN report on an accident on the freeway involving many cars due to poor visibility. A subconscious thought from your own past experience of driving under similar poor visibility immediately comes up and is projected into the future, to be stored in your subconscious mind to warn you in the future to drive more carefully if a similar situation occurs. Your body is presently watching the television screen, but your mind does not stay in the present moment. That is the reality. It is only a mental illusion that your mind is staying presently on the TV screen. Other subconscious thoughts may also occur at the back of your mind: “I am a more careful driver than those people”, “I hope that will never happen to me” or “I would not know what to do in a similar situation.” All these thoughts are stored in your subconscious mind.
Remember, you compulsive mind is thinking non-stop without your conscious awareness.
Because your mind does not voluntarily stay in the present moment, constantly shuffling back and forth between the past and the future, the only way to stop the thinking mind is to direct it to the present moment. When your mind stays in the present moment, it stops its thinking process of the past or the future-at least for the time being. To make your mind remain in the present moment-even though for just a short moment-you need acute awareness and deep concentration. To do that, you need constant and regular practice to focus or re-focus your mind on the present moment.
Once you can stop, at will, your mind from thinking, you have control over your thinking process, you are no longer a slave to your thoughts, and your mind becomes once again your friend, instead of your enemy. Learn to switch your mind on and off, just as you do with your computer.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
Tao wisdom is human wisdom, and Biblical wisdom is spiritual wisdom. The art of living well in this contemporary world requires both. But neither is easy to come by. Why? Because Tao wisdom requires an empty mind with no preconditioned thinking of conventional wisdom, while Biblical wisdom requires the suspension of disbelief. That is to say, both require clarity of thinking, which is not easy to attain, except through meditation and concentration, that is, focusing the mind on the present moment.
Your mind is incessantly alternating between the past and the future, going back and forth without consciously knowing it.
Say, if you are watching TV at the present moment, your compulsive mind is continually retrieving both conscious and subconscious thoughts and memories from the past directly or indirectly related to what you are now watching on the television screen, as well as projecting them into the future. Your mind never really stays in the present moment, although you think it does because you are watching the TV.
To illustrate, you are watching a CNN report on an accident on the freeway involving many cars due to poor visibility. A subconscious thought from your own past experience of driving under similar poor visibility immediately comes up and is projected into the future, to be stored in your subconscious mind to warn you in the future to drive more carefully if a similar situation occurs. Your body is presently watching the television screen, but your mind does not stay in the present moment. That is the reality. It is only a mental illusion that your mind is staying presently on the TV screen. Other subconscious thoughts may also occur at the back of your mind: “I am a more careful driver than those people”, “I hope that will never happen to me” or “I would not know what to do in a similar situation.” All these thoughts are stored in your subconscious mind.
Remember, you compulsive mind is thinking non-stop without your conscious awareness.
Because your mind does not voluntarily stay in the present moment, constantly shuffling back and forth between the past and the future, the only way to stop the thinking mind is to direct it to the present moment. When your mind stays in the present moment, it stops its thinking process of the past or the future-at least for the time being. To make your mind remain in the present moment-even though for just a short moment-you need acute awareness and deep concentration. To do that, you need constant and regular practice to focus or re-focus your mind on the present moment.
Once you can stop, at will, your mind from thinking, you have control over your thinking process, you are no longer a slave to your thoughts, and your mind becomes once again your friend, instead of your enemy. Learn to switch your mind on and off, just as you do with your computer.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
TAO WISDOM TO RELIEVE STRESS
We are living in a world of stress, especially in this world of technology, which has created a compulsive mind that brings in all the stress factors.
There are many factors that may directly or indirectly cause stress in everyday human existence, and they are as follows:
Emotional Factors
Anger, bitterness, disappointment, and envy are some of the human emotions that often lead to anxiety, distress, and even depression.
Environmental and Eventful Factors
A dangerous environment, such as walking alone in the dark or in an unsafe neighborhood, can be stressful.
A work environment with racial discrimination or sexual harassment can be stressful too. According to the American Institute of Stress, up to one million employees’ absence per day are stress related. In addition, work environment may create stress due to feeling unproductive, inability to concentrate on work, unrealistic and unreasonable demands from employers or co-workers.
Stressful life events may also lead to elevated stress levels. Special life events-whether they are positive or negative-can be stressful, such as getting married or planning a wedding, graduation, starting a new job, buying a home, or even going on a vacation.
Financial Factors
Finance is one of the main stress factors in contemporary life and living due to rampant unemployment, not having enough money to make both ends meet, debt from credit cards or reckless over-spending, bankruptcy, and home foreclosure, among other financial problems.
Health Factors
The American Academy of Family Physicians once estimated that two-thirds of all family doctor visits are stress related.
Health problems can be triggered by alcohol, sugar, and tobacco addiction. Chronic health problems, such as autoimmune diseases, cancers and heart-related health issues, are particularly stressful after diagnoses and during treatments..
Relationship Factors
Relationships are often a source of emotional and psychological problems, such as break-up in a love relationship, separation and divorce, dealing with teenager problems, and coping with aging parents.
William Shakespeare once said: “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” John Milton, the famous English poet, also had this to say: “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.” Both spoke volumes of the perceptions of stress.
The bottom line: stress comes from your mind, or, more specifically, your ego-self. Therefore, no ego, no stress!
NO EGO NO STRESS is a 134-page book by Stephen Lau on ancient human wisdom for stress relief. Specifically, it is about Tao wisdom, which originates from the ancient Chinese sage Lao Tzu, the author of “Tao Te Ching”-- one of the most translated works in world literature. “Tao Te Ching” is popular due to its profound and unconventional wisdom, which is both intriguing and controversial. Learn how to let go of the ego-self to remove all the stressors in modern living due to finance, careers, relationships, etc. and live as if everything is a miracle.
Understanding TAO wisdom may open the doorway to letting go of the ego to let go of stress.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
We are living in a world of stress, especially in this world of technology, which has created a compulsive mind that brings in all the stress factors.
There are many factors that may directly or indirectly cause stress in everyday human existence, and they are as follows:
Emotional Factors
Anger, bitterness, disappointment, and envy are some of the human emotions that often lead to anxiety, distress, and even depression.
Environmental and Eventful Factors
A dangerous environment, such as walking alone in the dark or in an unsafe neighborhood, can be stressful.
A work environment with racial discrimination or sexual harassment can be stressful too. According to the American Institute of Stress, up to one million employees’ absence per day are stress related. In addition, work environment may create stress due to feeling unproductive, inability to concentrate on work, unrealistic and unreasonable demands from employers or co-workers.
Stressful life events may also lead to elevated stress levels. Special life events-whether they are positive or negative-can be stressful, such as getting married or planning a wedding, graduation, starting a new job, buying a home, or even going on a vacation.
Financial Factors
Finance is one of the main stress factors in contemporary life and living due to rampant unemployment, not having enough money to make both ends meet, debt from credit cards or reckless over-spending, bankruptcy, and home foreclosure, among other financial problems.
Health Factors
The American Academy of Family Physicians once estimated that two-thirds of all family doctor visits are stress related.
Health problems can be triggered by alcohol, sugar, and tobacco addiction. Chronic health problems, such as autoimmune diseases, cancers and heart-related health issues, are particularly stressful after diagnoses and during treatments..
Relationship Factors
Relationships are often a source of emotional and psychological problems, such as break-up in a love relationship, separation and divorce, dealing with teenager problems, and coping with aging parents.
William Shakespeare once said: “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” John Milton, the famous English poet, also had this to say: “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.” Both spoke volumes of the perceptions of stress.
The bottom line: stress comes from your mind, or, more specifically, your ego-self. Therefore, no ego, no stress!
NO EGO NO STRESS is a 134-page book by Stephen Lau on ancient human wisdom for stress relief. Specifically, it is about Tao wisdom, which originates from the ancient Chinese sage Lao Tzu, the author of “Tao Te Ching”-- one of the most translated works in world literature. “Tao Te Ching” is popular due to its profound and unconventional wisdom, which is both intriguing and controversial. Learn how to let go of the ego-self to remove all the stressors in modern living due to finance, careers, relationships, etc. and live as if everything is a miracle.
Understanding TAO wisdom may open the doorway to letting go of the ego to let go of stress.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
THE INEXPLICABLE AND THE UNCONTROLLABLE
In daily living, try not to explain why certain things happen, or do not happen-especially according to your own wish. Instead, obey and trust your Creator. Without that trust and obedience, there is no good communication, and hence no enlightenment.
After all, you are not in control of your own fate and destiny in this world. Striving to control the uncontrollable is human futility that ends in stress and unhappiness. Humans strive to control anything and everything because they want to create an identity from the attachments created.
If the Creator has no identity, why should you strive to create one for yourself?
An identity is no more than an ego-self that separates and distinguishes you from others-which is essentially pride.
With pride, you see more of yourself and less of others.
With humility, instead of pride, you may see things quite differently: more of the Creator, and less of yourself.
Live your everyday life not just for yourself, but also for others as well. Live a life of love and compassion to become a better and happier individual, being more connected with others. In any life situation, if you have to choose between “being nice” or “being right”, always choose “being nice.”
Look at the following from Lau Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, made up of 81 chapters on human wisdom:
“If His ways could be explained or understood,
the Creator would no longer be infinite.
If He had a name or an identity,
the Creator would no longer be eternal.
Being infinite and eternal,
the Creator is the origin of all things.
Once given a name and an identity,
mankind is only the source of all things.
Ever humble, we see the mysteries of all things created.
Ever proud, we see only the manifestations of all things created.
Only the mysteries, and not the manifestations,
show us the Way to true wisdom.”
(Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, chapter 1)
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
************************************************
TAO WISDOM TO CHANGE PERSPECTIVES
Wellness is feeling good about self with respect to the body, the mind, and the soul. Wellness may be synonymous with happiness. Wellness comes from the mind - the mind’s perceptions of what the body is experiencing in the physical world. Wisdom, surprisingly, can change the mind’s perceptions to make one feel better and happier.
Are you happy? What makes you happy? A successful career, satisfying relationships, good health, or material possessions? Which one, or all of those? No matter what, wellness is what makes you feel good about yourself, and what makes your life meaningful. If your life is without a purpose, and you are always drifting from here to there, you won't feel good about yourself or life in general.
Feeling good about oneself requires wisdom -- wisdom to know who you are and what you want in life. Without wisdom, you will not experience lasting well-being. Without wisdom, your living is like like chasing the wind, without any direction.
Wisdom is essential in the art of living well. It involves wisdom of the mind, the body, and the soul. They are all inter-related and inter-dependent on one another. For example, if you have satisfying relationships but your health is rapidly deteriorating, you will not feel well; or if you have a successful career but are emotionally distressed, you will not be in good spirit. Therefore, the overall wellness is contingent on the holistic wellness of the body, the mind, and the soul. To cherish and nourish this holistic wellness, your need wisdom, which holds the key to happiness and well-being of any individual.
Which is wisdom? Where does it come from?
Wellness begins with the mind first, and not the body or the soul. After all, you are what you have become by reason of your thinking. You are a summary of your thoughts, which make you who you are or what you have now become. Your past experiences and your perceptions of those experiences have "preconditioned" how you currently think. In other words, your background, and upbringing predetermine how your mind perceives your present life experiences. Given that your past exposure might not be telling you the whole truth, you, therefore, need wisdom to "empty" your mind and re-define your current mindset. That is to say, you must learn how to rethink your mind. Thinking is never easy and that is why so few people do it, according to Albert Einstein.
You are living in a physical world, and your life experiences are perceived by your body through the five senses (seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching). But these sensations may be positively or negatively interpreted by the mind, which stores past experiences of those sensations of body in both the conscious mind and the subconscious mind. The former voluntarily accepts or rejects those sensations, while the latter involuntarily includes whatever the subconscious mind is exposed to. True wisdom is the capability of the mind to know what is real and what is unreal.
Tao wisdom is the ancient wisdom from China that shows you how to have an empty mind first to rethink your mind in order to separate the truths from the half-truths or myths.
Tao wisdom is the essence in the art of living well, It is the profound wisdom of the ancient Chinese sage, Lao Tzu, the author of the immortal classic Tao Te Ching, one of the most translated works in world literature. The book has been popular for thousands of years due to its wisdom, which is simple but controversial, profound and yet intriguing. To fully understand it, you need to get all the essentials of Tao wisdom.
With Tao wisdom, you may live a much better life, without depressive episodes now and then.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
**************************************************************************
In daily living, try not to explain why certain things happen, or do not happen-especially according to your own wish. Instead, obey and trust your Creator. Without that trust and obedience, there is no good communication, and hence no enlightenment.
After all, you are not in control of your own fate and destiny in this world. Striving to control the uncontrollable is human futility that ends in stress and unhappiness. Humans strive to control anything and everything because they want to create an identity from the attachments created.
If the Creator has no identity, why should you strive to create one for yourself?
An identity is no more than an ego-self that separates and distinguishes you from others-which is essentially pride.
With pride, you see more of yourself and less of others.
With humility, instead of pride, you may see things quite differently: more of the Creator, and less of yourself.
Live your everyday life not just for yourself, but also for others as well. Live a life of love and compassion to become a better and happier individual, being more connected with others. In any life situation, if you have to choose between “being nice” or “being right”, always choose “being nice.”
Look at the following from Lau Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, made up of 81 chapters on human wisdom:
“If His ways could be explained or understood,
the Creator would no longer be infinite.
If He had a name or an identity,
the Creator would no longer be eternal.
Being infinite and eternal,
the Creator is the origin of all things.
Once given a name and an identity,
mankind is only the source of all things.
Ever humble, we see the mysteries of all things created.
Ever proud, we see only the manifestations of all things created.
Only the mysteries, and not the manifestations,
show us the Way to true wisdom.”
(Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, chapter 1)
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
************************************************
TAO WISDOM TO CHANGE PERSPECTIVES
Wellness is feeling good about self with respect to the body, the mind, and the soul. Wellness may be synonymous with happiness. Wellness comes from the mind - the mind’s perceptions of what the body is experiencing in the physical world. Wisdom, surprisingly, can change the mind’s perceptions to make one feel better and happier.
Are you happy? What makes you happy? A successful career, satisfying relationships, good health, or material possessions? Which one, or all of those? No matter what, wellness is what makes you feel good about yourself, and what makes your life meaningful. If your life is without a purpose, and you are always drifting from here to there, you won't feel good about yourself or life in general.
Feeling good about oneself requires wisdom -- wisdom to know who you are and what you want in life. Without wisdom, you will not experience lasting well-being. Without wisdom, your living is like like chasing the wind, without any direction.
Wisdom is essential in the art of living well. It involves wisdom of the mind, the body, and the soul. They are all inter-related and inter-dependent on one another. For example, if you have satisfying relationships but your health is rapidly deteriorating, you will not feel well; or if you have a successful career but are emotionally distressed, you will not be in good spirit. Therefore, the overall wellness is contingent on the holistic wellness of the body, the mind, and the soul. To cherish and nourish this holistic wellness, your need wisdom, which holds the key to happiness and well-being of any individual.
Which is wisdom? Where does it come from?
Wellness begins with the mind first, and not the body or the soul. After all, you are what you have become by reason of your thinking. You are a summary of your thoughts, which make you who you are or what you have now become. Your past experiences and your perceptions of those experiences have "preconditioned" how you currently think. In other words, your background, and upbringing predetermine how your mind perceives your present life experiences. Given that your past exposure might not be telling you the whole truth, you, therefore, need wisdom to "empty" your mind and re-define your current mindset. That is to say, you must learn how to rethink your mind. Thinking is never easy and that is why so few people do it, according to Albert Einstein.
You are living in a physical world, and your life experiences are perceived by your body through the five senses (seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching). But these sensations may be positively or negatively interpreted by the mind, which stores past experiences of those sensations of body in both the conscious mind and the subconscious mind. The former voluntarily accepts or rejects those sensations, while the latter involuntarily includes whatever the subconscious mind is exposed to. True wisdom is the capability of the mind to know what is real and what is unreal.
Tao wisdom is the ancient wisdom from China that shows you how to have an empty mind first to rethink your mind in order to separate the truths from the half-truths or myths.
Tao wisdom is the essence in the art of living well, It is the profound wisdom of the ancient Chinese sage, Lao Tzu, the author of the immortal classic Tao Te Ching, one of the most translated works in world literature. The book has been popular for thousands of years due to its wisdom, which is simple but controversial, profound and yet intriguing. To fully understand it, you need to get all the essentials of Tao wisdom.
With Tao wisdom, you may live a much better life, without depressive episodes now and then.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
**************************************************************************
This book explains the paradoxes of life: what "anything is everything" may be true to some people, but not to every one; "everything is nothing" is the reality of life, which is the impermanence of everything; "nothing is everything" is the profound wisdom to understand that the nothingness of everything may ultimately become everything if there is enlightenment in living as if everything is a miracle.
For more information, go to the following:
ANYTHING IS EVERYTHING
EVERYTHING IS NOTHING
NOTHING IS EVERYTHING
For more information, go to the following:
ANYTHING IS EVERYTHING
EVERYTHING IS NOTHING
NOTHING IS EVERYTHING
TAO WISDOM IN FORGIVENESS
Spiritual Wisdom
We must always forgive people their wrongs against us no matter how great the offense because God offers His forgiveness regardless of our own offenses. Therefore, we are expected to do the same, if we wish to receive His wisdom.
Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
(Luke 6: 37)
Conventional Wisdom
According to the Journal of Happiness Studies, human happiness may come from the quality of the friendship or relationship experiences that promote the feeling of uniqueness in an individual.
TAO Wisdom
According to Lao Tzu, the ancient Chinese sage, judging nothing, you will be happy; forgiving anything and everything, you will be happier; and loving anything and everything, you will be happiest. Not judging everyone you encounter gives you better understanding of humanity, and thus instrumental in learning new ways to love and to help others. Forgiveness is a powerful spiritual medicine that cures all negative emotions and feelings.
The Creator seems elusive amid the changes of life.
At times, He seems to have forsaken His creations.
In reality, He is simply observing the comings and goings of their follies.
Likewise, we watch the comings and goings
of our likes and dislikes, of our desires and fears.
But we do not identify with them.
With no judgment and no preference,
we see the mysteries of creation.
(Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 7)
Stop striving to be righteous and wise to attain salvation,
which comes not from our efforts, not from something we must earn.
Stop abiding by rules and regulations to secure fairness and justice.
Compassion and loving-kindness come naturally to us.
(Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 19)
True love is generosity, which is giving without expecting anything in return-a practical expression of compassion that provides lasting happiness and divine inspiration.
The Way may seem insignificant.
It is because it appears ordinary.
The Way is great beyond comparison.
If there were any comparison,
it would no longer be great.
The Way is great because of its three essentials:
compassion, humility, and faith.
With compassion, there is no fear.
With humility, there is no strife.
With faith, there is no impossibility.
Without compassion, fearlessness then becomes ruthlessness.
Without humility, efforts may become complicated and difficult.
Without faith, possibilities may become controlling and self-centering.
Compassion is the root.
Humility is the stem.
Faith is the flower.
(Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 67)
Learn to let go of all grudges, the past, and live in the present as if everything is a miracle.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
Spiritual Wisdom
We must always forgive people their wrongs against us no matter how great the offense because God offers His forgiveness regardless of our own offenses. Therefore, we are expected to do the same, if we wish to receive His wisdom.
Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
(Luke 6: 37)
Conventional Wisdom
According to the Journal of Happiness Studies, human happiness may come from the quality of the friendship or relationship experiences that promote the feeling of uniqueness in an individual.
TAO Wisdom
According to Lao Tzu, the ancient Chinese sage, judging nothing, you will be happy; forgiving anything and everything, you will be happier; and loving anything and everything, you will be happiest. Not judging everyone you encounter gives you better understanding of humanity, and thus instrumental in learning new ways to love and to help others. Forgiveness is a powerful spiritual medicine that cures all negative emotions and feelings.
The Creator seems elusive amid the changes of life.
At times, He seems to have forsaken His creations.
In reality, He is simply observing the comings and goings of their follies.
Likewise, we watch the comings and goings
of our likes and dislikes, of our desires and fears.
But we do not identify with them.
With no judgment and no preference,
we see the mysteries of creation.
(Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 7)
Stop striving to be righteous and wise to attain salvation,
which comes not from our efforts, not from something we must earn.
Stop abiding by rules and regulations to secure fairness and justice.
Compassion and loving-kindness come naturally to us.
(Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 19)
True love is generosity, which is giving without expecting anything in return-a practical expression of compassion that provides lasting happiness and divine inspiration.
The Way may seem insignificant.
It is because it appears ordinary.
The Way is great beyond comparison.
If there were any comparison,
it would no longer be great.
The Way is great because of its three essentials:
compassion, humility, and faith.
With compassion, there is no fear.
With humility, there is no strife.
With faith, there is no impossibility.
Without compassion, fearlessness then becomes ruthlessness.
Without humility, efforts may become complicated and difficult.
Without faith, possibilities may become controlling and self-centering.
Compassion is the root.
Humility is the stem.
Faith is the flower.
(Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 67)
Learn to let go of all grudges, the past, and live in the present as if everything is a miracle.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau