When we trust completely, our physical, mental,
and spiritual planes of consciousness harmonize
with the heartbeat of the Earth.
When we have cleared the passage for Tao to
function through us with its natural velocity,
the rhythms of our bodily functions and vibrations
of our mental states move as an extension
of the Earth.
A perfect example of this complete trust and
harmony with the planet is the Kon-Tiki expedition
of Norwegian ethnographer and adventurer Thor
Heyerdahl in 1947.
In this amazing story Heyerdahl and his crew
drifted on a balsa-wood raft from Peru out
into the vastness of the Pacific Ocean.
From a logical perspective, this attempt to
just drift into the vastness of the Pacific
would appear suicidal.
But somehow, in true Taoist wisdom, Heyerdahl
had a trust that his own organism and the
ecosystem of the Pacific would harmonize together
as one if they were given the time to do so.
Without exercising the use of force, Heyerdahl’s
trust that he and the ocean were a unified
system allowed the power of te to manifest.
As he and his crew drifted into the unknown,
the balsa wood of the raft began to swell
up and bind the logs together more securely,
which gave their raft the durability to take
on the tough conditions of the Pacific Ocean.
The issue of food was another obstacle to
overcome.
Yet astonishingly, as a result of their complete
trust, flying fish were on their deck every
morning.
Rejecting the fear of the unknown, Heyerdahl
and his crew began to replicate the intelligence
of dolphins, because they were in perfect
harmony with the course of nature by following
the path of least resistance.
The trust in following the path of least resistance
is the power of te, which is a reflection
of how the power of lightning follows the
path of least resistance and also of how the
Tao works through an empty mind.
A full mind is resistant.
In the Kon-Tiki adventure, Heyerdahl’s trust
was answered by what we would deem miraculous
events.
Yet from the wisdom of sages like Lao-tzu,
these events would make perfect sense, because
our organism is an intrinsic part of nature.
Astonishingly, as Heyerdahl continued to follow
the ocean’s natural rhythms, he and his
crew drifted 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles)
from Peru all the way to the distant islands
of the Tuamotus of French Polynesia in the
South Pacific.
Heyerdahl’s trust made him an aperture through
which the universe could express its nature.
His trust, though it may appear extreme, was
the feeling of unity he had within by living
wu-wei sincerely.
In denying the use of force, Heyerdahl demonstrates
how the power of te can change the world without
any intention of doing so.
When we oppose our own experience and try
to control life, we develop an unnecessary
anxiety within ourselves, because we fear
the uncertainty of the future.
We attempt to dictate to the future through
our plans, and though these plans may be good
in theory, they are in reality phantoms and
distractions from the unity that can be found
in trust.
Thor Heyerdahl is an example of what each
and every one of us can live by if we are
radical enough to throw off our fears of the
past and future and instead live completely
in the here and now.
Our intentions to change the world are the
result of humanity separating itself from
the here and now.
But it is only when we can be completely present
in the here and now that we will know what
is best for the future.
Trust and unity arise in the crystalline clarity
of stillness.
Our movement out of this state tends to make
us suspicious of the world.
As a result, we fall into the average state
of mind, which is constantly rearranging the
pieces of the puzzle to try and somehow make
sense of the world according to its conditioning.
All of our intentions to change the world
are fundamentally flawed, because the very
intention to change the world implies that
we do not trust the world.
The unnatural systems of government and politics
are built on this lack of trust.
Their primary intention is to change the world
according to their agenda.
Government and politics are erroneously thought
of as instruments to bring unity to the world,
but the very essence of both is designed on
the premise of a world divided.
Anarchy and revolution are also flawed, because
they arise from the idea of opposing the status
quo with yet another agenda of changing the
world.
This perception of the world, which we have
all adopted, is a step in the wrong direction.
We believe that we need to work toward unity,
yet our intentions are plagued by ours and
others’ conditioned isolation.
How could we work toward a unity that is already
innate in our nature?
The unity we seek is already there, but it
is only revealed when we trust the world.
Changing the world in the hope of discovering
unity is like a knife trying to cut itself.
How can we search for something that is already
there?
Unity can only come from trust.
Thor Heyerdahl had no intention to reach any
particular destination; thus he reached where
he was meant to go with no forethought or
preplanning.
His trust was his strength, and the guidance
that led him on his journey was his union
with the universe responding to his basic
needs.
In any attempt to change the world, we destroy
the world, because the very intention to change
something is built on the illusion of separation.
Organized religion is a good example of this
process, because many religions make people
feel separate from God.
In feeling separate from God, we are taught
that we should pray.
But the very act of prayer is, to a degree,
a lack of trust in God.
When we pray, no matter how morally elevated
our prayers may be, we are trying to force
God’s hand in order to satisfy our conditioning
and pleasures (unless the prayer is in selfless
gratitude to the All).
We arrogantly try to deny the destiny that
is mapped out for us through praying that
nothing unpleasant happens to us.
To force God to your will in prayer is to
lack trust in God.
We are trying to change the world’s circumstances
according to our own beliefs and preferences.
We will never experience the harmony with
all life that Thor Heyerdahl felt if we continue
to exhibit a lack of trust in any part of
life.
Trust and oneness are verified when we completely
let go of ourselves and let the Way of the
Tao guide our life.
But this guidance can never come if you are
anxious to change the world or force God’s
hand.
Our intentions for life and ourselves are
the very motive that distorts the future.
Attempting to force God’s hand with prayer
is the same as trying to change the world,
because both acts destroy the world.
But the world destroyed in the act of praying
is the world within yourself, as you incorrectly
assume that you are alien to this universe.
Trust and unity come to those who do not experience
the world with the filters of conditioning
in their minds.
Peace on Earth can prevail if we can individually
follow our own paths in life with no resistance
to the unfoldment of the Tao, which will surely
soften our hearts.
It is when we force our lives to be a certain
way that we are blind to where the Tao is
guiding us.
The language of the Tao can only be known
when all operations of force have ceased within
the psyche.
The true power of te, virtue, comes into its
own when control and force have ceased within
our minds.
The trust that abides within us, though it
is often veiled by our conditioning, is what
will allow the naturalness of the Tao to unfold
on our planet.
