White Sun – Tao of Heaven: Heaven and Man are One Entity
The entire universe originated from Tao. Humanity also originated from Tao. Therefore, man and Heaven are connected. Therefore, man and Heaven can align and unite as one entity and become one. A man’s soul is nourished by the essence of Heaven and Earth, and therefore man possesses the essence of nature. In other words, man has the same essence that makes up the cosmos, that is, man is a small cosmos within the great cosmos.
The goal of practicing the Tao is to calm the heart. It is better for a practitioner not to have the emotion of joy, delight, sadness, and anger, because if he can eliminate the emotions, he will find that he and the cosmos become one entity. The true self of a man is all powerful, wise and all good. One must start with benevolence and justice and then perfect morality to be enlightened. Once enlightened, his heart is filled with mercy, he is compassionate not only to humanity but also to all animals and living beings and helps others to attain the Tao.
The true self is the essence of human life as well as the root of the cosmos. The real me is infinitely bright. It is not born, it does not die and it has no shape or form. The human body, which has shape and form, is a temporary abode for the true self. Therefore the body has birth and death.
The heart is the manifestation of the true self. When one’s heart is pure, it reflects one’s true self. The heart is also dispersed into three natures, that is, True Nature, Human Nature and Animal Nature. There are two extremes because of this and the distinction between good and bad. True nature is divine and pure and is always good. Human nature is sometimes good and sometimes bad. The animal nature is almost always bad. Good or evil in a man depends on what nature dominates his body.
One who overcomes emotions and desires and restores his true self becomes a Saint or a Sage. One who cannot overcome emotions and desires will never be free and becomes ordinary. For example, a mirror itself is transparent when it is first made, and as it sits, it collects dust and cannot be cleaned. The true self of a man is the mirror and the dust is the emotions and desires.
