It's a well-known fact that ministers will, at times, preach a sermon that he or she most needs to hear. Such is the case with this morning's topic, "Following the Tao". I would love to tell you that I have become so spiritually advanced as to face the uncertainties of life with a smile. Of course, that would be an outright lie! There is nothing more unnerving than the unknown. When confronted with the transitions and unpredictability of life, I tend to clench my teeth and tighten my fists with the best of them.

As a Unitarian Universalist, I draw from the spiritual teachings of many religious traditions for guidance. The wisdom of Taoism offers the keys to serenity in an ever-changing world.

If you are unfamiliar with Taoism, I recommend a very accessible book by Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh. Hoff uses the characters from A. A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh series to demonstrate the spiritual principles of Taoism- sort of a Tao for Dummies, if you will. You see, "Eeyore frets. . . and Piglet hesitates. . . and Rabbit calculates. . . and Owl pontificates. . . Pooh just is." What does this bear of very little brain have to teach about life? Even though he is constantly getting into trouble in the Hundred Acre Woods, Winnie the Pooh remains effortlessly calm, still, and reflective. When confronted with an obstacle like an empty honey jar or becoming stuck in a tree, the most fuss that this silly old bear is liable to utter is "Oh, bother!" and then he simply moves along to find a solution.

Taoism is a very ancient tradition. The teachings are attributed to a man named Lao Tzu who was born in China in about 604 B.C.. A slim volume known as the Tao Te Ching is attributed to Lao Tzu. There are also many stories and teachings that were written by his disciples and subsequent followers of the Tao. Tao means "the way". The Chinese character combines the symbol for head and the symbol for walking. The word itself represents walking the path of wisdom. Taoists believe that there is balance and harmony underlying all of nature. Peace is to be found inside ourselves and in concord with the world around us.

The verses of the Tao Te Ching are short in length but deep in meaning. Here is a passage from chapter 2:

The wisest person
Trusts the process,
Without seeking to control;
Takes everything as it comes,
Lives not to achieve or possess,
But simply to be
All he or she can be
In harmony with the Tao.

Although this passage illustrates a profound simplicity, I often find it difficult to "trust the process without seeking to control". When faced with uncertainty, I often work to replace it with my own definite solution. Sometimes in my struggle to find "the answer", I become worried and anxious. I wonder sometimes if the Western approach to uncertainty, as something to be overcome through effort and force, is causing the stress that so many of us experience.

Benjamin Hoff (p.108, Te of Piglet) writes "To the Taoist, unhappiness is the result of being guided by illusions. Problems are caused by a failure to see What's There. Unpleasant feelings come from illusions: fear from What Might Be (which hasn't happened yet), sadness from What Might Have Been (which is not necessarily what would have been), and so on. People, living in fear of What's Coming Next, What Can Go Wrong, What If I Do Something Foolish, and such, cannot enjoy and make the most out of the present moment."

The tendency to struggle against difficulties that are not really there or to create more difficulties in the process is a waste of energy. As a Chinese saying puts it, such an approach is like "Painting legs on the snake". Those times when I most struggle with uncertainty, indeed feel like holding a slithering poisonous creature in an attempt to add on unnecessary markings. When I am able to trust the process and work in collaboration with other people, problems change into opportunities.

There have been many times in my life when I was certain of the next step and my vision was unfulfilled. I offer a simple example, when I was in seminary I applied for a position at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Oakland to be the Religious Education Administrator. The church was accessible by public transportation and the position seemed like the perfect bridge between my past employment as a preschool teacher and my future vocation as a Parish Minister. I was not hired. At the time, I was crushed. However, looking back, this turn of events allowed for something else to happen. I became the Director of Religious Education with the Rev. Mark Belletini at the church in Hayward. Sure, I had to buy a car- a 1973 lime-green Datsun, which is a whole other story in itself. The connection that I had with Mark and the Hayward church had a powerful and lasting effect on my life that I never could have foreseen. Have there been times in your life when you experienced a disappointment and in retrospect realize that it was a transformative event?

Taoism teaches that when we see beyond the shifting tide of circumstances, there is a pattern of ebb and flow. There is no dichotomy between good and bad. Here is a classic Taoist story to illustrate this point further:

An old man and his son lived in an abandoned fortress on the side of a hill. Their only possession of value was a horse.

One day, the horse ran away. The neighbors came by to offer sympathy. "That's really bad!" they said. "How do you know?" asked the old man.

The next day, the horse returned, bringing with it several wild horses. The old man and his son shut them all inside the gate. The neighbors hurried over. "That's really good!" they said. "How do you know?" asked the old man.

The following day, the son tried riding one of the wild horses, fell off, and broke his leg. The neighbors came around as soon as they heard the news. "That's really bad!" they said. "How do you know?" asked the old man.

The day after that, the army came through, forcing the local young men into service to fight a faraway battle against the northern barbarians. Many of them would never return. But the son couldn't go, because he'd broken his leg.

This story demonstrates, in a dramatic way, that "good" and "bad" are relative values instead of polar opposites. This wisdom is illustrated in the traditional symbol of Taoism and Eastern philosophy, the Yin Yang. Yin represents darkness, intuition, repose and the feminine. Yang represents light, reason, action, and the masculine. Yin and Yang are opposites that inform one another. The symbol is one of balance and is not static. The dynamic relation between these qualities in our lives and the world creates harmony. Diane Dreher explains, "In the wisdom of the Tao, one extreme complements the other. Action and repose seem opposite, but wise action includes rest, reflection, and inner guidance, avoiding the extremes of compulsiveness (excessive yang) or passivity (excessive yin)."

In a culture that emphasizes constant activity, it is essential to find time for repose and reflection so as not to live lives out of balance. As it reads in Chapter 15 of the Tao Te Ching, "Do you have patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain undoing till the right action arises by itself?" If you have trouble taking time for yourself, remember that according to Taoism, the harmony of the world depends upon it! Finding balance is personal. Some people find it through cooking a good meal, gardening, soaking in the bathtub, meditation, dance, or walking in nature. Whatever works for you, be sure to give yourself time and space to find your center.

Chapter 16 from our meditation echoes this sentiment:

Be still
And discover your center of peace.
Throughout nature
The ten thousand things move along,
But each returns to its source.
Returning to center is peace.
Find Tao by returning to source.

We each face the challenges inherent in society's expectations. Our gender, our race, our sexual orientation, and our jobs can become like masks. It is important to remember that we are not the roles that we play or the identities that others place upon us. Often conflicting loyalties and expectations, can lead us to feel uncertain about our lives. Diane Dreher offers the following affirmations:

I have a job but I am not my job. I am one with the Tao.
I have relationships but I am not my relationships. I am one with the Tao.

Taoism points to a larger Harmony and Balance of which we are a part. To be sure, there are struggles in human experience that limit our freedom. The caged bird sings as a prayer, a sign of hope knowing that there is a larger Truth beyond the bars that surround her. Spiritual growth comes when we dare to disarm our own hearts.

Uncertainty still makes my knees shake. I strive to create a life of harmony and balance. The teachings of the Way speak to me and I would like to walk the path of wisdom. Chapter 64 of the Tao Te Ching offers a final note of encouragement:

A tree that reaches past your embrace grows from one small seed.
A structure over nine stories high begins with a handful of earth.
A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.