Follow Nature & Reduce
Stress
A Taoist Perspective
By Taoist Master Yun Xiang Tseng (Chen)
Stress is a leading cause of illness!
Whether it is the war in Iraq, family issues, work pressures, natural
disasters, or other causes, stress builds up and has a cause and
effect on everything and everyone around us. We even experience stress
when looking for answers why things happen to us or to others. This
can lead to placing blame on ourselves, others or on a higher power.
We may be able to alleviate some of those stresses and the need to
blame by understanding the basic laws of nature.
As a life philosophy, Taoism teaches us that we mirror nature and
nature mirrors us. We are one and the same…a part of a whole
macrocosm or, as we like to say, a tiny part of the universal cosmos.
The tendency to mirror or reflect each other also works the same
way in our interactions with other people. When we are negative,
others around us usually become negative, and if we are too negative,
we might not like the response we get. Arguments and fights can be
a common outcome.
Our interactions with each other, nature, and the universe have causes
and effects. Taoism teaches balance and unity within ourselves in
order to have balance and unity with others and the universe. “Tao
follows nature, man and heaven united as one” and “Man
follows the Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Tao and
Tao follows Nature” are popular Taoist sayings that explain
the phenomenon of universal balance and interaction, the law and
principal of the cosmos.
Mankind and the universe are united as one. People enjoy prosperity,
peace, happiness and joy; all phenomena that come from the balance
of the cosmic energy field. Likewise, disharmony and imbalance between
mankind and earth, heaven and Tao, will produce unpleasant phenomena.
The earth, other planets and the rest of the cosmos have existed
in relative balance for millions of years. When people on earth start
wars, commit murders, destroy natural resources and live indulgently,
disharmony and imbalance occur between man and earth. The environment
and the chi (energy) field surrounding earth become damaged and imbalanced.
Earth can temporarily keep up the harmony and balance with the other
planets; however, the difference between the earth’s revolution
and other planets during this process varies greatly and ultimately
produces a chain reaction of imbalance, causing each of those planet’s
energy fields to become disrupted. This starts those planets adjusting
to a new relative balance between them until the next wave of imbalance
occurs. This is the cosmos natural way of healing itself. As a result,
earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, and tornadoes can be byproducts from
the universal imbalance.
The human body works similarly. If you’re
stressed by life, busy entertaining life or entertained by life,
desire and emotion will cause a great deal of stress. It will finally
result in imbalance between body, mind and spirit, producing emotional,
physical and spiritual disease sometimes resulting in death which
will in turn start a new cycle of life.
Maintaining balance and harmony is up to us as humans in our relationship
to each other and with our earth. If we don’t take responsibility
for this, but continue to break the harmonious laws and principles
of mankind, earth, heaven and nature, the result may well be an early
arrival of the third Ice Age. Therefore, wise people understand that
natural disasters are not caused by one person, society, country
or God. It is all of us as a whole society that contributes to imbalance
and natural disasters.
Only when all people on earth work together toward peace and joy,
to protect it and each other, practice virtue and kindness, will
man and earth, heaven and Tao, Tao and nature produce eternal relative
balance. We will gain balanced energy and the ultimate peace for
life.
In Taoism we look at stress as a result of imbalance between spirit
and body. We teach people to go back to the root of the Tao and return
to stillness, to find peace and harmony between body and mind. Taoism
is following the nature of your present life, and having compassion,
mercy and love towards yourself and others. By doing so, this will
reduce stress and let you live a more prosperous life.
Under this philosophy, over thousands of years, Taoists have developed
internal exercises such as Qigong or Tai Chi to reduce stress and
bring harmony between mind, body and spirit. These exercises let
our minds direct chi or “life force” inside the physical
body to cultivate stillness, resulting in peace and harmony between
our organs. In turn it increases our immune system to fight illness
which may try to invade our bodies. Our individual stillness helps
the harmony of the universe.
Master Yun Xiang Tseng,
fondly known as “Chen”, was a child prodigy in Taoist
Immortality practices, psychic healing and martial arts. At the age
of six, he was chosen as his master’s sucessor and trained
in ancient taoist practices throughout his upbringing. He is a 25th
generation longmen branch taoist priest from Wudang Mountain.
Master Yun Xiang Tseng, 
