Tag: The Tao of Longevity

New Years Resolutions

Tao strategies for achieving your goals (series)

Article 1 in this Goal Series

Summary:

  • This article is the first in a series of posts on Tao strategies for achieving goals and living a long and successful life.
  • The main Tao principles for avoiding failure: The document discusses some of the Tao teachings that can help people overcome obstacles and challenges, such as meditation, wu wei, oneness, moderation, simplicity, and desire.
  • The ultimate goal of longevity: The document explains that longevity is more than just living a long life, but also living a content and well-being life that is aligned with one’s spiritual harmony.
  • The importance of working on the self first: The document emphasizes that the quality of the mind creates the quality of existence and that one should cultivate sovereignty, which is the ability to detach from the ego and take charge of one’s life.
  • The role of self-discipline and willpower: The document advises that one should be mindful and careful of the goals they select and that they should have the self-discipline and willpower to resist distractions and bad habits that can lead to failure.
  • The next step in the series: The document announces that the next blog post will discuss how to wake up and take charge of the mind through meditation and mindfulness.

It’s January and we are all starting a new year. I was curious about what the new resolution failure rate is so I asked an AI (MS Copilot). Copilot says that a 2016 study that of the 41% of people who make resolutions, only 9% feel they were successful in keeping them; and that means a 91% failure rate.

I have spent a lot of time contemplating failure, and until I began following the Tao, I was one of the 91%. Once I began practicing some of the Tao teachings, I was able to achieve a higher success rate.

A New Series – Being Successful in 2024

This post will be the first in a series of articles on Tao strategies for avoiding failure and achieving goals for a more successful life this year. I anticipate topics later not listed below, these are at least what will be covered.

Discussion Post Topics

Meditation / Mindfulness vs Distraction

Wu Wei – detached action  vs Striving and attachment to outcome

Oneness vs wrong thinking

Moderation, balance, and Harmony vs Excess, imbalance, and entropy

Simplicity vs complexity

Desire: Want vs Need

What is your life goal?

Longevity is the ultimate life goal. Taoist longevity is more than just clawing your way to old age only arrive to senior hood in such a poor condition that you cannot fully enjoy the golden years. There are those [seniors] who can enjoy many years of contentment and well-being having successfully traveled a long life journey avoiding chronic disease and poverty. Your life goal could be to live long and well, experiencing, learning, and evolving spiritually. The longer you live the further you advance. How well you advance, and how successful you become will be determined by lots of factors. The goal of longevity is to live a long, content, and successful life.

Photo by Sharefaith on Pexels.com

Most people have learned that big goals are accomplished by breaking them down into actions and steps that carry them along to their destiny. This new year we have begun another time segment along the way. We are experiencing life and passing along a timeline cycle that begins January 1st and ends December 31st. This is a moment when you consider your destiny.

Thanks to Lao Tzu, Tao cultivators know that the future is not pre-determined. That we craft our destiny in the choices we make each moment of each day along our life path. Tao cultivators also know that physical longevity is reflected by the cultivating of spiritual harmony. Spiritual harmony is cultivated in the relationship between the spirit, the mind, and the physical world. Remember, we are spiritual beings having a physical experience. The quality of the mind creates the quality of existence. Taking a moment to be self-aware and reflecting on your Life goal is a most powerful step for Longevity and well-being.

  • Where do you want to be in life by the time you become a senior? Think of how you want life to be like then.
  • Now think about where you want to be at the end of this year.
  • What do you need to do, what are the action steps you need to take to get there?
  • Can you see that all other goals either take you towards achieving your Longevity (life goal) or they take you further away from them?

Picking the Right Goals

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Be mindful and careful of the goals you select. If you are not setting goals that create a destiny of well-being, you are wasting time and resources. By this statement, I am asking you to examine your New Year resolution to see if you are striving for success as defined by ego mentality. I have noticed in my “self” and others, that when in an ego state of mind, I will find my “self” thinking/saying “I will be happy when _____(fill in the blank). These can be empty goals. This ego trap can be avoided by learning to be content in the present moment and not postponing happiness and well-being until some future moment when you may or may not achieve the goal. Also, be realistic and consider carefully how achievable the goal is.

  • What are the costs? Consider the cost to be more than just money, but also time and energy. How will the money, time, and energy spent on working on this goal affect other areas of life?
  • What motives or intentions are behind your decision to pursue this goal? Are they driven by ego traits such as vanity, greed, or any other superficial desire? Or are they based on more virtuous reasons such as being fit and healthy? Are they simple, straightforward, less expensive, and not complicated?
  • Are the actions and steps simple and easy enough that you can do them without striving? Are they challenging enough to be meaningful when completed?

Do you have the self-discipline and willpower to resist the many ego distractions that can take you down a side path and away from the true path that leads to success? Be honest [with your “self”] and consider how well you can maintain these two virtues. If you answered no to self-discipline and willpower, then this book is for you. Without these two virtues, you will fail. Willpower and self-discipline fall under the Tao principle of Sovereignty, which is to be able to be detached from the ego influence and take charge of your life.

Let me be clear, goals are important. Ship captains all have a distant port that they are navigating towards for a future arrival. Yet all sailors know that along the way, day by day, life goes on while the ship slowly makes its way toward its destination. All sorts of obstacles and challenges can appear along the way. As long as the Captain, crew, and ship stay focused and do their job they maintain their forward progress. A voyage will face challenges, slow-downs, and setbacks, but the Captain stays on course by dealing with all the small and large problems they will encounter.

A journey of a thousand miles begins beneath the feet.

Lot Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, v11, Chapter 64

Moment by moment, mile by mile they keep tracking towards their destination. Each step is right here, right now. The example of the Captain, ship, and crew is a metaphor for your life journey. The ship’s Captain is you, the spirit commands and makes all final decisions. You are the Captain of your journey through life and your crew are all the people you interact with who help you get to where you are going. Letting the ego take over your mind, would be like the Captain going to sleep and only waking up when the ship runs aground. Or letting ego emotions take over the mind is like a crew that mutinies and takes over the ship, and decides to change course and go to a more attractive destination. When this happens, the cargo is never delivered, the goal is not accomplished and problems get worse.

Pirate crew as a metaphor for ego traits that cause problems when the spirit is weak (without Sovereignty)
Photo by Arian Fdez on Pexels.com

So the Tao lesson for doing this is called “working on the ‘self’ first”. This means that in the moment-by-moment, day-to-day journey of life, you are awake, aware, and mindful of each step you take to get where you intend to. All ships face stormy weather and other obstacles along the way. A voyage is a series of course corrections that keep the ship heading in the right direction to the intended destination. Your life voyage is the same with each moment offering choices that either lead you toward your goal or away from it.

The Topic: Sovereignty – The Spiritual Discipline of “self” management.

The first Tao principle for you to begin working on is Sovereignty. As mentioned above, research uncovered by the Copilot AI, that most people (91%) will fall off of the path and not keep their promises to themselves. My experience is that it takes Willpower and Discipline. Or more accurately it takes “Self” discipline.

I define a Sovereign as one who is the supreme authority or ruler over a domain. You can think of it as being the leader of a country like a President, a Prime Minister, a King or a Queen. Sometimes these supreme rulers are great leaders and are loved by the people, and sometimes they are hated as wicked despots. History remembers them as benevolent and wise leaders. Modern society has memorialized their words as common sayings. And you can look back through history and see where the powerful tyrants have created catastrophe and suffering. These types of monarchs have left devastation and are remembered as examples of humanity’s dark side.

For a moment think of yourself as a Czar and the empire you rule over is your life. Within this dominion are the people you interact with and the challenges you experience. As the ruler over your life, how is it going? As the president of your life, your choices and decisions play a prominent role in both the present moment and your future. The seeds of the future, your destiny, are planted in the present moment. The present moment you are experiencing now began in your past. As the top decision-maker, what kind of life have you created?

Sovereignty is about how you can become a successful and efficient ruler through consciously cultivating “self” discipline and will-power. Sovereignty is more than just a term; it is a state of being. It is being self-aware and mindful of how you perceive reality along with wise choices and right actions. It is a management system implemented in a state of self-awareness. This self-awareness is an awakened state, as a spiritual being, managing and experiencing life. See the blog devoted to cultivating The Tao of Sovereignty.

If you look back over your life and consider the areas where you have failed, you will see that being unable to control ego, desire, and other emotions was the main reason.

“…Accumulating virtues means there is nothing one cannot overcome

When there is nothing that one cannot overcome

One’s limits are unknown

The limitations being unknown, one can possess sovereignty…”

Excerpt from Chapter 59, Tao Te Ching

Cultivating Sovereignty is simply working on the “self” first. In this case, “self” is the ego aspect of your mind which is often in control. If the ego becomes the ruler over the mind and all of the many life choices, you will experience failure often. Working on the “self” means waking up, transcending, and becoming free of this mental state so that your deeper essence, your spirit, and your true self are in charge of your life. To wake up is to become “self-aware” and to detach and to move beyond being trapped in the ego mind. As the old master Lao Tzu states with this ability “One’s limits are unknown”.

About the ultimate goal of Life, which is Longevity, you will no longer be trapped in continued failure but instead create a destiny, a future that is the one filled with a series of continued successes. To be even more specific, with Sovereignty (spiritual self-discipline), you will be able to break those dangerous habits that cause chronic disease. With willpower, you will be able to resist bad financial choices that lead to not having enough money to live comfortably.

The next step is to learn how to wake up and take charge of your mind. We will discuss that in the next blog post: Meditation and Mindfulness.

I invite you to read a copy of the book, The Tao of Longevity, which is filled with much more detail than found in this blog series. If you are an Amazon Kindle Unlimited Subscriber, you can get a free copy of the book here.

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The Tao of Longevity

I asked an AI to summarize the book.

“The Tao of Longevity is a book that explores how to prevent and heal chronic diseases by following the ancient wisdom of Taoism. The author, Samuel E Beasley, shares his personal journey of overcoming two chronic diseases that were caused by his unhealthy lifestyle habits. He explains how he discovered “the way” of Taoism, which is a philosophy and practice of living in harmony with nature and oneself. He also provides practical advice on how to adopt a Taoist lifestyle that leads to natural longevity and well-being. 🌱

Some of the topics covered in the book are:
How to stop making bad choices that cause chronic disease and how to take control of your life and destiny.

How to cultivate a calm and disciplined mind that can make the right choices and stop self-destructive behaviors.

How to nourish your body with natural foods and herbs that support your health and vitality.

How to exercise your body with gentle and effective movements that enhance your energy and immunity.

How to balance your emotions and cultivate positive feelings that enrich your life and relationships.

How to connect with your spirit and discover your true purpose and meaning in life.

The book is based on the author’s personal experience and research, as well as the teachings of Taoist masters and sages. It is written in a simple and engaging style, with anecdotes, examples, and exercises. The book aims to inspire and empower readers to transform their lives and achieve a long life of well-being. 🙌

I hope this summary gives you an idea of what the book is about. If you are interested in reading the book, you can find it on Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, ThriftBooks, Amazon, or other online platforms. You can also follow the author’s Facebook page for more updates and information. 😊
If you have any other questions or requests, please let me know. I can also generate creative content

Microsoft Copilot
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How to Use the Tao as a Tool for Longevity

And All Other Areas of life.

The Tao is empty; when utilized, it is not filled up So deep! It seems to be the source of all things.

V1&2, Chap 4, Tao Te Ching

During a recent Tao lesson on Chapter 4 by Derek Lin, he said something that is good advice for Tao cultivators who are always looking for ways to implement Tao practice for success in life. He was discussing verse one, which is Lao Tzu’s explanation that the Tao is empty but unlimited. Derek used our universe, space, as an example. Space goes on infinitely, without end and without limits. In this line, Lao Tzu is describing it as if it were a vessel that, no matter how much is poured into it, it is never filled up. He uses the ancient word for “use it,” in which the modern context is worded as “utilized.” Thus, the suggestion is to use it (the Tao) as a tool to be used. Derek explains that the more you use the Tao, the better life becomes. The rest of the chapter is about applying the Tao in life. If you read it without explanation, it very well may not make sense, so I encourage you to watch the video as Derek unpacks the deeper meaning of this ancient wisdom. Once you have heard the entire lesson, you will see why Lao Tzu says, “So Deep! It seems to be the source of all things. “

So, after hearing this lesson, I began to think about the concept of using the Tao as a tool. And more specifically, how does one use the Tao daily to succeed, thrive, and survive? How would Tao cultivators use the Tao for Longevity goals? What are some Tao lessons that would apply?

To begin with, one has to learn to awaken and be present. Being present includes mindfulness. You must be self-aware and consciously recognize the moment of choice at hand and then be able to consider how to apply the Tao to that situation.

Yet, as I found out, just being aware is not enough by itself. One must learn the spiritual lessons or Tao lessons that can be mindfully applied. By studying the Tao, you will have the lessons at hand to apply when the opportunity arises.

This brings about the question of what Tao lesson should you learn? My answer is that you can start with a problem or question you may have right now in your life. What is something you are trying to deal with? What is a situation where you really need to make the right choice and be able to follow the right path forward to good place in the future? If you have studied the Tao, you might know right off what the Tao would recommend. Others of you may not know in the beginning where to start. Your journey begins by searching for the answers and lessons on your own. Perhaps in one of my books, you will see something that resonates. A good start would be listening to a lecture such as the one listed above. Over time, you will pick up lots of interconnected wisdom.

Longevity Challenges

How would a Tao cultivator deal with some of the current challenges our world faces today?

We can start close to home with our wallets. Most people right now, November 2023, are coming face to face with the cost of living becoming a challenge. Everything is expensive right now. Trying to avoid becoming homeless is harder and harder. So, as a Tao cultivator, I can see two complementary perspectives. The first is prevention, and the second is conservation. Like all Tao virtues, these two can appear to be just “feel good” cliches with little practical value. But Tao cultivators recognize their power.

Prevention is something many people could put more emphasis on. Yet you should also see that prevention is easier applied if one has also been practicing conservation. From a financial perspective, conservation would be to mindfully manage limited money resources so that they go as far as possible. It is hard to enact prevention from a state of lacking resources. But once the action of conservation has taken effect, resources will stay available. From an awakened state, steps can be taken to avoid unnecessary spending. Having enough financial resources to live a comfortable life in all circumstances is the goal of the Tao cultivator.

  • Keep this lesson simple.
  • Wake up.
  • Pay attention to desire.
  • Use discipline to refrain from making useless expenditures.

It’s not complicated, but in the beginning, it can be hard do to. So start small and be consistent. Cultivate mindfulness so that you can be awake and aware of what you are doing and why.

What did Lao Tzu think about conservation? He listed it as one of “three treasures” that he held a very important. You can learn more about the lesson of The Three Treasures here.

…I have three treasures
I hold on to them and protect them.
The first is called compassion.
The second is called conservation
The third is called not daring to be ahead in the world..

Verses 7-11, Chapter 67, Tao Te Ching

A Tao Tool for Conserving Financial Resources

Conservation, the second treasure, is to take care of what you have. Regarding financial resources and the ability to create wealth, one should take great care not to waste them. In my book, Sovereignty, I discuss at great length how the ego, if left unmanaged, causes great self-harm.

So, one must be awake and present to make wise choices for well-being. At the root of ego waste is the anti-virtue of desire. Managing desire is part of the process of self-discipline. Self-discipline, controlling the ego self, is applying the Tao in life. When the ego is controlled, you are aware of it, yet have no trouble asking yourself in the moment of choice, is this a want or a need? Too many choices where you give into want or false need will unnecessarily waste financial resources. As someone who knows first hand, this directly affects quality of life.

A lot is riding on being on sound financial footing. Sometimes, life becomes hard through no fault of our own. Yet the opportunity will come when you can do something constructive to improve your situation. At that moment, it is important to know what to do. That is when the Tao lesson will come into play. In a moment of clarity, you will ask:

  • Do I save that money, or do I give in to my ego?
  • Will this take me further from or closer to financial stability?
  • Is this something ego wants, or do I really need this? (be honest!)

Health and Fitness

Once you learn the virtue of conservation and apply it daily without even thinking about it, you will have a Tao skill to “hold it and protect it.” This same Tao tool, conservation, is a principle that should be applied to other areas of life, such as Health and Fitness, which require the same spirit of conservation. With diet, it is the quantity and quality of nutrition. Can you be conservative with your nutrition and avoid those things that negatively affect your health? Overindulgence and poor nutrition quality can quickly erode Longevity. Conservation applied to lifestyle in the form of eating can keep you on the path to good health, which is arguably necessary for Longevity.

With Fitness, it will mean learning to conserve energy through a balance of rest and exercise. Lots of this is discussed in the Tao of Longevity Book. See the section on The Longevity Protocol. Good Fitness is a state of harmony derived through a balance of physical activities with its complementary opposite of rest and sleep. Conservation protects this balance and the sense of Harmony that can be a game changer in the way you feel. In this way, a Tao cultivator uses the tool of conservation to manage various aspects of life and lifestyle to achieve the highest success.

“So deep! It seems to be the source of all things.”

The action of conservation is a Tao tool. To really see its “deep” effects, you must use it in all aspects of life. I have found firsthand that it works. Now that you see that Tao lessons are tools to achieve success in life try seeing how you can use other lessons/tools to help you navigate life for the long haul. See out other Tao lessons, get to know how they work, and try them in everyday situations in life.

Don’t Forget Karma

Don’t forget the actionable creative force in the Tao known as Karma, or cause and effect. Every choice and every decision are seeds planted in each moment that will grow and mature into a future state of experience. So, in each moment, plant the seeds of virtue so that you will end up in a better place down the road. With this in mind, consider the other two treasures that Lao Tzu holds dear and holds onto: Compassion and Humility which are Tao lessons in themselves. Just know that these are powerful life-changing tools to cultivate a better life if you use them effectively.

All the blog posts in this blog are lessons that are tools to be used by a person cultivating the Tao. When you read about a different lesson, try to think of how they, too, can be used as tools for Longevity. You might also explore the other book blog for other Tao lessons regarding spiritual self-discipline. The Tao of Sovereignty Blog.

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Self-Care

Self-Care: Devotion to longevity through regular steps to restore and preserve well-being both internally and externally.

What is your idea of self-care? Is it binge-watching TV after a hard day? Is it eating “high calorie, low nutrition junk food after a long day of drama? Maybe, if you are lucky, you realize it’s not the right path and are searching for answers. Chapter 33 in the book discusses this important lifestyle routine to stay on the better, enjoy life, and stay on the longevity path.

There are many chapters on bringing about harmony, the foundation for well-being. The Tao Te Ching has many lessons for avoiding the things that cause stress, drama, anxiety, and the seduction of desire (ego). Five sections of The Tao of Longevity book will guide you in understanding how to take care of your “self” along your life’s journey and avoid the suffering brought about by following the path of distraction being dominated by the ego (self).

Meditation is the highest level of self-care because it is the means of transcending the distracted state in which we make our worst choices. Bad choices, often made while coping and distracted, have the karmic effect of evolving into a state of suffering, which is the opposite of well-being. Self-care is the action of preventing, restoring, and maintaining a high state of harmony and balance through the everyday choices we all make each day. So many of us are necessarily distracted and do not even notice what we are doing and what impact it will have on life, so it is important to wake up and pay attention to what we are doing and why. This is the function of meditation and mindfulness.

Once you are “self-aware,” you can head off the not-smart choices and choose things that will bring about the conditions for feeling really good as a normal state of being.

So…how well are you taking care of your “self”? Ready to take charge of your life path and find that place where you honestly feel and think “life is good”?

Kindle Ebook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CL2JDWDQ

Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKZD171M

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Tao Cultivation

One does not have to be or identify as a Taoist to benefit from following the Tao, or The Way. In other words, you don’t have to become a Taoist. I believe that following Tao discipline will better help you follow your chosen religion and avoid sin. Just be your true self and follow your true path. Learning the way of reality and the path to enlightenment is a spiritual path, thus it is called “the way.” Tao cultivation is, not a religion but a spiritual practice as well as a spiritual discipline. Cultivating the Tao is directly about spiritual awakening and longevity so that you will experience an easier and more successful long life. Following the way is to stop self-destructive habits and live in harmony with the Tao, as you experience life.

In ancient times, Chinese people worshipped various deities and ancestors, so it began as religion. Even today there are still some who do treat Taoism as a religion worshiping ancient ancestors and deities while following Taoist canon. I perceive modern Taoism as a spiritual-philosophical discipline and path to enlightenment. It shares a significant amount of Chinese Buddhism that merged with Taoism after it came over from India 5th century BCE. Through meditation and self-study, you can find your true nature. This is your true self. Living life this way is the true path. Tao cultivation is practicing and refining your ability to be self-aware and follow the way so that you live life successfully. The opposite of this is to be constantly distracted by ego tendencies and desires that have us wandering off onto side paths that lead to poor health.

Awakening from the distracted state of a pure ego mind is the first step. Imagine being able to be consciously aware of most of what you do, and why you do it. With Spiritual Discipline, you dispel the ego and stay true to your true self. The harmony that results from this can be transformative in the best ways.

Implementing and living life from this enlightened state of being is the intent and purpose of cultivating the Tao. Henceforth in this book, the term for those who seek to walk the higher path will be known as “Tao Cultivators.” The Tao Cultivator knows that destiny is not predetermined the future looks bright while avoiding self-destructive choices and mistakes. You will know when you have found a connection to the Tao when luck begins to turn your way. If you continue the discipline, you can trend higher over time. There will be difficulties, but your inner strength keeps you steady and on the path.  Anyone who cultivates this ability regardless of religion is a Tao Cultivator. Cultivating the Tao is cultivating Longevity by transcending the ego mind and finding the true path.

It is good to think of the term Destiny which may be defined as that which will happen what you will experience in the future. This program’s slogan is “your destiny is not predetermined”. This is to say that much of your future has not been decided yet and you have the opportunity right now to shape it into the future or destiny that you would rather experience. Of course, death awaits us all which none of us can avoid, but the when and how of your return to the Tao is something you can determine if you cultivate longevity.

You may still be deciding whether you want to opt-in or not for what the Tao of Longevity offers. The first thing you should realize and accept is that you are already on this path whether you want to be or not and whether you even realize it. When you are not consciously aware of how your choices and actions are creating your future, the neglect will contribute to atrophy with Longevity being cut short.

Atrophy is anti-life. A general definition of atrophy is the wasting away of the body and mind due to various causes. Specifically in this book, the intent is to bring awareness of how our lifestyle either contributes to well-being and longevity or decline and atrophy. In this sense atrophy is anti-life which is a force of nature. All of us are fighting for our life from the moment we are conceived. There are many causes of death that happen naturally, so the first step is to stop contributing to existing and future atrophy by what you are doing in the present moment. Thus, in every moment you are making choices that lead to longevity or early suffering and death. There is always a moment of choice if you are present and able to take hold of it. In every moment of every day, you are creating your destiny.

Hopefully, you are here reading these words because you are seeking a means of creating a better destiny for yourself. The information on this site is here for that very reason, to help you create a destiny that is not just longer, but with success, contentment, fulfillment, and well-being. I have developed a protocol that has served me well in changing my uncertain destiny to be able to not only survive longer but to realize a sense of joy and contentment that eluded me before cultivating the Tao. You can read my bio[1] to see the situations (heart disease and cancer) that I was able to get control over and am remaining viable and healthy. So, I am sharing it with you on these pages with step-by-step practices to cultivate your longevity path. The keyword here is “cultivate” which means to develop a skill”. Your job is to become highly skilled at being successful in life. Here are the steps in cultivation.

Tao (The Way) cultivation has some key principles:

  • Meditation – attaining oneness with the Tao by transcending the ego self and awakening as the true self (spirit).
  • Mindfulness – paying attention to the mind with detached observation
  • Sovereignty – the principle of the spiritual discipline of Willpower and Self-control (ego management)
  • Accumulating Tao Virtues – by implementing Tao lessons into the choices and actions in every minute of every day that results in lasting well-being.
  • Lifestyle Changes – living your life following the Tao, and in harmony with nature.


Those who set out to follow The Way, are called Tao cultivators. While cultivation does not have to follow a linear path, it should begin with learning or improving these principles above principles. The best time and place to begin is right here and right now. Through the karmic result of cause and effect, extraordinary results will begin to happen.

Summary: You, We, and everyone is on the longevity path whether realized it or not. Up to now, you may have been blindly stumbling through life, making yourself sick and using up life force (Qi) faster than you can replenish it. Or you have begun the change but are ready for the next step. Perhaps you have been given a death sentence by the medical community and want to fight for your life. Whatever your story is, this path can maybe buy you some more time. How much time you can recover is dependent on your circumstances and how deep atrophy has become entrenched. If your time is running out, perhaps the Tao can help you find contentment to accept and deal with what you have left. Time is running out for all of us, and no one knows when the end will catch up. That said, it is never too late to wake up and become your true self and be the spirit you are.

[1] Bio Here:   https://lifestylesforlongevity.blog/about-the-dixie-taoist/

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Physical Longevity Is a Reflection of Spiritual Longevity

“The Tao of Longevity and Lasting Vision”

Acumulating virtues, means there is nothing one cannot overcome

When there is nothing that one cannot overcome,

One’s limits are unknown.

The limits being unknown, one can possess Sovereignty.

With this mother principle of power, one can be everlasting.

This is called deep roots and firm foundation.

The Tao of Longevity and Lasting Vision

Longevity is a topic that is becoming more prevalent these days, with fitness a $96 billion dollar industry worldwide. This may be driven by the collective ego of people who simply want to look good for everyone else. Yet there are plenty of people who are sick with chronic diseases who simply want to live longer and experience contentment. This is the group that I hope to offer assistance to. So rather than focus just on physical longevity, The Tao (the way, the path) of Longevity begins with Spiritual Longevity.

What is Spiritual Longevity? Like many spiritual traditions, Tao Cultivators understand that there is much more than just the physical aspect of “self”. For those who believe in reincarnation, there is a never-ending cycle of life and death in which the spirit experiences many lives. Too often these lives are filled with suffering and misery through no fault of their own. Yet in this modern age, there is a lot of suffering that people cause for themselves. The glaring question is why we as a society, especially Western Society, do this to ourselves.

Six in ten Americans live with at least one chronic disease, like heart disease and stroke, cancer, or diabetes. These and other chronic diseases are the leading causes of death and disability in America, and they are also a leading driver of health care costs.

Source: CDC (Center for Disease Control)

The answer I believe lies within. Too many people are dominated by ego-driving desires and distractions living in a waking dream of always striving for more. According to the CDC, six out of ten people cause themselves to be chronically ill, a category of self-caused suffering. The course of action to stop this destructive behavior is learning to control themselves. Or more specifically learning to control ego and desire. One must learn to wake up and become conscious and aware of what they are doing and why. The becomes the foundation of “self” discipline, where “self” is binary. The ego-self must be controlled by the spiritual self, also known as the “True Self”. This is the intent and purpose of spiritual cultivation which is internal. So before a person cannot effectively work on physical longevity, they must first awaken and cultivate spiritual longevity.

Your Destiny Is Not Predetermined

The sub-title to the new book and this blog, “Your Destiny Is Not Predermined”, means that you do not have to end up one of the 6 in 10 people who developed a chronic disease and die before you should. If you truly want to have a long successful life, you can become the sovereign ruler over your physical life and manage the ego so that the choices you make lead to a much better destiny. We make choices every moment of every day that creates our future. When we are awake and aware, consciously choosing those actions that are right, and promoting harmony, physical longevity will follow.

What is meant by waking up and paying attention? Most people who have not trained in mediation, do not comprehend just how distracted they are. Their busy minds are inundated with too much activity, stress, and drama. Their mindstream can be like a mountain river after a flash flood; out of control. Meditation is the state of being where the spirit, also considered to be the “observer” remains detached and awake, not lost in the incessant stream of thoughts and emotions. This is covered in detail in the book. Once awakened, the higher self becomes the Sovereign ruling life through wisdom and experience, avoiding the ego traps that cause suffering. This state of being is known as “self-awareness”. Once awake and aware, the observing true self (spirit) can pay attention to the mind and guard against ego takeover without being reactive to it. Through stillness, desire is dispelled and the ego becomes distant.

The term “Tao Cultivator” simply means one who cultivates the way. It is the way of reality, the way of living successfully, and with harmony in world around us. Harmony, as you will learn in the book, is no small thing. It is a powerful virtue, that through the cause and effect of Karma, turns the choices you make into the destiny of wellbeing. So if you want to truly have a long successful life, now and in future lifetimes, cultivate spiritual longevity and the physical will follow. Karmic affinity will follow your lives with the wisdom you attained, so that each time around you can improve and get better. Spiritual longevity is not just about this life, but also about the ones that will follow.

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The Tao of Transcendence

I define Meditation as a transcendent state of being. Transcendence is to exist and experience clear of, beyond, or above the physical realm. Even more to the point, Meditation cultivates the ability to transcend the ego mind which often dominates the physical world. To cultivate Longevity, a person must rise above the ego-self and take charge of life. Another way of seeing Transcendence is to understand it awaken from the ego self and go beyond, rise above into the True Self.

Self

The first principle to consider is to wake up and recognize the duality of consciousness and mind, and then to transcend it. Let us begin with a rudimentary definition of the word “self”. In the interactive physical realm ego sense of self is often reflected in the word “me”.

This term is useful and necessary in modern-day syntax for effective communication. We use it multiple times a day, every day. As a language tool, the word “me” is used by a person to refer to themselves. As you can see the word “self” is woven into our way of speech and is indispensable. Also referring to one’s self in the grammatical sense is “I” which denotes who is “doing” or “being”. “Me” denotes the object of a verb and is used when the speaker is the receiver of something. See if you can notice how many times a day and in the context, you use the words Me, I, and Self while communicating with others.

The next perspective to consider is the metaphysical or spiritual one. In this view, both “I” and “me” refer to the ego through its sense of “self-awareness” which is almost reflected through cravings and desire. Examples:

“What about me?” Or “what about mine”

“I need that” or “I want that” and “I must have that to be happy”

The Duality of Self

All things in the Tao follow the Yin Yang duality. The duality of self is in the broader sense The spiritual eternal self and the physical self. The Spirit Self or True Self is the eternal soul, and the Physical self is the entity you identify with and experience life in the physical realm. The Physical self is also The spiritual self that does not think in language so the subject pronoun is not relevant. In the physical realm, the physical self is binary. Physical spirit is a reflection of the eternal spirit (True-Self) a forms duality with the ego-self. Think of Yin (physical spirit harmonizing in the physical realm with the ego-self. When a person has not yet transcended, they mostly experience life through the ego self with Ying following Yang which is how most people identify. Being “me” is all they know. Right now, you may be coming to this realization.

According to Tao Tzu, only one in ten people are successful in life. These are the awakened ones who follow the true path. The rest, nine out ten, suffer and die too soon. These are the ones who have not awakened yet and their ego self is causing failure in life. The one in ten he speaks of have transcended the ego and have attained Sovereignty. Sovereignty is the virtue of ruling over your life with wisdom and clarity.

Transcendence

Transcendence is the process of awakening from the prison of the ego. The ego and its associated mind link form a multiplex of subroutines or personalities that form this illusionary identity. The ego is a mental entity that creates the illusion. This self-created prison is the ego mind which traps the person through craving (desire) and fear. The illusion of prison is constructed by the inability to let go of attachments that arise from desire or fear. When we suffer, we look for ways to cope with emotional and physical pain. These coping measures become habits and addictions which lead to more suffering. Yet we cannot let go because we fear we will lose, and we desire more of it to stop the suffering. It often creates a downward spiral which becomes harder and harder to escape as time goes on. Since this is all that, you know, there appears to be no way out of the life of suffering. This is a big illusion. The illusion can be broken by awakening from this realistic dream state through meditation. The important thing is that every one of us has the potential to awaken and know the truth through meditation and transcendence.

Self-awareness – The True Self

Transcendence is an evolution of awakening:

  • Awakening – (rising above the thinking mind, the process of detaching)
  • Presence (Self-aware, present, fully in the now)
  • Oneness (Stillness, clarity, and unity with Tao)
  • Dissipation/Dispelling (of desire and emotion)
  • Harmony

Meditation is a Transcended state of being (awareness) where through observation there becomes a distinction between consciousness and mind. This is a subject-object view where the observer is the subject, and the mind is the object. Who is this observer that is separate from the mind? It is the true self or soul that is eternal and all-knowing. The realization of this is the transcendence of waking up from pure ego being to spiritual being. When awakened (transcended) one is self-aware. This is to say, that the true self is detached and observing recognizing that there is much to life than the singular egoic view of life. Of the two parts of the physical self, it is the physical spiritual self that is unified with the true self (soul). The True Self shines through the physical true self and manages life. This is sovereignty and the only way to manage the ego.

The Ego.

The Ego is a mental entity. It evolved with our species as we grew more sophisticated and learned how to survive in a harsh environment. It is the aspect of mind and self that takes care of “me”. It is crafty, smart, tenacious, and narcissistic. Unlike other religions that direct a person towards enlightenment by annihilating the ego, the Taoist approach is one of management recognizing that completely ridding oneself of ego is both impossible and extreme. Arguably the ego must be managed yet sometimes it can bring forth something that the true self can use. The ego is attached to emotion which can be problematic therefore, transcendence from it being the sole identity is the way to break free of emotional attachments.  For the person, possibly you the reader, the ego is all that you know. This means you identify with the ego and all its attachments, desires, and dark emotions. Yet most people have a moment from time to time where a subtle wise whisper suggests the higher path. Part of the wise self will get through, if only for a moment, and in that pause, the true self is rising above, and you are awakening. But then, without training, most will slip back into the world of ego and be lost again for some period of time, suffering, and not knowing how to escape.

Transcendence is the waking of the True Self. This awakened state is known as self-awareness. As you begin to awaken to the realization that you are and always have been a spiritual being having a physical experience so does the possibility of escaping. The prison disappears and you, your true essence is free to construct and manage a successful life. In meditation, thoughts become objects to be observed in a detached non-reactive manner. It is in the stillness or emptiness of thought where oneness with the Tao is discovered. With oneness, you will gain clarity and enlightenment.  It is in the stillness that becomes the source of clarity. Clarity is the truth of reality. Enlightenment in this context is the end of self-caused suffering

There are three meditations recommended for the process of awakening and cultivating self-awareness and sovereignty (discipline over the ego).

  • Transcendence Meditation (Mantra or Breath)
  • Mindfulness Meditation (detached observation of the mind)
  • Contemplative Meditation (detached self-discovery and reflection)

There are many other types of meditation, these three are what I advised for cultivating self-awareness, sovereignty, and enlightenment. You can find instructors for these in many places. It is your job to find the teacher and begin the process of learning and cultivating.

Self-awareness is a state of being that is apart from or above the duality of mind and ego. Both the physical spirit self and the ego self mold and shape the mind.  It is the illusion that you are the mind is the state that you awaken from. In self-awareness, you become aware of the ego and its influence over the mind and thus life. From the perspective of self-awareness, you can control your destiny through choices the wisdom of the true self makes and ignore the always insistence needy whiny ego. These choices directly affect the destiny of longevity and the quality of present life.

Self-awareness takes cultivation. There is the initial awakening from which most people will fall back asleep with the illusion of ego life. To make it stick takes practice and repetition to get strong and stronger at staying awake, aware, and detached. Through practice, your skill gets stronger and stronger which means that you begin to remain longer and longer in the awakened state. As this happens life begins to change in the most amazing and wonderful ways.

See Stillness Meditation in the Meditation Section

The True Self (Living Spirit) and the True Path.

The Way of longevity is one the being on the true path. What is the true self and the true path? The true self is the transcended sense of self that is awakened and aware. In the diagram above it is called the living spirit.  I follow the perspective that in the physical realm and physical life experience these two aspects. Physical spirit self and ego mind self. The living spirit is the avatar of the soul for experiencing physical life. This is the meaning of the saying, “a spiritual being having a physical experience”.

Through meditation and transcendence, the physical living spirit awakens and takes charge of life which is the Tao principle of Sovereignty.  In the diagram above you can see that the living spirit holds a larger presence than the ego-self. This is the true self. The ego is a mental entity that evolved with us as we evolved as primates into modern humans. It is a survival mechanism that has helped us to endure. Yet it is also the troublemaker that must be managed. You may have lived your whole life only identifying as ego. If, however, while reading this you realize that there is this better self, then you are beginning to identify as the true self, spirit. Meditation is the way of rising above ego and with practice, there is a place of harmony where the two work together to become a much higher being.

Sovereignty, a key virtue of the True Self, is the spiritual discipline that rules the physical life and manages the ego. Through Sovereignty, harmony between the true self and ego is attained. Rather than annihilate the ego, a balance is achieved between the aspects of self. This balance creates the harmonious synergy that is reflected by a sense of well-being, thriving, and success. This is the true path.

How do you know if you are on the true path? Here are a few questions to consider. Be honest and accurate.

  • How satisfied or dissatisfied with your life?
  • Is your life characterized by a sense of well-being?
  • Are you healthy?
  • Do you have a self-cause chronic disease?
  • Are you passionate about your life’s work?
  • Is your career/job fun, rewarding, and fulfilling on many levels? Or is do you hate your job, feel stuck, and deeply wish you were not there?
  • How often do you feel stress and anxiety due to influences that seem out of your control?
  • How often do you feel content with your life?
  • What do you do when you are not at your job? Are you involved in other activities that you enjoy and serve others? Or are you coping with stress by overindulgence
  • How often do you feel a sense of contentment, spontaneity and joy at life’s wonderful surprises? Or how often do you feel a sense of self-loathing, disgust, unworthiness, or despair?
  • What type of people do you seem to attract in your life? People, who seem happy and easy to laugh and smile? Or are you mostly surrounded by people who don’t care, take advantage of you, or are always being disrespectful, moody, and filled with drama?
  • Do you often feel lucky, grateful, and blessed? Or do you feel unlucky, resentful, and never have enough of that which you desire most?
  • How often do you look to the heavens and ask, “why me”?
  • Are you always struggling financially? Or does there somehow always seem to be enough money to live with contentment?

If you answered most of these questions with an honest positive reflection, then you are experiencing life as the true self, on your true path. You are getting the most out of life’s journey and on a good trajectory for longevity. You can even reach a higher level by following the teachings of the way along with others who found success.

If like so many others in our society, you felt in truth, negative affirmations about the conditions of your life, then you are still unawakened, still lost, and under the control of the ego mind.  This is the path of self-destruction and distraction is an active element in keeping you there on the path of suffering.

The more that your choices are guided by wisdom the more successful you become at life. As discussed in the chapter The Tao of Virtue choice, virtue and karma create destiny. By accumulating virtue, you develop an extraordinary wisdom for staying on the longevity path. The way of virtue (The Tao of Virtue) becomes the way you deal with life in a moment-by-moment, day-by-day means of crafting your life by controlling ego and making wise choices that keep you on the path of longevity. As you craft your life plan, you make the changes through lifestyle choices.

It is only through self-awareness can you attain the Tao and make the Alchemy of Qigong work. Qigong is the next section on cultivating life. The alchemy is the process of changing something ordinary into something extraordinary. It comes down to the point of whether you can control the ego and through a meditative focus practice the Qigong principles for the magic to happen. It will happen. All you must do is consciously align your way of life with the way of the universe (Tao) and the results will manifest as intended. This is the Tao of Transcendence and the Tao of Longevity.

Finally, you must learn to incorporate the Tao of Longevity into a Lifestyle for Longevity. Later you will learn much about how Desire, Coping, and Indolence fueled by the ego are ruining your chances for that long-satisfied authentic life that awaits you, the true self.

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Your Destiny Is Not Predetermined

Set course on your true path

For newcomers to Tao study, the first question may be to ask, “what is the Tao of Longevity?”. let’s break it down. The Tao is pronounced “Dow”, with a “D”, which translates as ‘the way, or “the path”. From the ending of the ice through the period of neolithic China more than five thousand years ago the tribal people of China learned to live by the patterns of nature. Tribal shamans and the people of those days begin to notice patterns in nature and the cosmos. Those who learned to live in harmony with these natural patterns seem to thrive over those who did not. The source and causation of these patterns seemed to be a supernatural phenomenon that to be incorporated into all aspects of life, permeating everything. It was mysterious, enigmatic, sometimes harsh, sometimes benevolent, they found it impossible to explain. Later they simply called it Tao, a word that means the way or the path, while admitting that words could not fully cover all its meanings.  Even today, words cannot convey just how mysterious and deep it goes. Yet, humanity has recently been able to have a few glimpses through modern science and quantum physics. For the sake of language, we call it Tao, which is only a word we use for conversational applications.

 

When one hears or reads the words “The Way” they cannot but wonder, “What is it the way of?”   After you go down this list, think of some aspect of life and add it to the end of the phrase: “The way of”.

  • It is the way of reality
  • It is clarity for universal truth
  • It is the way of being
  • It is the way of existence
  • It is the way of successful leadership
  • It is the way to prosper
  • It is a guidebook for how reality works
  • It is the way of living successfully without self-induced pain and suffering
  • It is the way of living in harmony with the physical world and nature
  • And for our purposes in this book, it is the way of living a long successful life, with contentment, spiritual awakening, and wellbeing.
  • You can also consider the Tao as a Journey. A journey is defined as the passage of time, of experiencing a physical life as a spiritual being. The sacred journey of life.


Spiritual Longevity.

            With this mother principle of power [sovereignty], one can be everlasting  

This is called deep roots and firm foundation 

 The Tao of longevity and lasting vision  

Chapter 59, Tao Te Ching 

Chapter 59 in the Tao Te Ching is titled “Longevity”. Even some scholars do not realize that each chapter in the Tao Te Ching has titles, yet they do. The chapter title gives the student the first hint of what the chapter is about. The first thing you must understand about this chapter both in the Tao Te Ching and this book is that the Tao of Longevity is about Spiritual Longevity. Before you can have physical longevity, you must first cultivate spiritual longevity. All Tao teachings are rooted in spiritual lessons that lead to success in the physical world. This is Tao (the way) cultivation.

Tao Cultivation. One does not have to be or identify as a Taoist to benefit from following the Tao, or The Way. Learning the way of reality and the path to enlightenment is a spiritual path, thus it is called “the way”. Tao cultivation is, not a religion but a spiritual practice as well as a spiritual discipline. Cultivating the Tao is directly about spiritual awakening and longevity so that you will experience an easier and more successful long life.

In ancient times, Chinese people worshipped various deities and ancestors, so it began as religion. Even today there are still some who do treat Taoism as a religion. For the most part, modern Taoism is a spiritual-philosophical discipline. The path to enlightenment is one of awakening to the core of your spiritual being, the true self. Awakening from the distracted state of pure ego mind is the first step. Implementing and living life from this enlightened state of being is the intent and purpose of cultivating the Tao. Henceforth in this book, the term for those who seek to walk the higher path will be known as “Tao Cultivators”. The Tao Cultivator knows that destiny is not fixed and can be determined by avoiding self-destructive choices and mistakes and works on living life in an easier successful way with minimal effort (without striving). Anyone who cultivates this ability regardless of religion is a Tao Cultivator. Cultivating the Tao is cultivating Longevity by transcending the ego mind and finding the true path.

It is good to think of the term Destiny which may be defined as that which will happen or what you will experience in the future. This program’s slogan is “your destiny is not predetermined”. This is to say that much of your future has not been decided yet and you have the opportunity right now to shape it into the future or destiny that you would rather experience. Of course, death awaits us all which none of us can avoid, but the when and how of your return to the Tao is something you can determine.

You may be still deciding whether you want to opt-in or not for what the Tao of Longevity has to offer. The first thing you should realize and accept is that you are already on this path whether you want to be or not and whether you even realize it or not. When you are not consciously aware of how your choices and actions are creating your future, the neglect will contribute to atrophy with Longevity being cut short.

Atrophy is anti-life. A general definition of atrophy is the wasting away of the body and mind due to various causes. Specifically in this book, the intent is to bring awareness of how our lifestyle either contributes to well-being and longevity or to decline and atrophy. In this sense atrophy is anti-life which is a force of nature. All of us are fighting for our life from the moment we are conceived. There are many causes that happen naturally, so the first step is to stop contributing to existing and future atrophy by what you are doing in the present moment. Thus, in every moment you are making choices that lead to longevity or early suffering and death. There is always a moment of choice if you are present and able to take hold of it. In every moment of every day, you are creating your destiny.

Hopefully, you are here reading these words because you are seeking a means of creating a better destiny for yourself.  The information on this site is here for that very reason, to help you create a destiny that is not just longer, but with success, contentment, fulfillment, and wellbeing.  I have developed a protocol that has served me well in changing my uncertain destiny to being able to not only survive longer but to realize a sense of joy and contentment that eluded before cultivating the Tao. You can read my Bio to see the situations (heart disease and cancer) that I was able to get control over and am still working through. So, I am sharing it with you on these pages with step-by-step practices to cultivate your own longevity path. The keyword here is “cultivate” which means to develop a skill”. Your job is to become highly skilled at being successful in life. Here are steps in cultivation.

Tao (The Way) cultivation has some key principles:

  • Meditation – attaining oneness with the Tao by transcending the ego self and awakening as the true self (spirit).
  • Mindfulness – paying attention to the mind with detached observation
  • Sovereignty – the principle of the spiritual discipline of Willpower and Self-control (ego management)
  • Accumulating Tao Virtues – by implementing Tao lessons into the choices and actions in every minute of every day that results in lasting wellbeing.
  • Lifestyle Changes – living your life in accordance with the Tao, and in harmony with nature.


Those who set out to accomplish this are called Tao cultivators. While cultivation does not have to follow a linear path, it should begin with learning or improving these principles above principles. The best time and place to begin is right here and right now. Through the karmic result of cause and effect, extraordinary results will begin to happen.

You, We, everyone is on the longevity path whether realized it or not. Up to now, you may have been blindly stumbling through life, making yourself sick and using up life force (Qi) faster than you can replenish it. Or maybe you have begun the change but are ready for the next step. Perhaps you have been given a death sentence by the medical community and want to fight for your life. Whatever your story is, this path can maybe buy you some more time. How much time is dependent on your circumstances and how deep atrophy has become entrenched?  If your time is running out, maybe this can help you find contentment to accept and deal with what you have left. Time is running out for all of us, and no one knows when the end will catch up. That said, it is never too late to wake up and become your true self and be the spirit you are.

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