Tao of YeYoung

After entering into the 21st century proudly with our miraculous accomplishments in technology, ecology, physiology, especially the unifying insights and attempts of recent scientific, ideological, social and economic approaches to globalization, we find ourselves still in the same exasperating position: life is harsh, politics is dirty, and commerce is sordid. This sense of disconcertment is known by many names but simply is Unhappiness of Life. Life becomes a burden full of battles. It seems that all the battles—our conflicts, anxieties, pains, and despairs—are undefeatable. As if we fight with our own shadows, our mind cannot dictate our body. Likewise, our body cannot defeat our mind, thus our spirit stays confused!

Browsing in our favorite bookstore, surfing on line, and attending seminars of aptitudes, we will easily find fascinating theories and new information on the topic of how to overcome one's conflicts and battles. There is a myriad of approaches available today, from Hinduism to Buddhism, Tantra to Taoism, Yoga to Qi Gong Meditation and Tai Chi, and Transcendental Meditation to Self-help Advocates, but the schools of thoughts and methods seem to contradict each other. We may find ourselves agreeing with two different psychologists or spiritual teachers, only to realize that they are completely in conflict with each other.

While scholars, with no practical relations with the oral transmission of living tradition, intend to carve out convenient segments from the original spiritual texts without the cultural and social-historical context for their studies. Charlatans and impostors aggrandize the mystical-sounding teachings to claim their awakening. We are indeed promoted with nothing but a simulacrum, a copy without original, a freeloading consumer mono-cultural stock, in which careerist, functionalist, structuralist, reformer and visionary shine through.

We cannot help but attempt a synthesis, a genuine theory that is pragmatic, effective, and experiential rather than traditional transmitted and disciplinary. Nevertheless, we are seriously challenged and questioned at the same time. Can we break free from the simulacrum—the Thinking Game—of our own mind? Can we divest the thousands of years of traditions and practices from their original cultures, so our contemporary human ingenuity can replace the ancient human collective wisdom?

If you wish to develop the mind, pay attention to the body. If you wish to strengthen the body, pay attention to the spirit. Spirit can only rise from the mind-body summit and the Ultimate Awakening can only be attained through the practice of real life. The Tao of YeYoung or the Way of the Knight to Light, an unbroken tradition of the art of living, has provided people with one of the most effective ways to the Ultimate Awakening for more than 500 years. We are the world. Without each of us the world becomes meaningless. Let’s work together to build a simple world where there is less pain but more joy, a world of compassion, contentment, and peace!