Travel far and the less one know .

Two prominent Chinese muslim scholars namely Imam Wang Daiyue and Shaykh Liu Chi completed this da’wah mission to the future Chinese generation by writing several Islamic books and comparative religion/sufic texts drawing heavily from Confucian, Buddhism and Tao principles. Here, a Chinese seeker take a relook at two chapter of Tao Te Ching with a sufic insights after several hundred years.

And Today 27 Mac 2007. to fill my precious time while traveling from Putrajaya on the ERL-KLIA Transit to KL Sentral, I opened an old book titled Lectures on The Tao The Ching by Professor Cheng Man Jan. Published in 1981 North Atlantic Books, California. Out the window, I could see the beautiful fields, lakes and orchards of University Putra, Serdang in the morning sun. Here are the tit bits for your cup of tea :

Page 157, Chapter 47 of Lao Tzu Sayings

“Without leaving his door, one can understand the world.
Without glancing out the window
One can see the Tao of Heaven.
The further one travels the less one knows.

That is why the Sage (a Sufi or Wali in Islamic tradition)
Does not travel and yet understands,
Does not look and yet (can) names (things)
Does not act and yet completes (the affairs).

Page 159 ,Chapter 48

In pursuing knowledge, one accumulates daily.
In practicing Tao, one loses daily.
Lose, lose and lose, until one reaches Wu-wei(Non-action)
Non-action, yet there is nothing left undone.
To win the world one must not act for gain.
If one acts for gain, one will able to win the world.

( a little commentary : in constrast, practitioners of Tao
Desire to reduce desire,’ lose and lose and lose’, until
They reach the state of Non-action..those who act
Rebel against the Tao. Those rebels against Tao
Lack the means to win over the world.

Wu wei can also means complete surrender or submission
of the self before the Overpowering Reality.
Total annihilation or fana and
After this event, came illumination of the spirit and
Divine unveilings to the blessed seeker.

The nafs, lower desire, The rebel force, nafs ammara
and nafs lawwama had crushed.
What emerge is the light and wisdom of the serene self.

The seeker in another sense was being honored and elevated
To the alam malakut where he sees wonders of Unseen.

He leaves His body, intellect, will, power, opinions
etc and fly without wings ! )