quiet mind, fearless heart the taoist path through stress and spirituality

[...]... states, “When there is peace in the heart, there will be peace in the world.” The American version suggests the following wisdom: let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me When there is peace in the heart of each soul, there will 20 Q U I E T M I N D, F E A R L E S S H E A RT be peace in the world In the words of another great sage, Mahatma Gandhi: “To change the world, we must first be the change... you have made the world a better place So, once again, I drink from the waters of ageless wisdom, and the result is Quiet Mind, Fearless Heart In the spirit of one of my heroes, Joseph Campbell (The Power of Myth), a man who certainly understood the relationship between stress and spirituality, this book is divided into sections that resemble the classic template of what Campbell called the Hero’s Journey.”... the world, one must first bring peace to one’s heart Quiet Mind, Fearless Heart is more than a cute mantra to promote inner peace; it’s a philosophy by which we can live our lives in balance, uniting the divine spirit with the human spirit to overcome personal adversity, thus bringing peace to the heart and the soul For nearly three decades, I have gathered nuggets of wisdom about stress and human spirituality. .. are anything but happy and stress free Conversely, I know many others whose lifestyles appear less than desirable, as measured by the “American dream,” yet they have the world in their pockets It’s not that they don’t have stress They do They just don’t hold onto it By cultivating a winning attitude, they have learned to adapt They acknowledge stress, work to resolve it, and then move on In tomorrow’s... Eventually, it kills On the other hand, healthful stress is inspiring, motivating, and, yes, even euphoric Downhill skiing comes to mind, as does falling in love Unfortunately, most people who ricochet through today’s stressed-filled world are well beyond the point of motivation and excitement They are heading toward burnout, which can manifest as either fear or anger Stressed Mind, Angered Heart Not long ago,... this manual of virtues, often called the wisest THE WINDS OF CHANGE ARE BREWING 19 book ever written, for the rulers of the Zhou dynasty Over time, as Taoist concepts were integrated into Buddhism, the Zen style of Buddhism became popular in the Orient Through the centuries, the Tao Te Ching made its way into the hands of the general public and is now accessible the world over Although Taoism originated... from the fact that the concepts of balance, simplicity, patience, and harmony are universal to the human condition The Tao Te Ching was a manual for living a life of balance, in harmony with the divine force of the universe When translated into English, the Tao is perhaps best described as the Way” or the Path. ” Many people think that George Lucas based his concept of the Force” on the Tao, as the. .. Into the Unknown “A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step,” wrote the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, as sage advice to fellow travelers on the Taoist path The renowned mythologist Joseph Campbell often referred to the first stage of the Hero’s Journey” as the call to adventure,” a step that all of us must take, many times in the course of our lives The cautious first step into the unknown,... Angeles, the epitome of stress, was nothing less than frenetic, from the airport to the freeways to the heart of the city When I walked into the studio, I thought, “You’d need an ax to cut through the tension in this place.” People were running around like crazy: beauticians from the makeup department pranced all over, producers roamed the halls in search of the show’s hosts, nervous guests paced the floors... and disease Therapists and counselors in the field of psychology define stress as the “inability to cope with problems,” as well as the loss of emotional control.” People with a more spiritual approach say that stress is the absence of inner peace.” Quite honestly, all of these insights together, when examined through the mind-bodyspirit equation, only begin to approach the essence of what stress really . edition) Managing Stress: Principles and Strategies for Health and Well-being (fourth edition) ffirs.qxd 8/26/04 1:15 PM Page ii Quiet Mind, Fearless Heart The Taoist Path through Stress and Spirituality BRIAN. Data: Seaward, Brian Luke. Quiet mind, fearless heart : the Taoist path through stress and spirituality / Brian Luke Seaward. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-471-67999-2. 5 6 QUIET MIND, FEARLESS HEART through my eyes, rather than through their own. To be honest, my religious upbringing is not important. In the prophetic words of one of my favorite luminaries, the