To find the ultimate truth, we must look within ourselves.

This article began as a comparison of the New Age and Christian belief systems. But I soon realized that the issues at hand went far beyond my own personal experiences. Every ‘religion’ can be viewed as a step below the truth of our spiritual natures. The attempt to create any structure or doctrine automatically puts our thinking inside a box; a box designed by someone else. To find the real, ultimate truth, we can only look within ourselves.



Christians believe they’ve got it 100% right, and any deviation from the system means heresy or blasphemy. New Agers think they’ve got it right, and refuse to investigate any truths from Christianity. This pertains to all religions. Muslims certainly believe their way is the only way. The Jewish faith also stubbornly retains ancient traditions and rituals. Buddhists suffer the same fate; even Taoists seem to get confused.



I sometimes refer to my beliefs as Taoist, simply because I prefer not to take part in any ritual or structure. But these days people seeking to know about Taoism get caught up in the same dilemma. What does Taoism mean, what do they believe, how do I become one? Well, I don’t pay much attention to the modern interpretation of Taoism. Unfortunately, because people tend to crave structure, Taoism has also broken up into various sects and cults. But for me, it began as a way to be free from any system, ritual, guide or lineage; to identify my beliefs as having come from within myself, rather than from any outer or worldly structure. However I do get questions about it; what is the Tao, what do you mean by Tao. Still others are confused as to how and why I retain any ‘Christian’ notions at the same time. What is going on here? It doesn’t seem right to simply pick and choose which elements of a belief system to keep or not.



True. If we picked which elements of any system made sense to our intellects we’d never get anywhere. We’d just argue amongst ourselves, just as the various world religions continue to. How many religious people actually stop and take the time to discern what feels right in their spirits, instead of blindly following a system set up long ago? Just because it’s old, or our parents believed that, or our culture revolves around this, does it mean it’s right? By the same token, we can come up with all kinds of new systems, or amalgams; but how do we prove these either?



I suggest every ‘religion’ is arrogant. Buddha was speaking out against the corrupt priest cults of his time. So was Lao Tzu. So was Jesus for that matter. So indeed was Krishnamurti, in our own time. These sages taught, why should any ‘religion’ argue that theirs is the only way? Isn’t the truth within us? By developing doctrine, texts, laws, rituals and mediators or guides, it gives the power and authority to a worldly rather than spiritual source, allowing some people to define the system for others, by making it a matter of obedience, even law, to make it seem legitimate. ‘Religions’ are organizations which took the truths of these sages and twisted them into vehicles for earthly power and control.



On the world stage it’s nearly impossible to get to the spiritual roots of a belief, because most systems are clogged with semantics, politics and/or tradition. If you think the New Age movement is a kind of ‘anarchistic’ break from this control system, think again. It has its own system, structure, doctrine and hierarchy. Don’t be fooled just because it seems like a sensible alternative. Get to the roots of it. It’s as rotten as the rest – even potentially the most rotten of all. Don’t be like the rest of our world’s religious believers, and allow arrogance or ego to sway your judgment. There’s a lot more to it…and yet, this system does contain some truths. The same goes for ‘standard’ Christianity. Find out what alien agenda also laces this belief system, by really going within yourself and asking what the old stories mean and where they came from. Then seek to know what truth is contained there too. ‘God’, as well as our present state of being, cannot be defined by any one worldly system alone – and yet they all contain some elements of truth as well. Remember, misinterpretations can be subtle – and the best lies contain the most truth.



The one thing all ‘religious’ systems have in common is a belief in “God”, some kind of unifying Force, or at least ‘a god.’ Sometimes they even find similarity in each other; for example, many believe Jews, Christians and Muslims all believe in the same ‘God’, these religions having come from the same historical roots, even sharing texts. And yet they ALL suspiciously have a ‘system’. A building, a doctrine, a ritual, a hierarchy, a newsletter…only when we can truly remove ourselves from all of this are we truly free. Krishnamurti said it well, “Truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect…” He called this Unknowable Force his ‘Beloved’, and found it difficult to ever fully explain to others. He suggested, as I do, that the only way to truly ‘Know’ is to go within yourself.



Some people talk about eventually unifying under one world religion. Of course we all know there can be only one truth. But to make it yet another ‘religion’ or ‘system’ is completely defeating the purpose. Not to mention the potential for just another level of tyranny. The real religion is non-religion. It is a Way of life. I would love to see everyone go within themselves and learn to live in love – if we could all do that, laws, boundaries, even opposing mindsets would melt away.



I use the word “Tao” perhaps more often than the word “God” so as not to become confused with ‘religious’ interpretations. “God” can mean different things to different people. “Tao” is less readily misinterpreted, perhaps because fewer people take the time to really understand what it means – for it is difficult to define in words. “Tao” is a Chinese term for the Universal Spirit, the Great Force which underlies all of creation. It is the loving, flowing Source of all life, not an old man in a cloud or an alien in a spaceship. But neither is it impersonal. It is vastly personal, infiltrating our very being. We are a part of It. It is us. And Everything.



Quantum physics teaches that each atom consists of varying numbers of electrons and protons, basically tiny flickers of energy, swirling around in a relatively huge open void. Imagine the size of our solar system, compared to the relatively tiny planets around our sun. So each atom is mostly contained of empty space. It is this empty space which every atom has in common. Science works hard to define this Unified Field. Our wisest sages have also done the best they can. It has been called the Tao.



Our spiritual essence is what is contained within the empty spaces in each atom, of each cell of our own bodies. That Essence which is directly connected to the empty void in the atoms of the air around us, in the trees, in rocks, in every thing and every breath we take. The Tao. It is within. It is without.



I didn’t find the Tao in church. I didn’t find it in a book, or from any ‘master’. I found it in Kung Fu. My study of the martial arts, Kung Fu in particular, led me to discern this Source of energy from within myself. This Empty Force. True Kung Fu can perhaps be compared to True Religion – there is none. True Kung Fu is an art, not a sport; one learns to dance with the energy, creating forms as you go along, not just memorizing katas or forms, just as some memorize religious texts or laws. The Taoist roots of this art teach how to Go with the Flow. This interpretation can also pertain to one’s concept of ‘religion’, as compared with simply living in the Spirit. True belief is an art, not a pre-made set of symbols.



Kung Fu is the Art of Peace. The key to finding this Empty Force is maintaining a consciousness of love. It sounds like an oxymoron, but actually it’s the modern interpretation that has turned it around. Many today insist on putting structure to the martial arts, denying it’s original purpose - creating instead various ‘McDonalds’ versions, watering it down and packaging it for violent mainstream consumption. Systems, organizations, forms, rituals, uniforms, ego, anger, blah, blah, blah.



The same problems surface in ‘religion.’ The real, ancient truths of the martial arts are far more enigmatic – as are the real truths about spirituality. Forms in martial arts are tools, just as various religious texts or doctrines are tools - they are a possible path towards a greater awareness. Exercises and drills help to develop the ballistic reflex – but in true , raw combat, our reactions must be pure to the moment. How can we defeat a truly clever enemy if we only know memorized kicking and punching routines, and not how to apply them? How can we know for sure the truth of our ‘religion’ if we only know memorized texts, traditions, and dogmas? Wasn’t the point of the texts to help us live in love, instead of creating just another tyrannical system?



In both cases one must be able to tune in to this higher Force, this higher frequency, to discern what the enemy will do a millisecond before he does it, so we can get out of the way, redirect his energy, set up our move and send him into space. Not by having directed violence towards him, but by redirecting his own violence back at him. The Chinese call this higher Force ‘ch’i’. In India it is called ‘prana,’ and is utilized for different, but still powerful, techniques in yoga. Christians know this Force as the Holy Spirit. In Hawaii it is called ‘mana’. Call it what you will. It is the palpable, moveable yet invisible, empty Force that is contained within our spirits, within the air we breathe, within each molecule of every cell in our bodies.



Acupuncturists, chi gung doctors, energy healers, some tribal shamans, even the occasional minister, use this Force to defeat illness or any other infiltration of the enemy. They do this by changing the frequency of this energy. By charging it with love, peace and harmony. By Surfing the Tao. Using various methods – you can use a long board or a short board, right-footed or left, but you’re still allowing the wave to carry you.



A friend recently sent me a great quote, “It is a lot like surfing... you catch a wave by being prepared, timing your move and having your board in position. Like surfing, you have some control, but the Flow has all the power.”



In contrast, evildoers use the raw energy of this Force to work their own magic, to suit their own needs. They attempt to reroute the path of the wave itself. But to do this, they need all kinds of extra words, chants, spells, tools, buildings, doctrines or symbols. For they are not charging it with the pure love, peace and harmony that is the Tao. They are manipulating the frequency to suit their own agenda. They are concentrating on the tools, instead of going to the Source.



Learning Kung Fu is a metaphor for learning how to live in this world. The true art of combat is how to avoid combat. Don’t learn how to fight, but how not to fight. How to redirect the energy of an aggressor. How to infuse it with love, peace and harmony and send it withering into nothingness. How to discern the difference between rote and ritual, and intuiting directly from the Source. How to anticipate and redirect any negativity. How to live in the eye of the storm. How to paint your own portrait of life in the spirit. How to Surf the Tao.



Here is the story of two Taoist masters in combat. They approach each other, face each other. They each cross their hands in front of them. And then they wait. Eternally. For the other to make the first move.



Don’t be part of a system that tries to define your movements. Don’t rely on another’s interpretation of the art of life. Don’t fight for belief systems, divisive issues or wars in which both sides are controlled by the same questionable sources. And yet – don’t automatically disregard everything in every religion – some truths are probably there, just misinterpreted. Don’t react in the divisive and dualistic way we have been programmed by our ‘society’ or ‘culture’ to do. Today, we have all the reason in the world to be dubious of any old tradition, as well as any new fad. Read up on Machiavellian techniques – if we choose sides, we are only falling for the rap. Only by going within and seeking the Truth directly from the Source can we ever truly discern the truth from the lies. Belief is an art form; it cannot be defined or objectified. And as in any creative endeavor, we must seek within ourselves for inspiration.



To begin, choose only love, peace and harmony for direction in your actions or beliefs. Still your mind, and Know with your spirit. Listen to your spiritual nature, that which is connected to the Tao; listen not to the selfish will of your physical machine, or voices from the outer world. Choose only love, and then Surf the Tao into prosperity, abundance and eternity. Allow the Tao to flow through you; hop on for the ride of your life. Seek first the Kingdom of God and all will be given unto you. Say it how you like. Just get out of your religion and into your spirit. It’s a silent, inner revolution. The outer world will not provide the answer. The answer is within you; amplify its Voice by tuning in to love. Then, one person at a time, we can change our reality to one of pure peace and harmony.