The Tao

Daily Taoist 1_07 – Buddha Zhen Explains Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, Mother Nature, and Confucius

May 17, 2023 / Daily Taoist, Tao of Taoism, Taoism / By Richard

Buddha Zhen offers an informal overview with his speculations about: “Who was Lao Tzu,” the author of Dao Te Ching or Tao Teh King.

Buddha Zhen seeks to make Taoism understandable for Americans. So he calls Lao Tzu’s only written work, the Book of Changes. Buddha Zhen also uses the American word, “Nature,” with a capital “N” to represent “Mother Nature.” This Mother Nature concept we westerners share is close to the meaning of “The Tao” or “Natural Order.”

“As the accidental founder of Taoism, he has been heralded and Sainted…”

Tao of Social Order is Lao Tzu + Confucius

“I read that he was a contemporary and possibly a friend of Confucius. (If they were people ‘say’ they didn’t get along.) What a great combination they make! Confucius explains the “Tao of Family…” and Lao Tzu teaches the “Tao of Nature,” which is the bigger picture… By combining these two philosophers we created the “Tao of Social Order.”

“This book, Tao of Taoism, is a study of the words of Lao Tzu. My interpretations of several translations of the Tao Te Ching… Incorporating these wisdoms into my Shaolin Chi Mantis Kung Fu schools provided a unique opportunity to improve the lives of my students by helping them put there interpretations into practice and viewing their validity. Watching my students improve their way of thinking also inspired me to make this book public, to benefit as many people I possibly can.

Daily Taoist 1_05 – Buddha Zhen Reads “Explanation” of Tao of Taoism – Using the Dao Te Ching

May 3, 2023 / Daily Taoist, Tao of Taoism, Taoism / By Richard

Buddha Z reads “Explanation” page of his book. It starts with an explanation of, “This ebook version of Tao of Taoism uses both “Tao”, which is Cantonese, and also, “Dao,” which is the current Mandarin Chinese language of China. They are the same word with the same meaning,” (“Tao and Dao”).

“Self-discovery is the last frontier for the smartest of men and women.. This book is a journey down your own very unique “Last Frontier.””

“How much time do you spend exploring your inner you?”

“Why are you you?”

“What makes you you?”

“I wrote this book for her [his daughter]. It’s called Act Zen to Be Zen.“

“It’s about Zen Buddhism teaching you how to find yourself–And then you can reshape yourself into other people.”

“Zen Buddhism is about understanding other people from as many perspectives as possible. And view yourself from as many perspectives as possible.”

Buddha Z talks about his poetry class in San Diego State University.

Buddha Zhen talks about how Lao Tzu may not be translated accurately by anyone because they may not understand the colloquial meanings of his statements 2,200 years ago.

Buddha Zhen also explains how only the disciples of Bodhidharma can perform the One-handed Bow of the Shaolin Temple because it signifies the relationship between the FIRST disciple of Bodhidharma and of those who continue this lineage of disciples of Buddhism to the first disciple, Hui Ke. If you aren’t ready to teach Shaolin Kung Fu or you don’t belong to a Shaolin master… you should not deceive people with this spiritual gesture.

Who is a Real Zen Buddhist?

“So what happened was–his Disciple Hui Ke–he tricked him. He tricked Bodhidharma to become the first Shaolin Disciple… He cut his arm. He went to his [Bodhidharma’s] cave and outside the cave he cut his arm and it bled into the snow. And he said, “Look, it’s raining red–in the snow. So Bodhidharm said, “Alright–you win.””

Buddha Z gets a little teary eyed. “So that’s what we’re doing. We’re honoring his sacrifice.” Buddha Z pauses. “I got a little choked up there.”

He continues, “I originally wrote this book for myself, then realized it was useful for other people. Then I rewrote it again when I created my Shaolin Chi Mantis schools in 1993 into a student manual for psychoanalyzing yourself, to help students develop a dialogue with their own inner minds.”

5 Soul Theory of Richard Del Connor

“It’s interesting I put that in the plural. It’s only in the last two years I discovered that we actually are four… souls is what I’m calling theem. Four different identities that all stack and work together.”

Buddha Z elaborates on his 5 SOUL THEORY. “You can only have four of them. Most people only have two.”

Buddha Zhen holds the book up to camera to show his Chinese ‘chop’ which is the red ‘dragon blood’ stamp on the page with his Chinese name. He explains which characters represent:

Zhen: family name = “Truth”
Shen: means “Spirit” or “Spiritual” but not ‘ghost’
Lang: “Wolf” (Master Chen explained to Richard Del Connor, “We don’t have Coyotes in China–only wolves.”)

Spirit Wolf of Truth = Buddha Z’s Buddhist name: Shen-Lang Zhen.