That Was Zen, This Is Tao: Living Your Way to Enlightenment

By Chris Prentiss

An invaluable new guide to the most important journey of your life—from the author of "Zen and the Art of Happiness"

The ancient sages spoke of "Tao" not only as the spiritual essence of All-That-Is but as the path of living in harmony with the universe—the "way" that leads to enlightenment. Although we may not yet know it, we are all on this path. Your life is the path.

In his new book, acclaimed author Chris Prentiss gently yet powerfully guides us through the profound truths and possibilities at the heart of this journey as he unfolds the simple yet elegant philosophy that has brought real breakthroughs to so many.

You'll explore what "enlightenment" really means, your true purpose for being, and the factors that actually shape your destiny. You'll learn life-changing skills to handle painful experiences, end needless suffering, and achieve authentic happiness. Finally, you'll discover how to create an ever-deepening connection with Tao to get the clarity and guidance you need in your daily life.

No matter what tradition you follow, these bold, reassuring insights will open your eyes and touch your heart—empowering you as never before to let go of who you think you are, embrace who you truly are, and walk your unique life path with greater energy, clarity, and inner peace.

"A deeply meaningful guide. Destined to become a classic."
—Creations Magazine

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Aug 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9780943015798

Book preview

Copyright © 2023 The Prentiss Trust of June 30, 1998. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used, reproduced, translated, electronically stored, or transmitted in any manner whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher, except by reviewers, who may quote brief passages in their reviews.

For information, contact:

Power Press®

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Malibu, California 90265

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For foreign and translation rights, contact Yorwerth Associates

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ISBN: 978-0-943015-79-8

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023934723

Cover and interior design: Patricia Spadaro

Consciousness Drained of Doubt copyright © Dermot Obrien

Notes: What is contained herein is not part of the Taoist religion. Any similarities or differences are coincidental. Any reference to he or she does not exclude the opposite sex. Some of the names and details in the stories in this book have been changed to protect the privacy of those involved. The information in this book is not intended as a substitute for consulting with a physician or other health-care provider. All matters pertaining to your individual health should be supervised by a health-care professional.

The Chinese character that is used opposite the first page of each chapter in this book is the character for Tao, meaning the way or the path.

To my Irish friend

and poet Dermot Obrien,

who introduced me to the condition

consciousness drained of doubt

(Dermot’s poem is at the back of this book)

Welcome to the Taoverse:

Everything, Everywhere, Eternally

A paraphrase from Plato’s Apology:

"It is not living that matters

but living rightly."

—Socrates (470-399 BCE)

Contents

1 Your Path to Enlightenment

2 Your Partnership with Tao

3 Tao’s Cosmic Plan

4 Your Destiny

5 Living an Authentic Life

6 Accessing Tao’s Guidance

A Few Qualities of the Enlightened Ones

Endnotes

"Enlightenment is

knowing Who You Are in

relation to All-That-Is."

1

........

Your Path

to Enlightenment

I’ve written this book to open you to the reality in which you truly exist and to provide you with information to brighten your days and nights so that whatever time is left to you on planet Earth will be more fruitful, happier, more peaceful, and less stressful. I’m also sharing what’s here to help you create a deeper connection and communication with the spiritual essence of our created existence and to fill you with joy over the awareness of who you truly are, your journey through the millennia to arrive here, what your mission is now that you’re here, and where you’re going when your time to transition arrives, as it surely will.

I have just completed my eighty-sixth year on this lovely little planet. Throughout my adult life, I’ve searched the world for the wisdom that has brought people lasting happiness and true success. I say true success because it is more than just success in the workplace, in the home, and in the material world. It’s success as a human being and success in our relationship to the consciousness, the awareness that is Tao (pronounced dow). I have studied the world’s most ancient writings that have been handed down through thousands of years and I have put into practice what I have learned about the natural laws that govern the lives of us all.

I’ve written several books based on that wisdom, including Zen and the Art of Happiness, which has been published around the world in many languages. In that book, I talk of the true meaning of Zen and how to apply its simple principles to achieve happiness.

The next step is That Was Zen, This Is Tao.

Because you are here seeking truth, spirituality, knowledge, and wisdom and because you are walking your path toward enlightenment, I salute you. I bow low to you. If I may be so bold as to say it, we are of the same family, the ones who work at being spiritual. I usually don’t use the word spiritual because it is so powerfully associated with one or more of the forty-two hundred religions of the world, all of which were created by humans. The spiritual I’m referring to is the ethereal world, the heavenly world, the celestial world—the world beyond what is considered the physical universe. On that level, we are already friends, even if this is your first venture into that spiritual world.

We have probably had similar experiences, arrived at some conclusions about life on our planet, and are searching for more. We’ve individually evolved to this point in time where our destinies have brought us together.

Because of who you are, because this book has come into your possession, and because there are no coincidences in life, it is your next step. May this step bring you great joy, many blessings, and a huge enlightenment leap that will ease and illumine your passage on planet Earth.

A Bit of Information

This entire book is based on what I know to be true. That doesn’t mean it is true. It just means that it is true to me. Because I speak from the certainty of my own experience, I rarely, if ever, use words such as maybe, possibly, likely, could be, or hopefully. Some of what you’ll read came from what I call "revealations," information that was revealed to me as I wrote. That revealed information came from the same source that reveals new ideas and new thoughts to you.

Every new thought you’ve ever had came from the same place as mine. Receiving information in the form of ideas, solutions, or creations is common to us all. All-That-Is provides new information to each of us to help light our way. To get the information, concentrate on what you need to know and be open to the thoughts that come, whether they come immediately or days or weeks later.

During our time together, I will occasionally call upon the wisdom that has been passed down to us from some of our greatest thinkers and visionaries from thousands of years ago. Sometimes I’ll weave into our conversation stories that are mostly autobiographical as well as concepts about the laws of the universe. I’ll also talk about some wondrous and useful facts from the world of science, but only as a way of showing you how miraculous and enchanting is Tao and the world in which we live.

When we talk about topics I believe are superimportant to you, ones you may want to remember, I have set them off from the rest of the text. To get the most out of that information, perhaps read over those passages more than once. I invite you to print out those you find especially meaningful or relevant and place them where you spend time or save them in your device so that you can occasionally bring to mind a particular concept. Sometimes you may just need a boost in your day to remind you of Who You Are and Where You Came From and From Whom.

Here’s one of those simple but immensely profound concepts that you can keep in mind throughout our explorations and that you’ll see again in these pages:

To slow time down and add years to your life, practice enjoying the moment. It’s where you spend your entire life.

Our conversation will have some of the characteristics of an ocean wave traveling outward from the shore. It will start slowly, then build, grow larger, fuller, carrying us out to an uncharted ocean of ideas, facts, stories, concepts, and conclusions. I say carrying us because I am with you on this journey. We are on this planet together. So any advances, insights, and spiritual realizations you obtain benefit us all.

You may come across concepts and statements that are contrary to what you believe, contrary to any religion you follow, contrary to what you were taught by parents, teachers, and friends, contrary to what you learned from TV and the internet, contrary to information in books you’ve read, and even contrary to your common sense—especially contrary to your common sense. That is to be expected. If it weren’t that way, there would be no point in our having this conversation.

For example, I make statements like this: The entire created universe is alive, conscious, and aware. There is no proof of that, and there are many highly respected people, learned and intelligent people, even some who are our most revered thinkers, who believe otherwise. But those people live in what, for them, is a dead, unresponsive universe.

Because some of the information may be new to you or contrast with your currently held beliefs, you may at first feel uncomfortable. Give yourself time to absorb and become familiar with the information. Some of your beliefs may have been, probably have been, with you since childhood. Smaller sessions are best. There are natural stopping points along the way.

At first, listening to some of the bold statements I make may cause you to scoff at what you heard, the ideas seeming not only stupid and implausible but impossible. You may want to trash the book, thinking it was a mistake to have obtained it. Before you do, ask yourself: Would I want what I’ve read to be true? And then, perhaps, allow yourself to discover through intuition, perception, imagination, openness, thought, and by reading ahead if it could be true or even if it is true. Imagine what that would be like.

If you are having trouble in some areas of your life or are feeling a bit of unhappiness, that could be because some of what you currently believe about life is not in keeping with the laws that govern our cosmos, one of which is that everything that occurs in your life will ultimately be of maximum benefit to you. Sometimes it just takes a small mental adjustment to set things right. Those are wonderful moments to experience. They cause us to smile a lot and, ultimately, to laugh a lot.

Welcome to the Conversation

I have written this as if I’m talking with you. Picture this . . . It’s midmorning on a beautiful sun-filled day. As we walk together past the flower garden, the vegetable garden, the lake and into the forest, we come to a cathedral-like grove of trees to talk about existence and its wonders and about beliefs you may hold that may not be aligned with what is. We will explore different aspects of life, spirituality, and the Taoverse, a name I created to describe the space in which our so-called universe exists. More about the Taoverse a bit further along.

We are sitting comfortably on soft-cushioned, wooden easy chairs on a grassy lawn in the center of the grove. The branches of the broad-leafed trees arch above us. We hear the magical sound of a small waterfall as water runs over rocks that form the face of a small cliff before falling into a shallow pool. Birds are drinking and bathing, fluttering their wings as they splash water onto themselves, serenading us with their cooing and singing. The gentlest of breezes rustles the flowers that surround us. The sound of bees gathering honey provides the chorus.

Being here with you is a sublime experience (sublime: of such outstanding spiritual beauty or expression