Introductions to the Tiger *Dao*

If the dog is rage I must say there is another destructive force that is much worse. A human quality that is really dark and destructive. The tiger is a force of such destruction, and unpredictable. What could be worse than a person's rage, what can destroy the dog so easily, that the dog in order to not be destroyed works with the tiger.

The tiger is murderous intent. A human emotion to extinguish life. To destroy without remorse for it. Out of all the players of the human soul's darkness this is the one that would be hardest to tame. This one area of the human soul has such power of negative influence that it can power such positive energies that one drop of negative equates to a barrel of positive energy.

The tiger sits patiently, crouching and waiting for the next meal. Without any warning, it explodes into such a fierce run, within seconds the hunt is over and the meal complete. Murderous intent comes just like a tiger. The slow building of intent that is hardly noticeable is the crouching, then within seconds it bursts into full energy and before you know it the victim is done, but the tiger sees this as a meal or good dead, so no remorse is allowed for the victim.

Taming a tiger takes constant visual and emotional awareness for some. Others just bury it way down in their subconscious mind in attempt to be a better person. The fact of the matter is that when a person does this they carve out a piece of the complete being. This is what makes people snap and go postal. One of the things the dog attempts to do if not trained and filtered to take the negative and make the positive is to free the tiger.

The mischievous brothers if you can imagine it. One will try to free the other from control. At no time until complete control should both be released at the same time. They have the ability with such strong energy to cause a black out and take over during this time. By the time you come out of the blackout the deed has been done. They work very quickly together.

However these elements of a human being is essential to a complete harmony. When you release rage in order to counter balance one must release the opposite of rage too, and filter the energies of rage, into the opposite. Some thing with murderous intent. In order to counter balance the murderous intent, one must release the ability to keep life sacred.

The Dao teaches that there is yin and yang in everything, that there is push and pull in everything. While that is true the worst place of this occurring is if you live in the dead center, where there is equal forces pulling and pushing you.

Everything I have read about the Dao focuses on content, love of life, and well the light side of the yin, but if you drill further into the content it also states the if you have one then you have the other. Chapter 5 says heaven and earth are not like humans, because they are impartial. They live in complete harmony at the center. Life and death to them are the same, love and hate does not exist for them.

In chapter 10 it states by patience the animal spirits can be disciplined. By self-control one can unify the character. This means rage and murderous intent is included in a persons character, but with work it can be unified into a being that is complete. At no point has it said to abolish such characteristics of yourself.

The tiger and the dog are discussed by the great Dao general Sun Tzu. Though he cautions a person to control them, he invites one to embrace them too when need be. Take a human life if it is required, but try to win with the least amount of casualties. The tiger is tapped into but filtered through the protection of life as well.

Murderous intent without a leash and left alone becomes a destructive path, you may win the battles but at some point you will loose the war. That or have nothing at the end to govern. I think a true Daoist is either a very emotionless person with an abundant amount of emotions always tugging at them, or if I look at a sage of the Dao, a person who is in complete control over themselves, others, and everything around them.

I think it may be both. A person learning and striving to become a sage, is a person that seems emotionless, but in reality it is because they are taming their inner self and trying to calm the raging clashes of emotions inside. When they manage to fully calm down the waves of the sea going west and the sea going east, when the sea is calm where the two seas meet, that is the day a sage is born.

But that includes many years of work, many isolated times of reflection, meditation, and understanding of these energies. Pushing them through the martial arts in order to bring them into a physical representation to control. In other words, many nights alone, many days in practice, and many many conversations with others with interest in the Dao. Remember a teacher must also be a student.

What is my goal? I wish to become a sage. Where others strive for wealth, or greatness in a career, or social network. I strive for unity, a sea that allows me to understand everything, and return to nothing. A place where I can fully assist others in finding a path to travel. Actually that is my only concern in life and my only real desire is to teach and show people the door to a path, show that with dedication they can achieve a greater self.

In order to do that efficiently I must continue to follow the path myself. This provides little time for other things, but some time, a few moments here a few there. I can't wait till the two years is over. I can't wait to return to the mountains, to the place where I have a sneaking suspicion I will complete my training, where I can complete oneself. In two years I make a decision based on where my financial are at the time and either stay for an extra year or two, or leave and do what I have talked about and that is to turn my back on society so I can complete the first part of the path.

Many think that I have become a person that is wise and have a great intent on helping others. While that is the case and I appreciate the compliments on where I am on the path, it is no-where close to a sage. I need to buckle down, and work harder at my gi gong, my manifestations of the inner animals and taming, and I need to work on stilling my own waters. A teacher does not a sage make. Though I maybe further along than some I teach, a sage am I not. A sage is where I want to end up though. Takes many years though many many years of intense study, practice, and concentration. So that is where I will end up. When my murderous intent, and rage becomes a single but individual entity at the same time is when a sage will make.