What is The Way?
“The Way existed before its name, and from its name, the opposites evolved, giving rise to three divisions, and then to names abundant, yet of the same root.”
You may well ask, “What is this ‘Way’?” and “What do I need to know about it?”, or perhaps, “Why should I want to?” These are some of the usual and completely normal thoughts of people when they come in contact with something that is perhaps new, or maybe even something a little outside of their experiences to date. However, if you wish to truly know more, read on. As always in The Way, the choice is yours.
The answer to the first question, is that The Way is a philosophy based on truth, knowledge, logic and reason, as these are the pillars that underpin and support all that has existed, continues to exist, and will ever exist in reality.
To become a follower of The Way, you must begin to understand some fundamental ideas about the motives such a person might have towards themselves, the World at large, and all that exists within it and about it. It is important, therefore, to realise that no one person or thing is The Way itself, as the concept of living in The Way is not according to the will of any one individual human being, but rather a wider and more complete understanding of man’s place and purpose in the World and the Universe. Thinking and living according to The Way may be considered, therefore, as improving and developing your mind towards the understanding of the value of the following of truth, knowledge, logic and reason, as these are the realities that give true meaning and purpose to humanity.
Other areas of this site will further address these four elements of The Way, but for now this brief outline should be sufficient for you to decide to inquire further into what exists beyond your current understanding, or the avoidance of your lack of such understanding.
As to the second question, “What do I need to know about it?” , in reality, that is up to you, as the precepts of The Way are based on the understanding that each person makes their own choices as to how they either accept, ignore or reject those things that are presented to them in the course of their journey, on their individual way upon the Path of Life itself.
If you do wish to look further into this philosophy, please follow the links provided in the right hand margins of this page, where you will find the Twelve Laws, the Seven Responsibilities of Man, the Seven Respects and the Seven Ponderings, which should serve to enhance your initial understanding of this particular method or way of thinking.
What must be noted and remembered, is that the teachings of The Way are based on what is known as the Natural Law; in other words, that which directs and underpins the very truths of reality itself. In order to correctly seek and find this path, it is necessary to be aware of your own inner workings, your knowledge of self, your latent and innermost predispositions, both positive and negative, so that a fair and just appraisal of the things that you observe may yield their truths to you. To do otherwise is to ensure that you remain blind to the very purpose of life itself, which is to improve your mind so that you become a better human being, and therefore improve the world within which you live and have your being.
Due to the wide extent of the philosophy of The Way, it is not possible to explain it fully in one website, or perhaps even in many. Other branches of Way teachings are provided in other sites that deal with the publication of books and associated materials.
Nevertheless, some extracts from the teachings may serve to give you some idea of the mindset of those who diligently follow the philosophy and its outlook.