“Man is ruled by Earth. Earth is ruled by Heaven. Heaven is ruled by the Way. The Way is ruled by itself.” – Tao Te Ching, Chapter 25
Like ancient Christians, Taoists conceive of heaven as the spiritual realm. Westerners see this dualistically – as an inner reality, and an outer, mundane world. Taoists conceive of the spiritual realm as permeating both inner and outer reality. Carl Jung characterized this sphere as a vast inner wilderness. Yet certain natural laws of the inner realm can be observed and mapped. This was a large part of Jung’s life’s work. The eighth Beatitude expresses a principle of inner natural law from a dualistic perspective:
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” — Matthew 5:10
To consider this statement, I’d like to first attempt a translation of the Taoist quote at the top of the page:
Humans are ruled by their desires and physical needs. Their earthly life is ruled by their own psychology. This includes the reality of larger archetypal forces and laws of spirituality (similar to laws of nature). This is ruled by the Tao, which Carl Jung labeled the Self. The Self in action is ruled by the Self.
The early Christian writings often use parables and metaphor. The Kingdom of Heaven is one of these. Some of the defining statements of it are:
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” — Matthew 13:44
“The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” — Matthew 13:31/Mark 4:30-32/Luke 13:18-19
“The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” — Matthew 13:33/Luke 13:20-21
“The kingdom of God is within you.” — Luke 17:21
To summarize, it’s a state of mind/heart that brings joy, is exceedingly valuable, makes what seems impossible possible (leavening), can start tiny and grow to be a source of shelter and sustenance.
The Beatitude assumes there will be conflict in pursuing righteousness. From a Jungian standpoint, the friction takes place inside. Westerners have sometimes depicted such this as a person with an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. A person has both constructive and destructive impulses. The person of integrity finds a way to act on the constructive and not the destructive.
This should be discerned individually. What’s constructive for one person may not be constructive for another. Moral law depends on the inner life of each individual and the actualization of that person’s potential. The compass is “the still small voice” inside each person.
To conclude, I’d like to share two additional Taoist sayings that express the essence of what it means to have “The Kingdom of Heaven,” from a Taoist standpoint:
“Being a model to the world, eternal virtue will never falter in you, and you return to the boundless. – Tao Te Ching, Chapter 28
Ancient masters of excellence had a subtle essence, and a depth too profound to comprehend. – Tao Te Ching, Chapter 15
Works Cited
May, Herbert G. & Metzger, Bruce M. (editors). The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha: Revised Standard Version. Oxford University Press, 1977.
Taoistic: Taoism Explained. “Tao Quotes on War and Violence.”https://www.taoistic.com/taoquotes/taoquotes-19-war-violence.htm. Accessed January 11, 2021.