Taoism was developed in the East, thousands of years ago. The Pit River Indians have lived in California since immemorial time. How can these two perspectives be related?

Look at the rain in China; look at the rain in California. Water remains the same. We may give it different words, but the water in itself remains the same.

This same principle applies to Taoism and the Way of the Pit River Indians.

Both perspectives on life are based on the principles of nature. They are also based on the wisdom of the ages: While the legend tells us that Lao-Tze was born old, the cultural practice of Native American Indians is to held the advice of elders in high regard.

The words of Lao-Tze are taken from the “The book of Tao”, translated by Frank J. MacHovec.

The words of the Pit River Elders are either sayings or comments of Elders of the following Bands: Hammawi, Kosalektawi, Hewisedawi, Astariwawi, Atwamsini, Achomawi, Ilmawi, Itsatawi, Madesi, Atsuge, and Aporige.

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Lao-Tze, the Chinese sage tells us :

“The Tao described in words is not the real Tao”.

Elders from the Pit River community tell us:

“Words are tracks on the road, but not the road itself.”

Lao-Tze tells us:

“The great Tao is everywhere, on all sides. Everything derives from it; nothing is rejected by it”.

Our elders tell us:

“The Great Spirit is everywhere. Mother Earth sustains our lives, what we do to the Earth we do to ourselves.”

Lao-Tze says:

“Whoever knows does not speak; whoever speaks does not know. So, stop the senses. Close their door. Solve their riddles. Subdue their light. Be one with humble dust. This is the mystic unity.”

Our elders tell us:

“Those who know the way of the Spirit preserve the words of our ancestors and speak them at sacred places. Heaven and Earth speak through them, they don’t have a voice for themselves.”

Lao-Tze says:

“The truly wise act but are not possessive achieve but claim no credit because they have no desire for vain glory”.

Our elders say:

“We don’t own the Earth, the Earth owns us. Tinihowi, good medicine, comes from respecting the ways of nature, taking only that which we need to go through our path in life. To take more is to become heavy for the journey.”

Lao-Tze said:

“At the crowning of the emperor, rather than present gifts of jade and horses, present the gift of Tao.”

Our elders say:

“We have been strip of every material wealth. Still, our greatest treasure, our Spiritual traditions, have not been taken away from us. Possessions can be stolen, destroyed. The Spirit is here, with us, in us. Still, the invaders can not see him; the Spirit is all around us. Still, our invaders cannot listen to him nor follow his ways. Therefore, because we have nothing we are rich. Because they have everything they still remain in poverty.”

Lao-Tze said”

“The Tao is nameless.”

Our Elders say:

“The invaders speak of Christ, of Love, of Compassion. But their actions are those of the murderers of Christ, they don’t move by love but by hate, they don’t move by compassion, their way is the way of greed and deception. Their actions break their words; they do speak with a twisted tongue. Let us not follow the way of the twisted tongue. Let us be one with our word, let us speak few words, but let them be words of truth.”

Lao-Tze says:

“Serenity is the goal of Tao; through it nothing is lost.”

Our elders tell us:

“Look at Jet-Acu (Mount Shasta). Use it as a model. While it contains fire within, the higher up you go, the more snow you find. You do the same, keep your energy strong and your head as cold as snow.”

Lao-Tze said:

“Nothing in the world is weaker or more yielding than water; yet nothing is its equal in wearing away the hard and strong. There is nothing quite like it.”

Our Elders say:

“We name ourselves after a river, the water that nurtures all life. We follow the way of our brother the great Salmon. Like the salmon, we have traveled far. Like the salmon, we return to our Ancestral Land, only here our heart is at home.”

Lao-Tze said:

“The truly wise do not selfishly crave. They live for other people and thereby grow richer. They give freely of themselves and thereby have great abundance.”

Our Elders tell us:

“If you want to keep something, share it.”

Lao-Tze said:

“To be content is to be wealthy; to be dedicated is to be strong; to be genuine is to endure; to die and be remembered is to have immortality.”

Our Elders have said:

“Find your joy in little things. Many worlds live by the river. Stay still, quiet your mind, listen to the wind, and listen to the stories of these places. The Great Mountain speaks, the river speaks, and the grass and the flowers speak. Be silent, be still. What is of the Spirit is still alive, right in front of you, awaiting for you to listen.”

Lao-Tze said:

“Gain or loss: which is the greater evil? Overdoing leads to waste, great fortunes invite theft. Being content prevents humiliation. Knowing where to stop prevents danger. To know this is to endure.”

Our Elders say:

“We don’t want to keep our land out of greed. We don’t want to change the ways of nature. Some things are not meant to be changed. They are meant to remain the way they are. Like the Great Mountain, like the river, like our Medicine Lake. We have been entrusted by the Great Spirit to preserve these places the way they are. The little we have learned about them has been enough to provide our people with food and medicine. They tell us “build this, build that” all of them looking for a way to make a buck. But we are not after money; we are keepers of the sacred places, followers of the ways of nature, seekers of the words of the Great Spirit. Nature is something to which we shall rise at.”

Lao-Tze once said:

“With love battles can be won; with love defenses prove invulnerable; with love heaven arms those it would protect.”

Our Elders tell us:

“Tinihowi not only means medicine. It also means love. For what is life without love? Isn’t it an empty home? The home may be nice and clean, but without anyone they’re what’s its purpose? To live with love in our heart is like the Salmon finding his calling in life. To live without love, is to see our soul depart while still remaining in our body.”

Lao-Tze said:

“Being like water, the weak can overpower the strong; the flexible can overcome the rigid. The whole world can perceive this, but does not put it into practice”.

Our Elders say:

“A man shall be like a Bow-arrow. Strong, and at the same time flexible. A man shall be like a good hunter that knows what he is looking for. He knows the land, he knows the way of the wild, he knows how to wait and he knows how and when to take action.”

Lao-Tze said:

“Whoever bears the shame of a nation is fit to lead the nation”.

Our Elders say:

“A man carries in his heart everything that he loves, then his heart is whole”.

Lao-Tze said:

“ Nature is sparing in its talk. Unusually high winds seldom last the whole morning; unusually heavy rains seldom last the whole day. And where do these things originate? Within nature. And if nature so spares its talk, how much more, then, should you?”

Our Elders have told us:

“ Look at Jet-Acu ( Mount Shasta ), his sole presence speaks for him.”

Lao-Tze said:

“Whoever follows Tao Becomes as Tao.”

Our Elders say:

“ A good person is someone who is in touch with the Great Spirit, someone who is moved by the Great Spirit. When that person lives, we say we feel the Great Spirit in that person. When that person dies, we say that such person lives in the Great Spirit.”

Lao-Tze said:

“ Whoever seeks Tao is welcomed to Tao.”

Our Elders say:

“ Our youngsters go deep into our ancestral land as they enter adulthood. If they search for the Great Spirit with an open heart they will not find him far away.”

Lao-Tze said:

“Whatever is firmly planted is not easily uprooted; whatever is firmly grasped is not easily loosened. Thus, generation follows generation, continuing endlessly.”

Our Elders have said:

“ The stories are the footsteps of our ancestors. As we bring them to life we find ourselves on an ancestral path, a trail that goes back to the origin of all life. For those who know how to listen, every man has a story. For those who know how to listen, every creature big or small has a story to tell. An even way up in the night sky, the stars tell us their story, and from far away their light reaches our eyes. In the same way, the life of our ancestors, from the distance, still reaches our eyes.”

Lao-Tze has said:

“ Accept Tao in yourself and Tao is yours .”

Our Elders have told us:

“ For those who’s eyes are closed, the Great Spirit is no where to be found. But for those whose eyes have been opened, the Great Spirit is everywhere, even if he is hiding in the deepness of the heart of their enemies.”

Lao-Tze said:

“ Whoever has Tao never boasts of it and so truly possesses it.”

Our Elders have told us:

“ Those who Bragg are likely to fall. Those who are closer to the ground have little ways to go if they go down, and little ways to go to get back on their feet.”

Lao Tze said:

“Possessing Tao is to act out of love without ulterior motive; Losing Tao is to act self-righteous with an ulterior motive.”

Our Elders say:

“The great spirit has given us one face and one tongue. So, why shall we be two-faced or speak with a sparked-tongue?”

Lao Tze said:

“One who has Tao does not argue; so one who argues does not have Tao.”

Our Elders say:

“In the talking circle one speaks from the heart. Once we speak from the heart we can reach the heart of others. If we don’t speak from the heart then our words are empty.”

Lao Tze said:

“The truly wise do not selfishly crave. They live for other people and thereby grow richer. They give freely of themselves and thereby have great abundance.”

Our Elders have told us:

“The way of the creator is to give and to have balance in life. When our path follows his path, then we unfold our gift for this world. When we unfold our gift for this world we are fully alive. Every man is meant to be a giver, to share the gift of the creator with the world. The challenge of a man is not based on what he has but on who he is.”

Lao Tze said:

“One who knows others is wise; one who knows himself is wisest. One who conquers others is strong; one who conquers himself is strongest.”

Our Elders have said:

“A man who is not at peace with himself is closely followed by his worst enemy.”

Lao Tze said:

“To be content is to be wealthy.”

Our Elders have told us:

“A happy heart brings sunshine even in the days of winter.”

Lao Tze said:

“To be dedicated is to be strong; to be genuine is to endure; to die and be remembered is to have immortality.”

Our Elders have told us:

“Him who dies for his people lives in the heart of his people.”

Lao Tze said:

“Overdoing leads to waste; great fortunes invite theft. Being content prevents humiliation. Knowing where to stop prevents danger. To know this is to endure.”

Our Elders say:

“We can live even when our mind stops, but we can not live when our heart stops. Our mind may doubt, but deep down inside our heart knows the ways, because the way of the heart is the way of the life, the way of the creator, the way of the way of the way.”

Lao Tze said:

“I have three treasures. Guard them and keep them safe! The first is love; the second is moderation; the third is humility.”

Our Elders say:

“A heart without love is like a well without water; a greedy heart is like a summer fire, it eats up every thing around it. A man who lacks humility is like a pot without a bottom: it takes and takes but remains empty.”

Lao Tze said:

“From love one gains courage.”

Our elders say:

“The heart of a man is as strong as the love of the man.”

Lao Tze said:

“From moderation one gains ability.”

Our Elders say:

“Remove the greed from your heart and you will see the creator all around you.”

Lao Tze said:

“From humility one achieves greatness.”

Our Elders have said:

“Deep down inside, we all come from the creator. From the great mountain, to the smallest ant, all creatures big and small carry within them the breath of the creator, the only one that is above all of us. Those who have the vision can see these things. Those who don’t have the vision don’t know the heart of things.”

Lao Tze said:

“With love heaven arms those it would protect.”

Our Elders have said:

“Those who love see God.”

Lao Tze said:

“Whoever has Tao is like a child; poisonous insects will not bite; wild animals will not attack; predatory birds will not strike.”

Our Elders have told us:

“The land will talk to you once you stop talking to yourself. Then you will see that the snake will not bite you, nor the bear will attack you, nor the deer will detect your smell. All of the elements of the land live within you. If you make peace with them, how can they attack you?”

Lao Tze said:

“Knowing harmony is to approach the eternal.”

Our Elders like to say:

“Look all around you and you will see that the creator is an artist. Look at all things and you will see that everything has its purpose, everything has its place. Look at yourself and do the same: find your place and find your purpose.”

Lao Tze said:

“Knowing the eternal is to be enlightened.”

Our Elders say:

“The breath of the creator is what gives you life. Still, if you hold to hard to your breath you will loose it. If you let go you will get it back. If we could just live as we breath we will be able to understand how things were meant to be.”

Lao Tze said:

“To become excitable leads to confusion.”

Our Elders have stated:

“Our mood and our heart are not the same thing. Our mood is a wind without any direction. Our heart is a wind that leads to our vision.”

Lao Tze said:

“ To freely vent emotions is to be aggressive.”

Our Elders like to say:

“An unrestrained tongue can set many fires, even in winter.”

Lao Tze said:

“Things reach their prime and then decline. To be impatient is to oppose Tao; whatever opposes Tao dies young.”

Our Elders have told us:

“Every plant needs time and care in order to grow. Without time the plant doesn’t unfold. Without care the plant is destroyed by weeds. Life grants us time, but care must come from us.”

Lao Tze said:

“Achieve the highest goal by being peaceful; hold close to a state of perfect serenity.”

Our Elders say:

“A peaceful heart can help us find our way even on a winter night. But a hateful heart will cause us to loose our way even on a summer day.”

Lao Tze said:

“Returning to the source is serenity; it is to realize one’s destiny.”

Our Elders have said:

“We come from the creator and we will return to the creator. It is up to us, as we live, to follow the steps of the creator, the words and stories of our ancestral ways.”

Lao Tze said:

“Being in accord with nature is being in accord with Tao.”

Our Elders say:

“Tiniho-wi (good medicine) shall be the center of our life. The wild life, the way of nature, is the healthiest of all lives.”

Lao Tze said:

“The truly wise are helpful to people. No one is rejected.”

Our Elders have told us:

“Everything in life serves a purpose. We are all meant to serve. To serve one another is the highest service we can provide in life.”

Lao Tze said:

“The good teach the bad; the bad are lessons for the good. Whoever dislikes such a teacher, who dislikes such lessons, may appear learned but is misguided.”

Our Elders have said:

“Life is a teacher. The more you know the more you can learn. A wise man learns more from a fool than a fool from a wise man. Look carefully for the teacher around you. Even your enemy can be a teacher. To turn the attacks of your enemy into lessons, even in this your enemy can serve you. It is up to you to make sure your enemy serves you well.”

Lao Tze said:

“The truly wise are selfless; people’s needs are their needs.”

Our Elders have said:

“The selfless man builds on what can not be bought. The selfish man can only build on what can be bought. The castle of the selfish man will eventually fall to the ground, but the selfless man will live in the heart of the people for ever.”

Lao Tze said:

“With the good one I am good; with the bad one I am good, because good is the heart of life.”

Our elders say:

“Be good to everybody. Help everybody, even when nobody is watching.”

Lao Tze said:

“The truly wise accept all people as their own family.”

Our Elders have told us:

“If we all come from the creator, that makes us all family.”

Lao Tze said:

“Provide nourishment; do this without being possessive. Give help without obligation. Lead without dominating. This is the way of Tao.”

Our Elders have said:

“Speak your word but don’t impose it. If what you say is true, it will always be true. Therefore, let the truth be the strength of your word.”

Lao Tze said:

“The wise wear common clothes and carry jewels in their hearts.”

Our Elders say:

“Good deeds shine better than gold.”

Lao Tze said:

“Perception involves opposites.”

Our Elders say:

“The bear sky (day) and the mountain lion sky (night) they cover the same land, but they don’t do it in the same way nor at the same time. In order to see things clearly we must know the way of the bear and the way of the mountain lion.”

Lao Tze said:

“The truly wise teach by doing, not by saying.”

Our Elders have said:

“See what a man does and you will see his heart.”

Lao Tze said:

“The truly wise are genuinely helpful, not discriminating.”

Our Elders say:

“A healer is someone who knows when to help and when to get out of the way.”

Lao Tze said:

“The truly wise do not proclaim their accomplishments.”

Our Elders like to say:

“Him who brags about himself is not sure about himself.”

Lao Tze said:

“There is danger in extremes.”

Our Elders say:

“Those who get by with little know best how to put things to good use.”

Lao Tze said:

“Whoever makes a show of himself cannot shine.”

Our Elders like to say:

“Deeds don’t need words in order to shine.”

Lao Tze said:

“Whoever is self-righteous cannot gain the respect of the people.”

Our elders say:

“If you want peace, work for justice.”

Lao Tze said:

“Whoever is self-centered cannot become loved by others.”

Our elders say:

“One cannot kiss himself with his own lips.”

Lao Tze said:

“Those who seek to conquer the world and shape it as they see fit never succeed.”

Our Elders have told us:

“The ways of the world have many pitfalls.”

Lao Tze said:

“The best way of doing is by being.”

Our Elders have said:

“A heart is a small thing. But the creator of all life can live in it.”

Lao Tze said:

“Exchange love for hatred.”

Our Elders have said:

“A heart of a great man is also a great heart: It shelters even his enemies.”

Lao Tze said:

“Undertake the difficult while it is still simple.”

Our Elders have said:

“Work on big problems when they are still small.”

Lao Tze said:

“Undertake the great while it is still minor.”

Our Elders have said:

“It is with love that we do a lot with little.”

Lao Tze said:

“A promise lightly made is often difficult to keep.”

Our Elders say:

“Promise little and do a lot.”

Lao Tze said:

“The violent meet violent ends.”

Our elders have said:

“A violent way is a short way. A Peaceful way goes a long way.”

Lao Tze said:

“Exercise control before confusion exists.”

Our Elders like to say:

“It is better to stay calm than to try to calm oneself.”

Lao Tze said:

“Things are often spoiled very close to completion.”

Our Elders say:

“The first thing is to get started. The second to finish.”

Lao Tze said:

“Assist in the course of nature but never interferes in it.”

Our Elders have said:

“Life is happening all around you: Be still, and know how life works.”

Lao Tze said:

“Being inflexible and unyielding is part of dying; being flexible and yielding is part of living.”

Our Elders say:

“Three things you need in order to be a leader of our people:

A good mind, a strong heart and a thick skin.”

Lao Tze said:

“The place of the strong is below; the place of the gentle is above.”

Our Elders have said:

“Help everybody. Find ways to work with people, the needs of the people are more important than the laws written in the books of the government.”

Lao Tze said:

“The creative and the destructive exist equally in the mind.”

Our Elders have told us:

“It is good to see how things are, but it is better to have a vision of how they can come to be.”

Lao Tze said:

“One who loves humanity as he loves himself can be entrusted with the world.”

Our Elders have said:

“We all carry our ancestors and our descendants in our heart, therefore, we must listen to our heart.”

Lao Tze said:

“The world is won by those that leave it alone.”

Our Elders have said:

“Some places are sacred. They are meant to be left alone. If left alone they bring goodness to the people, if not left alone, suffering.”

Lao Tze said:

“When one feels compelled to dominate, the world is already beyond reach.”

Our Elders have said:

“Those who want extraordinary powers must become extraordinary people. If not, they will be destroyed by the power that surrounds them.”

Lao Tze said:

“The heavens endure; the earth is very old. Why? Because they do not exist for themselves, they therefore have long life.”

Our Elders say:

“Heaven and earth are still here not only because of what they take but mostly because of what they give.”

Lao Tze said:

“The truly wise are content to be last; they are therefore first.”

Our Elders have said:

“It is proper for the strong and the young to be last. If they do so, when they grow old or when they loose their strength the community will put them first.”

Lao Tze said:

“Be humble; you will remain yourself.”

Our Elders have said:

“All great men were once small.”

Lao Tze said:

“To be free of desire is to be serene.”

Our Elders have said:

“Humans are the only creatures who whine.”

Lao Tze said:

“Being serene, the world is at peace.”

Our Elders have said:

“A warm heart endures the winter.”

Lao Tze said:

“Be cautious, like crossing a stream in midwinter.”

Our Elders have said:

“The snake can be under any leaf.”

Lao Tze said:

“Who can make sense of a world like cloudy water? Left alone and still, it becomes clear.”

Our Elders have said:

“The sky makes room for the birds, the land makes room for the herbs, and the rivers make room for the fish, how come we cannot make room for each other?”

Lao Tze said:

“Palaces are well kept when granaries are empty.”

Our Elders have said:

“The richer the land, the more the invaders.”

Lao Tze said:

“The greatest curse is being discontent.”

Our Elders have said:

“Not everyone who laughs is happy; not everyone who is quiet is sad.”

Lao Tze said:

“The greatest sin is selfish striving.”

Our Elders say:

“A greedy heart is the root of all evil.”

Lao Tze said:

“He who thinks he knows what he does not know is sick in the mind.”

Our Elders have said:

“A word that doesn’t carry truth is a coffin.”

Lao Tze said:

“Realize your original nature; control selfishness; subdue desires.”

Our Elders have said:

“Nature brings us back to health because it brings us closer to our source.”

Lao Tze said:

“As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence.”

Our Elders have said:

“Great men don’t need to talk in order to be heard.”

Lao Tze said:

“If you have no faith, people will have no faith in you.”

Our Elders have said:

“ A man can be killed but not a dream.”

Lao Tze said:

“When the best leader’s work is done the people say: We did it ourselves.”

Our Elders like to say:

“The leader is the best-self of the people.”

Lao Tze said:

“To be elevated by the people, speak like their inferior.”

Our Elders have said:

“Leaders are entitled to ask for what they are willing to give: Time, work, life.”

Lao Tze said:

“The truly wise are above, but people do not feel their weight.”

Our Elders have said:

“A good man pushes you up when he is below and pulls you up when he is above.”

Lao Tze said:

“To lead, appear to follow.”

Our Elders have said:

“When minds and hearts meet miracles can happen.”

Lao Tze said:

“ Good leaders walk in front, but people don’t feel blocked.”

Our Elders say:

“ If you want to be the first to go into battle, you have to be ready to be the first to fall.”

Lao Tze said:

“Rule a state as you cook a small fish: Do not overdo it.”

Our Elders have said:

“ Words can not repair actions.”

Lao Tze said:

“The people are rebellious when rulers meddle in their affairs. That is why people are rebellious.”

Our Elders say:

“If you represent the people you better listen to them.”

Lao Tze said:

“Settling a great dispute leaves some hatred behind.”

Our Elders have said:

“The hatred of the past bring sourness to the present.”

Lao Tze said:

“There is no beauty in victory. Whoever delights in slaughter is not fit to rule.”

Our Elders have said:

“Do not rejoice in death, even of an enemy.”

Here the written dialog between the wisdom of Taoism and the Pit River Indians comes to an end, but not the deeper one, the one where these two traditions meet and become the same voice. The voice of the heart; the voice of life; the voice of truth; the voice of justice; the voice of freedom.

This wisdom is also out there, in the Pit River Community, flowing from one generation to the next, flowing, flowing like their river.