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| Dmytro Didora, via Juxtapoz |
chinese civilization would have been utterly different if the Tao Te Ching had never been written. even confucianism would not have been the same, for like buddhism, it did not escaped taoist influence.
one cannot hope to understand chinese philosophy, religion, government, art, medicine –or even cooking- without a real appreciation of the profound philosophy taught in this little book.
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1- Tao (the Way) is the ONE.
Natural, eternal, spontaneous, nameless and indescribable.
ying yang represents the binary structure of the universe
Yang is the cosmic energy of Heaven, male, aggression, firmness and brightness. Ying is the cosmic energy of earth, a female element that is receptive, yielding and dark. Harmony in nature is achieved through these two cosmic energies. They are both equally important.
2- Being/Non-being, is a duck/ rabbit relationship. Ziran/Wuji meaning the dialectic aspect of the universe. Ziran is the irreducibility of Tao, which cannot be referred back to anything else. Wuji (limitless, infinite) is the ultimate nothingness.
Know whiteness, maintain blackness, and be a model for all under heaven. By being a model for all under heaven, Eternal integrity will not err. If eternal integrity does not err. You will return to infinity.
3- Tao moves in cycles Wu Xing. But the life cycle is an unchanging truth. While everything in nature and all sentient beings follow their respective cycles, so do worldly events. The main lesson here is that there is no rule by which one can foresee the future.
4- if one has Tao, then one becomes Te (virtue). The ideal life for the individual and the ideal order for society and government are based on and guided by it.
Te = harmony with the natural environment.
One who understand the the dominating character of the male yet keeps to the passive nature of the female, behaves properly. Te "produces but does not possess, cares but does not control; it leads but does not subjugate."
1- Simplicity: "the ultimate good is like water"
& silence:
"Those who are quiet value the words."
"Behave simply. Hold on to purity."
2- Spontaneity: "blaze the trail not often followed"
"Even at the verge of erring, err honestly."
3- Tranquility: "moon illumines the crystal blue water"
"The quiet horizon amidst the noise. Levelheadedness in crisis."
4- Flexibility: "be a blade of grass"
"Dare let the weather lead."
5- Non-action (wu-wei): "when nothing is done, nothing is left undone"
Because of its importance, I intend to explain wu-wei in more detail in my next post.
7 comments:
for what we have read so far about Lao-tzu i find it to be very simple. to me it seems that the simplicity of the text its what makes it great. but its simplicity doesnt take away from being deep in the topics it talks about. the book also is very contoversial, for example when talking about knowledge. it says that if we 'throw it away' we wouldnt worry. something that is true and simple, but something that many people would not be willing to do. as we advance in the reading of the text i see how he is very politically involved in a more modern way that what we have seen in the past texts
From my recent understadings on the Las-tzu, I have come to conclude that this is quite a simple book to read. What makes this book so great is not only it's simplicity on very important matters but the fact that that simplicity opens up a more detailed and deeper meaning to the topic. I must agree with something that was said, that I have always found to be very true. That "ignorance is bliss", when they said that if people would dismiss knowledge they wouldn't worry so much about life overall. I find this to be very true because it is with knowledge that we begin to understand things around us and begin to worry about the consequences of others actions towards us and also worry about ways that we can prevent ourselves from getting screwed over. Unfortunately we are the only creature on earth that the more we learn the more dangerous and less humble we become.
I originally thought the symbol of Yin and Yang as two separate entities (simply good and bad), but after doing some research, I learned that one cannot exist without the other and no one thing is completely yin or yang, hence the spelling yin-yang. Light cannot exist without darkness and vice versa. And a lot of things in life seem to transform like winter into summer. The words represent something more than a commercialized design overused from the nineties; they are one of the same, yet different, which would normally be a logical contradiction, but makes sense in the overall scheme of life and death. However, I find it interesting that Yin, the darker element, is associated with femininity, while Yang, the lighter element, correlates with men. I would normally think that this may suggest Chinese culture having a greater, more ethereal appreciation for men, but I could be wrong.
So far, the concept that has caught my attention the most in our readings of the Lao-tzu is the idea of "letting things be" or not interfering. Although at face value this may seem as an unengaged, disinterested way of conduct, it is actually much more complex and active than it seems. Not interfering, in this case, is not the same as not caring or ignoring. Not interfering should be a conscious decision to not act; it involves understanding the implications of the action and respecting others enough to allow them to decide and choose for themselves.
It is truly profound that Lao Tzu's philosophy still lives on today in such a influential fashion for many things in the East. It shows how revolutionary, yet simple his way of life is. The many important concepts of his book are somewhat contagious when read as they capture your attention and leave you pondering. I, for one, truly enjoyed each stanza of his book as it made me really think about the message it is trying to portray in such an elegant and poetic form. This man's deep understanding of the way we should live is truly recognized today and will certainly not be forgotten anytime soon.
Adam brings up an interesting point about the ying-yang and the idea of man vs. female. This idea does indeed permeate our daily lives as we strive to live in harmony and achieve this balance or "moderation" we have so often spoken of in class. The idea of planning/carefully considering each action before performed, is once again an example of this harmony with everything, from nature to man. To not take extremes but rather to think and enjoy the middle path. The large emphasis on earth and nature seems to be something we have lost touch with and Taoism focuses heavily on the idea that all moves in a cycle.
The idea of balance seems to pervade Chinese philosophy. Not too much, but not too little. This will lead a person to be in harmony with the universe. It's when the balance is broken, when extreme measures are taken, that the societal order is damaged. But I wonder if this harmony is always a good thing. In China, for example, while the common people have been living balanced lives, extremists have taken power, and what has resulted is a very oppressed state throughout much of its history. To combat this, perhaps it is necessary for some people to get in touch a bit more with the "yang" and let go of some of the "ying". When things are extremely bad, society needs some people who are extremely good.
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