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Taoism – July 27, 2003 By Bob Glass
Opening words –Let us begin with a traditional Taoist story of a farmer whose horse ran away. The evening after the horse ran away, the neighbors gathered to commiserate with him since this was such bad luck. The farmer said, “Ah, perhaps.” The next day the horse returned, but brought with it six wild horses, and the neighbors came exclaiming at his good fortune. He said, “perhaps.” And then, the following day, his son tried to saddle and ride one of the wild horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. Again the neighbors came to offer their sympathy for the misfortune. The farmer said, “perhaps.” The day after that, conscription officers came to the village to seize young men for the army, but because of the broken leg the farmer’s son was rejected. When the neighbors came in to say how fortunately everything had turned out, he said, “perhaps.”
The Presentation -
Imagine a drop of water into a small pond. Now imagine a spider’s web with drops of dew hanging from the strands making prisms of the rising sun. Imagine a tear on your grandchild’s face, And now, a clear glass of water - after walking for hours in 110 degree heat in Sonoran desert Now a drop of water in a 20 foot wave as it crashes on a rock or over your boat, and then feeding the anemones in the rocks. A flooded river with brown water carrying cars, trees and houses, And now the Colorado river as it flows thru the Grand Canyon – whether you believe it took billions and billions of years to carve or you believe it was carved in sudden gushes of raging river. You see the power of water in either case.
All of these examples and hundreds more describe the range of the powers of water, which is a central symbol and metaphor in Taoism.
From the Tao Te Ching, a chapter reads:
Under
heaven nothing is more soft and yielding than
water.
Taoism what is it ? Wherefore art Tao and Wherefore doth Tao cometh? Firstly, a caveat. I am up here but know very little about Taoism. I am clearly not an expert. Secondly, I am barely going to scratch the surface this morning and I am going to give you an over simplification. Not unlike any belief system, and I am not sure it can be called a belief system, Taoism has a long evolving history and many forms, just as any school of thought has. Additionally, I will be trying to describe what is fairly indescribable.
So, given that, let’s talk briefly about, Where do we find out about Taoism, i.e., what are its sources? Firstly, the Tao Te Ching - which means, “The Way and Its Power”
Written by Lao Tzu, who lived in the 6th century BC and alleged, by some, to be written in the 3rd BC. That of course would make Lao Tzu about 300 – 360 years old when he wrote it. Translated into more languages than any other Chinese book and second only to the bible in the number of languages translated, and said to be the most important of all books in China. There is some question about whether Lao Tzu is the author and some question about where he came up with the thoughts behind the 81 chapters in the book. Some say that he merely assembled a compilation of what were common notions of the time and had been developing for several hundred years before. In any event, he is generally given credit as the author of Tao Te Ching.
Another well known source on Taoism would be Chuang Tzu, a writer who followed Lao Tzu in the 4th century BC and wrote many stories reflecting the ideas of Taoism expressed earlier by Lao Tzu’s.
Understand that the translations of the original Chinese writings are very dissimilar to translating other languages in that Chinese is ideographic. The symbols represented ideas, not words. That makes the original subject to many interpretations and has a lot to do with why there are so many translations. Ideographic language also makes reading a much more creative and personal experience.
So, what is the Tao? Tao – means “The Way.” “means a road, path, way; and hence, the way in which one does something. Arthur Waley describes the “Tao [as] the way that those must walk who would ‘achieve without doing’. … it is the ultimate reality in which all attributes are united… ’it is heavy as a stone, light as a feather’; it is the unity underlying plurality. … Whatever is done without it, fails; whatever is done by means of it, succeeds.” Is the Tao anything like the Christian notion of Jesus who says he is the way? No. Nothing like it. For one, it is not theistic. The Tao neither a person, nor a god and is not any kind of supreme being. Neither the Tao nor Lao Tzu are prophets nor is the Tao the life force. There is a slight parallel between the Biblical notion that God is unknowable and the Taoist belief that the nature of the Tao cannot be expressed in words.
It is also not Confucian, either, which is an ethical system.
Symbol of Taoism [ – is the symbol is on your order of service and resembles two black and white water drops that are intertwined. With small circles of the opposite color in the center of the drops.
The Yin and Yang, reflected by the two opposing halves of this symbol, each shaped like a drop of water and each entwined in the other. The symbol draws a circle around the opposites and represents both opposing attributes as well as the unity that encompasses that opposition. Very different from the Western perspective of “things” being separate entities.
When I first learned of yin-yang, I thought it saw one side as good and the other as not good and tried, I think, too hard to associate all the yins together and all the Yangs together. I later decided that I was trying to be too literal in that effort.
Let me give you some examples of things that have meaning only in relation to each other. Examples of yin-yang: Action--Reaction Balance--Imbalance Change--Constant Courage--Fear Create--Destroy Dependent--Independent Employer--Employee Fact--Fiction Future--Past Give—Take Good--Evil Hot--Cold Joy--Sorrow Leader--Follower Light--Dark Love--Hate Male--Female Mind--Body Object--Space Objective--Subjective Off--On Order--Chaos Rational--Irrational Real--imagined Reason--Emotion Reasonable-- Outrageous Rich--Poor Send--Receive Sick--Well Sound--Silence Wet—Dry Winter--Summer Work--Play
None of these things exist independently because none of these things have meaning without the other party to the pair.
Yin & yang in this symbol, represent, not only the polarity of attributes, but also the ever-changing nature of things. If you look at the symbol, especially from the perspective of one side over the other, you may see the shape of a wave. This edge, in the shape of a wave between the polarities, represents the dynamic process, of what happens, where “opposites” meet. And we don’t’ usually see a clash of the titans where they meet, but something is created out of the interaction.
The Tao recognizes the value of differences and the creativity inherent in differences, but also sees that opposites are part of a whole.
The Way can then be said to include the process of interaction. Relativity, relationships and process are all central principles of Taoism. Consequently, you can see in the folktale about the farmer and his horse, change, relativity, the absence of absolutes and of simple answers.
A chapter from the Tao Te Ching, The
Tao begot one.
The representation of process and dynamics also includes the swing of the pendulum, cycles and rhythms of nature and ultimately, the concept of harmony and balance. Not a static balance, like finding a so-called happy medium and locking onto it, but a balance that has fluidity between extremes. It is in those extremes that we also see the seeds of the opposites, which are reflected in the small circles of opposing color.
Balance reminds us of Tai Chi, that Jane Rider was so kind to do for us. Tai Chi is, in part, an exercise in achieving balance thru and within movement. Some say that Tai Chi is a martial art and some say it isn’t. Those who say it isn’t base their position on the fact that the basis of Tai Chi prevents it from being used aggressively and can only be used defensively by Tai Chi masters. Tai Chi can have many purposes, such as simple physical flexibility, balance, coordination, helping the ch’i, the life spirit energy, flow more smoothly, meditation, increasing awareness of one’s body and one’s surroundings, and, for the masters, self defense.
Among other things, Tai Chi incorporates the concept of wu wei, which is another central principle of Taoism. Wu wei, which literally means non-action, but which practically, means using the least amount of personal effort to achieve the greatest results. ‘Wu-wei is what we mean by going with the grain, trimming sails to the wind, taking the tide at its flood…’ … Wu-wei is the lifestyle of one who follows the Tao, and must be understood primarily as a form of intelligence – that is, of knowing the principles, structures and trends of human and natural affairs so well that one uses the least amount of energy in dealing with them. {Watts} For example, in Tai Chi used as a defensive skill, one would use the attacker’s own aggressive energy and motion to defeat them. Other very simple examples would be using the wind to power a boat, water to power a grinding wheel, using gravity or inertia to achieve an end, helping a person harness their own personal strengths to overcome personal problems. Management by staying out of the way, is an example, as well as recognizing when less is more. Going with the flow and working smarter, not harder, are other phrases that reflect this principle.
A graphic example of escaping from a predicament that seems to get worse the harder one tries to get out of it is what I have know as Chinese finger cuffs. These finger cuffs are like a woven tube which clasps a finger on each hand and the harder the person pulls apart in order to escape, the more tightly they become stuck. Escape is accomplished thru the apparent paradox of not resisting, namely, by pushing the fingers together to release the tension that holds them and this escape is an example of wu-wei.
From the Tao Te Ching, we read:
The
Tao takes no action, but leaves nothing undone.
Practice non-action. To understand another of the Taoist principles, we can look to one of our favorite characters of fiction.
“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?” “What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?” “I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet. Pooh nodded thoughtfully. “It’s the same thing,” he said.
It is probably some coincidence that Pooh Bear and the concept of P’u, spelled P-’-u, are so similarly pronounced and one is such a classic example of the other. The Taoist principle of P’u, represents the undeveloped, simplicity and uncorrupted character of Pooh Bear. Literally, P’u means the uncarved block, such as an uncarved block of wood. And those of you who know Pooh Bear, know that the wu-wei that we just talked about, is also the Pooh-way, or the way that Pooh would do things -- with the least effort necessary.
Tao Te Ching says
Know
the strength of man, Where do Taoists look to understand the Tao? In addition to Tao Te Ching and other writings, the Taoist looks for truth and understanding in Nature, nature, nature, both externally and internally. That includes human nature in the form of human relationships and interactions. And the Taoist reliance on intuition rather than simple logic, gives it a mystical twist. But primarily, truth comes from within and not unlike the Gnostics.
So, we have the Tao as the Way, the yin & yang polarity within a unity, wu-wei -- doing without action, p’u – the uncarved block of a simplehearted Pooh, and water with its powers to heal, create and destroy, for starters.
What does all this mean to us and what value might it have in our own search for truth and meaning?
For one, I see consistency between Taoism and Unitarianism. Respect for others Respect for Nature. Emphasis on gentleness, not violence. the call for humility the belief in the interdependence of people and the interconnectedness of all things. Both say that truth and understanding come from within the individual.
Personally, Taoism gives me a sense unity, and therefore, “sense, ” to what sometimes seems like a fragmented reality. For that part, it puts a new twist on the word “Unitarian.” The Tao has elegance to it for me. Beauty. Taoism gives my sense of reality an over-riding sense of symmetry and harmony and positiveness without pretending that dissonance and chaos is not there, too. It is, in a sense, a discovery, rather than a preconceived structure that is imposed on my reality. It is a kind of conclusion arrived at by my own observation and ruminations, rather than something given to me by my cultural institutions.
Taoism – Is it a religion, is it a philosophy, is it theosophy or is it something unto it self that defies categorizing. Whatever it is, it has survived for thousands of years.
Now, for you, is Taoism something that would be interesting to see in National Geographic, something of mere historical interest, or a bunch of superstitious mumbo jumbo with pretense to meaning where there is none? Is it an inscrutable oriental curiosity, or a way of looking at life that challenges you always to see deeper into life’s mysteries with paradoxical guides. Or, is it something else, again. Maybe we’ll find out over coffee.
Closing Words –From Tao Te Ching
Who
understands the world is learned;
As we go about our daily lives, let us find enlightenment, harmony and true wealth.
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Selected Sources:
Tao Te Ching, by Lao Tsu, trans. by Gia-Fu Feng & Jane English Tao of Pooh, by Benjamin Hoff. TAO: the Watercourse Way, by Alan Watts TAOISM: The Parting of the Way, by Homes Welch The Way and Its Power, by Arthur Waley
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