Thursday, September 17, 2009

Life Defined -- Point 5

5. There is then something quite dazzling, namely, a preestablished harmony between thought and being, language and reality; between the questions we want to ask and the Answer that the nature of things is waiting to give us. (Notice that this most astonishing doctrine is also the one most profoundly taken for granted.)
Of course, this point represents a huge difference between the Christian conception of life and that of Taoism. For the former, God is the dazzling something. He is to be exalted and worshiped. He is to be praised and celebrated.

Tao, on the other hand, isn't a some-thing; it's the process of life itself. Far from being a dazzling spectacle, it is nameless and formless. It's as exciting as Melba Toast! As Lao Tzu writes over and over again, it occupies the low places and does not compete.

Where God can become jealous and angry if we don't give him his proper due, Tao has no emotion. Because Tao is not a conscious being, it has no cares -- it doesn't matter one wit whether or not you recognize it. It cares not if you worship it. It has no concern over whether you exalt it or not.

Tao just is and that's all there is to it.

This post is part of a "miniseries". For an introduction, go here.

4 comments:

  1. i had to read this point over 3 times to understand what is meant by it. another difference is, while christianity sees harmony between reality and the conscious human intellect, tao sees harmony between reality and the unconscious or pre-conscious living being, not limited to humans because it does not have to be intellectually understood. according to the bible, the rest of the world became imperfect because of man's choice, and will not be saved along with mankind. the natural world is there for mankind's benefit, to exploit or care for as man sees fit.

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  2. Yes, I have ALWAYS had trouble -- even back in my Christian days -- with the idea that humankind has dominion over all other worldly things. It smacks of the greatest egocentricity possible.

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  3. same here- in fact i had trouble with the whole heirarchy thing. why should humans be above animals, angels above men, god above all, men above women, clergy above laymen, jews above all other peoples, believers above nonbelievers... etc... :P but then i've always had trouble with authority...

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  4. I have trouble with authority too.

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