6. The final Answer will be revealed to us in or through death.
As I've written before, from a Taoist perspective, there is no "final" answer. Even if we believed there was, I think few Taoists would think it could only be revealed in death. From my perspective, the problem with this kind of formulation is that it downgrades life -- sort of like a third cousin once removed.
Owing to the concepts of yin and yang, Taoists view life and death as merely different sides of the same coin. Each provides the other with definition and meaning. Each also contains an element of the other. To wit, to live means to die one day and death provides the opportunity to be reborn.
And this difference in perspective could be represented as the differences between a straight line and a circle. In Christian thought, life is a progression along a straight line -- birth, life, death. In Taoist thought, these same three elements feed into each other as in a circle. Straight lines have a starting and ending point; a circle never starts nor ends, the line flows into itself over and over again.
As evidence for the Taoist formulation, we look to nature. For example, a tree begins as a seed and grows to a full expanse. With time, it begins to die and, at some point, falls over. Once on the ground, we can still see that it was once a tree. Soon, the shape of the tree begins to breakdown and decompose. At some point, it ceases to be a tree and becomes soil. And soil gives birth to new life.
We don't know what precisely happens when each person dies. We do know that the body ceases to function, but none of us can know now what happens to the spirit, soul or essence. In my mind's eye, I imagine it being something like a tree. For an aspect of time, we may retain our sense of self, but soon that fades into the energy -- the soil -- of the life force.
This post is part of a "miniseries". For an introduction, go here.
Owing to the concepts of yin and yang, Taoists view life and death as merely different sides of the same coin. Each provides the other with definition and meaning. Each also contains an element of the other. To wit, to live means to die one day and death provides the opportunity to be reborn.
And this difference in perspective could be represented as the differences between a straight line and a circle. In Christian thought, life is a progression along a straight line -- birth, life, death. In Taoist thought, these same three elements feed into each other as in a circle. Straight lines have a starting and ending point; a circle never starts nor ends, the line flows into itself over and over again.
As evidence for the Taoist formulation, we look to nature. For example, a tree begins as a seed and grows to a full expanse. With time, it begins to die and, at some point, falls over. Once on the ground, we can still see that it was once a tree. Soon, the shape of the tree begins to breakdown and decompose. At some point, it ceases to be a tree and becomes soil. And soil gives birth to new life.
We don't know what precisely happens when each person dies. We do know that the body ceases to function, but none of us can know now what happens to the spirit, soul or essence. In my mind's eye, I imagine it being something like a tree. For an aspect of time, we may retain our sense of self, but soon that fades into the energy -- the soil -- of the life force.
This post is part of a "miniseries". For an introduction, go here.
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