Monday, November 9, 2009

Wen Tzu - Verse 12, Part I

from Verse Twelve
Heaven sets up the sun and moon, arrays the stars and planets, sets out the four seasons, and tunes darkness and light. It warms by means of the sun, gives rest by means of the night, dries by means of the wind, and moistens by means of the rain and dew. As it gives birth to beings, no one can see it nurturing, yet all beings grow. As it kills beings, no one can see it destroying, yet all beings pass away. This is called sacred and miraculous.
~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~
This passage suggests to me one of the big differences between the Christian and Taoist perspectives. While the former postulates a personal God who orchestrates life behind the scenes following a master blueprint, Taoists see an impersonal force that adheres to universal principles -- the laws of nature. Beings live and die because that is the nature of life.

That said, living and dying are mere concepts that we employ to describe this miracle of existence. My guess is that both are illusions and, like Tao itself, the vital essence that makes up every single thing in this world simply is. This "is" manifests itself in a dizzying number of forms and variations, but its basic constitution (for lack of a better word) is the same throughout the entire realm we call the universe.

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

4 comments:

  1. Nice verse and nice points.

    This book is simply not making its way into my life, at least not in book form. I'm here each day reading your snippets.

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  2. If it still hasn't worked its way into your life by the time I get done with this series -- around 2012 at the rate I'm going :D -- maybe I can mail you my copy.

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  3. How is that concept of a universal force that respects the natural laws different from pantheism? I could swear is the same thing.

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  4. Taoism can be said to be a Pantheist philosophy.

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