from Verse Forty-TwoSo the physical body may pass away, but the spirit does not change. Use the unchanging to respond to changes, and there is never any limit.~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~
No one knows -- and I don't think anyone will EVER know -- what constitutes the essence of life. We can each come up with our own pet theories, but it will forever be a mystery.From the standpoint of Taoist sages like Lao Tzu, about the only way we can gain a smidgen of insight is by observing how other life forms in this realm live and die. By watching the way they constantly are morphing into other life forms, we might get some idea of what will happen to each of us when our bodies give out.
Call it whatever you like: spirit, soul, essence, Tao, One, it. If humans are like all other beings, then death doesn't mean an end to life; it merely means an end to life in our current form.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
What people fear is the ego death. If you've already experienced that once in your life, you lose that fear. Tao leads us to realize the unimportance of the ego in terms of the grander scheme of things.
ReplyDeleteLao Tzu knew.
ReplyDeleteBuddha knew.
Jesus knew.
There are others who knew, and know.
You may not know, but that does not make it an absolute condition.
We are designed to fear death.
In fearing it, we may be able to survive long enough to learn what we need to learn, so we may properly prepare for it. Thus prepared, fear becomes obsolete.
And what is knowing anyway?
Lao Tzu knew enough to proclaim that he did not know.
And don't forget Chuang Tzu's butterfly.
ReplyDeleteRT--now and then I think your analyses are way too socio-political, but then you come up with this and I see you get it.
Donna,
ReplyDeleteGreat point, as always.
Crow,
You seem to be contradicting yourself. First, you say Lao Tzu knew. Then you say he knew he didn't know. I merely echoed that second declaration. So what's your point?
Baroness,
What can I say? I'm a socio-political kind of guy! ; )
i like how you put that, TRT.
ReplyDeleteas for knowing, who knows? :)