from Verse Fifty-TwoYou cannot cause calamity not to occur, but trust in yourself not to beckon it. You cannot cause fortune to arrive, but trust in yourself not to reject it. When calamity occurs, since it is not your doing you do not grieve when in straits. When fortune comes, since it is not your achievement you are not conceited when successful.~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~
Even the most virtuous among us must face situations that are completely beyond a person's control. A person could live a life completely within their nature and never stray one inch from their path and still find themselves in bad straits. It is the way our existence works!
I believe this point is of critical importance. Too often, people jump from religion to religion or philosophy to philosophy in the unrealistic hope that they will find one that will mean an end to their uncertainty, fear, anxiety and pain. It's like they're looking for some kind of magic pill or spell that will protect them from harm.
If you're looking to philosophical Taoism in this way, I suggest you keep on searching!! Taoism will not shield you from all this life can dish out. What Taoism does offer is a way to understand that joy and pain come with the territory; there is no escape. Taoism also postulates that, by keeping centered, each of us will be better equipped to deal with adversity and success in a balanced manner.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
I believe this point is of critical importance. Too often, people jump from religion to religion or philosophy to philosophy in the unrealistic hope that they will find one that will mean an end to their uncertainty, fear, anxiety and pain. It's like they're looking for some kind of magic pill or spell that will protect them from harm.
If you're looking to philosophical Taoism in this way, I suggest you keep on searching!! Taoism will not shield you from all this life can dish out. What Taoism does offer is a way to understand that joy and pain come with the territory; there is no escape. Taoism also postulates that, by keeping centered, each of us will be better equipped to deal with adversity and success in a balanced manner.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
I think I was originally attracted to Taoist thinking because it was like Wittgenstein (who of course sort of later repudiated himself); language and naming things is so difficult. "What we cannot speak about we must pass over in silence." Then, while in studies with this Chinese teacher in China, I came to understand that in the "post-heaven" state (Chinese/Taoist cosmology) shit happens.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was having some physical difficulty with a certain meditation technique, his counsel was "Just do the best you can." In the end, you do just have to trust yourself.
Very well stated!!
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