from Verse Sixty-Four
Not listening and not inquiring is like being blind and deaf in the company of others.
~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~
For me, passages like this are important because so much emphasis in Taoist thought is focused on the inward conversation. Like many other life forms, the human species seems social, in nature. If we cultivate the Way within ourselves, but this transformation doesn't extend to our relations with other beings, then I think this is a good sign that we haven't cultivated half as much as we think.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
I wrote much about this, once.
ReplyDeleteHaving discovered the void, I sat in the desert, languishing in its ultimate serenity. I sat for a long time.
Then it slowly dawned on me that while this was all very fine, what USE was I?
At length, as Richard Bach so nicely put it, in his wonderful book "Illusions": "He arose, slowly, and made his way back into the world of men..."
I'm nodding in agreement.
ReplyDeletei agree, however i like the taoist emphasis on the internal... it's not that the internal is more important, but, taoism is all about cultivating the right internal nature and then letting our actions naturally flow from that nature.
ReplyDeletethere are so many philosophies (and especially religions) which focus on how we should or should not act. i like that taoism doesn't presume that we should act a certain way, but simply do what is in our nature, after we cultivate our nature to be in harmony with the Tao.
Iktomi,
ReplyDeleteYes, I too like the focus on our internal nature. That said, no man, woman, child or bucking ram :P is an island!
lol TRT
ReplyDeletebtw i completely avoided that buck during chores today as he was busy ramming his head into another buck! sheesh. he must have gone into another rut. :/