from Verse Ninety-FourThe substance of the Way is nonbeing: you cannot see its form when you look at it, you cannot hear its sound when you listen for it. This is called the mysterious unknown. The "mysterious unknown" is a way of talking about the Way, it is not the Way itself.~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~
So begins the longest verse of the Wen Tzu; in the book I have, it spans eight and one-half pages!! Due to its length, this verse will be presented in many parts over the course of the next day or two.In some ways, it's a quasi-midpoint summarization of the themes discussed to this point. The passage shown above is merely a rephrasing of the first lines from the Tao Te Ching. Its central thesis is that all of our talk, writings and conceptualizations about this unknown quantity called life neither define nor describe the mystery itself.
We can give the mystery any name we desire and we can describe the manifestations of it in a multitude of ways, but that's about as far as we can venture. Anything beyond that point is pure folly because it is too broad, expansive and encompassing for a feeble human brain to comprehend.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
"We can give the mystery any name we desire and we can describe the manifestations of it in a multitude of ways, but that's about as far as we can venture."
ReplyDeleteYup! :D
It is not the business of the "feeble human brain" to comprehend it. That is not the domain of the brain. There is really nothing feeble about the human brain. It is a marvel of complexity and power.
ReplyDeleteBut the way is exactly that.
The Way.
It must be worn, as one wears one's skin. Circulated, like one's blood.
Confidently leaned upon, like one's feet.
One may know oneself, and talk about it.
One may never know one's context.
Still, one may operate within it.
There is really nothing feeble about the human brain. It is a marvel of complexity and power.
ReplyDeleteIt all depends on perspective. From my perspective as a human, I couldn't agree more. However, from the perspective of the universe, I suspect it looks feeble.