This last section of the manuscript for The Book of Chen Jen is broken down into several posts. To see all the posts in chronological order, go to the Book of Chen Jen Index Page (scroll down to Section 3). For the sake of these posts, the questions posed by the interviewer, Sue-tzu, will be in bold and the answers by the author will appear as regular text.
What is ‘Tao’?
‘Tao’ is a word. There is no Tao. We could not possibly express or fathom what is Tao; therefore we cannot say anything about it. ‘Tao’ stands for the Unknown—that which underlies and embraces all that is and is not. Chen Jen uses the term because it is part of the cultural context in which he speaks. I do not use it myself because, like the word ‘god,’ it comes with too much baggage. I like ‘Unknown’ or ‘Mystery’ or ‘IS’. The Tao is all that IS and we truly know nothing of the essence of anything.
Tao is beyond all knowing, yet Chen Jen speaks of ‘harmony’ with the Tao.
Picture yourself in a vast river the banks of which are beyond your vision, indeed, beyond your ability even to imagine. ‘Harmony’ with this river would be to let go and go with its mighty flow. There is no need to understand. It is unnecessary to find a shore. All this would be to fight the current, to be in disharmony with what IS. Harmony with the Tao is complete and total acceptance and affirmation of all that we experience. It is surrender. It is the letting go of all resistance to IS as it touches upon our experience. It is letting go until there is nothing left to let go and no longer any letting go.
If I stub my toe...
If you stub your toe, say ‘ouch.’ Or ‘fuck!’ But do not blame IS. Do not blame the toe or the object upon which it stubbed. Blame your careless self, if you must, but then accept and affirm that you have a careless self which is not only careless, but also foolishly assigns blame. Another way to describe letting go is transcendence. There is a hurt toe and a careless, self-blaming self, but you transcend them. You are not these things. Does the toe hurt? Yes, but the hurt has no meaning, nor do you assign meaning to it. In the same way, the self hurts in its blaming but you do not identify with it. “Let your dragons be.” This is what ego-selves do. But you have transcended this ego-self. It is not you.
Who am I then?
‘You’ are the one who need not—would not—ask the question, if free of identity. Only the ego-self asks such questions. Remember Chen Jen’s saying? “There are no answers in emptiness, questions do not arise.” When you have transcended the ego-self you simply are — whatever or whatever not — you are. This is the freedom of simply being.
What is ‘Tao’?
‘Tao’ is a word. There is no Tao. We could not possibly express or fathom what is Tao; therefore we cannot say anything about it. ‘Tao’ stands for the Unknown—that which underlies and embraces all that is and is not. Chen Jen uses the term because it is part of the cultural context in which he speaks. I do not use it myself because, like the word ‘god,’ it comes with too much baggage. I like ‘Unknown’ or ‘Mystery’ or ‘IS’. The Tao is all that IS and we truly know nothing of the essence of anything.
Tao is beyond all knowing, yet Chen Jen speaks of ‘harmony’ with the Tao.
Picture yourself in a vast river the banks of which are beyond your vision, indeed, beyond your ability even to imagine. ‘Harmony’ with this river would be to let go and go with its mighty flow. There is no need to understand. It is unnecessary to find a shore. All this would be to fight the current, to be in disharmony with what IS. Harmony with the Tao is complete and total acceptance and affirmation of all that we experience. It is surrender. It is the letting go of all resistance to IS as it touches upon our experience. It is letting go until there is nothing left to let go and no longer any letting go.
If I stub my toe...
If you stub your toe, say ‘ouch.’ Or ‘fuck!’ But do not blame IS. Do not blame the toe or the object upon which it stubbed. Blame your careless self, if you must, but then accept and affirm that you have a careless self which is not only careless, but also foolishly assigns blame. Another way to describe letting go is transcendence. There is a hurt toe and a careless, self-blaming self, but you transcend them. You are not these things. Does the toe hurt? Yes, but the hurt has no meaning, nor do you assign meaning to it. In the same way, the self hurts in its blaming but you do not identify with it. “Let your dragons be.” This is what ego-selves do. But you have transcended this ego-self. It is not you.
Who am I then?
‘You’ are the one who need not—would not—ask the question, if free of identity. Only the ego-self asks such questions. Remember Chen Jen’s saying? “There are no answers in emptiness, questions do not arise.” When you have transcended the ego-self you simply are — whatever or whatever not — you are. This is the freedom of simply being.
Isn't "transcending the ego-self" what is commonly called enlightenment?
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