I grew up in the Presbyterian Church. Every Sunday we'd trot off to church services and the one word we heard from the pulpit and the choir more than any other was love. God loves us. Jesus loves us. In fact, God loves us so much that... We should should love God, Jesus and each other.
Love. Love. Love. It's was a darn lovefest!
Not only do many other religions and belief systems speak of love, but overall society seems consumed with the idea as well. Thousands of books, magazine articles, news reports, videos, and whatever else focus on this one concept again and again.
Love yourself.
Love your country.
Love the whales.
Free Love and love the one you're with.
Love like crazy, but only in a monogamous male-female relationship.
Love. It's everywhere -- except it rarely gets mentioned in the writings of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. The few times it does pop up, it's more than likely as a passing comment utilized in a very generic sense.
How can philosophical Taoism be considered a serious worldview when the discussion of love seems so lacking?
In my mind's eye, while most of us consider pure love as the highest emotive value in human existence, these two Taoist sages don't hold the same opinion. Love can only manifest itself for those who view the world as separateness. From this perspective, love is something we bestow on someone or something else. It's something we give and receive.
If, on the other hand, all of creation is viewed as the One -- everything is a manifestation of one singular entity or reality -- love sort of loses its luster. It becomes a petty emotion. It seeks to draw distinctions where none exist.
So, in my humble opinion, Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu are calling us to move beyond love and to embrace the world as ourselves. When we embrace all, we move to a higher plane of consciousness that moves our being far beyond the concept of love.
Love. Love. Love. It's was a darn lovefest!
Not only do many other religions and belief systems speak of love, but overall society seems consumed with the idea as well. Thousands of books, magazine articles, news reports, videos, and whatever else focus on this one concept again and again.
Love yourself.
Love your country.
Love the whales.
Free Love and love the one you're with.
Love like crazy, but only in a monogamous male-female relationship.
Love. It's everywhere -- except it rarely gets mentioned in the writings of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. The few times it does pop up, it's more than likely as a passing comment utilized in a very generic sense.
How can philosophical Taoism be considered a serious worldview when the discussion of love seems so lacking?
In my mind's eye, while most of us consider pure love as the highest emotive value in human existence, these two Taoist sages don't hold the same opinion. Love can only manifest itself for those who view the world as separateness. From this perspective, love is something we bestow on someone or something else. It's something we give and receive.
If, on the other hand, all of creation is viewed as the One -- everything is a manifestation of one singular entity or reality -- love sort of loses its luster. It becomes a petty emotion. It seeks to draw distinctions where none exist.
So, in my humble opinion, Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu are calling us to move beyond love and to embrace the world as ourselves. When we embrace all, we move to a higher plane of consciousness that moves our being far beyond the concept of love.
I think it is still love -- it is just love for all of it, instead of just in bits and pieces.
ReplyDeleteWhat else does, "nourish, develop, care for, shelter, comfort, grow, protect" mean? (Just to flip through at random to Verse 51)
It means to love.
I would postulate that the words you cited -- as are ALL words -- merely are fingers pointing at the moon. They represent pale facsimiles of what Lao Tzu is referring to.
ReplyDeleteIf all things are but one thing, then, for me, love barely scratches the tip of the iceberg. In fact, my point is that it's completely beyond human emotion.
I credit the Presbyterian Church for most of my father's particularly guilt-ridden misery.
ReplyDelete===
The Taoist hermit I recently visited emphasized we must have a loving heart...(ai xin). It's not common to hear discussions of love in classical Tao terms, but there it was.