from the Huainanzi
Trey Smith
Trey Smith
To recite the books of ancient kings is not as good as hearing their words. Hearing their words is not as good as attaining that whereby those words were spoken. To attain that whereby those words were spoken is something that words cannot say. Therefore, "a way that can be spoken is not the eternal Way."This entry from the Huainanzi goes hand-in-hand with a topic I write about from time-to-time. Words themselves can only take us so far -- we each have to walk the journey with our own two feet.
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~
This blog offers no road map. None of the 5 writers here can serve as your personal guide. Our purpose is to share with you our musings and ruminations of our own singular journeys in the hope that something we share may spark an idea, a notion, a sentiment or a something beyond words in you.
One of the great joys of blogging is that you, our readers, give so much back. Through the comments section, you provide your own musings and ruminations which often sparks an idea, a notion, a sentiment or a something beyond words in us!
Words are one of humanity's tools for sharing. Most of us would be lost without them. But words can only take us so far; at some point, we each have to jump into the abyss of wordlessness to touch Tao.
To read the introduction to this ongoing series, go here.
I've been reading a lovely 75-year-old book on Chinese painting, a glossary of terms, in which the author, Benjamin March, writes:
ReplyDelete"He who would study a technique without using his hands may be compared to one who would learn to swim without going into the water. Limiting oneself to two means of acquiring knowledge, the eye and the ear, when a third, the hand, is available, is like driving an automobile always in second gear."
There's a lot of odd meat to chew there, but I think the point is relevant. Talking, reading and writing is important, we love it, but at some point it is about DOING, attaining a skill, mastering a technique, gaining an understanding. The glossary is valuable; the brush is a better teacher.