Huainanzi - Entry 35

Trey Smith

No one has ever heard of anyone who avoided breaking the law and risking punishment when both hungry and cold.
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

While it would be too simplistic to suggest that crime occurs solely because of poverty, it does play a key role. When some people possess more than they could ever hope to consume and others don't have enough to maintain a bare subsistence level, coveting is bound to occur.

As I believe the Chinese Masters indicate, this kind of jealousy is natural. It is borne of each beings will to survive!!

This snippet also echoes a point made in Verse 4 of the TTC.

The wise therefore rule by emptying hearts and stuffing bellies, by weakening ambitions and strengthening bones.

When a society emphasizes justice and equality, there are less problems. When the vast majority of people within a society have good jobs and enough to eat, they are more satisfied with their ordinary lives. They will turn their attention to education, the arts, community and leisure.

When the 1 percent controls so much and the 99 percent so little, unrest becomes the name of the game.

To read the introduction to this ongoing series, go here.

What's Your Angle?

Trey Smith

The True Eternal Tao
Whenever I see those whom the vulgar call devotees of Tao, I find that all of them seek to be taken in by spirits and immortals, or they seek lasting life and preservation of wealth by the practice of material alchemy or sexual yoga. When it comes to the great Tao of true eternity, pure and open, tranquil and dispassionate, there are few who are interested in it.
~ from The Sayings of Lu Yen as quoted by Thomas Cleary in Vitality, Energy, Spirit: A Taoist Sourcebook ~

I often find that one of the reasons a lot of people gravitate towards any given religion, philosophy or ideology is that they are angling for a certain type of validation for the way they lead their lives. If an individual is financially wealthy, you will often find that they will select a belief system that legitimizes their pursuit of wealth. Just as often, if an individual suffers mightily, the person often will look for a belief system that states that earthly suffering is laudable and they will be rewarded in an afterlife.

It is not often that people look for a belief system that doesn't bestow special benefits to them. In my mind, this offers one reason why philosophical Taoism isn't particularly popular in western culture.

We westerners want to hear how special we are. We want to be told that the human species, in general, and our nation, culture or group, in specific, is the model for the rest of the world. We want to be recognized and acknowledged as the top dogs or the very top rung of the ladder. We like to think of ourselves as the stars of the Cosmos Reality Show.

With this kind of mentality drummed into our heads on a daily basis, why would most westerners want to gravitate toward a philosophy that states we are straw dogs, grains of sand or specks of dust? In philosophical Taoism, there really is no angle to pursue to provide us with the kind of personal massaging we're use to. There is nothing to make us feel that we are Tao's grand gift to the universe.

No wonder we western Taoists are such a small minority!

Huainanzi - Entry 34

Trey Smith

Deceptive writers are deliberately prolix and confusing in order to appear wise; competing with sophistry, their interminable reflections are inconclusive, without benefit to social order.
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

Over the past year, I have chronicled the predictions and statistics related to the unemployment rate of American workers. In the latest such report, the government says we're making headway as the official unemployment rate fell from 9.0% to 8.6%. If we are to believe this drop of 0.4%, we could say that the jobs picture is starting to brighten.

But many [progressive] analysts and pundits have pointed out something the government spokespeople aren't say. Buried in the fine print of the latest report is the REAL reason the unemployment rate dipped: over 300,000 people have given up searching for jobs that don't exist! If these 300,000 people remained part of the official equation, then the supposed drop evaporates.

Put another way, the government's latest pronouncements concerning unemployment is a lie. It's nothing more than spin to cover up the reality that neither the President nor Congress has done much of anything substantive to address the bleak employment crisis.

It is sophistry that provides no tangible benefit to the public good.

To read the introduction to this ongoing series, go here.

Blind Sight

Trey Smith

A poor man decided one day to get rich, so he put on his hat and coat and went to town.

As he walked through the center of town, pondering the question of how to get riches, his glance happened to fall on someone carrying a quantity of gold.

The poor man rushed up and grabbed some of the gold. He was caught as he tried to flee.

The magistrate asked the poor man, "How did you expect to get away with the gold, with all those people around?"

"I only saw the gold," explained the poor man, "I didn't see the people."
~ from Vitality, Energy, Spirit: A Taoist Sourcebook by Thomas Cleary ~

I recently purchased this book. It provides a wide sampling of Taoist writings. The story above is from the Book of Lieh-Tzü. I wrote a brief post on this story back in February 2009.

In the previous post, I took the easy way out! I zeroed in on the financiers of our day because their focus is on the accumulation of wealth and not people (well, except for themselves and their kind). In truth, though accurate, it was a lazy association because the poor man in the story represents each of us.

How often do we become fixated on a product, an idea, a relationship or a job? It gets into our psyche and we don't factor into the equation other important variables. All we know is that we WANT whatever it is and nothing will stop us from obtaining it. It doesn't matter who we hurt or disappoint. It doesn't matter who we have to knock down or step on. Our desire is so great, nothing else matters!

Once we have whatever it is in our clutches, reality starts to sink in. Sometimes we discover that this great object of our desire isn't as all encompassing wonderful as we thought it would be. Sometimes the people we neglected or hurt in our mad dash for the goods return to let us know that we will now face some serious and/or ugly consequences. Not so infrequently, it's a good measure of both.

Though our eyes are wide open, often our vision is blind.

Huainanzi - Entry 33

Trey Smith

Those who value life do not destroy themselves for material gain. Those who are firm in ethics do not try to spare themselves when they see difficulty. Those greedy for money disregard their health when they see a profit to be made. Those who want a good name will not try to get it unjustly.
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

Once again, these Chinese Masters hit the nail square on the head! While there certainly are Type A personalities who are not wealthy, I bet most of the titans of industry are. In the capitalist system -- it's probably just as true for any other system -- you don't get ahead by "playing nice." You've got to be ruthless with others and yourself.

The other part of this passage that again I think is so on target is sentence #2. It typifies one of the chief complaints of the Occupy movement. When those of us in the 99 percent find ourselves in financial difficulties, the ruling elite and talking heads tell us that the moral thing to do is to face up to the problem and to pay the piper (them).

However, these same folks don't apply this rule to themselves! When they find themselves in a bind due to their own reckless behavior, the expect us -- no, they demand it! -- to bail them out because they are "too big to fail."

And so, through the auspices of the government, we bail them out. How do they pay us back? By engaging in the very same reckless behavior again!

To read the introduction to this ongoing series, go here.

Huainanzi - Entry 32

Trey Smith

The laws of the Three August Ones and Five Emperors of high antiquity were different in what they prescribed but equal in that they won the hearts of the people.
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

In our society, we're always being told there is a right way or one way to do this or that. Conformity is prized; nonconformity is denigrated. One way this is expressed is when one person says to another -- Get with the program!

Religions (ideologies as well) are notorious for this kind of attitude. One specific protocol is presented and you better damn well get with the program or else you will be labeled a backslider, heretic or "the enemy."

But just as there is more than one route to get to the summit of a mountain or to ford a stream, there are many paths by which to attain enlightenment or wisdom. It is not the path we choose that is of the greatest importance; it is more the manner in which we travel on it.

To read the introduction to this ongoing series, go here.

Huainanzi - Entry 31

Trey Smith

The ruler is the mind of the nation. When the mind is orderly, all nodes are calm; when the mind is disturbed, all nodes are deranged.
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

We must remember that governance is a bit different now than in the BCE era in China! We no longer have kings, dukes and lords, though it sometimes seems like we do.

Still, despite the differences, the message of this snippet continues to ring true. When the ruling class (oligarchy) maintains a system that is fair and just, the people go about their daily routines and feel a sense of pride in their nation and community. When the ruling class maintains a system that patently is unfair and unjust, there is unrest amongst the people. The people exhibit less pride and are suspicious of others. A sense of widespread community and commonality is lost.

To read the introduction to this ongoing series, go here.

Huainanzi - Entry 30

Trey Smith

What enables a nation to survive is benevolence and justice; what enables people to live is practical virtue. A nation without justice will perish even if it is large; people without goodwill will be wounded even if they are brave.
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

Why is it that an unjust nation cannot survive for too long? I think history has shown that injustice is the engine for unrest and unrest leads to a host of problems. Let's look at just one of these many problems.

When a citizenry believes that their society is unjust, it hurts productivity. Why put your all into your work if you truly don't believe you will be able to get ahead and/or be fairly rewarded? If you know ahead of time that your efforts will go unnoticed or someone farther up the food chain will garner all the accolades, this easily can thwart the motivation to perform at a high level.

So, you trudge off to work each day. You do what is asked of you, but little more. The bosses keep trying to wring greater productivity out of fewer workers, but the dampened morale stifles the potential for greater success.

In time, the decreased productivity begins to impact the owners. The bottom line doesn't look as pretty as it used to. So, they apply even more pressure to produce on an already demoralized workforce. At some juncture, the pressure becomes too much for the beleaguered workers and, in one way or another, they explode.

To read the introduction to this ongoing series, go here.

Huainanzi - Entry 29

Trey Smith

Food is the basis of the people; the people are the basis of the country; the country is the basis of the ruler.
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

Every type of creature needs food (or something like it) to survive. Our planet has the capability to feed every critter and yet so many go hungry.

Like so many other aspects of life, food has been transformed into nothing more than a commodity. In today's world of complex financial speculation, food is treated like an expendable pawn that is utilized to fatten a few pockets while millions starve.

To say the very least, ANY system that withholds the basic necessities of life in order that a few greedy bastards can pile up ever more money is an immoral system. And that's the kind of system that so many lionize today!

To read the introduction to this ongoing series, go here.

Huainanzi - Entry 28

Trey Smith

Greedy leaders and harsh rulers oppress their subjects and bleed their people to staisfy their own interminable desires. Thus the commoners have no way to benefit from the harmony of heaven or walk upon the blessings of the earth.
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

It is mind-boggling that we live on a planet that can more than adequately sustain all life right now, yet millions of people starve to death every year. While a small majority lives in the lap of luxury, the vast majority ekes out a bare subsistence, if that much.

If the resources of Mother Earth were shared more equitably, almost every being could live a life of unlimited potential. When put in these terms, what is most striking about human society is the percentage of potential that is squandered or thwarted each day. This sad fact, in and of itself, offers a horrible commentary on the history of humanity.

To read the introduction to this ongoing series, go here.

Huainanzi - Entry 27

Trey Smith

Lofty terraces and multistoried pavilions are splendid indeedm, but an enlightened leader cannot enjoy them if people are homesless. Fine wine and tender meat are delicious indeed, but an enlightened leader cannot enjoy them if people are undernourished.
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

Needless to say, but the rich oligarchs of today have no problem with flaunting their excesses in the faces of those who have not. In fact, many believe it is a virtue to do so! What else could a person surmise when you watch them compete with each other to see who can rub more faces into the muck!

The callous disregard that many of our "leaders" hold for the people is one of the driving forces behind the Occupy movement. While I am certain that some of the protesters are opponents of the capitalist system -- like yours truly -- my bet is that the vast majority are not. They don't necessarily begrudge corporations and individuals for being rich; what has raised their hackles is that the rich feel no responsibility for the common good.

Put another way, today's capitalists are not enlightened. Their focus solely is on themselves. If they are doing well, that's all that matters. While they may acknowledge that others are homeless, jobless and/or underfed, they don't give a damn. If a circumstance doesn't impact their bottom line directly, they couldn't care less!

To read the introduction to this ongoing series, go here.

Huainanzi - Entry 26

Trey Smith

Those who gain the benefit of power have very little in the way of holdings and very much in the way of responsibility. What they maintain is very restricted, what they control is very broad.
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

Obviously, one could argue this is the way things SHOULD be; it certainly isn't the way things are!!

When leaders have a lot of wealth (holdings), they focus a lot of their attention on maintaining and increasing it. As we have seen in the US and other nations, our leaders make decisions based almost solely on how it impacts them and they seem blind or uncaring as to how such decisions impact anyone else and/or the natural environment.

In the US, this explains why neither the Obama administration nor Congress has spent much time at all in trying to devise a viable plan to get Americans back to work. They are employed and their portfolios are doing quite fine, thank you. The misery being suffered by many of the 99 percent throughout the nation simply doesn't touch them.

To read the introduction to this ongoing series, go here.

Huainanzi - Entry 25

Trey Smith

Those who do not see great meaning do not know that life is not worth greed. Those who have not heard great words do not know that dominion over the world is not worth considering an advantage.
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

My wife reminded me the other day of a word she used to bristle at when we were dating: superficial. Della came from a typical southern Bible-belt family that tended to skim the surface of life and rarely, if ever, chose to dig beneath the outer sheen of anything. By meeting and falling in love with yours truly, she had come upon an odd individual who relished digging down miles under the surface!

When I look at the state of the world today, I liken those who only are concerned with their short-term wealth and power as being very superficial people. Many would sell their soul to the devil -- if he actually existed -- in order to eke out a few billion more. These folks are all about appearances and little else. They put the ISH in selfishness.

People of depth look at the long-term aspects and how decisions impact their community and world. They truly grasp the notion that we're all in this together and so it is of vital importance to raise or lower all boats at once.

More importantly, they realize that providing love and respect -- not greed and avarice -- is what makes this life truly worth living.

To read the introduction to this ongoing series, go here.

Huainanzi - Entry 24

Trey Smith

Asking for fire is not as good as getting means of making fire; depending on someone to draw water is not as good as digging a well yourself.
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

For me, this passage is about relying on the external to make our way in life. While Taoist philosophy certainly places an emphasis on silence and meditation, it also stresses the importance of being proactive, not passive.

When we expect others to satisfy our needs, we take ourselves out of the equation. We don't stand on our own two feet. When we demand that others make us happy or fill us with a sense of self-worth, the sensation only lasts as long as the others shovel it on. When they retire, we are left with a self-imposed sense of unhappiness and low self-esteem.

As social beings, we need the love, care and respect of others. The person who completely shuts themselves off from any manner of social interaction will, most likely, lead a shell of a full life. But while we need others to help us navigate the labyrinth of our existence, the true measure of ourselves must come from within.

We must be active participants in finding and following our own paths.

To read the introduction to this ongoing series, go here.

Huainanzi - Entry 23

Trey Smith

Those who have attained the Way change outwardly but not inwardly. Their outward changes are their means of entering human society; their inner unchanging is their means of keeping whole. Therefore, they have a stable inner life while they can outwardly adapt to changes in others.
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

Another way to express the above sentiment is to say that we each need a foundation or an anchor. People who lack a mooring point can be so easily buffeted about by external forces -- pitched to and fro by the rough seas of convention and popular opinion.

The person with a deep foundation [of Tao] has a strong foothold that allows them to stand resolute, yet flexible, even in the worst storms. Individuals who lack this type of anchor are those who talk a good game, but seem unable to follow through successfully. Individuals who embrace the Way are the ones who walk their talk.

Which are you?

To read the introduction to this ongoing series, go here.

Huainanzi - Entry 22

Trey Smith

Fashions, manners, and customs are not people's natures but what they take in from without. Human nature is innocent; when steeped in customs for a long time, it changes. When people's natures change, they forget the origin and conform to a seeming nature.
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

Culture plays a huge role in who we each are. It is this socialization process that significantly impacts our worldview. As social creatures, we cannot escape the socialization aspect of our culture.

The task before each of us is how to keep these external forces at bay so that our own internal nature can shine through.

It certainly is not an easy assignment. Society pushes its members to conform -- to stay within prescribed parameters. This message is hammered home daily through the media, government, religion, education and peer pressure. It is not uncommon at all for people to come to believe that the external is all that matters.

One of the great messages from the ancient Taoist sages (as well as modern-day Taoists on this blog) is that the internal is as important, if not more so, than the external. The voice of Tao within each of us can serve as our compass, IF we would only listen to it.

To read the introduction to this ongoing series, go here.

Huainanzi - Entry 21

Trey Smith

Governing a country is like weeding a garden; just get rid of the sprouts of harmful plants -- that's all.
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

The notion from this passage is not only good advice in regards to governing a country, it's also excellent advice for how each of us could better live our lives.

As any gardener knows, the best time to weed is BEFORE your garden gets overrun. If you wait until your flowers, vegetables and fruits are being choked by those vile invaders, you stand a good chance of digging up and/or injuring your prized plants in the form of unintended collateral damage.

To ward off this sorry state of affairs, you need to focus on doing a lot of weeding at the outset of the season. It is when we nip potential problems in the bud that we rob them of their potential to become major catastrophes.

To read the introduction to this ongoing series, go here.

Huainanzi - Entry 20

from the Huainanzi
Trey Smith

Laws and conventions are tools of government, but they are not what constitutes government.
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

I couldn't agree with this passage more. For me, the best government is that which models virtue. If the leaders are just, humane and respectful, the vast majority of the people will be too.

Think of this passage in terms of a family. Parents set rules and boundaries for their children. These are tools by which they hope to help mold their progeny into mature adults. However, if parents fail to model the kind of behavior they want their children to emulate, all the rules in the world won't amount to a hill of beans. Children are far more apt to replicate how their parents genuinely comport themselves, not on what their parents say -- particularly if the former contradicts the latter!

To read the introduction to this ongoing series, go here.

Huainanzi - Entry 19

from the Huainanzi
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."
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

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.

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.

Huainanzi - Entry 18

The Martial Lord of Wei asked one of his ministers what made a nation perish. The minister replied, "Numerous victories in numerous wars."

The lord said, "A nation is fortunate to win numerous victories in numerous wars -- why would it perish thereby?"

The minister said, "When there are repeated wars, the people are weakened; when they score repeated victories, rulers become haughty. Let haughty rulers command weakened people, and rare is the nation that will not perish as a result."
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

Hmm. I wonder if our President and members of Congress have ever read the Huainanzi? If not, maybe we should suggest they do so!! I bet they could learn a thing or two.

To read the introduction to this ongoing series, go here.