Meridith Kohut
The New York Times
Caracas Journal – In Venezuela, Even Death May Not Bring Peace
via The New York Times
December 7, 2009
Corn Bread & Spoon
Reflection in my coffee spoon during breakfast.
Brooklyn, NY
Winter 2009
December 2, 2009
Tao Te Ching :|: Part 1 :|:
The Tao Te Ching is the written source of the mind and philosophy of Lao-tzu, the fabled prima facie master of Tao philosophy. Few knew who he was though many stories are told about him and the peaceful withdrawn life he led in accord with nature. To understand the great knowledge within the pages of the book, we must understand more about the person who inspired it.
Lao-tzu lived in China possibly during the sixth century B.C., a somewhat oppressive era for China under the feudal Zhou regime. After a long period of peaceful unity, China was divided into states, each with a ruler and the primary economic empire being commerce and trade. Lao-tzu lived during an era when people no longer honored barter methods because the State established money. It began to desire wealth and power and the people of the State followed the path of greed. Lao-tzu witnessed the mass confusion and moral misjudgment ensuing in his society. Being the peaceful introspective person he was must have increasingly caused turmoil in his heart to see the people around him suffer with the burdens created by material wealth and desire. He may have even struggled himself but was able to resist his desires and maintain focus on the Tao.
Though simple in form and presentation, the Tao Te Ching is severely complicated, which adds to it’s allure. The poetic prose only reveals enough intriguing information to capture one’s attention. Some approach the Tao assuming it has answers to life’s objectives, but they are often disappointed at first glance because there are very few obvious answers given. Thus begins the challenge and the beauty of the book. It is filled with riddle and ploy to force one to look inside themselves for answers to life’s difficulties instead of outside themselves within the book. Only then can one reap the beneficial knowledge flowing through the Tao. In each verse lies a universe of knowledge and insight into some of the most perplexing questions man has about themselves and the universe beyond themselves. It advises on “. . . preserving oneself by skillful adaptation to circumstances and avoidance . . . emphasize the natural way of things . . . and realize that language and concepts cannot grasp the truth of reality . . .” (Asian Philosophy p.444)
One can find peace living in harmony with the Tao by developing a natural tendency toward action through non-action. Wu Wei is a central philosophical stance in Taoist thought. One must be able to act without intention, this is most natural. The body and mind must be developed in such a way as to not require influence. One must move without intentional burden, the idea of action simply clouds the action itself weighing it down with language, words, and concepts. If one can learn to act without their concepts then their actions will be swift, with more accuracy, natural, and with good intention.
