哲学 Synthesis Paper: 2B

哲学

老子

What is philosophy as demonstrated in Ancient Chinese Philosophy…

1. by Lao Tzu…

B. in the way he lays down the assumptions of the solution to the philosophical problem?

In order for one to overcome the absence of natural harmony, he must be one with the Tao for it is in the decline or in the absence of the Tao in one’s life that things will go downhill. Being one with the Tao means being one with Nature. Understand and respect Nature for it is in these simple acts that the Tao will thrive. Understand Nature by making no distinction between what is black and what is white or what is good and what is bad. Know that these things will only cause a storm within one’s heart and this can lead to the absence of natural disharmony. 

Understanding Nature means understanding the nature of opposites. Know that they are fundamentally related to one another and that they do not compete with each other: they form their relationship by complementing each other and so they are natural. Understand that day follows night and night follows day. By understanding this, one can begin to embody the Tao. Albeit unexplainable and cannot be expressed, the Tao should be understood as it is. The Tao is. The Tao cannot be expressed into words for words are limiting and they turn into stone. The Tao is too profound for the words of man. Understand that the Tao produces the 10,000 things and understand that as the same time it is empty- there are two sides in a coin. 

There is something great about the Tao’s emptiness. As it is empty, it has the capacity to receive. Empty yet full of life and potentiality. In the 10,000 things the Tao shows us that there is harmony in opposites and the Tao expresses this by being impartial to everything. The Tao does not take sides, therefore Nature is good. It gives and it takes and it does not punish, it’s just how it is and we ought to understand and accept this. If we live according to the Tao our life will be in a state of balance. 

The Tao also tells us not to rush things. Do no be hasty in your ways and let go when your palms are about to burn from holding on so tightly. For Lao Tzu, the way of the Tao and the way of Nature is equilibrium. Therefore, too little and too much is not the way of the Tao. Do not force things because nature does not. What will happen will happen in its own time and so by following the flow of nature, one can be sure that no disharmony will take place. 

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Government of Non-interference

十四

老子

~What is Lao Tzu’s understanding of the state? What is the state for?

~What does Lao Tzu mean by government by non-interference? Would this still be government? Would it effectively meet the goals that the state was constituted to accomplish?

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If a land is ruled by a person of the Tao, then everyone and everything will be live in peace and harmony. The people will live their lives and go on their daily chores without even realising that someone, whose presence is not easily noticed but whose figure is very important is there and he is the one responsible for bringing forth such peacefulness in the land. A Taoist ruler does not command the people to do things his way. He does not interfere with the work of the people and he does not tell them what to do for his trust in them is as strong as the water within him. In turn, the people trusts him too. Because there is faith between him and them, work is done and it is done well. This they do so by following nature. Follow nature, that is, they do not take control of it because it can never be contained. 

A Taoist ruler is not one who acts lavishly nor is he one who does not lift a finger. He procures what is needed without loss nor without excess and so the people are satisfied because nothing is ever short and nothing ever goes to waste. He does not use force because he knows that there is no need for such and because he knows that force would only invite harm. He knows that if he uses force, everything will be destroyed in return. He uses weakness and gentleness to lead and by doing this he succeeds. 

The deeds of the Taoist ruler are well received by the people. Through him they become like him: a person of the Tao. By his non-action the people are inspired to follow him and so they do everything in moderation. His distaste for desire is obtained by the people and so they are simple in their ways and their words. Through his virtues the people are transformed and they too, like him, become one with nature and in harmony with each other. His virtues are his weapons for they are strong but they can never hurt someone. The virtues of a Taoist ruler can serve all and his virtues are that which aids him in being able to overcome diversities. 

Chapter 29 of the Tao Te Ching says that, “When one desires to take over the empire and act on it, I see that he will not succeed.” Why is this so? The very fact that taking over the empire is a desire, it already goes to show that this should not be. Anything that has to do with desires and gratification of the senses is shunned by Taoists and for Lao Tzu, this method will not work. Following, the Taoist philosophy is all about non-action and “taking over the empire” would mean action- it would mean that one would want to take over the empire by force. The following chapter gives us an explanation: He who assists the ruler with Tao does not dominate the world with force. The use of force usually brings requital… because whatever is contrary to Tao will soon perish. 

The use of force can also be expressed in many ways. If a ruler instills fear to the people to gain their respect and their obedience, then this is contrary to the Tao. The Taoist ruler is one who lets the people be. He does not install fear nor does he oppress them. He does not, most important, threaten them by any means. Threatening or taking lives as a form of punishment is not the way to govern a land and the people. Life is not ours and so it is not ours to take: let Heaven do its job. To rule as if you are above all is contrary to nature and contrary to Tao. It can lead to the absence of natural harmony. 

Tao Te Ching, 57

The more taboos and prohibitions there are in the world,

The poorer the people will be.

The more sharp weapons people have.

The more troubled the state will be.

The more cunning and skill man possesses,

The more vicious things will appear.

The more laws and orders are made prominent,

The more thieves and robbers there will be. 

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The Taoist Sage as Philosopher-King

十三

老子

~What does Lao Tzu mean by the philosopher-king? Why does he argue for the employment of the sage to be the ruler?

~What is the difference between a ruler who is a sage and one who is not? What advantages would the sage have over others as ruler?

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Lao Tzu considers the sage as the ideal human being and more so the philosopher-king because he is a living manifestation of the Tao. The sage is one who understands and loves the Tao and so in return the Tao is close to him.

Chan, 1963

He who understands Nature penetrates the way of the sage, and possesses the virtue of emperors and kings… The sage is tranquil not because he says to himself, “It is good to be tranquil,” and therefore became tranquil. He is tranquil because nothing disturbs him.

The philosopher-king is one who can clear up the muddy water to make way by being tranquil. Having perfected and understood the ways of nature, he is one who in in synch with her. He understands her and knows when it is time or when it is not. He hears her and he hears himself amidst all the noises in the world therefore he knows himself. He knows the Tao and so he does not give in to his desires. He is one with nature and one with his fellow man, therefore he resounds harmony- To be in harmony with men means human happiness, and to be in harmony with Nature means the happiness of Nature (Chan, 1963). The philosopher-king is aware and so he takes great care not to overflow. 

The sage is kingly and he knows how to rule. He is one with Nature and being one with Nature implies that he is in harmony with the Tao. The philosopher-king takes no action but everything is done- because by taking no action, one can be able to fulfil his duty properly. He also keeps to the black (humility) and to the white (glory), the male and the female, the yin and the yang. He embodies the water and so he is weak and gently yet he is very strong. He is like an infant, weak and helpless but full of energy and potential. A philosopher-king is an uncarved wood!

Chan, 1963

In tranquility he becomes a sage, and in activity, and in activity he becomes a king. He takes no action and is honoured. He is simple and plain and none in the world can compete with him in excellence.

And because the philosopher-king knows the black and the white, he is fit in his role as the man of the people. Like an uncarved wood, he places himself bellow them through the humbleness and sincerity of his words. He does not put himself forward just so the people will recognise and respect him. He puts himself forward to protect the people and his actions are returned when it is due. He makes his decisions directed to the Tao and never for his own personal advantage.  

Chan, 1963

When water is tranquil, its clearness reflects even the beard and the eyebrows. It remains definitely level, and master carpenters take it as their model. If water is clear when it is tranquil, how much more so is the spirit? When the mind of the sage is tranquil, it becomes the mirror of the universe and the reflection of all things. 

The philosopher king embodies with him the characteristics of non-action, non-knowing, and non-desiring (Wood, n.d.). He lives by the virtues of the Tao and lives for the benefit of nature. The philosopher-king truly is the manifestation of the Tao. 

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Following the Way as Non-action

十二

老子

~What is meant by non-action? How can non-action be learned? How is non-action expressed?

~Why is non-action the way to follow the Way? How does non-action lead toward sageliness?

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Tao Te Ching 63

Act without action.

Do without ado.

Non-action or wu-wei is one of the most important facet in the philosophy of Taoism. It implies acts that which are spontaneous, natural, and effortless (Kardash, 1998). Wing Tsit-Chan (1963) described non-action as “not inactivity but rather taking no action that is contrary to nature”. The Tao’s behaviour is natural and it works in great harmony with nature and so the Tao “invariably takes no action, and yet there is nothing left undone (Tao Te Ching, 37). This implies that the non-action then is the way of and to the Tao. 

The Tao regards weakness as something that is good and this weakness can also be a manifestation of non-action or the other way around. The way to the Tao is moderation and this is where the principle of non-action lies in- it lies in the middle ground between too much and too little. Doing things naturally is non-action and doing things naturally is the way to the Tao. Finding your balance in whatever work that you do is one of the ways where one can express the value of non-action. 

Non-action in the Taoist philosophy also requires one not to force things. Tasks should not be rushed but instead, the Tao requires one to take it easy, find one’s pace, and do it gradually but what should be considered in this that one should be focused with whatever task that one is doing. Do not allow desire-based distractions to throw you off your pace but when tired, rest and when you are hungry, eat. One of the many wonders of the worlds are rock formations. There rock formations are done overtime and gradually. Nature takes no action but these rocks take form into something else. Time, and the many elements that go to fro around the rocks, work is done. 

Loy, 1985

“not acting” requires eliminating the sense-of-self which is inclined to interfere. Non-interference is not really possible unless one has dissipated the fog of expectations and desires that keeps one from experiencing the world as it is in itself (Tao), and the judgement that “something must be done” is usually part of that fog. 

Through non-action as the way to the Tao, one should also know when to stop or when to let go: withdraw as soon as your work is done (Tao Te Ching 9). After your work is done, stop. Do not seek for gratification in exchange for the product of your labor and do not do you work just for to be gratified. Do not take possession of the fruits of your labor lest they take possession of you. 

Tao Te Ching 64

He who takes no action fails.

He who grasps things loses them.

For this reason the sage takes no action and therefore does not fail. 

He grasps nothing and therefore he does not lose anything. 

The sage know of this and so he is aware that non-action is very essential in his daily life. He is weak, he do things on moderation, and most especially, he does not go against the Tao by taking actions that are contrary to nature. He is careful in his everything and keeps guard of his senses, and so no harm comes to him. He abides the Tao through non-action and so he yields to nature. Therefore the sage who takes no action is like water- he supports all things in their natural state but does not take any action (Tao Te Ching 64).

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哲学 Synthesis Paper: 2A

哲学

老子

What is philosophy as demonstrated in Ancient Chinese Philosophy…

1. by Lao Tzu…

A. in the way he perceives the philosophical problem?

Lao Tzu deems that problems resulting in the lack or the absence of natural harmony is caused by the absence of the Tao. The Tao is that which bring things together and connects them. It is that which organises things and allows them to influence one another (Rawson & Legeza, 1963) and so without the Tao there will be disruptions in the process of nature that would inevitably result in natural disharmony. Lao Tzu also believes that this natural disharmony is caused by knowledge and desire and so for him, they are harmful because they drive man too seek out for what is not essential to them and allows knowledge and desire to control his life and his behaviour. Knowledge prompts man to discriminate and distinguish from is and what is not. Knowledge also influences our desires to the point that we are lead away from the middle ground. 

Both knowledge and desire cause disharmony because they are not natural: too much or too little. Being able to distinguish that which is pleasurable to the senses is also a keynote in understanding what knowledge is for Lao Tzu. What is natural is you know when to stop and when not to stop. Sleep when you are sleepy and wake up when it is time for you to wake up. For Lao Tzu, the problem is natural harmony which is caused by the absence of the Tao because of man’s want for knowledge and man’s indulgence of his desires. Additionally, for Lao Tzu, natural disharmony happens when man begins to attach himself to the material and the superficial, these that which are not natural. 

Man’s elevation in the society also causes natural disharmony. Lao Tzu believes that man should stay pure and keep away from the things that can harm him by not losing sight of the Tao. However, man’s success and prosperity often opens up another path for him to tread on- a path opposed to the Tao. When he takes this road, he attaches himself to his achievements and his properties and it gets into his head. He becomes gaudy and there is excess in his ways. He speaks even if he does not know and rushes here and there, quick on his toes, to claim things that he did and he did not do. And so man finds this very pleasurable to the senses and his desire goes overdrive, making him contrary to the man that he used to be when he was more simpler, more natural. The uncharted wood is no more and from this, natural disharmony occurs. 

Rawson & Legeza, 1973

…the aim is harmony: harmony between the components of the dialectic situation, leading to harmony between each man and his turbulent universe, and an ultimate tranquility. But harmony is impossible without ‘forces’ to harmonise, and of little value unless those forces are themselves at high power.

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Knowing the Way as Unlearning

Knowing the Way as Unlearning

老子

十一

~What does Lao Tzu mean by unlearning? How can this be knowing? How can unlearning take place?

~What is the importance of unlearning in the development toward sageliness? 

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Tao Te Ching, 20

Abandon all learning and there will be no sorrow.

People are difficult to govern because they have too much knowledge (Tao Te Ching, 65) and so it follows that we should empty our cup so that it should be filled: what we know and what we have learned, we should unlearn. The Tao requires us to decrease so as we could increase and the way to knowing the Tao is by unlearning. It is because we know too much, it is because our heads are filled with things of these and that that we become blinded with the illusion that it is necessary for us to have them. We see a lot of things in others that we don’t have and we are then filled with the desire that we want those things for us to possess. The Tao teaches us that any kind of desire, tangible and/or intangible, is not good for us. These desires, because of the very fact that they are desires, are hard to come by and so the harder that we strive to attain them, the more we bring ourselves closer to harm’s way. Therefore our desire to fill our heads with facts, numbers, and information are that which that makes us contrary to what we truly are. Knowledge only clouds the mind. It teaches us how to discriminate and become prejudiced. Knowledge is a disease that rots the mind. The sage know of this and so, he only seeks for what is needed for life and anything beyond it, the sage rejects. Because of this, the sage rests at the heart of the Tao.

It is only by truly unlearning that we are filled, that we can accumulate the things that which are genuinely essential to us and to our being. This knowledge that we seek only but blinds us from the way of the Tao. They dizzy our head with worldly contents and concerns that we forget how who we truly are and so it is only by depleting that we can come home again. We should decrease day by day until we are nothing, until we are empty. Therefore the sage strives to achieve a mental clarity will make nature profound in him and through this nothingness within his mind, he sees the path to the Tao.  

More often than not, our senses trigger desires and our knowledge about the object of our desires only heightens our need for them. So Lao Tzu warns us: Close the mouth. Shut the doors (Tao Te Ching, 52). If we truly know ourselves then it is easier for us to guard our senses and our mind. If we know who we truly are and if we are close to the Tao then there will be wards around us, wards that keeps away the things that are contrary to nature and the things that can pull us away from the Tao. Being aware of what is truly essential to us helps us retrain worldly desires and keeps us on the right path. If we know who we truly are then we know that we do not know. The sage who knows does not pretend. He is humble in his words and in his deeds and because he keeps the value of humility he is weak. He flows in the river of the Tao, freely, away from necessary desires. The sage is empty but he is full. 

Tao Te Ching, 56

Become one with the dusty world.

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Wu Wei and Spontaneity

老子

九

~What does Lao Tzu mean by “acting by not-acting?” In what way is this an approximation of the movement of the Tao? What is such an approximation important in Lao Tzu’s philosophy? 

~How is wu-wei expressed in human action? How is it different from common human movements?

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“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”

Wu-wei or non-doing is important in the Taoist philosophy. However, this state of non-action or non-doing does not mean laziness or passivity. Then how will Lao Tzu take the story of Juan Tamad (Lazy John) who decided to lie down on the ground with his mouth open and wait for the fruit to drop? 

Wu-wei or non-action can be expressed as “going with the flow” of nature, and not forcibly doing things against what should be. Wu-wei requires us to do nothing so that we can do something. It calls for a natural, spontaneous and effortless actions. And because the action is done effortlessly, naturally, and spontaneously, it arises only in the need of the moment, with sincerity in the act it itself, and it is forgotten when it is done. For example, in raising a child, you do not force the child to grow up, physically and mentally. You have to wait for the child to grow, naturally. You cannot just pull your child from head to toe just so he or she will grow taller. You have to wait for time and allow the child’s natural physiological development to kick in and do its work. 

Non-action is directed to cultivating one’s mind and actions by aligning it to the flow of nature, effortlessly. Non-action does not really mean not to do anything but rather, it means that one should not do what is unnatural. Tai Chi, for examples, tells us that it can be used for self defense and street fighting. But how can such a graceful and slow-paced, dance-like activity be used for something intense and powerful? The art of Tai Chi would teach us not to block and forcefully go against the opponent but rather to receive their hits and give it back to them- their own force will return to them and knock them out. Altruism can also be seen as an act of wu-wei basically because altruistic actions are done with one’s own accord, without any intention behind the action, and it is done without seeking nor expecting for anything in return. Coercion is not the way of the Taoist non-action but instead, it highlight actions that are intrinsically motivated. 

Sometimes little bursts of energy would drive us to do rash things- rash things that are contrary to nature and which sometimes lead us to our own demise. There are certain physical movements or quirks that signifies one’s need to realise and release such drives. Pacing back and forth, the twitching of one’s fingers, or the simple act of rocking on your toes and the balls of your feet connotes the great need to exhaust this right away, impulsively. The Tao, however, tells us to do things. Although this can be called as spontaneous, there still lies a big difference between it being natural and the other as something rash or uncalled for. Sometimes we want to grow up to fast and do things that we should not be doing at all. We would wish that time would move forward and so we miss the simple and little joys that we should be experiencing every single day. Lao Tzu would say that living the fast life is a very bad idea. 

Do what you can and wait. Wait and allow nature to do its work for it will be done in the right time and in the right manner. Follow and respect the flow of nature.

Tao Te Ching, 24

He who stands in tiptoe is not ready.

He who strides forward does not go.

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No Knowledge, No Desires

老子

八

~What does Lao Tzu mean by “no knowledge, no desires’”? Is this realisable and desirable for humans?

~What role does such an ideal play in the philosophy of Lao Tzu?

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Tao Te Ching, 71

To know that you do not know is the best.

To pretend to know when you do not know is a disease.

The Apology, 21e

“…the fact that neither of us knows anything beautiful and good, but he thinks he does know when he doesn’t, and I don’t know and don’t think I do: so I am wiser than he is by only this trifle, that what I do not know I don’t think I do.”

Away from the mundane and seemingly important life of the most, a self-realised man, like an infant, is unattached. He is aware of his predicament and so he refuses to bother himself with what is materially external to him. He lets it be and accept things as they come his way. He walks with no direction but he moves when it is time to move and rests when it is time to do so. A self-realised man is one who does not let material possession and egoistic virtues fulfil him but he is one who lets nature nurture and feed him. Because he takes no part does not imply that he is indifferent. It just means that he has no read-between-the-lines self-interest and because of this, he can see the clear picture from where he is. Involved but not quite, just grounded. 

A self-realised person is one who knows without going. He does not need to be out there to gain and accumulate things that will never make sense. As a person makes the Tao as his home and his ground, walking away to seek material knowledge will only blunder and dull the mind. And so he stays there, within the Tao, because he knows better than to reach for something that is against the Tao; because he knows better and his knowledge comes with experience and maturity. The knowledge is given to him by nature itself. Non-action is key. Therefore go back on what is knowledge for you. Go back and see what value you put upon that knowledge that you are trying to reach. Because if it is not the way of the Tao, one step forward is three steps backward. 

A self-realised person is one who is honest towards both the honest and the dishonest. He is one who tells the emperor that he has no clothes. He treats the liar with honestly because he does not discriminate between the black and the white. He sees people as they are and treat them consistently. And because he makes no distinction between the kind and the unkind he is true to anything and everything. Therefore there is true honestly and kindness in his actions: be the samaritan! 

And as the Tao is within me I do not court Death: And yet silence will soon descend on all these noisy, living, life-thirsty people (The Gay Science, Nietzsche, 1974, pg. 225). I do not collar my neck to life for it only calls upon Death, the tighter I tie myself to it. People who know better and value life with respect to the Tao accepts life and allows Time to unfold it as it is. Without provoking death nor clinging to life, a self-realised person knows that he is but a visitor in this world and that he too, shall pass. He is a child when he is a child. He is a man when he is a man. He does not interfere with nature and does not find ways to maintain his youth. He does not interfere with nature and does not find ways to fast-forward his life to the brink of death. Therefore, do not do things that are contrary to nature. Do not wallow in desire when you have no use for it in your life, and do remain humble: To know Tao and say you do not it is the best (He Shang Kung, Chan, 1963). 

Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Nietzsche, 1961

“You look up when you desire to be exalted. And I look down, because I am exalted.”

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Humility

老子

十

~What does Lao Tzu mean by humility? Why is it important in the face of the Tao?

~How is humility expressed? How can it not lead to fatalism or quiet resignation?

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Plato’s Apology of Socrates (23b)

“He among you humans is wisest who, like Socrates, knows that he’s really worth nothing when it comes to wisdom.”

Lowering oneself is humility- genuine humility and simplicity has been paralleled to a piece of an uncarved wood that is simple and plain but genuine and it is in man’s simplicity that which makes him stand out.

Genuine humility have become a rarity today where material possessions, established family names, intelligence, and professional titles have become the markers of the person’s whole identity and it carries with it the constant desire to be acknowledged. There is always something to parade around. There is always something to be proud of. And so modesty has become a treasure or a jewel, as it has been considered in the Taoist Philosophy. The Three Jewels (or The Three Treasures) should be behind all the things that you do, no matter great or small. Compassion, moderation, and humility will lead you to the path of courage, generosity, and leadership. 

We want people to know us: who we are and what we have done. When we have achieved something we want the whole world to know about it. We want people to look up to us and treat us with great importance. We want to be the priority in everything. We want people to accommodate us and so meekness has escaped, in hiding, until we can find it again and retain tie it back to our identity, hopefully for good. Man has driven away humility by competing against each other. A modest person does not allow people to fuss over him and so he keeps away and stay on the sidelines. Like nature, one should work in humility. Nature works silently and takes no claim in its products. Nature works and execute its task in silence. The concept of Locke’s property can be attributed to humility: where there is no property, there is no injury. If you do not take claim to an achievement then it will be not be taken away from you. The lack of humility in one’s life invites danger.

Doctrine of the Mean, 33

“Over her brocaded robe, she wore a plain and simple dress, for she disliked the loudness of its colour and patterns. Thus the way of the superior man is hidden but comes more prominent every day…”

And so our need to display will only complicate and delay everything because our desire for recognition arouses another fight amongst us, an in-group fight, contradicts the roles that we are supposed to play in our jobs. A person who constantly boasts about his spoils will soon be deemed arrogant because he lacks the virtue to stay modest and his gloating will only attract trouble. Power is not privilege to stand above others and make decisions based on his own self-interest. In making a speech, he does not stand on the platform but remains on the ground, equal to the people. A humble leader is one who does not throw people under the bus and take credit for everything. And so Lao Tzu wants us, leader or not, to be like water: soft yet strong, flexible yet unbreakable, and because water is weak, it can surpass everything. 

Tao Te Ching, 22

He does not show himself; therefore he is luminous.

He does not justify himself; therefore he is given credit.

He does not brag; therefore he can endure for long.

A person with a lesser position should not design his goal towards the elevation of his position. He should direct his efforts straightly and aim to complete his own specified job. He should focus and do his own work and keep his nose away from the work of others. Credit will be given when it is due. A humble man is one who takes great care not only of his cup but of the water lest it overflows. 

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The Te

老子

七

~What does Lao Tzu mean by te? How different is it from the Confucian te?

~What role does it play in Taoist Philosophy?

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Tao Te Ching, 10

To produce things and to rear them,

To produce, but not to take possession of them,

To act, but not to rely on one’s own ability,

To lead them, but not to master them—

This is called profound and secret virtue (hsuan-te).

The Confucian philosophy defines te as that moral power by which the people are governed. In order for a ruler to be able to create a harmonious and secure land, he should govern with te and not by law and force. It also means the perfection of one’s values that can help the emperor-sage rule his land.

Prof. Victor Mair 

(American Sinologist)

There is something fundamentally honest and psychologically healthy in being oneself and striding forward with one's vision facing directly ahead, instead of trying at every turn to satisfy abstract standards of goodness established by a reigning orthodoxy. This is what te/de is all about.

Taoism, however, has another understanding of te. Te is taken as virtue and power, a virtue that helps one maintain and manifest the Tao. Therefore, it is safe to say that it refers to the conduct of man that is in accordance with nature. According to Julian Pas (1998), te refers to the “inner and outer power bestowed on each being by Tao, or all the qualities for action inherent in the nature of each being, which gives each being a way to maintain itself, to grow and flourish (Way of Perfect Emptiness, 2015). 

Pas, 1998

Tao is the generator of te. If Tao is the overreaching reality and cosmic energy, Te is what all beings receive from Tao; it is their own nature, with its specific talents and potentials, that enables them to act in their own way as if by their inner compulsion…Te is the power of Tao, individualised, as, for example, in a seed, which has the inner potential and unfailing power to sprout and grow into a preprogrammed plant or tree. 

Te can also be seen as that which makes up our uniqueness and individuality. It is also where we connect to the Tao. To be in harmony in with our Tao will help us connect to others and to nature. Since te can be found within us, it shapes our characteristic and disposition to everything outside and inside of us. Te should follow closely to the Tao and be in-tune with himself and with others. In the Tao Te Ching, te is that which nurtures the Tao that produces the 10,000 things. Te, as integrity builds up the person and allows him to become like an infant. It allows him to fall in nature and keeps him from perishing. It’s like te is the very thing that processes the Tao. Similar to the steps eight steps in The Great Learning, the cultivation of virtues follows as (Tao Te Ching, 51):

When one cultivates virtue in his person, it becomes a genuine virtue.

When one cultivates virtue in his family, it becomes overflowing virtue.

When one cultivates virtue in his country, it becomes abundant virtue.

When one cultivates virtue in the world, it becomes universal.

Live your life without trying to live it. As we are already alive and there we manifest life, the act of living is already within us. Do not rush life and do not try to go back and wallow in the past: let life play itself and unfold its mysteries to you each and everyday. 

Tao Te Ching, 23

Therefore he who follows Tao is identified with Tao.

He who follows virtue is identified with virtue. 

He who is identified with virtue— virtue is also happy to have him. 

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Expressions of the Tao

老子

六

~What does weakness mean as an expression of Tao? How does it express the Tao?

~What does humility mean as an expression of Tao? How does it express the Tao?

~What metaphors do Lao Tzu use to illustrate the expressions of Tao?

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Pas, 1998

Tao is like water: Water is weak and soft, yet can be extremely powerful and wear down the hardest things, such as rocks. It has the strength of weakness. Water connects with other symbols of weakness: woman, mother, the valley, the infant. 

Water is often used as a basis of comparison for things that are hard to explain and describe mainly because of its universality and of its very nature. Lao Tzu have utilised water in the same sense, drawing a sense of the Tao to explain and not explain what the Tao really is. It is true that water can be contained and that is its weakness but its being contained can also depict power that can destroy the strongest wall. It’s just like what they say: still waters run deep. Like the Tao, water is formless and it can only take form by filing the nothingness of a jug.

Tao Te Ching, 78

There is nothing softer and weaker than water,

And yet these is nothing better for attacking hard and

strong things.

For this reason there is no substitute for it.

All the world knows that the weak overcomes the strong and

the soft overcomes the hard.

But none can practice it.

Tao is the Mother: “it produced all things, and continues to produce them, until they all return to their roots (Pas, 1998).” As it is the Mother, it is the symbol of fertility and the source of all life. It becomes a mother-nurse, nourishing everything. And the Tao is also the womb: the one that generates Heaven and Earth, which is the source of life (Tortchinov, 1999). In Carl Jung’s archetypes, the Mother archetype refers to the one who feeds, nurtures, and soothes. The Mother has also been used to symbolise the Earth, the woods, the sea, and the well. Jung considers the Mother as a major archetype because of she contains mostly everything. Similar to this, Jung provided another archetype that deeply echoed the first verse of the chapter 28 of the Tao Te Ching: He knows the male (active force) and keeps to the female (the passive force or receptive element)- the anima and the animus. Like an infant who does not differentiate between male and female, one should embrace the anima or the animus within them. Keep to the formless and return to the state of simplicity. 

The Tao as the infant: “Weak and helpless, a young infant is nonetheless full of vitality, its vital energy is unimpaired, and, being helpless, all its needs are taken care of. Likewise, the Tao appears to be helpless, yet, in fact, it is all-powerful.” And since it is an infant it is full of energy and cannot be exhausted.   

The chapter 9 of the Tao Te Ching tells us when to step back gracefully. It is noted that “withdrawing” does not mean that one should abandon all that has been done but instead, it tells us to step back so as to avoid attachment with the fruits of our work. There are things in life that are not eternal and we, human beings as we are, cannot go one forever. At some point we have to stop for if we do not we become exhausted, all burned out. We should not force things. We should not force nature. Let it fall into place and it will unravel when the time comes. Let one be reminded that the Tao works and it does not. Silence, at times, proves to be more meaningful than the abundance of words. 

Tao Te Ching, 43

The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world.

Non-being penetrates that in which there is no space.

Through this I know the advantage of taking no action.

Few in the world can understand teaching without words and the advantage of taking no action.

*****

The Reality of the Tao

老子

五

~What does emptiness mean as an essence of Tao? Why does Lao Tzu consider this an essence of Tao?

~What does openness mean as an essence of Tao? Why does Lao Tzu consider this an essence of Tao?

~What metaphors do Lao Tzu [use?] to illustrate the essence of the Tao?

*****

Ragnarok, Byatt, 2011

Everything was pat of one world, and it would not hurt Baldur the Beautiful.

The story of creation in the Norse mythology very much reminded me about the Tao mainly because it does not forward that nothing breeds something but rather it clearly described that which was already there: between Niflheim, home of the mists, and Muspelheim, the hot place, was an empty gulf. And in that empty gulf, where the swirling chaos takes place Ymir was created. He, first of he godlike giants: he was vast, he was everything (Byatt, 2011). Just like the Tao, Ymir became the product of the opposites, coming from the energy of the fire and ice. When Ymir died he became something much more: the narrative began to speak about the creation of the world.

From the flesh of Ymir 

The earth was shaped.

From his bones, the mountains, 

The heaven from the skull

Of the giant cold as frost

And from his blood,

The sea. 

Instead of become useless Ymir became everything. Albeit dead and devoid of life, he became the source of life of the birds and the trees and the flowers and the deers. Similar in this sense, Taoism considers substance more important than function (Chan, 1963). More often than not, emptiness connotes a negative feeling. Whenever we feel empty we frown and try to look for ways to “get rid” of such feeling. We associate this emptiness inside us as something that is very uncomfortable and the only solution is to fill it. Lao Tzu, however, presented a positive kind of emptiness in this matter. I am reminded of a glass filled with water. From afar it looks empty. However, on closer inspection, it is full, filled to the brim with water. And then again I am reminded of a particular story of Krishna, the Hindu God. As a child, he was very playful and one day, he “decided” to eat clay. His mother, upon finding it out, pried his mouth open. Mother and son bickered until finally, Krishna open his mouth. Upon the sight, his mother gasped. Inside his mouth was the cosmos- timeless and swirling with stars and planets. She saw the mountains, the air, the fire, and the oceans. Inside her son lies the whole universe. 

And within this universe lies the Heaven and the Earth. Both working together in creation and completion: the tree ate and was eaten, fed and was fed on (on Yggdrasil; Byatt, 2011). This is how it works. This is how nature works. And nature works the ways it does, the rain and drought are but its ways. And in the middle of the raging sea, man should find the centre. 

It held the world together, in the air, in the earth, in the light, in the dark, in the mind.  

Great and the humblest of all. The Tao lies in the gaps between our fingers. It fills the empty void. The Tao fulfils its duty and seek for no reward. The Tao gives blessings yet it does not lord it over us. Since this is how the Tao is, the same should be with man. Empty words have no worth yet action generates a positive response. The Tao does not discriminate between the good and the bad just as Heaven and Earth plays no role in favouring man. And because the Tao plays no role between the good and the bad, it is the source of all that is natural. The Tao is Small and Great, the Tao is the mitochondria. The Tao is a room full of treasure and the many rivers that reach the sea. 

*****

The Tao as the Origin

老子

四

~What does Lao Tzu mean by the Tao (Way)? What is its basic principle?

~How does the Tao operate as the origin of all things?

~What role does the Tao play in the philosophy of Lao Tzu?

*****

Fung, 1948

The Tao of Taoism is the unitary “that” from which springs the production and change of all things in the universe.

Tao, as the source of all things, even if formless, is beyond heaven and earth and the Tao, as the origin of all things, bring harmony to it all. It cannot be seen, cannot be heard, and cannot be felt, it is unfathomable and obscure. The Tao as everything and nothing can be seen in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire’s Faceless Men. You have to lose your identity in order to become someone. This is comparable to the Tao since it can be considered as the source of existence and non-existence and by becoming no one, you can become someone. 

Action and non-action also center on the Tao, with non-action (wu-wei) as “taking no action that is contrary to Nature (Chan, 1963). This shows that Tao and Nature go together. Letting go and allowing things fall into their own place naturally is  the Way. The Tao also speaks of the Unity of Opposites, about Yin and Yang, and this concept is central in its doctrines because equilibrium is of utmost important to the Tao. By achieving this state of balance and harmony, the Tao also sets its goal on being able to unite with nature. As an example, let us look at the Taoist philosophy and the Taoist religion. Both may be the same but in fact, they are not. Taoist philosophy teaches that nature must be followed while Taoist religion is set to work against nature (Fung, 1948)

And so the Tao, as a whole, is the source of all there is, the supreme, the boundless and indescribable, formless and infinite, and above all, the Tao is natural. 

The essence of the Tao refers to several terms just like Confucianism. The Tao goes by wu and yu (non-being and being), yu-wei and wu-wei (action and non-action), yu-ming and wu-ming (namable and unnamable), the (virtue), tzu jan (naturalness), yin and yang, and ch’i (cosmic energy). It is also duly noted that as Tao gives birth tho things (or the ten thousand things), a lot of things also take part in complete them. That being so, it does not come as a surprise when Tao is also considered as the Mother of All Things (Great Mother). 

Fung, 1948

Lao Tzu speaks about the unnamable. Not everything that lies beyond shapes and features is unnamable. Universals, for instance, lie beyond shapes and features, yet they are not unnamable. But on the other hand, what is unnamable most certainly does lie beyond shapes and features. The Tao or Way of the Taoists is a concept of this sort.

Comparable to the Science of Identity Foundation, a group that believes and practices Hinduism, they deeply believe in the Bhagavad-Gita stating that we are all but part and parcel of Krsna. Even in a single grain, a drop of water, a lone leaf floating in the air, Krsna is there. And this is to say that the Tao, Mother of all Things and Origin of All Things, appear to be everywhere and at the same time nowhere. Tao also acts as the energy behind all things. It acts as the very essence of things and that is to say that it also acts as the energy of the essence behind Taoism.

Tao Te Ching, 14

Meet it and you will not see its head.

Follow it and you will not see its back. 

*****

The Nature of Opposites

老子

三

~How does Lao Tzu see the nature of opposites? What is the natural relationship between them? What is their natural movement?

~How can Lao Tzu avoid the critique that he violates the principle of non-contradiction here?

*****

Everyday we are faced with decisions. Decisions that usually come in twos. Yes or No. Black or White. Agree or Disagree. And in between comes our feelings, feelings that can be described in words that are completely opposed to one another. You feel pain. You feel pleasure. Pain is the absence of pleasure. Pleasure is the absence of pain. You are happy therefore you are not sad. You are sad so that means that you are not happy. But really, which is which? Aren’t they all just two sides of the same coin?

Sun, 2009 

(as cited in Lao Tzu, 1954)

All things carry Yin and hold Yang, with the interacting energy to balance the relationship… Namely the paradigm of the unity of opposites operates in both the natural world and human domain. It includes the oneness of feminine and masculine forces, internal and external, water and fire, night and day, passive and active, as well as receiving and approaching. It indicates that all apparently separate or opposite systems are part of the whole universe and are governed by the same oneness or Tao…

Yin or Yang? Or probably, it’s more correct to say Yin and Yang. Two different things with different functions. Opposite extremes. But still, they complement each other. They are one of the same, each one as a part of a whole just as birth implies death and death implies birth. Life needs death, otherwise how can life become life? Just as death needs life for how can there be death if there is no life? Separating life from death is harmful, as it goes against nature.

Chuang Tzu Book 

(Fung, 1947)

There is birth, there is death; there is issuing forth, there is entering; and that which one passes bin entering in and issuing forth is the Gate of Heaven. The Gate of Heaven is non-beings and all things emerge from non-being.

Things come in circles just as after night there is day and after day there is night. A child is born and later on he will die and the same goes for the animal and the plants around him. Everything that begins will surely come to an end, all in their own time. This is how it was, how it is, and how it will always be. The concept of being and non-being is crucial in Taoism as they both lie underneath all things. The Unity of Opposites maintains that those things that seem against one another are actually deeply united. Suppose that in the dead of the night you got home from a party and in that party, all kinds of noises where there, loud and deafening. As soon as you close your bedroom door you are faced with stillness and the lack of noise and so you say that silence is he absence of noise but then as you begin to listen closely you realise that silence is actually something that you can hear and you are surprised that the more you listen to that absence of sound, the more you realise that it is actually deafening. Because of these contradicting statements are first creates chaos but out from this chaos comes balance or harmony. Therefore everything must constantly be in motion against it each other in a circle to arrive at an equilibrium just as the wheel aways turn. For someone who is in line with the Tao, he who possess more should give away to those who have less because nature is the same. Same can be said about the art of Tai Chai. At first glance, you will see the person performing the art as very graceful, soft and gentle, but inside all forms of pressure are there to keep the balance and control the body movements. It takes years and years of mastery for the art to appear natural and when it does, one might say that the person performing is doing it as if he merely taking a walk or dancing to the rhythm of his own body without any difficulty or without breaking a sweat. 

*****

Harmfulness of Knowledge and Desire

老子

二

~What does Lao Tzu mean by the harmfulness of knowledge and desires? What does he mean by knowledge and desire? Why does he consider them harmful?

~Is his analysis convincing? Is it valid?

*****

Factual knowledge, according to Rosen (2000), is dependent upon the individual’s own sense perfection, noting that “sensory apparatus differs from species to species”. It would appear, on first impressions, that Lao Tzu appears to take knowledge as something that is not good. However, what exactly is knowledge for him? How did he perceive it to be, that it made him frown upon it? Some people believes that by knowledge, Lao Tzu meant tools, tools that can either be used to do good or bad depending on the person “wielding” the tool. In addition to this, the tool is also limited. Like the tool, with both its good use and bad use, most things come in pairs— synonyms and antonyms, friends and enemies, positive and negative, and so on and so forth. Further into this, our own attitude towards things is greatly influenced by how we attribute to it. If I see something that I deem beautiful then I see another thing, my impulse would be to compare the two and choose that which is what I deem beautiful and what not. But this is only because this is what I think. It is, for me, but it may not be this way to you. And really, who are we to judge? 

Now Lao Tzu warns us about the five colours, five tones, five flavours, and about racing and hurting. These three categories with five different things has been interpreted as symbolic— the five colours in the Chinese tradition, the five Classical tones in a Classical Chinese music scale, and the five flavours. And Lao Tzu meant good in his warning, otherwise this things will lead us astray. “Too little of something is bad”, is what we always hear, “too much of something is not good”. So moderation is the key. Eat too little and you starve. Eat to much and your body will suffer. Eat normally is what is natural. Each and everyday we are always challenged by this problem. There are a lot of pretty things in the world and like a dragon drawn to shiny things, we are easily tempted and we forget. We give in to our desires and we overwork ourselves. We go loca over something— we go mad. 

And if we give in to our desire, or should I say, if we allow our desires to corrupt us, then shame on us. This, at least for me, can be easily explained in the context of drug addiction. The first try will bring you to a whole new world, a world full of wonder and everything good. You will begin to feel wonderful for everything around you becomes pleasant, and this sense of high inside you makes it all the more better until the fall. So to stop this fall from seeping in, you will then take another and another and another and another until it all feels better. But you will never be satisfied. You will never be contended because with greed, nothing is always enough. The more you take it, the more you need to increase the dose but nobody warned you: the higher you fly up in the sky, the lower you’ll fall down in the pits of the earth. Letting your desire sweep you away like a current instead of letting the Tao guide you along the way has a huge difference. With the Tao, you know you are safe, you know you are you, you know that you are enough, and most especially, you know where you’ll be heading to. With your desire, well let’s just say that you’re in for a surprise. 

The Dog and His Bone, Aesop’s Fables

A hound dog found a bone and held it tightly in his mouth. He growled and scowled at anyone who attempted to take it away. Off into the woods he went to bury his prize.

When he came to a stream, he trotted over the footbridge and happened to glance into the water. He saw his own reflection. Thinking it was another dog with a bigger bone, he growled and scowled at it. The reflection growled and scowled back.

"I'll get THAT bone too," thought the greedy dog, and he snapped his sharp teeth at the image in the water.

Alas, his own big bone fell with a splash, out of sight, the moment he opened his mouth to bite!

*****

The Absence of Natural Harmony

老子

一

~What does Lao Tau mean by disharmony? Why does he consider it the main philosophical problem?

~Why does he identify the root cause of this problem with the absence of the Way in the world? What does he mean by such absence?

*****

Kohn and LaFargue, 1998

Social disharmony (and political disorder) are therefore but symptoms of the same disease which disrupts the “virtue” of Tao.

Everything can can be traced back to the Tao. Everything revolves around the Tao. Everything is all about the Tao, that it’s decline would gradually result in hypocrisy, and familial and state disharmony (Tao Te Ching, 18). Extensively, its fall would then lead to the rise of virtues that would then fall, too, and its fall would lead then to the rise of humanity and so on and so forth, until it ends at the beginning of disorder (Tao Te Ching, 24). The Tao, according to Chan (1963), “is at once the beginning of all things and the way in which all things pursue their course. Those who live with the Tao and live their lives still aiming for the Tao are those who are extra careful with their ways because Tao is something that is to be perfected and therefore requires practice. Disharmony, in all its forms and justifications, is but the beginning of the declination of the Tao and at the same time, it is the result of its decline. 

The Tao is lost when people begin to place strong attachment in material things and superficial affluence. Taking either or both of this two roads are what pulls them away from where the Tao is. Such can be seen in Pearl Buck’s The Good Earth. The story entered around Wang Lung and the generation of the family that he created. His difficult and laborious life pushed him to work hard until he was able to buy enough land and emerge from poverty but this supposedly good turn of event led him to a life of regret. The education and the lavish life that he was able to give to his sons and his family had not been enough to pay for everything that he had went through. His money got into his head that it made him forget how life should really be. Money and property became the root of the discord that pushed his sons toward different directions and away from him, away from the life that he wished they would live. Kaltenmark (1969) provided that all men must design themselves on natural harmony because through this, he will be able to achieve peace that is the result of men’s lack of material desires. By doing so, he does not only achieve piece but he also goes back to nature and back to the Tao. 

Humbleness is also set on the Tao. Even if already virtuous, a truly virtuous man is one who does not go around and boast it to everyone. Additionally, a simple life could not kill anyone. In fact, it expresses nature and life itself as something that is pure and keeps everyone away from disharmony. Take for example the story Xixo in The Gods Must Be Crazy. The appearance of an empty Coca-Cola bottle in the life of his tribe brought forth chaos and disharmony. The story, of course, can be viewed in different perspectives but the stress on the attachment to such worldly things is a lens that echoes the teachings of the Tao Te Ching. When the Tao prevails in the world, everything is rich and green. When it does not, there is war and war is one of the many things that Lao Tau frowns upon (Tao Te Ching, 46). The Tao wants us to remember that if a man rises above in the material world, there will be bad consequences at the expense of others.

Tao Te Ching, 75

It is only those who do not seek after life that excel in making life valuable.  

*****