-Lao Tzu
Showing posts with label lao tzu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lao tzu. Show all posts
Vinegar Tasters
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| 3 Vinegar Tasters by Rafael Desquitado Jr |
An excerpt from The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
We see three men standing around a vat of vinegar. Each has dipped his finger into the vinegar and has tasted it. The expression on each man's face shows his individual reaction. Since the painting is allegorical, we are to understand that these are no ordinary vinegar tasters, but are instead representatives of the "Three Teachings" of China, and that the vinegar they are sampling represents the Essence of Life. The three masters are K'ung Fu-tse (Confucius), Buddha, and Lao-tse, author of the oldest existing book of Taoism. The first has a sour look on his face, the second wears a bitter expression, but the third man is smiling.
To Kung Fu-tse (kung FOOdsuh), life seemed rather sour. He believed that the present was out step with the past, and that the government of man on earth was out of harmony with the Way of Heaven, the government of, the universe. Therefore, he emphasized reverence for the Ancestors, as well as for the ancient rituals and ceremonies in which the emperor, as the Son of Heaven, acted as intermediary between limitless heaven and limited earth. Under Confucianism, the use of precisely measured court music, prescribed steps, actions, and phrases all added up to an extremely complex system of rituals, each used for a particular purpose at a particular time. A saying was recorded about K'ung Fu-tse: "If the mat was not straight, the Master would not sit." This ought to give an indication of the extent to which things were carried out under Confucianism.
To Buddha, the second figure in the painting, life on earth was bitter, filled with attachments and desires that led to suffering. The world was seen as a setter of traps, a generator of illusions, a revolving wheel of pain for all creatures. In order to find peace, the Buddhist considered it necessary to transcend "the world of dust" and reach Nirvana, literally a state of "no wind." Although the essentially optimistic attitude of the Chinese altered Buddhism considerably after it was brought in from its native India, the devout Buddhist often saw the way to Nirvana interrupted all the same by the bitter wind of everyday existence.
To Lao-tse (LAOdsuh), the harmony that naturally existed between heaven and earth from the very beginning could be found by anyone at any time, but not by following the rules of the Confucianists. As he stated in his Tao To Ching (DAO DEH JEENG), the "Tao Virtue Book," earth was in essence a reflection of heaven, run by the same laws - not by the laws of men. These laws affected not only the spinning of distant planets, but the activities of the birds in the forest and the fish in the sea. According to Lao-tse, the more man interfered with the natural balance produced and governed by the universal laws, the further away the harmony retreated into the distance. The more forcing, the more trouble. Whether heavy or fight, wet or dry, fast or slow, everything had its own nature already within it, which could not be violated without causing difficulties. When abstract and arbitrary rules were imposed from the outside, struggle was inevitable. Only then did life become sour.
To Lao-tse, the world was not a setter of traps but a teacher of valuable lessons. Its lessons needed to be learned, just as its laws needed to be followed; then all would go well. Rather than turn away from "the world of dust," Lao-tse advised others to "join the dust of the world." What he saw operating behind everything in heaven and earth he called Tao (DAO), "the Way."
A basic principle of Lao-tse's teaching was that this Way of the Universe could not be adequately described in words, and that it would be insulting both to its unlimited power and to the intelligent human mind to attempt to do so. Still, its nature could be understood, and those who cared the most about it, and the life from which it was inseparable, understood it best.
Thursday's Thoughts - August 9th, 2012
“The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself.”
-Lao Tzu
Why is it that we are the only species on this Earth that require schooling? Let us examine geese for a moment, they are perfect, requiring little to no guidance or instruction. They know their purpose and their task at hand through instinct and following example. Tao is always with these creatures, even though they are not actively seeking it. They do not need to be aware of the Tao's existence, as they have no rational consciousness to divorce themselves from the Tao.
It is only humanity that constantly separates itself from the Tao. We require different methods in order to reintegrate ourselves into the Way. We must go beyond the interference from our own internal ego, so we may know the Tao with the same constant intimacy as geese.
Whether you know or not, we cannot be anything other than ourselves. We don't require knowledge and schooling to know who we are. A rock is a rock, regardless if the rock knows it. A tree is a tree, even though guidance was never given to it. Knowledge is not needed for being, and often we miss who we are because we are desperately searching for this knowledge as if it were a hoarded secret.
An ancient Zen proverb states, "Beware of Buddha. If you meet him on the way, kill him immediately." There is a human tendency to become imitators, and this Zen proverb illustrates the point perfectly. There is only one Buddha, and he has transcended. Existence would become boring if we all imitated Buddha. Existence wants somebody new, something original. It wants you, and it wants you to be yourself.
Thursday's Thoughts - August 2nd, 2012
"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them -- that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like."
There is nothing in the universe that needs to be taken seriously. All of my bodily resistance comes from taking things in life too seriously, including myself, when really all of life is pure joy when it is allowed to flow without resistance. I am my own obstacle, and I must overcome myself in order to embrace enlightenment.
I must take nothing seriously. Nothing in life is serious. All is good, joyous, happy, fun when seen in truth. Seeing aspects of life negatively makes it negative, threatening your own soul and existence. I must allow myself to accept that nothing is truly under my control, the only control I have is how I choose to perceive the uncontrollable variable.
-Lao Tzu
I must take nothing seriously. Nothing in life is serious. All is good, joyous, happy, fun when seen in truth. Seeing aspects of life negatively makes it negative, threatening your own soul and existence. I must allow myself to accept that nothing is truly under my control, the only control I have is how I choose to perceive the uncontrollable variable.
I can make decisions on a daily basis that will affect my level of happiness, but there are an infinite number of factors that influence and affect everything at all times for which I can never prepare or compensate for. I must realize that this is the way of things, and embrace life for its constant change and the excitement that comes with it. I must dismiss sorrow as quickly as it comes, and accept it willingly as I would accept happiness, for lessons are learned when the pain cuts deep.
As Shunryu Suzuki once said, "When you can laugh at yourself, there is enlightenment." I will make mistakes, but so will everyone else. True happiness is not found by never falling down, but discovered when rising with a lesson learned. I have the absolute same intrinsic value as every other organism that exists on this earth. I recognize that this means I am a valuable piece of the cosmic puzzle. Without my energy, this world as it is perceived by the masses would cease to exist.
As Shunryu Suzuki once said, "When you can laugh at yourself, there is enlightenment." I will make mistakes, but so will everyone else. True happiness is not found by never falling down, but discovered when rising with a lesson learned. I have the absolute same intrinsic value as every other organism that exists on this earth. I recognize that this means I am a valuable piece of the cosmic puzzle. Without my energy, this world as it is perceived by the masses would cease to exist.
