3 pages essay
Damond
week3_Daoism.pptxDaoism
Philosophical Daoism
Philosophic Daoism: 2 Texts
Dao De Jing 道德經 by Laozi 老子
2. The Zhuangzi 莊子 by Zhuangzi
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The Dao De Jing 道德經 Classic of the Way and Its Power
Short, only 5,000 characters, but influential
Meaning obscure but profound
Poetic, appeals to non-rational, intuition
2 sections: Dao 道 (the Way) and De 德 (power)
81 Chapters (short, verse)
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Laozi 老子
Old One, Old Philosopher
Reputed ca. 600 B.C.; legendary?
Disillusioned with court life
Left for the western mountains on an ox
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The Dao = The Way 道
Cosmic principle, the natural way
Not imposed, ethical precept
Away from all human artifice, not practiced
Primordial and eternal aspect of the universe, always prevails
Understand through mystical intuition
You can only surrender to it!
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The Dao
“The Way that can be spoken of
is not the constant Way
The name that can be named
is not the constant name.
The nameless is the beginning of Heaven and Earth;
The named is the mother of all things.”
--Chap. 1
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Wu wei 無為 Effortless Action
“Non-action,” doing nothing against nature
Spontaneity, abandon rational thought
Go with the flow
abandon purposive, striving action
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Wu wei 無為
Chap 37
Tao takes no action, yet nothing is left undone
Chap 43
The softest things in the world overcome the hardest.
From this I know the advantage of taking no action.
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4 Concepts
Water
The Feminine
Uncarved block
Infant, child
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1. Water
Yielding but strong (can’t cut with knife)
Chap 78
There is nothing softer and weaker than water,
And yet there is nothing better for attacking the hard and strong things.
All the world knows that the weak overcomes the strong and the soft overcomes the hard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viIbCbybpF8
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2. The feminine, female
Strength in weakness
Chap 61: Female overcomes the male by tranquility
Reproduces (mother)
Chap 6:The spirit of the valley never dies. It is the subtle and profound female, is the root of Heaven and Earth.
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3. The Uncarved block Pu 樸
Complete simplicity
Stay natural, don’t interfere
Chap 28
He will be proficient in eternal virtue,
And returns to the state of the uncarved block.
The world is formed from the void,
like utensils from a block of wood.
The Master knows the utensils,
yet keeps to the the block:
thus she can use all things.
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4. The infant, child
Spontaneous, all instinct, no thought
“Baby grip”
Chap 55
He who possesses virtue may be compared to an infant
Poisonous insects will not sting him. Fierce beasts will not seize him.
Bones are weak but grasp is firm.
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Wu wei 無為 as way to govern
Chap 48
No action is undertaken, and yet nothing is left undone
An empire is often brought to order by having no activity (laissez-faire)
Chap 3
Do not exalt the worthy, so that people shall not compete. Do not value rare treasures, so people shall not steal.
Chap 2
The sage manages affairs without action (wu-wei), And spreads doctrines without words.
Laissez-faire Government
Chap 75
The people starve because the ruler eats too much tax-grain..They are difficult to rule because their ruler does too many things.
Chap 60
Ruling a country is like cooking a small fish. [don’t cook it too much]
Contentment with simple life
Chap 80
Let there be a small country with few people. …
Let the people knot cords and use them (in place of writing). Let them relish their food, beautify their clothing, be content with their homes, and delight in their customs.
Though neighboring communities overlook one another and the crowing of cocks and the barking of dogs can be heard,
Yet the people there may grow old and die without ever visiting one another.
Zhuangzi 莊子
ca.369-286 B.C.
“Laozi still wanted to do something, but
Zhuangzi did not want to do anything at all”
Chu Hsi (1130-1200)
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A. Limits of Knowledge
No absolute knowledge, can’t know anything for sure
“Morning mushroom knows nothing of twilight”
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Butterfly Dream
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Once upon a time, Chuang Tzu dreamed that he was a butterfly, flying about enjoying itself. It did not know that it was Chuang Chou. Suddenly he awoke, and veritably was Chuang Chou again. He did not know whether it was Chuang Chou dreaming that he was a butterfly, or whether it was the butterfly dreaming that it was Chuang Chou.
Happiness of a Fish
Conversation with friend Hui Tzu
“You are not a fish, how can you know the happiness of a fish?”
“You are not I…”
B. Can’t Essentialize
Limits of Language
Can’t label
Small hair vs. Mount Tai
Can’t know big vs. small
Everything relative
C. No Good vs. Bad
Can’t label Good or Bad
“Sai-weng loses his horse”
D. Can’t Label Right or Wrong
All part of Dao
Dao Di Jing ch. 62
“Even if a man is bad, when has (Tao) rejected him?”
Dao includes all, even a bad man
The Zhuangzi:
How can Tao be so obscured that there be a distinction of true and false…right and wrong?
The “this” has one standard of right and wrong, and the “that” also has a standard.
When the distinction between right and wrong became prominent, Tao was reduced.
Forget the distinction of right and wrong. Relax in the realm of the infinite.
E. No effort, Spontaneity Wu wei 無為
Cook Ting
Cutting up bull. Knife never gets dull.
Cook Ting: “When I first began cutting up oxen, all I could see was the ox itself. After 3 years I no longer saw the whole ox. Now, I go at it by spirit and don’t look with my eyes. Following the natural markings, my knife slips through the cavities, slides through the cleavages, taking advantage of the structure that is already there. My skill is such that my knife never touches even the smallest tendon, let alone the great bones.
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“…A good cook changes his knife once a year--because he cuts. A mediocre cook changes his knife once a month--because he hacks. I’ve had this knife of mine for 19 years…and yet the blade is as good as though it had just come from the grindstone.”
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F. Uselessness
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G. Transformation and Change
Everything in constant flux
No fixed state
Go with the flow
Accept life and change
H. Accept Death
See as Transformation of Dao
“The pure man of old knew neither to love life nor to hate death.”
Everything begins with the unchanging Dao and must return to it
