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The Tao of Fear Cultivation
Very interesting. Being a graphic designer, my work is purely about perfection. It becomes extremely tedious at times and can be really dreadful when things don't turn out how I like. I've often noticed this aspect of myself filter into my daily life, an acute judgement of the world around me. Although the more I learn about myself, I have gradually learned to confine this aspect of myself to my work, and just experience the rest of my life for what it is.
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‘Fear’ is a primary emotion that motivates all living things. Humans respond to it somewhat differently than other animals in so far as our mind is concerned – fear drives our thoughts. Fear is what makes wild animals wild and natural. They are alive and alert to each moment because to do otherwise is risky. Our wish to feel safer and more comfortable has driven us to close the door on this ‘wilderness’ and live safely behind the walls of civilization's paradigm. Does it work? What have been the trade offs?
Numbness is one consequence. We lull ourselves into what is a false sense of security with slogans and ‘group think’. For those of a Taoist bent, slogans like ‘wu wei’, ‘Dao Cultivation’, or ‘the Tao’ are reflexive mental tools we use to keep us civilized. Religion, politics and indeed all aspects of life come with tidy little slogans behind which we can retreat and keep the ‘wilderness’ out of mind. Simply put, by naming it, we tame it. As you might expect, ‘fear cultivation’ becomes a de facto slogan as soon as I name it so. Precepts must be continuously rediscovered – virtually moment to moment - to breath life back into them, least they become impotent and lifeless slogans.
The path for anyone wanting to return to the ‘living wilderness’ of direct experience begins with questioning the reality which [chref=23]words[/chref] and [chref=32]names[/chref] pretend to depict. We must disassemble the fortress of belief we retreat behind if we wish to experience the ‘[chref=25]naturally so[/chref]’. Such self questioning always brings us to the last question of the day… never an answer. Gradually we become more and more [chref=15]tentative and hesitant[/chref]… “who am I?”… leads to “who”… leads to “?”. Organic, silent and original fear again rises to surface awareness - clean, simple, and no longer couched in beliefs. The [chref=20]foolish and uncouth[/chref] animal within returns. We are “wild” again. :shock:
After reviewing the entire site,
This is what I can offer.
Please make yourself available for at least these 4 books
(大å¸) (論語) (åŸå) (ä¸åº¸)
I would post more but I would much rather have you feel the concept in your life rather than someone that studied it and typing it here.
Sincerely,
Reader
As far as I can tell, the 4 book you suggested are:
(大å¦) = university; college; The Great Learning.
(论è¯) = The Analects of Confucius; The Analects.
(åŸå) = the first of the twelve Earthly Branch
(ä¸åº¸) = the golden mean (of the Confucian school); the doctrine of the Mean.
So, I’d guess that you are a serious student of Confucius. Just curious, what do you think the Taoist world view is? I am hard put to think of any world view further from the Taoist one than Confucius. Well, I take that back. The core paradigm in the West is certainly far from the Taoist view. When I think about it, every view that incorporates words and depends on thinking misses the ‘Taoist point’, including what I write naturally. Life is nothing if not ironic.
My reply to ‘nameless’ today sums up my view. The only difference is that you regard these books as the necessary 'Master', while nameless seems to regard a sage (Sifu) as the necessary 'Master'. As far as word are concerned, I just love this story from Chuang Tzu:
Duke Huan was reading a book in the hall. Wheelwright Pian, who had been chiseling a wheel in the courtyard below, set down his tools and climbed the stairs to ask Duke Huan, "may I ask what words are in the book Your Grace is reading?""The words of sages." the Duke responded.
"Are these sages alive?"
"They are already dead"
That means you are reading the dregs of long gone men, doesn't it?"
Duke Huan said How does a wheelwright get to have opinions on the books I read? If you can
explain yourself I'll let it pass otherwise, it's death."
Wheelwright Pian said ''In my case I see things in terms of my own work. When I chisel at
a wheel, if I go slow the chisel slides and does not stay put; if I hurry, it jams and doesn't move properly When it is neither too slow nor too fast I can feel it in my hand and respond to it from my heart. My mouth cannot describe it in words but there is something there I cannot teach it to my son and my son cannot learn it from me So I have gone on for seventy years, growing old chiseling wheels The men of old died in possession of what could not transmit. So it follows that what you are reading is their dregs."
Master wheelwright Pian couldn't even teach his own sons his 'secret'. They had to rediscover it for themselves. And that is what makes life such an interesting journey, for me anyway. From birth to death we learn through trial and error. First to walk, then to talk, then perhaps to unlearn what we've learned and return to the beginning only to find that we never left.
I hope that I am to understand that you know of these books.
And I really really hope that you have read it to find answers other than there is God and it watches over us.
Ridiculous isn't it? here we are at the beginning of 22nd century and still praying god and I am replying Carl's comment something off of philosophy 201.
Well, let's start from where we are versus when this was written. Chinese history by the most part when this was conceived was in terrible war states. Omg, we are talking villages wiped out people immigrating (not moving literally immigrating from one country to another country) to some what better place. Take the concept of God, don't you think they would prayed to the almighty god to save them from this society? Education? Belief? Ideas? They mean nothing when faced with force and wreath of mankind (fyi they fought over someone sent a ridiculous poem to another country and by mistake it was intercepted by 3rd country and those 3 fought... dense...) Back to 2008, we do not live in state countries and we don't fight over stupid poems. We do fight however over perceived precious resources. Odd, many historic events suggest we are not even coming close to what Chinese history has went through in the first century (even with the yellow emperor legend etc etc). How on earth is it possible that God would do something like this? Why the hell is it that God has givin an island (pen gu island I think if memory serves me correct) with animals from all 4 corners of the China, yet it doesn't even have drinking water for abandoned sailor [book of songs].
What is it about God that we have to believe? Perhaps we should stop thinking about what we can't perceive but we need to keep what we have and sort through our own reality. Reality is so harsh and so complex that when mandated to think it was too difficult for people to get it. This principle and idea is the core concept of confucian theory.
Why the hell is it so hard?
Why the hell is it that I have one thought yet I have to do another?
Why is that I can't find the reason for what I am doing?
Many believe that Tao is just another name game, and this for some part is true if you don't know how to formulate logic. Fyi, it was Hagel that translated Tao Te Ching for German University text and later chose take his ridiculous failures of Tao Te Ching after he thought himself Chinese 10yrs later.
This is for everyone that thinks western logic doesn't coincide with the eastern metaphors etc, hehe.
Tao or the Way, by looking at the chinese lettering it means path where something goes. It's a Way, and because the chinese is a monosyllabic language / definition based word system - grab your dictionary and spell out all adjective, adverb, conjunctures you can throw at and formulate a statement. i.e.: a way is a course, a characteristic etc etc. Then look back at the definitions from any other texts (eastern/western) and compare them. Similar indeed. Why? Because people think the same thing.
When we were taught, we were directed (not asked!) to describe the Way as it is stated on the Page 1 Line 1 of this text. Jesus it was hard but you know who got the actual answer right? It was some one that describe the it as if you were lost in the woods and now you found the "Way" and thought 'man, I'm glad to find you, now I know I'm gonna go home.' Sounds odd? This has very complex structure (this is gonna make people angry, cause it mad me angry when I couldn't come up with it) called myself. How about that? Myself is a complex structure? Holy Hannah!
Science by most part, simplifies and ridiculously rationalize everything to every detail (attempts to anyway) but when it comes to my day to day life sometimes, it just makes sense to slow down... Although it's not a company rule, sometimes you show up early and do stuff ... because you want to. How many of us have parents and they themselves have a strict rule on something? Everyone does. Because (you are gonna hate this again) it's the "Way" it is!
It took me so long to get this, that by the time I got this it was like. No wonder Tao Te Ching called it the "Way"? I don't think I can't put anything else that comes even close to this!
For those of you who is reading the Tao Te Ching please (please^infinity), this is common sense at work. This is what we believe to be true and living through everyday. You don't put a word on it like the Way or Tao or whatever it is because.... you simply don't want to limit yourself with those words. That's all there is to it. I hope this makes some sense to people. If not I will take any questions or comments regarding Tao vs Te vs Yun vs Yin vs Yi or any other classical discussion.
"Way" concept is a powerful tool, so powerful that it was considered dangerous in many countries in China. This was even forbidden in certain period and kept in sacred temples (although they don't say it but it was buddist dedicated graves where we found these texts - odd Tao carried by Shutalta) untill at least for 30 yrs or more.
Imagine if you will what will happen to city states when citizens think of family, neighbor, townships, counties vs the good of the state revenue? And these people used "reasoning" rather than weapons, which makes "sense" to people? You get the picture.
I hope this cleared some water a bit, if not I probably muddled the some what delicate features of the "Way" as described here in the states. hehe
Either which case, it's an honor to be here and I hope to see many e-mails !
Kudos!