Tao

[sobrique]

I've just about finished a book called:
Tao: The Watercourse way by Alan Watts

I rather like it. It meshes well with how I see things.

I remember coming to the realisation some years back, that light and darkness were parts of the same thing - not something to split apart, because one cannot exist without the other.

It sounds trivial, I know. I suppose the 'point' is that I made the step between knowing, and understanding what that meant. As much as without night time, the concept of 'day' has no meaning, so it is with everything - passion without serenity, good without evil. These things cannot be, as without the other they have no meaning.

The easiest introduction is that The Tao is would seem to be the basis for 'the Force' in Starwars mythos. It's similar, and yet ... not quite there. The "Jedi" aspect is more a mix of several traditions (At least, according to this article).

Taoism doesn't 'do' the light and dark side thing exactly - there _is_ a balance between serenity and passion (which seems to be the core of light/dark jedi thing) but only in the sense of balance between night and day - essential and inseperable.

It's a hard concept to put into words, so I'll leave it there. I think I need to think some more.

Comments

[crashbarrier.livejournal.com]

I know what your trying to get at.. its a very similar to my own viewpoint.

Doesn't make it any easier to explain.. but does mean you don't have to use as many words:)

[apostle13.livejournal.com]

> It's a hard concept to put into words, so I'll leave it there.

Here it is worth referring to Tao Te Ching, Chapter 1:
(the very first lines in fact)

The tao that can be described
is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be spoken
is not the eternal Name.

So bear in mind that if you can put the concept into words, it's not the Tao ;-)
It's along the lines of experience over explanation - after all, you could describe the act of swimming to someone all you like, but it is only by getting in the water that you will really understand it.
Although in the case of Tao, its essentially paradoxical nature (in the loose sense of a union of opposites) kind of stops you from getting too far even on the description part.
Same goes for the wei wu-wei concept too, I suppose; although perhaps there are some parallels with "use the Force, Luke" there too ;-)

> I think I need to think some more.
Or perhaps you should go with wu-wei - no need to think then ;-)

[sobrique.livejournal.com]

It's kind of a pity. It makes a lot of sense to me, and would be something that I would like to share with everyone. I suppose though, in doing so I would be trying to describe how to swim, as you say.