Hello Everyone,
Thanks to all of you who responded. You made some really interesting and provocative comments!
Tao poetry:
The Tao Te Ching is a set of several poems (you have seen only a few here) generally attributed to the poet Lao Tzu, and possibly dating from the 4th century B.C. E. These poems are celebrating the philosophy of Taoism, a philosophy that attempts to show the path to spiritual enlightenment.
Below I have gleaned the more salient comments and interpretations from your peers. Notice that you all begin to get an excellent sense of what these poems of the Tao are saying. These comments will also be helpful and important to remember, when you’re reading Journey to the West:
#22 (Diana; Emily; Brian)
The idea of humility and the humble, simple life to gain a sense of wholeness; the idea of growth, to become ever better, is to know failure, and that what seems to be contrary to growth and strength (such as humility) actually works to help us grow and to become stronger. What may at first seem a series of paradoxes, in in fact a guideline to becoming “whole.”
#25 (Denny; Kamran; Elizaveta)
The idea of the Tao as something “great,” something unnamable, which seems to be an all encompassing spiritual presence, and yes, some see this as an all powerful, all knowing god. Others don’t see this as a god, per se, but as a natural presence of some kind, and something which can be found on Earth, within one’s own life. There is also the idea that the Tao can be considered thoughts that guide us, to keep us questioning the world around us.
#13
(Zuzanna; Chi; Borys; Zeyu; Sabera; Mark)
Here is again the theme that we see throughout all of these poems, that to be humble, to surrender oneself to “misfortune,” or to loss, and to learn that to be “important” is not the path to a better, more fulfilled life. This connects to the idea that accepting misfortune and disgrace will actually help to strengthen you, and help you to grow. Thanks to Zuzanna for bringing in the idea of “self-enhancement defense,” and the psychological problems that arise from not taking responsibility for our short-comings. There is also the idea, again strong in all of these poems, that self-awareness is the path that will lead us to enlightenment, and that, ultimately, self-awareness means “extracting the self from the body” (Zeyu’s quote) which is one of the important and difficult paradoxes of the Tao.
#16
(Hawanatu; Myra; Crystal)
Yes, there is the strong idea, again running through all these poems, that to be truly present in the world, we must “empty” ourselves of “everything.” And this indeed reminds us of meditation, and specifically Zen meditation, or to “Take a step back,” as Crystal says, and let the mind be still.
#4
(Radia; Jonathan)
The idea of “emptiness” is in this poem, as in so many of the Tao poems; in other words, one must “empty” oneself, to surrender to what is happening, and then let the answers come to you. There is also the idea of ambiguity, which is another strong thread running through all these poems. It is important to accept ambiguity in order to finally see the harmony and balance in life.
#10
(Kelly; Mel)
Yes, this poem embraces the idea of “equilibrium of coexistence” (as Mel nicely puts it). It isn’t so much about being a “man” or a “woman” but being whole.
#1
(Roshelle)
Roshelle has nicely summed up a theme of Tao, and that is that the Tao, or our existence, is a mystery, that, at least in some sense, accepting this mystery (our “ignorance” of the universe) is, paradoxically, are salvation.