Yuxuan, Finding this inspiring as I start my weekend. There's really no answer as you said to me before. But perhaps freedom can also be found in our constraints, in the re-reading, to look deeply again into this multi-dimensionality of life.
Some of my favorite lines from this post: "The ancient trees did not build paths for people. And the deep mountains could not direct the poet toward the source of the ringing bell... The ten thousand years are the same in the eyes of the sky. And the pine wind, the bright moon, and the flowing river embody the beauty of eternity and transitoriness at the same time."
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me, Peckgee. I believe that "freedom" you're referring to can also mean a new perspective, a discovery, something always there that we just couldn't see before.
relate to Neuro studies and stimulants- not even necessarily substance as stimulants but physical activity itself in the production of increased blood flow- oxygenation of the blood and in turn the brain that increases cognitive functions and increased mental awareness and conceptualization.
I often power walk, almost a jogging pace 5-8 miles sometimes, then 5-8 miles back. I find I actually do my best thinking on these walks.
Really like your explanation of cognitive function and mobility. It's great that power walks work for you. I also enjoy long walks, like a ritual of cleansing.
I ask this: it appears that awareness of the flow of life (feelings, etc) is the constant (the only 'real' constant it seems). But, is awareness unchangeable? Is it a 'state' or a 'condition', something to be attained and kept? If so, how is it different from another 'dharma' or '法'?
Glad to read your thoughts. I think the notion/practice of "awareness" in the Buddhist sense does indicate a state of mind, as the character 觀 denotes. Something like the mind-space is open and relaxed, observing and flowing with the myriad things, not fixated on things, perceptions, or emotions. Or like one does not dwell on the notion of emptiness or being, but allows the mind to float in a state of non-emptiness, not-being 非有非空. It's kind of like saying something is real while simultaneously rejecting its validity.
But in order to achieve that internal state, it must involve a precondition of quiescence 靜, the Taoist idea and practice crucial for understanding the nature of things: that things are unified in the realm of Tao. So, for example, we say the building of a desk is the destruction of a piece of wood, but it's also the construction of a desk. Yet the aroused emotions (the loss of quiescence) of those doing/seeing the destruction may not necessarily see the "construction" work.
Thanks for taking the time to reply. Somehow, I relate this state or disposition 觀 and its associated or even required 靜 in the Buddhist practice to what Zhuangzi identified in his ‘The Adjustment of Controversies’ (Chapter 5) https://ctext.org/zhuangzi/adjustment-of-controversies as 道樞。樞始得其環中 leading to 莫若以明. It seems to me that the 'equanimity' sought by Buddhists is very much what Zhuangzi is highlighting. What remains a challenge for me is the potential assumption and ensuing choices derived from considering awareness a 'state'. Surely, we cannot spend our day in this type of practice (not even monks can I feel). The tables must be built and the trees felled in the process.
I feel that what Zhuangzi speaks about is something that is lived in that point of external 道樞 and internal 環中 allowing for 明 to provide a real/untainted view of reality and that, without the need for practice or for institutionalisation in the form of religion. Also, because reality is constantly changing, the creation of an internal state 觀 (view, approach) seems to me to tend to oppose/distort reality while 靜, as I see it, tends to dispose of any (as much as humanly possible) pre-established/practiced endeavour.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts with me. Very much resonates with what you're saying.
道樞, the axis of Tao, is indeed Zhuangzi's approach in interacting with the external, phenomenal world. The idea itself denotes an awareness of the challenge of self-examination, critically examining one's own preconceived notions, and rising above oneself so that one is unified with the Tao.
莫若以明, none is better than seeing things in illumination, it is therefore the practice or method to attempt to understand the nature of things. The "untainted view of reality," as you mentioned, derived from the silent state of observation, is really a challenge, as it already involves a somewhat absolute detachment from perspectives, beliefs, or values. The practice of quiescence 靜 or observing 觀 probably can help one enter into the state of forgettfulness. And this is Zhuangzi's approach of forgetting the self 忘我, whether it's using it for creative work, service, or simply being with nature.
I agree with you on the Buddhist practice of awareness being similar to what Zhuangzi has suggested. I think Zhuangzi's influence on the later 禪宗 is just tremendous. I tend to view awareness as sort of a "switch." I think to lock oneself in that state can, most likely, make us radicals in the conventional world. For example, being aware in the Buddhist sense can mean that all the social identities are artificially constructed, such as the idea of "citizenship."
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I especially appreciate your mention of Zhuangzi's 忘我 which has had me imagining various combinations of the character parts and their meanings put together. How 'death' and 'heart' coexist to convey the meaning of 忘 'forgetting' and how the 'I', the 'self' related to a specific person is made up of totally active components (the 'hand' and the 'spear') 我. I wonder if what Zhuangzi was pointing to was a 'forgetting' or 'setting aside' of our presence (the self) as experienced in the world. Because only the inner self, the 'heart' that is able to consider 'death' 忘 can really comprehend the extent of such an "approach ... using it for creative work, service, or simply being with nature" as you well say.
I would like to further ask you about Zhuangzi's huánzhōng 環中 and what I consider a very close parallel found in the Confucian Zhong Yong《中庸》where 喜怒哀樂之未發，謂之中；發而皆中節，謂之和 (https://ctext.org/liji/zhong-yong?searchu=harmony) distinguishes clearly between 中 and 和. Would you say that what the Confucian writer is talking about (the 中) is what Zhuangzi calls 環中? This would separate the experience of equanimity, the "absolute detachment from perspectives, beliefs, or values" you outline from the "radical" state of absolute, monk-like, separation from reality as we know it, finding in the process a 'middle way' where such state is achieved by nature itself and not by the self.
I really like your thoughts on the idea of forgetting. Zhuangzi also has this phrase 吾丧我, something like "I have lost/forgotten my own self." There is a clear message spread out in the text about the genuine self 真我 or the false self 假我, as Zhuangzi's ideal model of this person is labeled as an authentic person 真人 or an utmost person 至人. I think this 真人 refers to someone who knows clearly about oneself and external things imposed on the self.
I think you're right about the notion of 中, the middle way, from the Zhong Yong text, as compared to Zhuangzi's 環中. The Confucian writer discusses emotional regulation through equanimity, which is achieved by residing in the middle, not going to extremes, or not being easily driven by a particular emotion. While Zhuangzi was using the the 道樞 metaphor to imagine adopting a value-neutral position. The 環中 state also contrasts with someone who has an individualized heart-mind 成心.
Also, I think Zhuangzi's work, along with other Taoist texts, influenced the text 人物志. The author of this text, in terms of characterology, ranks the person with a balanced disposition (中和之質) as the highest ideal, like bland, still water, but is full of possibilities. Just like standing at the middle way point, it is possible to respond in various ways.
Thank you! Your reply reassures me and provides me additional, very valuable information about what seems to be a common theme in philosophy (the nature of the self) and, very particularly, in Chinese ancient thought. I really appreciate your input and open spirit.
Beautiful. Entangling ourselves from the phenomenal world. Not an easy task. Yes quietness and solitude help. Thank you for your explanation of Wang Wei's poems. I will read them differently now.
Thank you, Kenza. Glad to know my reflection on Wang Wei's poems can help. And you're right. We are inevitably entangled with our immediate realities. But we can find ways to navigate them when we allow ourselves to see.
Yuxuan, Finding this inspiring as I start my weekend. There's really no answer as you said to me before. But perhaps freedom can also be found in our constraints, in the re-reading, to look deeply again into this multi-dimensionality of life.
Some of my favorite lines from this post: "The ancient trees did not build paths for people. And the deep mountains could not direct the poet toward the source of the ringing bell... The ten thousand years are the same in the eyes of the sky. And the pine wind, the bright moon, and the flowing river embody the beauty of eternity and transitoriness at the same time."
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me, Peckgee. I believe that "freedom" you're referring to can also mean a new perspective, a discovery, something always there that we just couldn't see before.
relate to Neuro studies and stimulants- not even necessarily substance as stimulants but physical activity itself in the production of increased blood flow- oxygenation of the blood and in turn the brain that increases cognitive functions and increased mental awareness and conceptualization.
I often power walk, almost a jogging pace 5-8 miles sometimes, then 5-8 miles back. I find I actually do my best thinking on these walks.
Really like your explanation of cognitive function and mobility. It's great that power walks work for you. I also enjoy long walks, like a ritual of cleansing.
Thanks for delving into this paradox.
無有一法真
I ask this: it appears that awareness of the flow of life (feelings, etc) is the constant (the only 'real' constant it seems). But, is awareness unchangeable? Is it a 'state' or a 'condition', something to be attained and kept? If so, how is it different from another 'dharma' or '法'?
Glad to read your thoughts. I think the notion/practice of "awareness" in the Buddhist sense does indicate a state of mind, as the character 觀 denotes. Something like the mind-space is open and relaxed, observing and flowing with the myriad things, not fixated on things, perceptions, or emotions. Or like one does not dwell on the notion of emptiness or being, but allows the mind to float in a state of non-emptiness, not-being 非有非空. It's kind of like saying something is real while simultaneously rejecting its validity.
But in order to achieve that internal state, it must involve a precondition of quiescence 靜, the Taoist idea and practice crucial for understanding the nature of things: that things are unified in the realm of Tao. So, for example, we say the building of a desk is the destruction of a piece of wood, but it's also the construction of a desk. Yet the aroused emotions (the loss of quiescence) of those doing/seeing the destruction may not necessarily see the "construction" work.
Thanks for taking the time to reply. Somehow, I relate this state or disposition 觀 and its associated or even required 靜 in the Buddhist practice to what Zhuangzi identified in his ‘The Adjustment of Controversies’ (Chapter 5) https://ctext.org/zhuangzi/adjustment-of-controversies as 道樞。樞始得其環中 leading to 莫若以明. It seems to me that the 'equanimity' sought by Buddhists is very much what Zhuangzi is highlighting. What remains a challenge for me is the potential assumption and ensuing choices derived from considering awareness a 'state'. Surely, we cannot spend our day in this type of practice (not even monks can I feel). The tables must be built and the trees felled in the process.
I feel that what Zhuangzi speaks about is something that is lived in that point of external 道樞 and internal 環中 allowing for 明 to provide a real/untainted view of reality and that, without the need for practice or for institutionalisation in the form of religion. Also, because reality is constantly changing, the creation of an internal state 觀 (view, approach) seems to me to tend to oppose/distort reality while 靜, as I see it, tends to dispose of any (as much as humanly possible) pre-established/practiced endeavour.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts with me. Very much resonates with what you're saying.
道樞, the axis of Tao, is indeed Zhuangzi's approach in interacting with the external, phenomenal world. The idea itself denotes an awareness of the challenge of self-examination, critically examining one's own preconceived notions, and rising above oneself so that one is unified with the Tao.
莫若以明, none is better than seeing things in illumination, it is therefore the practice or method to attempt to understand the nature of things. The "untainted view of reality," as you mentioned, derived from the silent state of observation, is really a challenge, as it already involves a somewhat absolute detachment from perspectives, beliefs, or values. The practice of quiescence 靜 or observing 觀 probably can help one enter into the state of forgettfulness. And this is Zhuangzi's approach of forgetting the self 忘我, whether it's using it for creative work, service, or simply being with nature.
I agree with you on the Buddhist practice of awareness being similar to what Zhuangzi has suggested. I think Zhuangzi's influence on the later 禪宗 is just tremendous. I tend to view awareness as sort of a "switch." I think to lock oneself in that state can, most likely, make us radicals in the conventional world. For example, being aware in the Buddhist sense can mean that all the social identities are artificially constructed, such as the idea of "citizenship."
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I especially appreciate your mention of Zhuangzi's 忘我 which has had me imagining various combinations of the character parts and their meanings put together. How 'death' and 'heart' coexist to convey the meaning of 忘 'forgetting' and how the 'I', the 'self' related to a specific person is made up of totally active components (the 'hand' and the 'spear') 我. I wonder if what Zhuangzi was pointing to was a 'forgetting' or 'setting aside' of our presence (the self) as experienced in the world. Because only the inner self, the 'heart' that is able to consider 'death' 忘 can really comprehend the extent of such an "approach ... using it for creative work, service, or simply being with nature" as you well say.
I would like to further ask you about Zhuangzi's huánzhōng 環中 and what I consider a very close parallel found in the Confucian Zhong Yong《中庸》where 喜怒哀樂之未發，謂之中；發而皆中節，謂之和 (https://ctext.org/liji/zhong-yong?searchu=harmony) distinguishes clearly between 中 and 和. Would you say that what the Confucian writer is talking about (the 中) is what Zhuangzi calls 環中? This would separate the experience of equanimity, the "absolute detachment from perspectives, beliefs, or values" you outline from the "radical" state of absolute, monk-like, separation from reality as we know it, finding in the process a 'middle way' where such state is achieved by nature itself and not by the self.
Thanks again for your time and attention.
I really like your thoughts on the idea of forgetting. Zhuangzi also has this phrase 吾丧我, something like "I have lost/forgotten my own self." There is a clear message spread out in the text about the genuine self 真我 or the false self 假我, as Zhuangzi's ideal model of this person is labeled as an authentic person 真人 or an utmost person 至人. I think this 真人 refers to someone who knows clearly about oneself and external things imposed on the self.
I think you're right about the notion of 中, the middle way, from the Zhong Yong text, as compared to Zhuangzi's 環中. The Confucian writer discusses emotional regulation through equanimity, which is achieved by residing in the middle, not going to extremes, or not being easily driven by a particular emotion. While Zhuangzi was using the the 道樞 metaphor to imagine adopting a value-neutral position. The 環中 state also contrasts with someone who has an individualized heart-mind 成心.
Also, I think Zhuangzi's work, along with other Taoist texts, influenced the text 人物志. The author of this text, in terms of characterology, ranks the person with a balanced disposition (中和之質) as the highest ideal, like bland, still water, but is full of possibilities. Just like standing at the middle way point, it is possible to respond in various ways.
Thank you! Your reply reassures me and provides me additional, very valuable information about what seems to be a common theme in philosophy (the nature of the self) and, very particularly, in Chinese ancient thought. I really appreciate your input and open spirit.
Beautiful. Entangling ourselves from the phenomenal world. Not an easy task. Yes quietness and solitude help. Thank you for your explanation of Wang Wei's poems. I will read them differently now.
Thank you, Kenza. Glad to know my reflection on Wang Wei's poems can help. And you're right. We are inevitably entangled with our immediate realities. But we can find ways to navigate them when we allow ourselves to see.
This, all this is precisely what Ive been studying and practicing this year.
Your essays are magnificent reading meditations that always help. Never stop teaching.
Thanks so much. I'm really glad to know that these writings are meaningful for you. May they serve as a companion for your study and practice.