{"id":4937,"date":"2019-10-22T23:29:06","date_gmt":"2019-10-22T23:29:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/?p=4937"},"modified":"2019-10-22T23:29:06","modified_gmt":"2019-10-22T23:29:06","slug":"tao-the-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/index.php\/2019\/10\/22\/tao-the-way\/","title":{"rendered":"Tao…(the Way?)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cThe mysterious Laozi\u2019s ancient wisdom may be hard to translate, but the meaning is clear \u2013 learning to be self-aware could improve modern life.\u201d<\/em> <\/p>the Guardian<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In researching Taoism<\/em>, and the Tao Te Ching by Laozi, I first turned to an article <\/a>on the subject by the British news organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Self-awareness is an admirable quality, but let\u2019s look at Taoism\u2019s epistemological position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One site <\/a> tells us that the Tao is \u201cthe reality beyond human perception, a reality that Taoists strongly associate with the natural world.\u201d That may have been hard for someone to translate, but it certainly seems even more difficult to comprehend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another site called \u201c Taoism 101<\/a>\u201d begins with the admonition: \u201cDon\u2019t concentrate on the meaning of Tao\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, turning to the Cambridge University Press<\/a> (the publishing arm of Cambridge University in the U.K.), we find:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe more you know, the less you know; the less you know, the more you really know.\u201d<\/p>Aristotle<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The Cambridge Press article goes on to say: \u201cIf we know our own True Self\u2026then we shall know all things.\u201d The implication, then, is that only sages <\/em>(those who know their true self) can know all things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

sage = \"From a Taoist viewpoint, this term refers to one whose actions are in complete harmony with his surroundings - both the immediate environment and the universe as a whole.\" (JadeDragon<\/em>.com<\/em>)<\/pre>\n\n\n\nWell, that\u2019s ok, right?\u2013\u201cSomeone whose actions are in complete harmony with his surroundings\u201d\u2013I have to admit, I\u2019d like to be one of those \u201csages,\u201d wouldn\u2019t you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what, then, can I expect to know?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, as we\u2019ve done before, let\u2019s take a look at the ontology and cosmology of the Tao Te Ching.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOne paper I found, called:  Born out of Nothingness: a Few Words on Taoism<\/a><\/em>, says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe basis of the Taoist worldview is one unified pulsating cosmos and all its manifestations. Taoist thinkers interpret existence as a continuous process. They consider complementary forces to be the source of movement. The world creates itself out of its own potential existence.\u201d<\/p> Tatiana Danilova
National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine\u201d<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe world creates itself out of its own potential existence\u201d? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another site<\/a>, called  An Insider\u2019s Look at Taoist Cosmology <\/em>says:
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the beginning,\u00a0there was an endless void, known as Wu Chi, or Tao. The Tao is a universal energy, from which all things emanate.\u00a0<\/li>
From this vast cosmic universe, from Tao,\u00a0the One emerges.<\/li>
As the One manifests in the world, it divides into two: the Yin and the Yang, complementary conditions of action (Yang) and inaction (Yin)\u2026<\/li>
From this dance of Yin and Yang emerges the\u00a0five elements: wood, fire, metal, water, and earth\u2026.<\/li>
From the five constituent elements come the \u201cten-thousand things,\u201d representing all of manifest existence, all of the objects,\u00a0inhabitants, and phenomena of the world that we experience\u2026<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\nI am trying to think of things that emanate from something else without some actor, some entity, bringing them forth. The first example that comes to mind is the butterfly, emerging from its chrysalis. Or the birth of a baby. Is that what Taoist cosmology is describing?<\/p>\n\n\n\nAttempting to understand, I reluctantly found myself at a <\/a>wiki <\/a><\/em>site<\/a>, which includes this as an explanation: \u201d Firstly, (the Tao) is the eternally existing Origin of the world: it knows no limits in space or time. According to Laozi, it is an undifferentiated whole which precedes the existence of Heaven and Earth. It is empty, silent and formless; it grows independently and is inexhaustible; and eternally revolves without ever stopping. It is the Source of all beings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u201d The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It\u2019s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together. <\/p>Obi-Wan Kenobi (Star Wars)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Even with its inscrutability, one reading is enough to realize that there is much that is attractive, useful, and even profound that is in the Tao Te Ching, but as a source of ultimate truth, it seems wanting. Yet, it does sound interestingly familiar\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is a thing, formless yet complete. Before heaven and earth it existed. Without sound, without substance, it stands alone and unchanging. It is all-pervading and unfailing. We do not know its name, but we call it Tao. .. Being one with nature, the sage is in accord with the Tao.<\/em>\u201c<\/p>Tao Te Ching<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cThe mysterious Laozi\u2019s ancient wisdom may be hard to translate, but the meaning is clear \u2013 learning to be self-aware could improve modern life.\u201d the Guardian In researching Taoism, and the Tao Te Ching by Laozi, I first turned to an article on the subject by the British news organization. Self-awareness is an admirable quality, … Continue reading “Tao…(the Way?)”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education","category-worldview"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4937"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4937\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5212,"href":"https:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4937\/revisions\/5212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thinkingaccuratelyeducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}