First of all, I want to go ahead and apologize for the lofty title, "Postmodern Tao." Rest assured that I will explain what I mean by this moniker in the coming paragraphs. Also, I feel the length of this post is rather excessive. Don't worry! Much of this posting can be skimmed over, and again, I can assure you that future posts will be fiery comets of brevity, radiating simplicity and experience with an economy of words. This one just needed a little more length to set the stage for future content.
Right now I am in El Dorado Springs, CO, sitting quietly at my uncle's house at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. My uncle Michael is with his girlfriend in Ohio. They were so kind as to let me stay here until I find a ride down to New Mexico.
Anyhow, when I arrived here with my brother Hunter, my first order of business was to raid the bookshelf. I came across a pocket copy of the Tao Te Ching, and knew that I would be in for a treat. I had read excerpts from the book before, but never the work in its entirety. "Ah at last," I thought. "I've been meaning to give this my steady attention for some time."
I must say, it proved to be a valuable read for me and where I am in life right now. I have encountered so much of the wisdom (or lack there of) of the Tao Te Ching elsewhere. But I can't recall ever reading so many succinct jewels collected into one little book. The work raised and addressed many questions about my role in the world today, and the multitudinous paradoxes I encounter by virtue of the times: namely, the trouble of coming from a place of love and balance amidst the very real possibilities of ecological, economical, social, and political collapse; and the difficulty of knowing when to do and when not to do, when to perform action and when to sit back and wait, when to solve problems and when to feel and listen and be.
If you aren't familiar with the Tao Te Ching, here are a few passages that will help us to understand just what this Tao is or isn't, and how it applies to the aforesaid paradoxes. You needn't read them all, though I personally couldn't put the book down once I began. The book was written by a Chinese sage, Lao-tzu, roughly 1500 years ago. It is simply his wisdom (or Universal wisdom, perhaps) of the world around him, collected into short poems.
If you are already very familiar with the book, feel free to skim through the passages, or skip to the bottom of this post.
Chapter 1
The tao that can be told
is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named
is not the eternal Name.
The unnamable is the eternally real.
Naming is the origin
of all particular things.
Free from desire, you realize the mystery.
Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations.
Yet mystery and manifestations
arise from the same source.
This source is called darkness.
Darkness within darkness.
The gateway to all understanding.
----
Chapter 2
When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad.
Being and non-being create each other.
Difficult and easy support each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low depend on each other.
Before and after follow each other.
Therefore the Master
acts without doing anything
and teaches without saying anything.
Things arise and she lets them come;
things disappear and she lets them go.
She has but doesn't possess,
acts but doesn't expect.
When her work is done, she forgets it.
That is why it lasts forever.
----
Chapter 6
The Tao is called the Great Mother:
empty yet inexhaustible,
it gives birth to infinite worlds.
It is always present within you.
You can use it any way you want.
----
Chapter 12
Colors blind the eye.
Sounds deafen the ear.
Flavors numb the taste.
Thoughts weaken the mind.
Desires wither the heart.
The Master observes the world
but trusts his inner vision.
He allows things to come and go.
His heart is as open as the sky.
----
Chapter 29
Do you want to improve the world?
I don't think it can be done.
The world is sacred.
It can't be improved.
If you tamper with it, you'll ruin it.
If you treat it like an object, you'll lose it.
There is a time for being ahead,
a time for being behind;
a time for being motion,
a time for being at rest;
a time for being vigorous,
a time for being exhausted;
a time for being safe,
a time for being in danger.
The Master sees things as they are,
without trying to control them.
She lets them go their own way,
and resides at the center of the circle.
----
Chapter 32
The Tao can't be perceived.
Smaller than an electron,
it contains uncountable galaxies.
If powerful men and women
could remain centered in the Tao,
all things would be in harmony.
The world would become a paradise.
All people would be at peace,
and the law would be written in their hearts.
When you have names and forms,
know that they are provisional.
When you have institutions,
know where their functions should end.
Knowing when to stop,
you can avoid any danger.
All things end in the Tao
as rivers flow into the sea.
----
Chapter 48
In the pursuit of knowledge,
every day something is added.
In the practice of the Tao,
everyday something is dropped.
Less and less do you need to force things,
until finally you arrive at non-action.
When nothing is done,
nothing is left undone.
True mastery can be gained
by letting things go their own way.
It can't be gained by interfering.
----
Chapter 53
The great Way is easy,
yet people prefer the side paths.
Be aware when things are out of balance.
Stay centered within the Tao.
When rich speculators prosper
while farmers lose their land;
when government officials spend money
on weapons instead of cures;
when the upper class is extravagant and
irresponsible
while the poor have nowhere to turn--
all this is robbery and chaos.
It is not in keeping with the Tao.
----
Chapter 71
Not-knowing is true knowledge.
Presuming to know is a disease.
First realize that you are sick;
then you can move toward health.
The Master is her own physician.
She has healed herself of all knowing.
Thus she is truly whole
----
Chapter 74
If you realize that all things change,
there is nothing you will try to hold on to.
If you aren't afraid of dying,
there is nothing you can't achieve.
Trying to control the future
is like trying to take the master carpenter's place.
When you handle the master carpenter's tools,
chances are you'll cut your hand.
----
Chapter 78
Nothing in the world
is as soft and yielding as water.
Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible,
nothing can surpass it.
The soft overcomes the hard;
the gentle overcomes the rigid.
Everyone knows this is true,
but few can put it into practice.
Therefore the Master remains
serene in the midst of sorrow.
Evil cannot enter his heart.
Because he has given up helping,
he is people's greatest help.
True words seem paradoxical.
-------------
OK, great. So I hope I picked enough relevant excerpts for us to obtain a feel for this Tao. For me, reading through the book was at times an emotional rollar coaster. On the one hand I felt every passage resonating deep within me. On the other hand, however, I am at a loss for how to integrate these passages into my life in the postmodern world. How can I bring about peace without doing? How can I be content with things as they are, when famine, obesity, disease, and misery abound? How can I sit back and wait for the right action to present itself, when every day the Earth and all her inhabitants are closer to collective disaster? And more than anything, how can I know when the right action has presented itself? How can I know when the time for waiting and inaction has passed, and motion and action are needed?
Reading through the Tao Te Ching brought all of these things to the forefront of my consciousness. Things I had already been thinking about quite a bit, especially in my relation to friends, family, money, this nation, humanity, the Earth, the Universe, & God, or Allah, or the Tao, or whatever we want to call this elusive albeit Ultimate Truth.
At any rate... Before I go any further, I want to make clear that at no point in this blog will I discuss postmodernism. It started as an architectural movement that was responding to modernist philosophies and aesthetics, and has now taken on so many different meanings and characteristics. I was reluctant to use the word to begin with, and will probably replace it when I think of a better title. Many very clever people will no doubt say that culturally, we are well past the so called postmodern era. And that's just fine. I'm not here to create any innovative artistic movements, or wow people with my knowledge of movements past. For the purposes of this blog, postmodernism simple means the times in which we are living now: When globalization abounds; when people are either swimming in abundance or drowning in dearth; when the ecological balance of the Earth hangs by a single thread; and when each individual's consciousness has a profound effect on the transition of all this misery to a point of peace, or the continuance of the downward spiral.
So for me, the title "Postmodern Tao" refers to the emotional roller coaster I experience when I try to address all of the paradoxes between spiritual practice and the realities of the World today; between coming from a place of balance while addressing all the problems that humanity continues to create; between remaining centered while doing what needs to be done to bring about a greater peace for all sentient & cognizant beings; and between waiting, listening, and observing versus movment and action.
Everything I have said thus far is the context. Everything that's happening in the World today; my place in these chaotic times in relation to all beings; the paradoxes and conflicts I encounter when trying to do what I think is ethical, or help others to live more healthy, fulfilling lives. All of these things.
What, then, are my intentions for this blog? Well, to begin, because I am so interested in continuing my education both formally and informally (degrees & certifications vs. self-exploration & discovery, lectures, action-based learning, etc.), I feel I will be living a fairly nomadic lifestyle indefinitely, in both a physical and psychological sense. Physical in that I will be going to different physical locations to gather skills and learn whatever it is I feel called to learn, and psychological in that all these changes of my physical location will no doubt bring me into contact with unfamiliar ideas & ideals the world over. Who knows who or what I will encounter, and how this will change my worldview or the way in which I experience reality.
So my first intention is to chart my physical and psychological progression over the next, well, however long I suppose. Even if I see over time that literally no one is reading it, it will still serve as a powerful tool for me and my ability to fully integrate all the experiences I have into my consciousness. In charting this progression, I will be both journaling & self-psychoanalizing; I will be maintaining a living autobiography, while trying to activate and incorporate everything I learn (practices, skills, ideas, etc.) into my life.
Another intention I have is to address the paradoxes I have spoken of through the symbolic title "Postmodern Tao." Over time I hope to be able to find a balance between my desire to help bring about a more healthy reality in the world, and my desire to remain desireless & unattached to my own actions and the actions of people around me. Is this possible? I don't know. Is it necessary? Well, again, I don't know. But I do know that letting my perceptions rule me, such as the judgement that others are doing this thing wrong or are not doing this right, and this is causing some sort of negative effect for myself, the Earth, and all humanity, is inherently self-defeating. If I let the little things bring me down, I know I will never reach my highest potential as a human being; I will be unable to be of the utmost service that I can possibly be for everyone and everything.
I think one of the last intentions I have for the blog is to create a meaningful dialogue between myself and whoever may be keeping up with my postings. I will still do plenty of emailing, no doubt, but believe that I could learn a lot about myself, the way I think, and the way I experience the world when other people post comments or ask questions. Hopefully I will be able to compare my personal experiences with the experiences other people have had. I feel I will catalyze my own healing, learning, and unlearning process if I receive feedback from other people along the course of my psycho-physical journey.
So, in short, this blog will be serving as
1. A physical & pyschological journal
2. A tool for reconciling the paradoxes of the "Postmodern Tao."
3. A platform for creating intergenerational, interfaith, & intereverything dialogue.
I think it goes without saying that if I feel the need to post something that falls outside of these intentions, I am going to go ahead and do so. More intentions can evolve organically along the way. For now, I hope I have made clear what this blog is about, and I hope you come back and read again. Feel free to leave constructive comments, or anything else you want. If I write something that anyone feels is absurd or offensive, I would appreciate being confronted. Confrontation doesn't have to be negative or competitive. We can discuss things like human beings, and learn a bit about ourselves and each other in the process! Hooray!
In the meantime, this is William, Will, Liam T., or however you know me, going to bed, hoping to wake up for sunrise on top of a Rocky Mountain foothill.
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