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THE NATURE OF TAOISM




Ziran or “Self-So”

(Image courtesy of Wikipedia, public domain)





Breathing in, breathing out

Breathing in, breathing out

I am blooming as a flower

I am fresh as the dew

I am solid as a mountain

I am firm as the earth

I am free.


Breathing in, breathing out

Breathing in, breathing out

I am water reflecting

What is real, what is true

And I feel there is space

Deep inside of me

I am free, I am free, I am free.


This song is sung at Plum Village, near Bordeaux in southwest France, the international practice center and the first monastic community founded by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) in the West.


“Plum Village is where Thay has realised his dream of building a Beloved Community: creating a healthy, nourishing environment where people can learn the art of living in harmony with one another and with the Earth,” according to the Plum Village website.


Nature and nature imagery are so closely interwoven with Taoism that it is quite natural (pun intended) that the care and protection of the Earth – and prolific images from nature – are inseparable from the “religious”, philosophical, spiritual and metaphysical world of the Taoist and all of the offshoots of Taoism, such as Chan (Zen) Buddhism.


As discussed in the previous blog post (Guided by the Light (and the Dark) April 20, 2023), although perhaps knowing nothing about Taoism, nearly everyone knows the Yin and Yang symbol:




The Yin-Yang symbol illustrates the ebb and flow of the Tao, but where did it come from?


The ancient masters observed the signs in nature, signs of the seasons, the movements of the heavens, the birds and animals, the ebb and flow of nature in the countryside of those largely rural settings in which they lived over 3,000 years ago.


The Tai-Chi symbol's origins are obscure. In 3rd century BCE in China there arose a school of cosmology, known as Yin and Yang School (or School of Naturalists). Zou Yan, a philosopher and spiritual writer of that era, is the best known of the Naturalists and is considered, "The real founder of all Chinese scientific thought," according to British biochemist and sinologist, Joseph Needham.


The ancients observed the light and dark sides of a hill. They saw how the light increased as the sun moved, and the shadow retreated to the lowest places. But at a point when the sun reached its highest place, the shadow began to grow as the light began to wane again.


Thus in the natural and spiritual worlds, all things have their seasons, they come into being, grow and flourish, they begin to decline and disappear back from whence they came: the Tao.



The significance of Yin-Yang through the centuries has permeated every aspect of Chinese thought, influencing astrology, divination, medicine, art, and government. The concept entered Japan, where a government bureau existed as early as 675 CE to advise the government according to Yin-Yang principles. The concept persists today in the Japanese affinity for lucky and unlucky days, favorable and unfavorable compass directions and in consideration of the signs when arranging marriages.


The Tao Te Ching, Poem 15 looks at how we can observe the natural workings of a Taoist master:



The wise ones of old had subtle wisdom and depth of understanding, So profound that they could not be understood. And because they could not be understood, Perforce must they be so described: Cautious, like crossing a wintry stream, Irresolute, like one fearing danger all around, Grave, like one acting as guest, Self-effacing, like ice beginning to melt, Genuine, like a piece of undressed wood, Open-minded, like a valley, And mixing freely, like murky water.

Who can find repose in a muddy world? By lying still, it becomes clear. Who can maintain his calm for long? By activity, it comes back to life.

He who embraces this Tao Guards against being over-full. Because he guards against being over-full, He is beyond wearing out and renewal.


--translation by Lin Yutang


The imagery in this poem is typical of Taoism. It gives us an understanding of a Taoists profound and subtle spiritual, moral, ethical, heavenly, and earthly ways of living and being, by using the simplicity of the natural world in which they lived.


  • Icy streams in winter are dangerous to cross. The master is cautious and methodical in making that trek. So too, the master is cautious and methodical in all her dealings.


  • The Chinese word "Pu" is often translated as "the uncarved block.” This concept is pervasive in Taoism. It refers to a state of pure potential which is the primordial condition of the mind before the arising of experience.


In an untouched piece of wood, the ancients saw everything possible. Could it be a spoon? A spear? A carved animal? A fence post? A child’s toy?


The uncarved block represented the quantum field of possibility wherein anything could emerge at any time.


  • Valleys are open and receptive (the Yin), all things flow to a valley because they are humble and receptive to everything that comes their way. Being open-minded, the master has no preconceptions, but lives in the moment, using everything that arrives, letting it go when its time has come to leave.


  • The muddy water is the mind cluttered with thoughts: random, untrue, half-baked, fearful, desirous and coveting, confused and unquiet.


Can you sit still until your mud settles and your water is clear? is another translation of one of the lines of Poem 15.


Bowls filled to the brim cannot receive anything new (or good). Babies cry all day without hurting their voice because they are one with their natural state.


The Tao is everywhere. There is no place where it is not. The hawk soars to the heavens; the fish plunges to the depths, Stephen Mitchell relates in Poem 54 from his Second Book of the Tao, a compilation of writings from Taoist masters, Chuang-tzu and Tzu-ssu.


Among the most famous Taoist images is that of Chuang-tzu’s Dream:


Once upon a time, I dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither,

to all intents and purposes a butterfly.

I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was myself.

Soon I awaked, and there I was, veritably myself again.

Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly,

or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man.



The most natural of natural states is one in which the Taoist Master is naturally his or her self. Called Ziran or "self-so," the image is made up of two Chinese characters: zi (自) which means "nose; self; oneself” and ran (然) meaning "right; correct; so; yes.” In Chinese culture, the nose (or zi) is a common metaphor for a person's point of view.


Thus, Ziran is the state of natural, spontaneous being. It is the natural rhythm, movement of the unfolding Universe. It is the virtue of being just who you are meant to be – without the definitions imposed by society. It is the Christian concept of grace, just because we are children of God.


Earth is Earth. Heaven is Heaven. Snakes crawl on their bellies, while centipedes move with a hundred legs. Neither could emulate the other. They are what they are exactly as they are meant to be.


So are we, if we can return to the natural state of childhood, of joy, of simplicity, unburdened by “morals” “ethics” rules and regulations. Societal concepts of what “should” be.


In other words: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Mathew 18:3)


There is so much more to discover and explore from the Taoist perspective on the natural world, and how it can inform our daily lives. And the I Ching is likewise replete with natural concepts to illustrate and instruct how we can live with ease, with joy, with purpose and with sublime grace.


In the meantime,


Flow like water

Sit like mountain

Breathe like the wind

Be empty like space

Be tolerant like the sky

Supple like the willow

All-pervading like sunlight

Docile like the mare

Kind as a grandmother

Dignified as a king


Happy Sunday!


John


I am available to do Prosperity Now! individual or group sessions or general life-coaching, I Ching readings, dream interpretation or join us for our weekly Wednesday Course in Miracles group. Please contact me at prosperitynowlifeofdreams@yahoo.com or sign up on my website: http://www.johnafrederick.com

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