THE TAO OF ME:
Eastern Religion
in the
Western World
THE TAO OF POOH
From left to right: Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism
When I first started this paper, I wanted to research Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism and see how each “religion” could be incorporated into a western setting. However, after reading the Tao of Pooh it became apparent that these eastern religions aren’t really religions in the same sense we think of christianity or islam. They’re more of a social ritual, a way of ordering society. Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism are of a national character rather than a religion. They do not conflict with any belief or dogma of any other religion. Simply put, they are an order of society. From a conceptual standpoint Taoism and Buddhism have affected my perspectives and philosophies, and I try to manifest central concepts gathered from my readings of them in my daily life. Taoism and Buddhism are very simple in essence, but incredibly complex in application.
EASTERN RELIGION
AND
THE TAO OF POOH
Taoism, at first, can be easily misunderstood. I, for example, thought that Taoism's main message was that everyone must run around blind and ignorant of the world and somehow trust that people magically won't starve to death. I immediately dismissed it as utter nonsense because I interpreted Taoism as akin to complacency. But then a certain quote caught my eye."A well-frog cannot imagine the ocean, nor can a summer insect conceive of ice. How then can a scholar understand the Tao? He is restricted by his own learning.” After reflecting on the true meaning of Tao and rereading Hoff’s book a more understandable meaning emerged. The reason that Pooh is so happy is not due to his complacency or how blissfully unaware he is. It’s because he’s just being himself and acting in a way that is within his own nature in accord to circumstances. So instead of over-thinking a solution to all of his encounters, they occur naturally, with minimal effort, as if the action happened of its own accord without conscious effort. The best Taoists are the ones that don’t know they’re even taoists. They live simply by going with the flow, and not trying to act against it.
The Tao of Pooh is a well-written book, by Hoff, that attempts to explain to philosophy of Taoism through the life of Winnie the Pooh. Simply put,"It's about this dumpy little bear that wanders around asking silly questions, making up songs, and going through all kinds of adventures, without ever accumulating any amount of intellectual knowledge or losing his simpleminded sort of happiness." I read about this blissful bear and how he and his friends fit into Taoism. To give an example of how Pooh fits into Taoism, Pooh sings:
Benjamin Hoff uses Winnie to describe Taoism simply, yet perfectly with this little poem. What I see is the simple approach of ultimate humility. It is the acknowledgement that we are part of an infinite system, a system which we cannot control, a system beyond our comprehension and control. At the core of this system is Balance is Yinyang. All yingyang means is that whenever you push, you'll be pushed. If you meddle, you will be meddled with. If you do nothing, nothing will happen. This is an ideal heavily connected to Buddhism, and is why I moved away from Buddhism. It is my opinion that Buddhism is a pity festival, it declares that all is suffering, all is imperfect. You detach from interaction with suffering so you can merely avoid it. This option might be attractive to some who have experienced so much suffering without barely a wink of happiness, but I believe this method is ridiculously counter-intuitive, as it is still attaching to the idea that suffering should be avoided or progressed beyond. Buddhism is about the middle way, the idea when you don't have happiness you can't lose it; when you can’t lose it, you can’t miss it.
Owl's self-obsession over being smart restricts him from seeing his own flaws
“To know the way,
we go the way,
we do the way.
The way we do,
the things we do,
it's all there in front of you.
But if you try too hard to see it,
you'll only become confused.
I am me
And you are you.
As you can see;
But when you do
the things that you can do,
you will find the Way.
The Way will follow you.”
Taoism, from my understanding, which can differ person to person, welcomes taking the good with the bad. Taoism is a very lively and active approach to the world. It is about keeping perspective on the repeating cyclical nature of life. Good times will pass and leave, so will your bad times, and that you should be present to experience both as they are with you. Everything will pass given enough time, happiness and sadness. Though it might sound tragic at first, I believe there is comfort to be found in it.
One of the biggest themes in Eastern religion is that of Naturalism and non-contention. Non-contention simply means to not struggle against life. When you are happy, do not try to contain your happiness and bottle it to be saved, you can't, enjoy it, and let it go when it is time. When you are sad or suffering, accept that, embrace it, experience what you are going through, and remember balance. Sadness will pass and the cycle will continue. Welcome success as it comes, but do not cling; allow failure as it passes, but do not fight it. It is the allowing of things in life to naturally progress as they occur, because they will, whether you want them to or not.
From these two things we then approach Te, virtue. Te is the concept of controlling the one thing we all have power over, the self. Te is the discipline of adjusting your behavior to accept and be in harmony with the cycle of balance. Most often believe this can be accomplished with time, acceptance, and non-action. For example, if you are drifting in the ocean, it will be much easier to lay back and float than to work so head treading. You must begin with Te. Te is the manual practice of Tao. It is the slow cleansing of your reflexive responses to appearances that seem contrary to Balance. With time Te will no longer be a difficulty or a challenge, and eventually it will progress to subconscious habit. This is now Tao. A shifted reflex to accepting life and being in harmony as it flows. Tao is automatic Te. Nature does that instinctively. The concept of "the uncarved block", or pu, is the idea of being tuned to those natural Te instincts, but that is for a very lucky few. “When you discard arrogance, complexity, and a few other things that get in the way, sooner or later you will discover that simple, childlike, and mysterious secret known to those of the Uncarved Block: Life is Fun.” For most, we must work to create the space in ourselves for Tao to come. Te is the behavior that will help you keep balance in life, or at the very least help you keep your point of view focused on what’s important. It is the practice and preparation so when you are suddenly dumped, fired, or simply failing in life you can continue onward unabated by what may appear to be crippling negatives to others, but from the practice of Te, you realize that the wheel has not stopped turning, and the current state of events is not permanent.