Ruling by Taoist principles?

[Stargirl]

In my philosophy class, we were reading the Tao Te Ching, and I am having trouble grasping Taoism. What are the basic principles?

We've read many of the verses in class and discussed them, but it hasn't clicked. And now we have to write a paper on one of these topics,

Examine and evaluate the idea that strictly speaking, nothing can be said about the Tao.

How should rulers govern according to Lao Tzu? Discuss his position on this issue.

And I am completely lost. To answer the first prompt, I would say that it seems contradictory that Lao Tzu wrote the Tao Te Ching, but words are just stepping stones to the Tao. But what is the Tao exactly?

And for the second one, my teacher said something about keeping the people in ignorance and that completely threw me off.

Could you guys help me understand Taoism?

[dcaldwell]

Originally Posted by Stargirl

In my philosophy class, we were reading the Tao Te Ching, and I am having trouble grasping Taoism. What are the basic principles?

To get straight to the point, the purpose of Taoism is to teach a path to help one achieve unity with the Tao and ultimately achieve immortality. (I mean spiritual, not physical, immortality.) It is a personal path that refuses to describe the end goal and lacks a theology. The end goal cannot be described because our language isn't capable of describing it.

At the personal level, one must live life by the three jewels: compassion, simplicity and humility. Your virtuous acts emerge from these jewels and you can begin to live your life in concert with the Tao by observing nature. Observing nature allows you to consciously discern how the principles of Tao flow through form in balance. You're a part of nature too, but your conscious mind allows you to stray from the natural path. By observing nature, listening to authentic self, and enabling the natural flow of the energies alive in your body, many of the conflicts and blockages in your life can be avoided altogether. Taoism provides a framework that helps you realize this flow.

Originally Posted by Stargirl

And I am completely lost. To answer the first prompt, I would say that it seems contradictory that Lao Tzu wrote the Tao Te Ching, but words are just stepping stones to the Tao. But what is the Tao exactly?

No one can't tell you. You have to find out yourself. You are absolutely correct in saying his words are merely stepping stones. He can point you in the direction, but you have to walk there yourself. Lots of ink has been spilled over the ages discussing that direction and the milestones along the way.

Originally Posted by Stargirl

And for the second one, my teacher said something about keeping the people in ignorance and that completely threw me off.

When you have a society that places great importance on intellectual prowess and knowledge (let's say North America, for example?), you get a society filled with "experts". They ultimately become quite detached from their own humanity and the source that created them, and instead attach their sense of self to material and the very knowledge they've accumulated. A person who follows Tao doesn't fill themselves to the brim, whereas "experts" feel a need overflow.

Keeping the people in ignorance doesn't literally mean intentionally depriving them of knowledge. It means creating a society that places spirituality, virtue and propriety higher than mere knowlege of "things". Our reality is not the ten thousands things; the formation of the ten thousand things, which includes our bodies, is just a temporary manifestation of yin and yang. The only constant is change itself, as represented by the 64 hexagrams in the I Ching.

When governing, what you're trying to achieve is balance and naturally occuring prosperity and abundance. At the same time, you must realize that abundance must be counterbalanced by some level of dispair. By understanding the nature of change itself, you can help your society plan and work through the necessary depressions.

Different parts of society push and pull each other toward their extremes and must be kept in check by the ruler. Sometimes drastic measures are needed to regain balance, just as nature experiences a hurricane or earthquake. The best outcomes are those when the people's prosperity is a result of their own hard work than simply being led by a clever ruler. The ruler's job is to govern in such a way so that the people self-enable themselves.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. I'm happy to answer any other questions you may have.

[Stargirl]

Wow. That was extremely helpful. Thank you so much . You are very intelligent!

I have a few more questions. Is the Tao like the "God" or "Source" like in The Power of Now? And if so, the concept of reversal is returning to the Source?

And I'm starting to understand nonaction, but could you give me an example of someone going against the Tao.

It seems like nonaction is living in the present and taking every situation for what it is, and with an intent in mind, moving toward one's goals and letting life take you naturally toward your goal without pushing. Am I understanding it correctly?

Thank you so much again. Now I want to learn more about Taoism . Do you know any good sources for doing that? Or is it better to read the texts like the Tao Te Ching first before reading other people's interpretations?

[dcaldwell]

Originally Posted by Stargirl

Is the Tao like the "God" or "Source" like in The Power of Now? And if so, the concept of reversal is returning to the Source?

God, as a personified individual, is incorrect. The Tao isn't actually "something". Tao is like the creative principle of the universe. It's said Tao created the Heavens, which then created Earth. Humans as form identify with earthly yin, but our spirit identifies with heavenly yang. Returning to the Source is reconnecting with the oneness of the Tao. Sorry if this sounds very esoteric, it's difficult to explain.

Originally Posted by Stargirl

And I'm starting to understand nonaction, but could you give me an example of someone going against the Tao.

Most comedies and dramas on television during the week display perfect examples. The vast majority of conflict in people's lives are a direct result of straying from the path.

Originally Posted by Stargirl

It seems like nonaction is living in the present and taking every situation for what it is, and with an intent in mind, moving toward one's goals and letting life take you naturally toward your goal without pushing. Am I understanding it correctly?

Sort of. Nonaction, or Wu Wei, is a critical principle. Change is a constant interplay of yin and yang. When something becomes too yin, it must be balanced by yang and vice versa. That rebalance is a form of action. When you apply action, it must be decisive and leave nothing undone. Most of the time, you should leave things to sort themselves out.

Living in the present is a given, because past and future don't really exist. Your mind should always be still when flowing with Tao. If you intend it, it will elude you. Theoretically, you should only have one goal, and that should be to be virtuous and return to the Source on a regular basis. Everything else is ancillary to that intent.

There's a beautiful story in the Chuang Tzu about a prince observing his butcher/cook carve an oxen. Ch-3: "A good cook changes his knife once a year because he cuts, while a mediocre cook has to change his every month because he hacks. I've had this knife for nineteen years and have cut up thousands of oxen with it, and yet the edge is as if it were fresh from the grindstone. There are spaces between the joints. The blade of the knife has no thickness. That which has no thickness has plenty of room to pass through these spaces. Therefore after nineteen years, my blade is as sharp as ever. However, when I come to a difficulty, I size up the joint, look carefully, keep my eyes on what I'm doing and work slowly. Then with a very slight movement of the knife, I cut the whole ox wide open. It falls apart like a clod of earth crumbling to the ground. I stand there with the knife in my hand, look about me with a feeling of accomplishment and delight. Then I wipe my knife clean and put it away."

Originally Posted by Stargirl

Thank you so much again. Now I want to learn more about Taoism . Do you know any good sources for doing that? Or is it better to read the texts like the Tao Te Ching first before reading other people's interpretations?

Don't dwell too much on the Tao Te Ching. I personally think people place way too much importance on it at the expense of all the other great literature. At the same time, I avoid the Tao of Pooh and Te of Piglet books and go for something less pop culturish. Read the Chuang Tzu and study the nature of change using the I Ching. Learn how the three energies and five elements work inside your body.

Thomas Cleary has some good accessible translations. The Taoist canon is massive, and only a small portion of it is translated to English. A lot of the more obscure translations I've found via academic websites from philosophy and religious professors. I've got a whole library of obscure PDFs. Eva Wong's books are great if you want to read more about the ancient processes of moving energy.

Daoist Studies
Taoism - Wikipedia
Taoist Texts
Taoist Culture & Information Centre
A Personal Tao
The Great Tao