{"id":2950,"date":"2022-09-30T19:32:46","date_gmt":"2022-10-01T02:32:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/socaltaichi.com\/?p=2950"},"modified":"2025-01-28T17:31:43","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T01:31:43","slug":"daoist-daily-dairy-september-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/socaltaichi.com\/?p=2950","title":{"rendered":"Daoist Daily Dairy, September, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE DAOIST DAILY DIARY<\/strong><\/p>\n

09\/30\/2022<\/strong><\/p>\n

On the last day of September, we have our last look at the concept of Freedom from Daoist sages. Although not very ancient, Liu I-ming, an 18th century adept, imparts his concept of bare freedom in the following quote:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf one walks with every step on the ground of reality in the furnace of Creation, experiencing everything that comes along, being in the doorway of life and death without wavering, like gold that becomes brighter the more it is fired, like a mirror that becomes clearer the more it is polished, fired and polished to a state of round brightness, clean nakedness, bare freedom, where there is neither being nor nonbeing, where others and self all become empty, then one will be mentally and physically sublimated, and will merge with the Tao in reality.\u201d
\n– Liu I-ming, Awakening to the Dao, translated by Thomas Cleary<\/p>\n

As usual, Liu’s idea of bare freedom is an esoteric one – a state of neither being nor nonbeing where others and self all become empty. He uses the Daoist alchemy analogy of firing and polishing to reach that particular state of rouhd brightness. If this works for you, fine. Keep it. If not, then listen to this short video.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/UistWzuUcQE<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

09\/29\/2022<\/strong><\/p>\n

We continue our look this week at the concept of Freedom and Free Will from the perspective of Daoist sages. Next up is Mingzi, better known in the West as Mencius.<\/p>\n

Mencius said: \u201cTo fathom the mind is to understand your nature. And when you understand your nature, you understand Heaven. Foster your mind, nurture your nature \u2013 then you are serving Heaven.
\n\u201cDon\u2019t worry about dying young or living long. What will come will come. Cultivate yourself well \u2013 and patient in that perfection, let it come. Then you will stand firm in your fate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mencius said: \u201cWhat you seek you will find, and what you ignore you will lose. Where this saying is right, and to seek means to find, we\u2019re seeking something within ourselves.
\n\u201cTo seek is a question of the Way, and to find is a question of destiny. Where this is right, and to seek doesn\u2019t necessarily mean to find, we\u2019re seeking something outside ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both of these sayings come very close to the concept of a personal freedom. Now compare them to the idea on this video…<\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/KcAO_LpcvwE<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

09\/28\/2022<\/strong><\/p>\n

We continue our look this week at the concept of Freedom and Free Will from the perspective of Daoist sages. Not exactly a Daoist and perhaps, one might say, an anti-Daoist, Confucius is next up with a couple quotes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen words lose their meaning, people lose their freedom.\u201d- Confucius<\/p>\n

“”The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.” – Confucius<\/p>\n

“Tis that I am sick of men’s immovableness and deafness to reason.” – Confucius<\/p>\n

“When the ‘superior man’ regards righteousness as the thing material, gives operation to it according to the Rules of Propriety, lets it issue in humility, and become complete in sincerity there indeed is your superior man!” – Confucius<\/p>\n

In all of these quotes by Confucius, we can see that he bases the concept of Freedom upon the ability to think and reason and one other very important factor – a strong will to attain the desired result. But do you think he has hit the mark as far as Freedom and Free Will are concerned? Or has Confucius missed it entirely? Take a look at this video and then decide for yourself…<\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/zyXD-_culX8<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

09\/27\/2022<\/strong><\/p>\n

This week we are looking at the concept of Freedom and Free Will from the perspective of Daoist sages. Chuang-Tzu is next up with a familiar story that illustrates his idea of Freedom.<\/p>\n

“Chuang Tzu was one day fishing, when the Prince of Ch’u sent two high officials to interview him, saying that his Highness would be glad of Chuang Tzu’s assistance in the administration of his government. The latter quietly fished on, and without looking round, replied, “I have heard that in the State of Ch’u there is a sacred tortoise, which has been dead three thousand years, and which the prince keeps packed up in a box on the altar in his ancestral shrine. Now do you think that tortoise would rather be dead and have its remains thus honoured, or be alive and wagging its tail in the mud?” The two officials answered that no doubt it would rather be alive and wagging its tail in the mud; whereupon Chuang Tzu cried out “Begone! I too elect to remain wagging my tail in the mud.”<\/p>\n

It is obvious that Chuang-Tzu feels that protocol and following the dictates of society and the government greatly restricts personal freedom. He equates the idea of Freedom as being able to do what you want when you want.<\/p>\n

Now compare Chuang-Tzu’s concept of Freedom with the following video…<\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/AeKs46JvW0M<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

09\/26\/2022<\/strong><\/p>\n

This week we are taking a look at Freedom through the words and stories of Daoist sages and others. First up is Lao-Tzu with his idea of Freedom from Chapter 57 in the Tao Te Ching.<\/p>\n

“Rule a nation with justice.
\nWage war with surprise moves.
\nBecome master of the universe without striving.
\nHow do I know that this is so?
\nBecause of this!<\/p>\n

The more laws and restrictions there are,
\nThe poorer people become.
\nThe sharper men’s weapons,
\nThe more trouble in the land.
\nThe more ingenious and clever men are,
\nThe more strange things happen.
\nThe more rules and regulations,
\nThe more thieves and robbers.<\/p>\n

Therefore the sage says:
\nI take no action and people are reformed.
\nI enjoy peace and people become honest.
\nI do nothing and people become rich.
\nI have no desires and people return to the good and simple life.”
\n– Chapter 57, Tao Te Ching, translation by Gia-fu Feng and Jane English<\/p>\n

Now compare Lao-Tzu’s concept of wu wei and the good and simple life with the following video…<\/p>\n