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Posted by Nina on 8/1/2008, 6:48 pm, in reply to "an alternate interpretation"
71.106.39.X
Okay, I'll toss my hat into the ring on this one. Here's what I get out of it:
Commentary:
1 ~ What is Dao?
A common question people ask when they hear about Dao is "What is Dao?"
People tend to think that if they can explain and categorize everything in the world, they can get rid of doubts. Scientists have come up with names for every function including nuclear physics. Botanists have named every plant on this earth, and biologists have named every part of the body. By giving everything a name in an effort to simplify trying to deal with life, they've also eliminated the wonderful experience of dwelling in mysteries.
-Dao may be accepted as "Dao", but that would conflict with the constant motion of Dao.
-A name may be accepted as a "Name", but that would conflict with the constant motion of what's been given a name.
People even attempt to explain Dao by giving it a name, and Laozi provided a name for it. Since we live in a world where words are used to express feelings and thoughts, we have no choice but to use words when trying to communicate with each other. However, any name is static (non-moving). Even though we use the word "Dao" for something that's intangible, we must remember Dao isn't something that can be labeled or placed into a test tube and analyzed. It's constantly changing it's form and shape, just like people are constantly changing their attitudes and emotions; like any living thing changes from one day to the next.
-Everything started out without needing to be named or categorized.
-When they were seen as things that needed to be nurtured, they were then given names.
Before anything comes into existence (or becomes apparent to our conscious mind) there's no need to give it a name, create a descriptive word for it, or try to consciously understand what it is. The first time you saw an unusual animal or plant, it seemed incredibly mysterious. Your first reaction might have been to appreciate its beauty, then someone explained to you what its name was and what species it belonged to. Didn't some of the wonder and awe evaporate once you had a "name" for it? Sometimes it's delightful to simply appreciate things without trying to analyze or categorize them. However, in order for us to communicate our thoughts to each other and to discuss various methods of dealing with objects and experiences in life, we have to create words and give names to things.
-Therefore:
-When we're in the frame of mind of not wanting anything, we look at even the smallest things as being significant.
-When we're in the frame of mind of wanting things, we observe boundaries and limits.
If you don't have any desire to categorize Dao into a specific concept within your own mind, then you could see Dao in even the smallest, most insignificant thing. Your mind could play endlessly with the possibilities of what it could actually represent. If you have a strong desire to categorize Dao, then you'd always be looking for things that couldn't possibly contain Dao. This poses an either/or attitude. Either you'd want to see Dao in everything, or you'd want to discover its limitations.
-Both of those attitudes can fit together with each other, even though they're thought to be quite different.
Most people would think that striving for understanding and abandoning understanding are opposites, but Laozi seems to be suggesting there's no reason to constantly remain in one frame of mind or the other. It's possible to utilize and appreciate both sides of the coin.
-Trying to fit them together is said to be one of the most profound mysteries.
-That's the doorway to even more mysteries.
Yes, it can cause a lot of confusion in our minds when we try to see both sides of the coin and find how each side can be beneficial to our lives. It requires our minds to find a new way of "seeing" that we probably haven't tried before. This new way of "seeing" is like a doorway to the unknown. Each day can bring new mysteries - some of them can be solved, and others are meant to remain unsolved. Instead of becoming frustrated and anxious about trying to reach conclusions in a hurry, letting the natural changes happening all round you and within you occur on their own can seem very mysterious to a mind that's been trained to analyze everything.
Is there an answer to the question: "What is Dao?"
Maybe what Laozi is suggesting is that we can each come up with many answers to that question, but as long as we don't lose sight of the mystery surrounding Dao or make determinations that we've come up with definitive unchanging answers, we can move as freely as Dao does. We can exchange words about it, delight in our various interpretations, then smile comfortably with the reassurance of the mystery.
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"The Tao is basically utterly open. Utter openeness has no substance. It ends in endlessness, begins in beginninglessnes".
-Li Daoqun
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