The Sword of the Commoner

I was reading the Guardian Online earlier today when I came across an article entitled "Pupils import torture tools to highlight UK arms loopholes", the link to this article is here Guardian Story.

This story tells the tale of how easy it is to subvert/exploit loopholes in our laws against the export/import of implements that may be used to torture other human beings.

This article reminded me of the story in Chuang Tzu entitled "The Lover of Swords" about a king who loves swords and swordsmen and concentrates on them so much, pitting them against each other, that he doesn't pay attention to what is happening in his state. When Chuang Tzu goes to see the King, he talks about 3 swords: the first is the Sword of the son of heaven, which Chuang Tzu describes as part of the landscape; the second is the Sword of the noble prince, is made up of the people of the land; the third is the sword of the commoner, the one that cuts through actual bodies.

As Chuang Tzu puts it "The people who use the sword of the commoner are no better than fighting cocks who at any time can have their lives curtailed."

Most of the time, when a state chooses to use implements of torture it is because those who run the country are afraid of their people and they have to use the "sword of the commoner" to keep them in check. But this method only works for a while - it is not effective forever.

However, in our modern day society, as in the past, we are all interdependent - these tools of torture do not manufacture themselves, they have to be created, sold and exported. So although the torture is not carried out by the manufacturers themselves they are just as guilty of using the "sword of the commoner" as those that they sell their products to. But like Pilate, because they have not 'intended' their products to be used for this purpose, their hands are clean.

No society is perfect, and in our current western society, where we are worried about terrorism and the state starts to chisel away at our rights and liberties - how far do we go before these tools of torture are being used here? In order to avoid being in the situation where 'he who lives by the sword, dies by the sword', we need to make ourselves aware of what the products of some of our companies can be used for. And once we are aware of it we need to do something about it.

The kids mentioned in the Guardian article have done us all a favour; they have showed us how easy it is to get hold of this type of equipment, these 'swords of the commoner'. We need to remember that we too can have our lives curtailed at any point - and by lives I don't just mean the difference between life and death, but also the difference between liberty and tyranny. The gap between these things is a lot smaller than you think.

Tag Taoism Torture Sword

Just for laughs

I finally got around to doing the "How Jedi are you?" quiz. And my result? See below;-))))


how jedi are you? :: by lawrie malen

This reminded me of the results of the 2001 census here in the UK where, I believe, 10000 people put their religious affiliation as Jedi in the hope of getting it recognised as a official religion!:-))))

However, there is a serious point to be made here (whilst trying to control my snickering), why is it that people like to 'create' new religions? They reject the old structures for a number of different reasons - perhaps they have serious reservations about the fundamental teachings of their original beliefs, or the interpretation of the original dogma, or the way that their particular clergy behave, or they see an opportunity to make money out of insecure and credulous people. Or perhaps it's a combination of all these things - I don't know.

The one similarity that this has is that people turn from one set of rules and one structure to another, different, set of rules or structures - no matter what they believe they are clinging to structure/rules.

This is the main reason that I find Taoism so satisfying - there are no rules, there is no official structure that I have to conform to. Before I came to Taoism, I looked at a number of different paths including modern paganism, but everywhere I looked, I found rules that inhibited, ideas that clung to the visible structure of the world.

So here I am - Taoist and happy/relaxed. More at peace with myself than I have ever been. And definitely up for some growing old disgracefully fun!

Tag Taoism Jedi

Moving mountains

I was reading a story from Lieh-Tzu again earlier on this evening. The story was entitled 'The man who tried to move the mountains'. This story deals with a man, referred to as 'Old Fool' who decided that he didn't like having to walk around the mountains near his home and that, therefore, he would set out to move them. He recruited a small number of helpers and they started digging. A sage came to remonstrate with him, reminding him that he was barely strong enough to pull weeds from his garden and that, moreover, he was well on in years and would never complete the task. Old Fool told the sage that if he didn't finish the job his son and grandson would continue the task and so on down the generations until the task was completed. The spirits of the mountain became concerned and called in the lords of heaven who, although amused, when they saw Old Fool's determination and patience, decided to help him and moved the mountains away.

This story is all about patience and determination - the willingness to look to the long-term, to work hard, being patient, keeping on track. Too much in our modern western society is about instant gratification; wanting to be famous now, wanting our school qualifications now - looking for the easy road, the direct route that must be there to take us immediately to what we want.

In schools, colleges and even universities these days, students will, and do, say "never mind all that, what do I need to do to pass?" Not for them the true interest in the subject, the reading around the topic in hand to gain a wider understanding; "give me the answers now" they cry, so I can achieve my qualification and move on to a well-paid job, fame, fortune etc. etc.

The idea that patience and determination are good things to have seem to have been forgotten. As a society we seem to have become bound up with visions of our goals that we forget that the most important part of reaching the goals we set for ourselves is the journey we take on the way to achieving them.

Of course, the other thing we should remember as Taoists, is that as the journey progresses we may find that the original goals we started towards have changed. And this is what we miss when we look for the shortcuts, the quick routes to the end. We miss change, growth, development, chances to become one with Tao; this is why we so often find that when we have taken the short cut to our goals, after a very short period these goals no longer satisfy us and the process starts all over again.

Patience and determination - excellent virtues to have!

Tag Taoism

Books worth a mention

Just thought I'd add another few books that I consider worth a mention. These books have all been useful (and still are useful) in my study of the Tao. They have all at one time or another given me much food for thought.

Lieh-Tzu: A Taoist Guide to Practical Living by Eva Wong
Wen-Tzu: Understanding the Mysteries translated by Thomas Cleary
Sun Tzu: The Art of War by the Denma Translation Group
The Book of Chuang Tzu translated by Martin Palmer with Elizabeth Breuilly
365 Tao: Daily Meditations by Deng Ming-Dao.

I was thinking about one of these texts in particular yesterday, (365 Tao) in meditation when it was discussing how, in order to follow Tao, we need to bring ourselves into harmony with Tao - only then can we be open to what Tao truly has to show us.

Although I've mentioned quite a number of books today and some previously and, I'm sure, will mention some in the future, I don't mean to emphasise the book side of things. One of the problems in the West is that the study of the Tao has often been left too heavily in the hands of scholars or, as Benjamin Hoff describes them in The Tao of Pooh the Confusionist, Dessicated Scholars and this has meant that the practical side of Taoist living has been forgotten.

People could do far worse than to read Benjamin Hoff's book - it was the first book I read about Taoism. And I read it because I love Winnie the Pooh - not because I was interested in the Tao. Once I read the book, however, I found that it rang many bells for me, harmonising with a number of ideas and thoughts that had been circulating in the back of my mind. It was from here that I started my investigation into the classic taoist texts - but I still read Hoff's book on a regular basis just to remind myself that life is supposed to be fun and to avoid turning into a Confusionist, Dessicated Scholar.:-)))

Tag Taoism

Accumulating riches

"They don't accumulate riches, so no one steals from them." TTC, Timothy Freke

I was reminded of this verse from TTC whilst listening to a piece of classical music today. The piece was entitled "My mind to me a kingdom is", written by William Byrd (c.1540-1623), who was the court composer to Queen Elizabeth I. The verse that sent me back to my copies of the TTC was this:

"I see that plenty surfeits oft,
And hasty climbers soonest fall;
I see that such as are aloft
Mishap doth threaten most of all;
These get with toil, and keep with fear,
Such cares my mind can never bear."

This song, published around 1588, also links in with another verse from TTC:

Amass too much wealth and you will never protect it. Too much success breeds arrogance, and arrogance brings downfall."

Although Byrd would never have heard of the philosophical ideas expressed within the TTC, it is possible to see that he has arrived at these ideas through his experience of life in the Royal Court which would have been full of intrigue/politics.

So it is not just from the East that these ideas have emerged, although they are expressed, perhaps, more coherently in this tradition.

Too many people view the accumulation of riches/wealth/material objects to be the be-all and end-all of their existence; whilst most people have to earn a living and seek to secure a comfortable existence, many go beyond this and work so hard for the money to purchase these 'labour-saving' devices that they rarely have time to enjoy them properly.

I will leave the final words to William Byrd - his first verse of the above mentioned song runs:

My mind to me a kingdom is;
Such perfect joy therein I find
That it excels all other bliss
Which God or Nature hath assign'd;
Though much I want that most men have,
Yet still my mind forbids to crave."

Tag Taoism William Byrd

A Right to Death?

A few days ago, I published my last post entitled "The right to life". Now I would like to examine the opposing side of the coin - death. Or perhaps I should put it in capitals to reinforce its' bogeyman status here in the Western world - DEATH.

One modern way to deal with death is to deal with it through the use of comedy. One of the modern writers who deals with Death to great comic effect is Terry Pratchett - here the portrayal is of a seven foot tall skeleton with the traditional black robe and scythe so beloved of illustrators in the Western hemisphere for many years. As Death himself states "there is no justice, there is just us" - death happens, it is neither fair nor unfair.

This portrayal of Death has been very popular - perhaps because Death scares us, we find we can deal with it when we laugh at it. Other portrayals of Death and difficult circumstances appeared in the long-running TV series "MASH" where doctors and nurses had to make difficult choices in very difficult circumstances and yet the humour was used to make those difficult decisions a little easier on occasions.

The main reason that I wanted to deal with the subject of Death is down to the case of Baby MB over here in the UK. This child has the most severe from of spinal muscular atrophy (if you want a detailed medical description, you can Google it) which affects his ability to move, eat, breathe, swallow, although it does not affect cognitive function. In the most severe form, according to the information I've read, the diagnosed individual rarely lives beyond 18 months of age - the age that baby MB is now. In this case the doctors wanted to withdraw life support which meant he would die immediately as he can't breathe on his own. The judge ruled that life support should not be withdrawn as he had to proceed on the basis that the child 'had the cognition of a normal 18-month-old and that he continued to have a relationship with his family'. However the judge also ruled that the child shouldn't be subjected to procedures 'requiring positive infliction of pain' (e.g. intravenous antibiotics or blood sampling). For Baby MB to require these treatments would mean that his condition was deteriorating and that he was 'moving naturally towards death'. At this point it would be regarded as in his best interests to withhold these procedures even though he'd almost certainly die.

This is a very difficult case - the child himself is in constant discomfort, has some periods of distress and reasonably short periods of pain and the doctors felt that it was unfair to prolong his existence any further. His parents, naturally, feel that he is benefitting from his relationship with them, although they know that his condition is terminal, and believe that he should be able to enjoy that relationship for as long as is possible.

As a parent myself, this is a very difficult case for me, as I am sure it is for many others whether they have children or not. Putting myself in the shoes of these parents, I know that they know their child is terminally ill, he will not live very much longer and they want to have as many precious moments as they can. From the doctors' perspective, I can see that it is distressing to maintain a life that involves constant discomfort, frequent distress and periods of pain, particularly when they are doing so in the full knowledge that they are only delaying the inevitable.

Most of us hope never to be faced with this type of decision, but as we in the Western world face an increasing aging population, more and more of us may have to make similar decisions for our parents; as medical technology advances, more of us may have to face these decisions for our children; or perhaps we will have to face these decisions for ourselves. Just as every person has a right to life, perhaps we also have a right to death - to be able to choose when we can say 'no' to measures that will only put off the inevitable (and let me just be clear that I am not talking about assisted suicide/euthanasia here). We should all be able to say as Chuang Tzu said "When the Master came, it was because he was due to be born. When he died, it was entirely natural."

If it is our 'time' and there is nothing more that can be done other than to put off the inevitable we should be able to accept that it is 'our' time, that we have come to the other end of the natural order, that there is nothing to be afraid of. Unfortunately, here in the West, we have become so distanced from death - more often than not people die in hospital rather than at home, in an antiseptic, clinical environment. As modern society has developed, and healthcare and diet have improved, so we have seen life expectancy rise; people no longer die from easily preventable or even very serious diseases as a matter of course; the death of women during labour is relatively rare. All this means that we encounter death less frequently than those in previous generations, we have become disassociated with the natural order of things.

Perhaps it is fear of what might happen next - Christianity of course talks about Heaven and Hell, rewards and punishments and judgements - that makes us want to hide from Death. As Taoists, we should strive to remember these words from Chuang Tzu:

"We can point to the wood that has been burned, but when the fire has passed on, we cannot know where it has gone."

We don't know what happens next, as Taoists we accept that we return to the whole, to nature, to the divine Universe (depending on how you want to phrase it) - there is nothing to be afraid of here. It is worse for those we leave behind, because they miss us, they grieve. Death is part of the natural order of things, 'our lives cannot be controlled by our own efforts, and coming and going are not our own doing." (Lieh Tzu, Ch.1)

Tag Taoism Death

The right to life

I have been re-reading an essay in The Philosophers Magazine (Issue 31, 2005) by Paola Cavalieri which discusses whether we should extend the most basic of human rights to whales - that of a right to life.

There is some discussion in the early part of the article about the history of the whaling industry and how we, as humans, moved from purely plundering a natural resource, to realising that stocks had to be preserved, to the point where we now are under international law, that a large proportion of nations regard whaling as wrong. The article puts forward that the next logical step is to move from the point of preservation alone to the right to life being possessed by the whales themselves.

But this article doesn't only look at the development of international law to support its' argument. There is also some interesting discussion on evidence from cognitive scientists and their increased understanding of brain structure both in land and marine based creatures. Alongside this is an important strand of western moral philosophy (e.g. Locke) that argues that the concept of a person is the concept of "..a being endowed with certain psychological characteristics - first and foremost, self-consciousness." Therefore being a member of homo sapiens is not an essential requirement for being a person. Cognitive scientists argue that the brain creates self through relationships and that there is a need for complex societies and relationships. There is now a significant amount of evidence that seems to show the sharing and development of culture amongst whales, particularly evidenced through cetacean vocal development and social identity.

So why am I including this discussion on a Taoist blog, I hear you cry? Because this discussion on the right to life has moved us (homo sapiens) on from just talking about preserving other species because we may need them in the future - the mercenary, selfish point of view - towards a Taoist perspective that every part of nature is interdependent and no one part is more important than any other, something that us hairless apes have a tendency to forget more often than not. Not only is all of nature interdependent, but it also equally valuable and deserving of respect.

There are so many science fiction films, series, books etc. that discuss the possible or even definite existence of alien species (both benign and malignant) that perhaps we have now arrived at the point where we can start to think about the right to life for those who don't look like us in any way (although it is remarkable how many 'alien' species seem to have 2 arms and legs! - a deep lack of originality amongst scriptwriters, obviously). From this point it is a relatively small step to the discussion about whether it's right to eat meat or not (but maybe we'll deal with that another day). Recent research has demonstrated other 'human' qualities in chimpanzees, specifically that of altruism; again humanity is no longer 'unique'.

It is also a point to consider that if we have almost reached this point in respect to whales, and we are realising that it is not only humans that can show a desire to help, perhaps we can also, as a species move forwards in our relationships among ourselves. Across the world, there are whole rafts of examples of the 'them' and 'us' divisions - where one group regards the other as slightly sub-human (for whatever reason). Divisions exist for a large number of reasons, some historical, some geographical and some religious - what we now need to do is to learn to move beyond these to seek harmony and balance. Perhaps now we are seeing what Lao Tzu says in the Wen-Tzu that "Changes arise from the times". Perhaps the time for change is now.

I will leave you with a final quote from Lieh-Tzu:

"All things have their place in the universe, whether it is active or passive, moving or not moving. They fulfill their function in the world simply by being what they are."

Tag Taoism

Recovering purpose

I was reading a very interesting article in The Observer sunday newspaper yesterday (the address may be found here - http://observer.guardian.co.uk/columists/story/o,,1729171,00.html

The title of the article, by Will Hutton, was 'You're 35 and experienced. Let's face it you're useless.'

In this article, Hutton discusses a book by Richard Sennett called "The Culture of the New Capitalism" which posits the idea that modern work patterns make self-respect taken from our working lives, an awful lot harder to achieve. Sennett states that most of us ordinary, average Joes/Joesses work in the expectation that our experience and job knowledge make us worthwhile and worthy of respect in our chosen fields (however mundane those might happen to be); however, the new cultural phenomena that he discusses suggests that we are only viewed as valuable for what we might be able to do in the future. We are only valuable if we are able to embrace the future and be the kind of person who ".. will repudiate the past, trash their own experience and embrace the short-term opportunity."

This idea about flexibility, being constantly ready to retrain etc. links into the ideas that exist in our Western society about globalisation - that this a good thing and makes the world a better place, developing economies and creating new jobs for those people phased out of 'old' industries. What Sennett claims is that for most people, this development in our society gives them an 'intensifying sense of their own uselessness'.

Sennett makes some valid points but we need to be careful about harking back to some past 'golden age' of the world of work. No or very slow change is just as difficult to deal with as change that appears to happen faster than the speed of light. Hutton agrees that Sennett makes some valid points and states, at the end of the article, that 'how to recover purpose should be on our political agenda and part of our national conversation.' Obviously, a conversation, in public and at all levels, needs to be had. The problem is that one solution - that we cease to define our lives by the jobs we do is not in the interests of the employers who pay us. They need us to commit to them, their organisations, our jobs so that we'll work hard and be productive for as long as they need us (not for as long as we need them - please note). So I am afraid that this conversation is unlikely to be heard by the vast majority of our working society - it is not in capitalisms best interests for us to have the conversation.

As a taoist, it is necessary to step outside this situation and look at it in a slightly more detached way. Unless we are very lucky, all of us need to perform some type of work for a large proportion of our lives. However, what we should not do is allow this facet of who we are to dominate the centre, our actual selves. Once we detach ourselves from our 'job', perhaps the constant rush to change/retrain/cast out the old will be easier to deal with. The way that we work and gain meaning from our careers is a constant process of evolution. As Andrew Cohen says 'Evolution is not a mindless process. It demands and needs our participation'.

So the choice is simple, we can stand on the bank of the fast-flowing river, looking at the terrifying speed of the water and allow our fear to either prevent us from moving or make us plunge in in an unplanned way; or we can look for way to navigate the river, to become one with it, to understand it so that we can emerge from the other side, like the old man that Confucious observed, unharmed.

Tag Taoism

The quest for fame

Been re-reading Chuang Tzu and was struck by the following quote:

"So we look at things and see things, but it is only an outward form and colour, and what can be heard is just the name and sound. How sad that this generation imagines that the form, colour, name and sound are enough to capture the essence of something!" (Ch.13 'Heaven's Tao', The Book of Chuang Tzu, trans. by Martin Palmer with Elizabeth Breuilly)

This reminded me of some of the thoughts I'd had about all these 'reality' TV shows where all the contestants are taking part because they want to be famous and earn lots of money. They also want their lives to 'mean something' and believe that fame and fortune (even if shortlived) will make them important. They imagine that form, colour, name and sound are enough to capture the essence of something - in this case fame, happiness, self-worth, importance.

All the participants in this type of TV show have completely failed to understand that those who are content with themselves, who are truly happy like the sages are "not greedy for food or power and so they are full of well-being" (Tao Te Ching, Timothy Freke). They require things from outside them to complete them, to make them happy, fulfilled, important, famous, admired. They believe that money can make you happy or, even if they realise that money doesn't make you happy, they pursue it anyway - subscribing to the belief that "money might not make you happy, but it does at least allow you to be miserable in comfort".

Even when following Tao, it is difficult not to succumb to this lure of money and fame and fortune; we can all be seduced away from the path when we allow our focus to slip. Constant attention and focus is the price we followers of the Tao must pay for living in our western materialistic society.

"Fulfillment comes from selflessness". (Tao Te Ching, Timothy Freke)

Blog links

I've just added some links to other taoist related blogs that are held here in blogspot.

Growing old - disgracefully

Many of the things that we do, that we experience, that we see, are about change. Getting older is perhaps one of the major changes that we all experience - even though many of us would rather not admit that this is happening!

We look in the mirror and suddenly see our first wrinkle, our first grey hair and suddenly it hits home - we are getting old!! And so it begins, the endless seeking after the 'fountain of youth'. We dye our hair, use the latest facial moisturisers that promise to 'reduce the 7 signs of aging', get our wrinkles 'botoxed', our faces 'lifted', our tummys 'tucked'. We cling, ever more desperately, to our youth, as though this is the only part of our lives that was worth living. Changes are happening to us, changes that we don't want and that are, therefore, bad! We must buy that 'Wrinkle Decrease' because we're worth it!

In the comedy film, 'Death Becomes Her', both Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn play women who are desperate for success and youth and beauty. They both choose to take the expensive, 'magic', potion and instantly they have what they want. However, this youth and beauty is not without cost - they wanted preservation, to remain young and beautiful for ever - but this means that they can't die and in the process of exacting their revenge upon each other they pass from immortal life to immortal death - not quite what they had in mind!

Part of our modern 'problem' with death and aging, is that we view changes that we don't choose as being bad or unfair; all these unwanted changes are something that we can opt out of if we try hard enough, spend enough money, put ourselves through more and more invasive cosmetic procedures. It's as though death is the booby prize that we can avoid if we just fight hard enough.

Life is good, death is bad. From a Taoist perspective, this view of the life/death duality is just plain wrong. You can't have life without death and vice versa; these two need each other and neither one of them is good or bad, they just are. It is our interpretation of, our reaction to, these two events that makes them either good or bad - and so here we come to the nub of the thing, it is all, in fact, about choice, about how we choose to deal with the inevitability of this change that comes to all of us, sooner or later.

Now, don't get me wrong - I'm not about to step off into the darkness before I absolutely have to and neither am I averse to looking after my health as much as is possible and making the best of what looks I ever had. I have no intention, however, of clinging to my youth through whatever means possible and so I mean to encourage my 7 signs of aging:

1. Smile a lot - if you're going to have wrinkles (and you are) let them be there because you've enjoyed yourself.

2. Grey hair - love it - it means you've made it this far.

3. False teeth - if they start to annoy you, at least you can take them out!

4. Weight gain - you're not overweight, you merely have a 'well-rounded' personality.

5. Worry - don't worry about what other people think - live life now, you're not getting any younger, no matter how much moisturiser you use!

6. Enjoy your life now - if you want to splash in puddles, then do it - after all the puddles don't last forever.

7. Lastly, when you do something you want to, and somebody younger than you gives you a 'funny' look (and this includes your children), grin slowly - it'll make them wonder what else you've been up to!

Trying to be true to the Tao means living in the present, not in the past or the future. This is not always easy, we have to work at it. So grow old disgracefully - have fun, do things you enjoy (even if everybody tells you that you're too old). Don't cling to your youth - after a while it just starts to get ridiculous; don't start panicking about the exact moment of your death either, you won't know when it's going to happen and it just means that you'll never start living in the here and now.

And remember growing old doesn't mean fading away.

You'll know who I am if you ever see me - I'm the one in the frog wellies jumping in all the puddles!

Books I recommend

Over the last few years I have read a number of books that dealt with different aspects of Taoism and topics that could be said to be related to them.

Two that I come back to again and again are "The Wisdom of Lao Tse", translated and edited by Lin Yutang and "Tao: The Watercourse Way", by Alan Watts.

The first book, although the language is somewhat old-fashioned, is very useful in that it places excerpts from Chuang Tse next to each chapter of the Tao Te Ching. This shows where there are similarities in views between these two texts and how the ideas, briefly expressed in TTC, are expanded in Chuang Tse.

The second book, by Alan Watts, also brings out some of the underlying meanings of the TTC and is expressed with a beautiful fluidity of style that harmonises with the subject and resonates with the reader.

I obtained both these books second-hand via abebooks.co.uk and there is also a worldwide site abebooks.com which gives access to second-hand books worldwide.

Links list

I have just added a number of links to useful websites on the left hand side. These are all websites that I have used in my searches on the web and I will be posting many others as I go along.

If anyone has any other useful websites that they'd like to draw to my attention, please send me the address and I'll take a look at them.

Welcome one and all!

I would like to welcome all visitors with open arms. This is a very new blog site - so please come back at regular intervals to read my musings as I wander along the path.

I have been considering setting up a blog for some time, and now seemed like a good one.

I have been reading and meditating upon the Taoist path from the past 2 to 3 years and I believe that the time has now come to share these thoughts with others.

I welcome any comments - although please keep them clean and constructive!