Yes. It may feel one way or the other but that feelings are not the complete nature.
I mean to say that the framework of morality, of binary, of judgement, imposes a projection. It is what it is, not bad, not good.
A very Taoist way of looking at it. Amazing. I’ve only recently (and I mean within the last week) learned to see things this way. You must have been reading the Tao Te Ching. :)
It reminds me of this Taoist story I read:
A man whose wife gave birth to a son was congratulated by the whole village, everyone saying how lucky he was. He replied: “It might be good, it might be bad, who’s to say?” The villagers thought he was mad not to see how happy the event was. Some years later, the man’s son lost his leg in an accident at work. The people of the village came round to offer their condolences to the man, saying how tragic it was. Again the man said: “It might be good, it might be bad, who’s to say?” The villagers could not believe he wasn’t sure it was a tragedy, and called him a madman. A few years later, there was a war, and all the young men in the village were drafted into the army, except for the man’s son because he had no leg. The villagers said nothing, and the man was revered as a sage from then on.
Ah yes, one of my favorite stories, a touchstone for me for years.
Haven’t got around to the Tao Te Ching but Pemo Chodron and zen are always about, directly and thru friends.
It is good bad.
Let me try that again.
It is
goodbad.Do you mean to say that it’s neither?
Yes. It may feel one way or the other but that feelings are not the complete nature.
I mean to say that the framework of morality, of binary, of judgement, imposes a projection. It is what it is, not bad, not good.
A very Taoist way of looking at it. Amazing. I’ve only recently (and I mean within the last week) learned to see things this way. You must have been reading the Tao Te Ching. :)
It reminds me of this Taoist story I read:
A man whose wife gave birth to a son was congratulated by the whole village, everyone saying how lucky he was. He replied: “It might be good, it might be bad, who’s to say?” The villagers thought he was mad not to see how happy the event was. Some years later, the man’s son lost his leg in an accident at work. The people of the village came round to offer their condolences to the man, saying how tragic it was. Again the man said: “It might be good, it might be bad, who’s to say?” The villagers could not believe he wasn’t sure it was a tragedy, and called him a madman. A few years later, there was a war, and all the young men in the village were drafted into the army, except for the man’s son because he had no leg. The villagers said nothing, and the man was revered as a sage from then on.
Ah yes, one of my favorite stories, a touchstone for me for years.
Haven’t got around to the Tao Te Ching but Pemo Chodron and zen are always about, directly and thru friends.