Return Is The Motion Of The Dao
Just spent a fun evening with my friend Maura Dykstra, who's a PhD student in Chinese History at UCLA. Over ramen and tea, she educated me on a bit of text from Chapter 40 of the Dao De Jing. It reads as follows:
fan zhe dao zhi dong
ruo zhe dao zhi yong
tian xia wan su sheng yu you
you sheng yu wu
As much as it is possible to pin down a translation to such a cryptic text, these lines mean the following:
Return is the motion of the Dao
Yielding is the way of the Dao
All things are born of being
Being is born of non-being
Understood? Didn't think so.
I'm attracted to the Dao De Jing because of the core belief in the continual flow and movement of the universe--it fits in well with the themes that I'm exploring in my album (the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth). Ancient Chinese, however, is a very cryptic language, though, and every word can have a multitude of meanings attached to it. (Of particular delight is that the character for 'music' is the exact same as the character for 'happiness!') That's why interpretations of the text are many and varied.
Lao Tzu wrote the Dao at a time when the prevailing philosophical belief system was designed to maintain the status quo of an entrenched ruling class; the Dao, written with purposefully 'ugly' choices of words, was a rejection of that and a call for simplification of philosophical thought. (I mentioned that it reminded me of the Protestant Reformation, and the rejection of Catholic doctrine.)
The end goal of all Chinese philosophy is the attainment of peace. Everyone's striving for nothing more than a simple, balanced life.
Sounds good to me.
Labels: Album, Literature
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"Return is the motion of the Dao." Embracing the essence of Daoist philosophy, this profound concept signifies the cyclical nature of existence. In the Daoist tradition, the return to simplicity and natural harmony is a path to enlightenment. This timeless principle reflects the flow of life, urging alignment with the inherent rhythms of the universe This blog is a goldmine of information. Your blog packs a punch in just a few sentences. Your words are like gems. Thank you for sharing this! A quick, delightful read that left me inspired.divorce in virginia with child
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"Return is the subtle dance of the Dao, a graceful motion that echoes through the ebb and flow of existence. In its rhythmic cadence, we find the essence of balance, the gentle currents that guide us back to our authentic selves.How Many Points For Careless Driving In New Jersey Embracing the return is to surrender to the wisdom of the Dao, allowing its fluidity to shape our journey. It is in this sacred dance that we discover the harmony of life, a continuous loop of growth, introspection, and renewal. May we move with the currents of the Dao, for in its return, we find the profound beauty of our own unfolding destinies."
January 19, 2024 at 12:46 AM
An intriguing dive into the Dao De Jing and its enigmatic verses, exploring the essence of return, yielding, and the perpetual motion of the universe. The parallels drawn with the Protestant Reformation add an extra layer of depth to the quest for simplicity and balance in Chinese philosophy.
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"Return-is-motion-of-DAO beautifully encapsulates the essence of the Daoist philosophy, emphasizing the cyclical nature of existence and the inherent flow of life. It suggests that true progress isn't about constantly striving forward but rather about harmonizing with the natural rhythms of the universe, returning to our roots, and finding balance. In a world often fixated on relentless pursuit, this concept serves as a profound reminder to embrace the ebb and flow, finding solace and wisdom in the journey of return."
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April 22, 2024 at 1:45 AM
Return is the motion of the Dao, but to return you must first depart; and to achieve simplicity you must first achieve complexity. The essence of the Dao is in that back and forth, from ignorance to knowledge, and then from knowledge to enlightenment, which is kindred to ignorance in its simplicity but conceals the profundity of knowledge within, just as quality appears simple and irreducible but conceals the accretion of unimaginable quantity.
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