Here at the frontier, the leaves fall like rain. Although my neighbors are all barbarians, and you, you are a thousand miles away, there are still two cups at my table.


Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter. If your mind isn't clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season of your life.

~ Wu-men ~


Sunday, October 04, 2009

A Pragmatic View of the Dao


The following excerpt appeared in an online magazine, Jade Dragon. In it, the author to show how Daoist thought applies where it really counts; not in lofty philosophical discussions, but in the gritty realities of daily life. 


The full article may be read here. Please pay a visit.

Playing with the Dao:
A "Pragmatic" Strategic View




The Dao gave birth to One. The One gave birth to Two. The Two gave birth to Three. The Three gave birth to all of creation. All things carry Yin yet embrace Yang. They blend their life breaths in order to produce harmony.
People despise being orphaned, widowed, and poor. But the noble ones take these as their titles. In losing, much is gained, and in gaining, much is lost.
What others teach I too will teach:   "The strong and violent will not die a natural death."   --- Chapter 42 of Laozi's Dao De Jing (also known as the Tao Te Ching)
We are currently living under a challenging macro scenario of rapid urgency, where uncertainties become a regular commonality. Some of these uncertainties are driven by many global-sized, technologically driven velocities of change that unnerve the masses to ask the question "What are we going to do now?"
Someone recently asked me the following set of questions: "Since our world has gotten more chaotic than what we dreamed or believed in, what can we do about it? Can a person stay ahead of the curve of shifts and changes by understanding the Dao? Is there anything in the Dao that allows us to understand our world of uncertainty?"



5 comments:

Rick said...

"The Great Tao is formless and shapeless, yet it creates and breeds Heaven and Earth."

Although Wuji gave bith to Yin and Yang or duality such as heaven and earth.

The Tao gave birth to one and one gave bith to two or duality. Also it is siad, Wuji is the mother of yin and yang. and Wuji is formless... is the Tao and Wuji the same mother that gave bith to it's self and duality?

Giving bith to it's self can we call Wuji the Tao?

I might suggest in principle or "Fa" Wuji gave birth and in unity the Tao and in this principle Wujifa...

Just a thought... LOL

Rick Matz said...

Yes! Wuji is the principle that is too often overlooked, but is the foundation of everything else.

Matt "Ikigai" said...

Great discussion. Daoism is something I fully intend to increase my understanding of.

Rick Matz said...

It's just a matter of looking around you.

Compass360 Consulting Group said...

As SLT said in his book, one starts with Wuji then Taiji. Conclusively, he returns to Wuji.

This guideline and others are on the final list of guidelines that I will be sending you later.