Unimportance

Remember how I was talking about maybe converting to Taoism? Well, I don't think that's going to happen since I cant "accept disgrace willingly" by accepting that I'm "unimportant" (13). Whatever, at least my mom tells me I'm important.

In the Analects, many words are capitalized (e.g. Virtue, Way...), making them important. In the Tao Te Ching, I noticed that Self is capitalized, therefore, based on the Tao, it is not disgraceful.

If I am divine though, I will b at one with the Tao (16). So I don't have to be important, just divine.

Filial Piety was mentioned in verse 18. Chapter 18? The page that says eighteen. It is also mentioned in the Analects. Filial piety is to have a respect for parents and ancestors, and it is one of the Confucian ideals. It is also a big deal in Chinese culture in general.

"I am a fool. Oh, yes! I am confused." (20)

It's nice to know that Lao Tzu and I share the same thoughts. To me, this book is poetry. It is teachings of Taoism in the form of poetry, but the page that says twenty, to me, didn't feel like teachings. It felt like actual poetry; the thoughts and feelings of the author. This is officially my favorite page in tonights reading.

This book reminds me so much of the Analects. As mentioned before, Virtue is a keyword in Confucius' text. Apparently, Lao Tzu found it of importance also,

"The greatest Virtue is to follow Tao and Tao alone."

While reading the Analects, we came that Virtue is a set of certain principles to reach something god. When I think of Virtue, I think of what we Latin Americans like to call, juicio (pronounced hwee-see-oh). When a person is juisioso (hwee-see-oh-soh), they are good. Juisoso people are responsible, and don't really get in trouble.

I keep noticing how heaven and earth are mentioned. They seem to be a big deal when it comes to Taoism:

"Why is this? Heaven and earth!

If heaven and earth cannot make things eternal,

How is it possible for man?" (23)

I agree with Lao Tzu, if something as great as heaven or earth can't make something last forever, how can a man?

The Stairway to Heaven

"The name that can be named is not the eternal name" (1)

I'm sorry, but I'm not understanding this, but today is Monday so I'm a little off my rocker. We have finished Confucius' Analects and have moved on to Taoism by reading the Tao Te Ching. I have a feeling I'm going to learn a lot about many different cultures and religions; first we read about Lord Krishna in The Bagavad-Gita, Teachings of God in the Bible, Confucianism in the Analects, and now we are on the Tao Te Ching. Maybe my teacher is on a secret quest to convert us all. All jokes aside though, this book is pretty deep:

"Under heaven all can see beauty as beauty only because there is ugliness.

All can know good as good only because there is evil." (2)

Many of these balances are mentioned, like " long and short contrast each other". Based on this, I think that Taoism has a lot to do with equal balances of things. In class we had a discussion about why there is evil. I wrote that I thought there was evil because we need an equal amount it, since there can't be too much good in the world; maybe I should convert (my teachers evil plan is working).

I am really liking this book. It is like poetry, and I especially like it because it really makes me think. It also shows a nice view of women:

"The valley spirit never dies;

It is the woman, primal mother.

Her gateway is the root of heaven and earth." (6)

Men vs. women is a recurring argument in my class, and I like this citation because it is saying that women are the root of everything. Yay for women! relax, I'm not a feminist, I'm just trying to prove a point.

Heaven has been mentioned many times so far. I always thought that when you die you end up on the golden stairway to heaven. And as you take those steps, you are trying hard not to wet your pants from the fear of the unknown upstairs. When you open the door to heaven, all you see are clouds and you are filled with such joy and everything is okay now. After reading up to chapter twelve, I still have that same mental image, minus the fear. Theres something calming about the text from this book and I'm liking it a lot so far. Its going to keep me thinking about the stairway to heaven