Defining The Dao (for Right-Brained People)

Defining the Dao (for Right-Brained People)

A while back I posted my attempts to explain the Dao in a manner that would be helpful for those who are more logically-inclined. I feel like the world has become more left-brained in recent years, what with the popularity of the internet and the ease of sharing information around the world and such. This isn’t a bad thing, simply an observation. But since I’m not solely left-brained (like everyone else in the world), I thought it would be good to post a follow-up for more intuitively-minded folks. This is actually much easier, since it allows me to post my thoughts in fuzzy vagaries, using the meandering analogies I’ve thought up over the years.

So what is the Dao then? In my previous post, I talked about how it’s a lot like gravity: always around us, encouraging us to take the path of least resistance down the mountain. This is a somewhat simple analogy to understand, but I feel that it implies that following the Path requires no effort, no input or agency from us in our lives. We still need to actually walk down the mountain, as opposed to simply falling over on the side of the road and laying there until the end of eternity.

It might be beneficial to think of the Dao as sort of like the rhythm of the Universe, a constant beat resonating through our lives to keep us on the same page as everything else. But it’s not like a marching band’s rhythm, where there is a single conductor and everyone is moving in lockstep with everyone in pursuit of some grander design (perhaps this would be a monotheistic interpretation of the Dao?). Rather, I think of it more like a big music jam session that we’re all apart of at the same time. There’s a single rhythm filling the room that we’re all in on, one that we’re all playing to completely by feel and improvisation. Some people are out of sorts with the group, whether because they haven’t caught the beat yet or because they don’t want to play along with everybody else. But for the people all playing together in harmony, truly wonderful and beautiful music can be made. Some folks will play louder, some softer, some will play out grand and intricate solos, and some will just be keeping a steady accompaniment.

The most important thing to remember is that it works best if we’re all playing with each other instead of against each other.

Introductions and Context

I first read Lao Tzu’s Dao De Jing pretty soon after starting college. My mother bought me a beautiful hardbound copy of Dr. Ralph Alan Dale’s translation from Barnes & Noble and I finished it quickly within the month. My subsequent readings have been slower, more sporadic, and often in small selections. I think I was just a bit too young to really “get” anything out of the book when I started, and ended up with an admittedly superficial knowledge and understanding of how Daoism is supposed to work.

The other night, on a whim, I decided to pull out my old copy again and give it another one of my random readings, much like I would a book of poetry or an anthology of short stories. I wasn’t really intending to do much with it, to be perfectly honest. But as I read on, late into the night and early into the morning, something felt distinctly different. I felt like the intention behind the words was just a bit clearer, like I could see how it was supposed to work after all. It wasn’t any kind of Enlightenment, by any means; Lao Tzu is a notoriously difficult writer to understand. But you could say it was definitely some sort of start.

That’s what brings us to this blog. I want to use this as a place to discuss and exchange ideas about Daoism, what it’s about and how it works and whether it’s really worth it at all. It’s my own personal expression of the philosophy, to write and explore what the words mean, to put out my ideas and interpretations, then have them challenged and explored by others in turn. I browsed around Tumblr for a bit looking at the “daoism” and “taoism” tags, and I couldn’t really find the sort of interpretive dialogue I was looking for. I’d like for this blog to be a hub for that sort of thing.

Tumblr is also an interesting spot for experimenting with Daoist philosophy, as the Reblog tool seems to be a perfect mechanism for “teaching without teaching.” If I write something that resonates with you, please reblog it and share it with others and encourage them to do the same. It is my belief that this sort of behavior, by simply exploring the Dao on our own, while being watched and hopefully emulated by others, is way that we can both spread the principles of Daoism without actively campaigning to have it taught from every corner of the planet.

So what qualifies me to engage in this endeavor, exactly? Well, to be perfectly honest, absolutely nothing. I’m a mostly normal guy, with normal interests in films and music and art and such. I’m not a scholar and I’m not a monk by any stretch of the imagination. I’m definitely not the perfect Daoist. I’m just one person who is looking to explore the Path, and I have a lot of ideas I’d like to talk about. Hopefully by doing that exploring here, I’ll meet other like-minded individuals and we can all learn and grow together. This is, I believe, the main intention of the Dao.

I will take the pleasure of being your first ask! I am trying to be Taoist because the philosophy really seems right and fits my personality and beliefs. But I am currently studying as a pre-med student and that requires a lot of work and thought. Taoism teaches to go with the flow but that's not possible for a pre-med student like me. Is there anyway to justify my career path with Taoism?

I think that's actually a big misconception about Taoist philosophy. It's not really about "going with the flow" and avoiding work and thought, it's more about just following the Path and acting intuitively. Put another way, you could say the primary goal in Taoism is to follow your heart. If you feel like being a doctor is your calling, your natural path, then you should absolutely pursue it.

That said, if you're simply forcing your path to go to medical school, whether because you feel obligated by money or family or scary little angels, then this is definitely not in line with Taoism. This is the biggest factor, so I think it's best to determine whether you're planning your life out according to your natural inclinations or if it's being pushed by something external.

Submitted Posts

Just a quick update. There seems to have been some issues with people submitting posts as of late, where I've only received a title without an entry. I'm typing this entry through the submitter to test this function. If you have submitted a post to the blog, please try it again and make sure the body is attached.

The moon does not fight. It attacks no one. It does not worry. It does not try to crush others. It keeps to its course, but by its very nature, it gently influences. What other body could pull an entire ocean from shore to shore? The moon is faithful to its nature and its power is never diminished.

~ Deng Ming-Dao, Everyday Tao: Living with Balance and Harmony (via shisaa)

Thoughts on Tragedy

People don't like to talk or think about it, but tragedy is also part of the Path. As are the feelings of grief and sorrow. I believe that to disconnect ourselves from these emotions does nothing to help us in our search for peace, and will only harm us over time. Accept the ability and need to mourn loss, to grieve the dead; and then when it is done, accept the necessity to move forward and grow from the experience.