Defining The Dao (for Left-Brained People)

Defining the Dao (for Left-Brained People)

Literally translated, “dao” means something like path or road. But in the philosophical sense, it gets much more complicated. Technically, the Dao is something that shouldn’t be able to be defined, and Laozi is deliberately vague when describing what it is and what it means. This is just my own interpretation of how to explain the concept, based on my reading of the Dao De Jing and my own meandering experience.

For more left-brain oriented people, those that interpret things based on logic and reasoning, I think it’s helpful to think of the Dao as a sort of natural progression of things in the universe. Like leaving an ice cube on a hot sidewalk or the natural decaying of a radioactive element, it has a definite order of procession that continues on and on. The first objection then, would be that the Dao is not nearly as predictable or constant as the melting of frozen water. But what if it was? One of the central tenants to Daoism is to find your place within the Dao, to follow your own path as naturally as a river flows down the path of least resistance.

I suppose a better analogy would be to compare the Dao to the force of gravity. It’s always there, constantly tugging at our soles to remind us that it’s there, and is more or less inescapable. But we still can (and do) fight against its influence, like the first birds looking to take to the skies. Plenty of us manage to go quite far fighting off their natural inclinations, gaining wealth or power or other rewards. But isn’t it so tiring to stay airborne for so long, constantly struggling against the insistent pull towards the ground? The Dao is within your own thoughts, your subconscious pulls towards your natural desires. You can fight against them all you like, but that doesn’t make them go away. In fact, I would say the more we struggle against what is natural to us, the more those thoughts will make themselves known.

The ultimate goal of Daoism is for everyone to follow their own desires, for everyone to live naturally within the world. Hippy-sounding sentiments aside, we humans are social creatures that generally try to avoid conflict with others. Should we all live openly and honestly about our desires and relationships to others, perhaps a world without conflict might begin to emerge. I’m not so naïve as to say we can be fully free of all kinds of conflict, but I’m simply providing an ideal, a picture of “How Things Should Be.” After all, if everyone did the job they wanted to do instead of the job they felt forced into, a happier and more productive society seems only natural.

And idealized utopias aside, on the personal level this should be the happiest and most fulfilling way to live our lives. The old saying goes “If you do what you love, then you’ll never work a day in your life.” People are more productive doing jobs they enjoy, and are more innovative pursuing jobs they’re passionate about. To find your place in the Dao, I think the best place to start is with your career and the path that you want to define you for the majority of your life.

Hey, I guess I really just would like to ask you what is the Daoist way of life? daily? I am really intruiged by Buddhism, Taoism and general spirituality. I just want to know if I was to indulge myself wholly into Daoism, what changes would I be making to my life. Obviously you dont know what my daily routine is, but could you just give me a general description? Thank you

That's actually one of my favorite things about Daoism, that it kind of removes any sense of routine from your day to day life. Obviously, we can't completely remove ourselves from the necessities of society or work or school, but I believe that the Path is best expressed by enjoying each day as it comes. It may mean going a little out of your way to try a restaurant you've always been too busy for, or spontaneously having an adventure to the woods on a weekend, or even just surprising your special someone with a home-cooked meal just because.

Daoism is all about embracing and living in the "now" moment, freeing yourself from the sense of burden and worry that weighs so many of us down. I should note that this is different from Buddhism, which is about freeing yourself from desires themselves. I believe that having desires is both normal and healthy, but can become bad for us when we let them control our lives and get in the way of living well.

To more directly answer the question, I don't think you necessarily have to change your routine to embrace the Path. All you really need to do is enjoy the present moment more, enjoy the little things more, enjoy life more. You may even find your life changing around you as you do.

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.

As a martial artist, I agree with all of the above.

Often times you hear the cliche phrase that martial arts require mental as well as physical strength. Many martial arts practitioners like myself often forget the truth that there is to this “cliche” phrase.

“What do people even mean when they say it takes mental strength?” I...

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)

Your Group of IRL Friends is Like Your Group of TV Friends

Been thinking about television a bit lately (hard not to when you're browsing Tumblr), and I thought about how interesting it was that people put themselves and their group of friends under popular tropes. But real life doesn't really work like that (nor should good television, in my opinion). There isn't a McCoy or a Spock or a Kirk, you and your friends shouldn't fall neatly into the Five Man Band. People exist as they are, and it's not like there needs to be a "leader" among your circle. Just because you have the one friend who's into math doesn't make him the automatic "nerd" of the group, just because one friend is really into sports doesn't make him the automatic "jock" among you. People are complex and dynamic creatures, which makes labels so inappropriate to apply so often.

Accept your friends (and yourself) as you really are, and not as pre-defined roles from popular culture.