In a Dark Time … The Eye Begins to See

I’ve started reading A.C. Graham’s translation of The Book of Lieh-tzu: A Classic of Tao. I’ve only read the Preface, Introduction, and the First Chapter so far, but I’ve already found much of interest. Of course, considering how little I still know about Taoism, that might not be saying very much. Still, Graham’s [...]

Graham introduces chapter 2 of The Book of Lieh-tzu, The Yellow Emperor, thusly: This chapter is concerned with the Taoist principle of action. Faced with an obstacle, the unenlightened man begins to think about possible benefit and injury, and ponder alternative courses of action. But this thinking does him harm instead of good. A gambler plays [...]

Though I’m discovering why The Book of Lieh-tzu is generally not regarded as highly as the Taoteching or the Book of Chuang Tzu, it’s hard not appreciate he richness of the Taoist tradition. When Graham points out that: Unlike the Indian philosophies, neither of the great Chinese philosophies, Confucianism and Taoism, can be called pessimistic; both assume, [...]

Except for a rather traumatic experience in Vietnam, I’ve never been a great believer in Fate or Destiny, so I’m a little surprised to discover how receptive I was to much of what Lieh-tzu has to say about it, perhaps because it also coincides with my own views on inherited traits. My grandfather was [...]