WARNING - What I write is basically just a stream of consciousness as I read and may not make a lot of sense and I jump from one thought to another as they pop into my head.
In this first chapter of the The Tao of Pooh, Benjamin Hoff explains to Pooh what Taoism is. To do this he talks of a painting called, The Vinegar Tasters. Not being familiar with this painting I pulled it up on my computer and found a Pooh version that I like.
The three men in the painting represent the three teachings of China; Confucious, Buddha, and Lao-tse as they sample the essence of life. Confucious (Rabbit) and Buddha (Eeyore) are both pulling faces due to the bad taste of the essence of life. Confucious finds life to be very sour. He is described as being very stuck in the past and he deals with this by being very OCD about ancient rituals; court music, prescribed steps, actions, and phrases. “If the mat was not straight, the Master would not sit”
This way of thinking reminds me of a lot of people in the world who are very old-fashioned and believe that if we would all start doing things the way they were done 50 years ago all the worlds problems would be solved. As if the world had no problems 50 years ago.
Buddha finds life to be very bitter. He seems to be quite a Gloomy Gus. Seeing life as being full of traps, illusions and pain. Someone must have hurt him badly when he was young. The only way to find peace is to transcend the world and reach Nirvana or a state of “no wind”. I often wish my husband could reach a state of no wind. I would certainly find life more peaceful.
This reminds me of the way religion was for hundreds of years. Now I’m no Theologian, I only know what I’ve read in novels but I love stories based in the Middle Ages and such. Religion of that time is always described as teaching that God is basically out to get us and Satan is really out to get us so between the two there are traps and illusions aplenty. They’re constantly trying to trip us up and cause us pain. In fact, some believed that pain actually brought them closer to God. They would inflict pain on themselves by whipping their own backs or putting straps with little spikes on them around their thighs. CAA-RAY-ZEEE
Now Lao-tse smiles as he tastes the essence of life. He believes that all of heaven and earth are run by the same natural laws. It’s when we fight against these laws, when we try to force things to go our way instead of just relaxing and letting things be - these are the times that we cause ourselves trouble and pain.
The image this brings up in my mind is one of two rivers; one is raging whitewater, forcing it’s way across the land, destroying anything that gets in it’s way. This river is filled with the debris of all that it has destroyed and just continually smashed itself against itself, over and over. It runs in a straight line but is unstable and agitated. The second river is calm and smooth. It runs swift and deep but it meanders across the land taking a natural path. This river is full of clean, clear water and fish are plentiful. It’s path is winding but this river is harmonious and serene.
“In the painting, why is Lao-tse smiling? After all, that vinegar that represents life must certainly have an unpleasant taste...but through working in harmony with life’s circumstances, Taoist understanding changes...negative into something positive. ...sourness and bitterness come from the interfering and unappreciative mind. Life itself, when understood and utilized for what it is, is sweet. That is the message of The Vinegar Tasters.” The Tao of Pooh, Benjamin Huff
“the basic Taoism that we are concerned with here is simply a particular way of appreciating, learning from, and working with whatever happens in everyday life.” This perfectly sums up what I’m hoping to get out of this year of studying the Tao.
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