ma'at (morals, mystic, experience, theist, gnostic)

[d.]

i would appreciate if some of you knowledgeable people would want to help me with this.

i was wondering if it is fair to compare ma'at to the concept of tao, or perhaps 'the one' of gnosticism? if not, how do they differ?

tao is best described as 'the way' of things, how things flow naturally and so on. it isn't manifested as an entity or being or a force. 'the one' is something similar as i understand it - a pantheistic concept of god as present in all things.

[Revasser]

There are certainly many, many similarities. Ma'at translates variously (and roughly) as "Right," "Order," "Justice," "Truth," "Harmony," and a number of other things but, in truth, there is no word in English that can encapsulate the concept adequately. When you are in ma'at, you feel it, you know it, but you can't really describe it. You just know that it's how things are meant to be.

It is, with my limited knowledge of Tao, quite similar to the idea of "the way." Heck,why don't we pull a quote directly from the House of Netjer (Kemetic Orthodoxy) site:

"...the best correlation to Ma'at we can think of outside Kemet is the Taoist understanding of Tao, "The Way"

Ma'at is, of course, also a Netjert (Goddess.) "Ma'at the Goddess" is not exactly a manifestation or personification of "ma'at the concept", though we often speak as if the two are distinct in that way to make things easier in general conversation, but really, the two are the same and there is no distinction. Ma'at is Ma'at.

As much as it feels like a cop out sometimes to say it, ma'at "just is." Much of the time you have to "see" it to know it and when see it, you always know it.

[Feathers in Hair]

I've always pictured her as being the embodiment of wisdom. This is more my personal belief, as opposed to any extended study, simply because I picture a part of holy wisdom as being Justice. (As opposed to simply the law.)

[d.]

thanks, great answer.

Originally Posted by Revasser

There are certainly many, many similarities. Ma'at translates variously (and roughly) as "Right," "Order," "Justice," "Truth," "Harmony," and a number of other things but, in truth, there is no word in English that can encapsulate the concept adequately. When you are in ma'at, you feel it, you know it, but you can't really describe it. You just know that it's how things are meant to be.

It is, with my limited knowledge of Tao, quite similar to the idea of "the way."

it would seem so - would you think it's fair to suppose that it is two different ways for two cultures to describe/conceptualize at least roughly the same thing/sensation?

Originally Posted by Revasser

"...the best correlation to Ma'at we can think of outside Kemet is the Taoist understanding of Tao, "The Way"

wow. good to know i'm not completely off base here.

[Revasser]

Originally Posted by divine

it would seem so - would you think it's fair to suppose that it is two different ways for two cultures to describe/conceptualize at least roughly the same thing/sensation?

I think that's entirely plausible. I think it may just be one of those things that is part of the human "experience" rather than something specific to any one culture. You'll find a similar idea in many cultures and religions and while some have seemingly attempted to pin it down with brittle sets of morals and rules to follow, others have taken a more "mystical" view of it as something where perception of it is innate, but ultimately undefinable.