musings on P'u from an amateur Taoist

[laughing marmot]

"Everything about you that is not happy is not you. Being yourself is being lost to the delusions of others." -Arlo Guthrie

The above quote, to me, captures the essence of P'u, the Uncarved Block, the Unhewn Log, Simplicity,...

The person that I seem to be, only exists in relationship with other people, places, things, & ideas. I'm only a father because I have a child. I'm only a worker because I have a job. I'm only funny because there are others around to find humor in what I say & do.

These relationships are important & they're all part of the Tao, but to truly appreciate these relationships & put them in the proper perspective it's important to find what some call the center, the pure soul, P'u. That is where happiness, peace, & love reside.

To put it in more colloquial terms, you can't love others until you've learned to love yourself, &, I would add, you can't truly love yourself until you've gotten to know yourself.

[Raymond Sigrist]

I think that is accurate Marmot. To get to know yourself is "clarity" (qing) in Laozi. Chapter 45: Qing jing wei tian xia zheng: By clearness and tranquillity everything under heaven (spontaneously) reaches its optimum.
清靜為天下正

[Alceste]

I love Arlo Guthrie. I'm not sure I'm ready to forcibly expunge all sadness from my being on the theory that it "isn't me". Surely some things are genuinely saddening. Otherwise how could sadness, anger, dissatisfaction, frustration and all such emotions have evolved? They must be useful in some circumstances. I can't picture the "me" I know being cheery and upbeat about depleted uranium birth defects, for example. However, the fact that I am angry and heartbroken about depleted uranium birth defects has the power to inspire appropriate actions, such as protesting wars, or appropriate inaction such as not joining the army.

I don't really think he's trying to say happiness is the only legitimate and genuine emotional state though. I probably agree with what he's trying to say (usually do) but since it's a clumsy attempt, I don't know what that is. I totally agree with the second sentence though.

[Raymond Sigrist]

Hi Alceste, I recently wrote an essay on that excellent topic:

Wallowing in unhappiness

A significant word in daoism is 解 (jie); this term can be translated as “liberation,” “freedom,” “deliverance,” or “release.” Daoist ecstasy (樂 le) is based on this ability to break free. 解 includes the capacity to be often happy, but more importantly it expresses a freedom to explore all affective conditions: happiness, unhappiness, rapture, terror, serenity, suicidality, etc. 解 is the freedom to capriciously alter one’s mood. It is the liberty to creatively employ external circumstances to explore and reconfigure internal moods. It is to have a wide variety of choices with which to react to any particular event. One moment a delivered person might want to escape her depression, the next moment she might choose to self-indulgently wallow in it. Faced with death she is equally able to chuckle or wail. 解 is the splendid freedom from the notion that there are internal behavior norms, it is freedom from the idea that there are right and wrong moods to be in. Riffing off Ecclesiastes— 解 is a dance of all seasons. Kick off your shoes and indulge yourself.

[laughing marmot]

I suppose we are sometimes happy with our sadness. Maybe by happy Arlo means content. But then, discontent can be a motivating force, too, as Alceste alluded to. Maybe it's more about being happy with who you are & where you're at.

[Alceste]

Originally Posted by laughing marmot

I suppose we are sometimes happy with our sadness. Maybe by happy Arlo means content. But then, discontent can be a motivating force, too, as Alceste alluded to. Maybe it's more about being happy with who you are & where you're at.

I prefer to think of it as satisfied. I can satisfied when I am miserable and satisfied when I am happy. The key is accepting that I can't be certain of the cause of either emotion. It could be depleted uranium birth defects or winning the lottery, or it could be something I ate. Whichever it is, I know that it will pass, so why be dissatisfied?

[Raymond Sigrist]

Originally Posted by laughing marmot

I suppose we are sometimes happy with our sadness. Maybe by happy Arlo means content. But then, discontent can be a motivating force, too, as Alceste alluded to. Maybe it's more about being happy with who you are & where you're at.

There's a line in Laozi that could be interpreted as "She knows that she always has enough to be content."

So even if she is not content now, it is exquisitly comforting for her to know that she can be.

C46 故知足之足

[dust1n]

Originally Posted by Alceste

I prefer to think of it as satisfied. I can satisfied when I am miserable and satisfied when I am happy. The key is accepting that I can't be certain of the cause of either emotion. It could be depleted uranium birth defects or winning the lottery, or it could be something I ate. Whichever it is, I know that it will pass, so why be dissatisfied?

I would use the term 'fulfilled' over happy or satisfied.

[Raymond Sigrist]

Originally Posted by dust1n

I would use the term 'fulfilled' over happy or satisfied.

Fullilled works well to.

補 足 = bu zu means bring up to full strength.

[Hevenly Heathen]

The Master doesn't seek fulfillment. The Master does by not-doing. If we can attain this level of mind, then all reactions become natural and happen without our dictating. No tension is caused and we react truthful to who we are.