Regardless of what we think or what we think we know, that is if we think and know at all – is the importance of reading, critical thinking, and questioning what we take for granted as important. Rather we want to think about it or not we are here first as spirit.
What remains everlasting is our spirit, each of us are transcendent even if we don’t understand what that word means or even care. It is a way overused thought but “we are spirit having a human encounter”.
Back to reading, advancing our knowing and wisdom that feeds our virtue. But it’s not just reading.
You can escape reality with reading meaningless fiction or spend your days watching meaningless TV. Even scrolling the internet.
As for myself, I have twelve to fifteen books I’m referring to all the time. Authors, I have read that serve the growth of spirit, further understanding what Emerson meant with what it means to become transcendental in our mind, thoughts, and actions. Exploring what we are learning about both quantum physics and the workings of the universe through quantum mechanics both showing us the way to back the cosmos.
Taoism and Lao Tzu
To what brings understanding brings wisdom to what transcendence says to spirit. this idealist philosophy held that knowledge about us and the world around us “transcends” what we can perceive through the senses alone.
Transcendentalists believe that the divine spirit resides within all of us, championing intuition over rationality, and affirming the inherent goodness of both humanity and nature.
What Emerson, Thoreau, and others followed was what they saw as the nature of Eastern Philosophy, Taoism, and Lao Tzu. Emerson’s magazine called “the Eye” was America’s introduction to the Tao in the 1850’s.
The internet can serve as a teacher with history, knowledge, and wisdom to educate us in the furthering of our own transcendence. One author I sincerely appreciate is Santayana who reminds us of the power of our dreams that can mirror the deepest yearnings of our soul, the center of our being, and both our fleeting desires and ambitions which hide behind the reason of intellect. One of his most famous quotes is “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. Take some time to read Santayana’s words:
“It is not wisdom to be only wise – And on the inner close the eyes – But it is wisdom to believe the heart.”
What Lao Tzu tells us in the Tao Te Ching chapter/verse seventy-one that to understand yet not understand is transcendence. Not to understand yet understand is affliction. The reason the sage is not afflicted is because he treats affliction as affliction, hence he is not afflicted”.
One of the best commentaries of chapter/verse seventy-one is from a Taoist nun Ts’ao Tao-Ch’ung from the Sung dynasty (960-1278) who says,
“If someone understands, but out of humility he says he doesn’t understand, this is when reality is superior to name. Hence, we call it transcendence. If someone doesn’t understand but says he does understand, this is when name surpasses reality. Hence, we call this an affliction. Those who can understand that affliction is affliction are never afflicted.” (An affliction is something that causes distress or suffering).
In response Confucius responds to say, “Shall I teach you about understanding? To treat understanding as understanding and to treat not understanding as not understanding, this is understanding” (Lunyu 2:17).
Verse 71 – Proceeding with little or no Fanfare
The sage’s motives are seldom understood, and no one is usually very quick to employ them. Even though his words are easy to understand and put into practice.
He is reminded of the old proverb. “Tell me and I’ll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I’ll understand”.
Confucius adds that one should study what is below and understand what is above.
Besides, who can know the motives of the sage, except heaven? Understanding something that cannot be seen, touched, smelled, tasted or heard seems beyond comprehension.
However, all things have ancestors, and nothing can begin unless something else moves out of the way and ends. The sage remains an enigma to those around him as he is somehow different than others.
He does not simply see himself only in terms of the here and now. But acknowledges his presence in what has come. Up to now since antiquity and that he has seen it all before as he is assured that his destiny is to one day return to be one with the dragons.
While it is the Tao and one universally referred to as God that is to be exalted, the sage is often considered in high esteem because he can be seen. Knowing this he strives to wear plain clothes and attempt, however difficult, to remain unseen and let others lead the way. He remains difficult to know because he seldom reveals his true self, as once revealed his opposition would request equal billing. But then again, who could oppose the sage for long.
第71节 悄然而行
我们很难理解圣人的动机，通常没有人能够很快就掌握它们。尽管圣人的话容易明白和付诸实践。
有句格言说，“告诉我，我会忘记；给我看，我可能记得；让我参与，我会明白”。孔子也说过，“下学而上达”。另外，除了上天之外，又有谁能够知道圣人的动机呢？我们没有能力理解看不见，摸不着，闻不到，尝不了和听不见的东西。
然而，万物皆有宗，除非某些事情离去或结束，不然无事可以开始。圣人仍然是他身边的人的一个秘。因为他有点与众不同，他不仅仅从此时此刻的角度看待自己。但是，他承认自古到今自己的存在和所经历了一切。他确信，命中注定总有一天他与群龙一起归来。
只有道和上帝最为高贵。圣人常常被人尊重，因为他可以被人看见。了悟这一点，圣人尽量穿便服，让其他人来指引众人，但仍然难免被人发现。因为圣人极少披露他的真实自我，不易被人理解。一旦他的真相被揭露，他的对手将要付出同样的代价。又有谁能够长期与圣人抗衡呢？
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