Life and Death
I am often asked questions such as “Do you believe in the soul?” or “Do you believe in an afterlife?” First, I make it clear that Taoists as a whole do not all share the same views on this subject. Views can range from a type of reward or punishment existence to reincarnation. What follows are my own personal views:
Tao is the source of all things. What this means is that I consider all matter, all energy, all things and the emptiness between things to be part of the Tao. It’s similar to saying, “everything in the universe”.
To quote Carl Sagan, “We are made of star stuff.” We understand matter to the point where we can trace everything down to protons, neutrons and electrons. These same basic building blocks can be found in everything from a grain of sand to the brightest star.
Ginger Tea
I love hot teas for the wide variety of flavorful blends as well as being a lot healthier to drink than sodas. Recently, someone sent me a recipe to make a “Ginger Tea”. Technically this is an herbal drink as no tea leaves are involved. My first attempt was a bit strong, but enjoyable none the less.
From the local market, pick up a fresh ginger root, a lemon and some all natural honey. I like Really Raw Honey personally. I put some water on the stove to boil while I prepare. I washed the root and cut it in half. The half I used was then cut into thin slices and placed in my little stoneware teapot. It’s not big, and holds about three or four cups of water.
Patriotism
The Daodejing has some things to say about what happens when a nation strays from the natural flow of the Tao:
When Tao is forgotten, piety and righteousness are empowered.
When a nation falls into confusion, there is a call for loyalty to officials and patriotism.
I know that, at least where I’m from, patriotism has always been considered an essential trait. As children we learn such things as the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem to inspire pride and commitment to our nation. Isn’t it however, a bit paradoxical if not outright hypocritical to promote the idea of patriotism while at the same time teach that discrimination is bad?
Intolerance
Growing up, I heard it said that some people have “book smarts” but no “common sense”. This meant that some people, although highly educated, seemed lost concerning the simple things. This is a long standing observation. The Daodejing has some similar statements:
“The wise one does not know many things; He who knows many things is not wise.”
“The more knowledge you seek, the less you will understand.”
Now
Many people are always looking to the future with the hope that things will change for the better. This year will be different. This week will be a brand new week. Often, our concern with what will be is a way of proclaiming that despite what has been, more satisfactory events are surely on the horizon. Yet, every moment we spend thinking of what the future holds for us is a moment of right now that we’ve missed.
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