A Closer Look at the Golden Rule

Brian — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 15:56:46 +0000

A popular saying is “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. From the Bible( KJV), Jesus is quoted as saying, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.”

While on the surface, this sounds like solid advice, I believe its intrinsic flaw in logic has been the cause of much suffering through the ages. The problem is not everyone else wants to be treated the way you want to be treated.

A poem by Chuang Tzu expresses this idea.

Symphony for a seabird

You cannot put a big load in a small bag,
nor can you with a short rope,
draw water from a deep well.

Have you not heard how a bird
from the sea was blown inshore
and landed outside the capital of Lu?

The prince ordered a solemn reception,
offered wine to the seabird
in the Sacred precinct,
called for musicians to play
the compositions of Shun,
slaughtered cattle to nourish it.
Dazed with symphonies,
the unhappy seabird died of despair.

How should you treat a bird?
As yourself or as a bird?
Ought not a bird to nest in deep woodland
or fly over meadow and marsh?
Ought it not to swim on river and pond,
feed on eels and fish,
fly in formation with other waterfowl,
and rest in the reeds?

Bad enough for a seabird to be surrounded by men
and frightened by their voices!
That was not enough!
They killed it with music!

Water is for fish, and air for man.
Natures differ, and needs with them.
Hence the wise men of old
did not lay down
one measure for all.

The prince treated the bird as he wanted to be treated. While this life made the prince happy, it caused the bird despair an death. Often we look at other people and how they live and think to ourselves “I don’t want to live that way, I will help them live the way I want to live!” While the intentions are usually good, the actions are sometimes harmful. Common examples are the efforts to impose one culture onto another, one religion onto another, one lifestyle onto another.

A revised version of the Golden Rule should be: “Do to others, not as you want done to yourself, but as others want done to themselves.”

Christianity vs. Taoism

Brian — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:33:55 +0000

I came across several tweets about an entry at the Let Jesus Be Your Talkshow Host blog and decided to take a look. I left a comment, but in case it doesn’t get approved (not suggesting that it won’t) I’ll post it here as well:

Concerning the Taoist views of the afterlife, there can be various views as it’s not really a matter of doctrine. However, Chuang-Tzu wrote:

“The true men of old did not know what it was to love life or to hate death. They did not rejoice in birth, nor strive to put off dissolution. Unconcerned they came and unconcerned they went. That was all. They did not forget whence it was they had sprung, neither did they seek to inquire their return thither. Cheerfully they accepted life, waiting patiently for their restoration (the end). This is what is called not to lead the heart astray from Tao, and not to supplement the natural by human means. Such a one may be called a true man. Such men are free in mind and calm in demeanor.”

Basically, we are all from Tao, and we return to Tao. The human body is built from the sustenance and DNA provided by the parents. As you grow, your body is built from what you consume. When you die, your body decomposes and eventually returns to the planet from which it came. The life which powers our body is drawn from the body of all energy that surrounds us and it is there it returns.

In essence, life is a cycle that ebbs and flows like the oceans.

We do not profess to understand the entirety of that energy, just as Christians sometimes say “Only God knows” or “we cannot fully understand the will of God” or even “the Lord works in mysterious ways”. We all recognize we are part of a greater whole. We believe we are part of the energy of the Universe, just as Christians believe they are are the children of God.

Certainly there are fundamental differences between Taoism and Christianity and I always tell people to follow their instincts when searching for what is right for them. I agree that the teachings differ in many ways but I also recognize there are similarities.

For me, I don’t find a need to focus on the differences and pointing at one or the other to say “this way is absolutely right and this way is absolutely wrong”. Jesus taught to love each other. Anyone who has read the core Taoist doctrines knows that the three great treasures are compassion, moderation and humility. These are very compatible with the teachings of Christ.

Christ didn’t tell anyone to love only those who followed him. We are to love, respect, and just be good to each other. We don’t have to agree with everyone else’s viewpoint, and likewise everyone else doesn’t have to agree with ours.

And just a thought, you will be hard pressed to hear about a Taoist killing anyone because of their beliefs. We don’t shoot doctors because we don’t like abortion, we don’t blow ourselves up in marketplaces because our religion will reward us for killing infidels. We are loving, tolerant, compassionate and try to live with as little conflict as possible.

That’s all I have to say, and good work on the blog. I found you via Twitter. Be safe.

Tao Are You? » Chuang-Tzu

A Closer Look at the Golden Rule

Symphony for a seabird

Christianity vs. Taoism