I have been revisiting a tattered book of mine, The Way of Chuang Tzu by the Cistercian monk Thomas Merton (first edition, New Directions, 1965), with excerpts and poems of Chuang Tzu, a chief spokesperson for Taoism and its founder Lao Tzu, written in the fourth and third centuries BCE. I made this drawing of one of the poems, The Fighting Cock. There are also many other good poems in the book. Alongside re-reading this book I have been listening to podcasts on Chinese philosophy, which place Taoism in the context of philosophers reacting to Confucianism’s very strict rules in an orderly societal context. One episode of a History of Philosophy podcast compares Confucian notions of virtue to Aristotle and more recent exponents of “virtue ethics” from Aquinas to the present day. Virtue ethics tends to emphasize developing character rather than only relying on rules as we make ethical decisions, even though the rules can be helpful too.
The Taoism of Chuang Tzu emphasizes wu wei, or a kind of action in inaction. Taoism and many of the poems from the book, sees wu wei as nested in the context of strict societal and personal constraints in that time. As I read the poems and Merton’s introduction to The Way of Chuang Tzu book, I see similarities to a notion of grace, flowing rather than ego-centric pushing, and it seems to harmonize well with other readings I am doing during this time of Lent in the Christian calendar.
A friend of mine once told me “Don’t push the river.” I find myself trying too hard sometimes. Reading these poems is helpful to me as I think of how to do things like moving my current book project out into the world, and trying to help others daily. The poem of the fighting cock also opens me up to how to I might react to the inevitable arguments and animosity from others in my own life. Can these be of any use to you in your daily life?
