William Martin's Blog, page 21
July 6, 2014
Declaration of Independence
I wrote this declaration for the July 4th issue of my weekly subscription journal; The Journal of the Wandering Taoist. It generated lots of feedback and I wanted to post it here to see if it speaks to more people.
We, the people of this world, united by our common understanding that we are wandering pilgrims in a mysterious Cosmos, hereby declare that we are a free people and will no longer submit to the tyranny of a society that we believe is inimical to the satisfaction, happiness, and well-being of life on this planet.
Whereas our society is dedicated to the pursuit of ever more material possessions at the sacrifice of the planet’s resources and the welfare of the poorest among us, we declare that we will no longer participate in the amassing of goods beyond that which is needed for life’s basic comforts.
Whereas we are, through sophisticated media, bombarded with fearful messages designed to manipulate us into supporting war, oppression, and a unsustainable economy, we declare that we will no longer believe or give our energy to the things our minds are being taught to fear.
Whereas our conditioned minds have become our greatest oppressors, we declare that we will no longer blindly believe nor follow the dictates of our thoughts. We will dedicate ourselves to gaining clarity, insight, and deeper wisdom
In summation, we will no longer be enslaved by inner or outer voices that seek to have us believe that which is not true. We will submit ourselves only to our own inner authority which we believe will return us to a life of cooperation, compassion, and simplicity.
To this we pledge our lives and our sacred honor on this 4th day of July, 2014
June 25, 2014
Optimism/Pessimism
I used to play the banjo in a folk music group (Long ago – in the 60’s of faded memory). One familiar folk song from that era is, “Keep on the Sunny Side of Life.” It’s a bright and lively tune, first made popular, I believe, by the Carter Family. Its message encourages us to keep our attention on the positive things in life. It’s an appealing approach and has some real wisdom. But it is not an ultimately satisfying philosophy, especially amidst the more difficult circumstances life sometimes brings.
It is said that a Taoist is a “short-term pessimist and long-term optimist” because he knows things are always changing and that when balance is lost, it will eventually be restored. So Taoist thought is a balanced blend of optimism and pessimism, seeing the bright sunny side and the dark stormy side as part of One Thing whose moods and energies are always circling.
The symbol at the top of this page is the classic Yin/Yang symbol, also titled the “Taiji” or “Grand Ultimate.” The dark Yin represents a vast array of concepts and forces including the passive, receptive, soft, yielding, quiet, and fallow. Likewise the light Yang is used to represent things such as active, penetrating, hard, rigid, loud, and growing. This is, of course, an oversimplification. There are actually infinite nuances to the interaction of these two universal energies; from the proton and electron within atomic structure to the comings and goings of stars, planets, and galaxies. Yin and Yang are essential compliments of each other. The existence of one necessitates the existence of the other, and without both there would be no cosmos, no matter, nothing in existence. This is why, in the symbol of intertwined dark and light, there is a light dot in the middle of the dark, and a dark dot in the middle of the light. Yin always contains the seeds of Yang. Yang always contains the seeds of Yin. The dance of the two is eternal.
I watch these two processes and feel the paradox of optimism/pessimism in both the social and the personal arena
In the social arena:
Yin – I see the workings of a Yin energy that is working to restore balance within our world. I have no doubt that our social and political systems are feeling this massive Yin movement. We have been forcing an unsustainable Yang upon our physical and psychological resources for centuries. Decades ago we reached the inevitable turning point. Everyone is now blaming everyone else and insisting that only their own solutions will arrest the decline and disintegration. All sides are deluded. Nothing will stop the deepening Yin from returning balance to the world.
Yang – Within the decline and fall of our culture remain the seeds for this next Yang movement. Many people are, like trees in the winter time, dropping excess baggage and turning their attention toward deepening their roots in the earth. They are planting the seeds of spiritual maturity and from these seeds, in some manner unknown to me, will grow a new culture founded on more appropriate and realistic values.
In the personal arena:
Yin – I am growing older. My own turning point was reached years ago. I eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, remain active and productive, but I am no longer in a season of spring growth. I am instead heading into my own winter – the Yin season.
Yang – The seeds of light remain within my life and are beginning a Yang cycle of their own. I am growing more content, more satisfied with simple things, and I am expressing myself more clearly and creatively than ever before. My spouse ins beginning an entirely new career as a traditional bookbinder. I am learning to paint in the sumi-e brush style and developing my skill in carving wood blocks for printint. I hope to illustrate fine leather-bound editions of my books that Nancy will hand bind. As the winter comes, a different kind of spring is beginning deep inside that brings me joy.
Each of us, at some level, realizes the hopelessness of our society’s ambitions and paradigms. We are each trying to find our own personal response to the Yin energy we know is engulfing us. Each of us also knows that all too soon we will experience the final Yin of our personal existence. In both the personal and social arena, it is important that we look closely at the Taiji symbol and remain aware of the small seed of light that is always present in the dark. Even when we face the end of all illusions and the darkness deepens, we remember that there is never, ever, a Yin that does not contain a seed of Yang. The dance goes on. Who knows what might be coming next?
June 21, 2014
What is Taoism?
The Chinese character, “Tao,” can mean several things, all variations of “way” or “path.” It can be the path you travel through a forest; a road through a modern city; the sidewalk up to your front door; or the mystery and wonder of the “Way” the Cosmos unfolds – the “Way Things Are.”
Taoism has two expressions, both rooted in ancient Chinese culture. One use of the term applies to the complex folk religion of China, complete with temples, gods, goddesses, rituals, beliefs, magic, and esoteric knowledge. This is often called “religious Taoism.” Another expression developed in China in the 6th Century, B.C.E. through the teaching of the sage, Lao-Tzu. Lao-Tzu was not a religious teacher and his writing expresses what is called “Philosophical Taoism,” sometimes referred to as, “Quietism.”
It is this second, Philosophical Taoism, that has deeply affected my life over the past forty years. Lao-Tzu distrusted words and refused to write down his teachings until, legend has it, was forced to do so before he could leave a society he no longer valued and retreat into the mountains. At this time he quickly wrote the short wisdom poetry that is contained in The Tao Te Ching, gave it to the border guard, and disappeared into the mountain mists. Today this little book is the most translated book in history outside of the Bible.
He begins the book with the words, “The Tao that can be talked about is not the eternal Tao…” He then continues to talk about it in short enigmatic poetry whose purpose is to help the reader find the direct experience of Life that waits behind ideas, words, and concepts – waiting to surprise us with its tastes, textures, aromas, sounds and sights.
This Taoism has no religious beliefs, rituals, temples or prescribed forms. It invites us to experience life directly rather than conceptually; to enjoy what is rather than what we think should be or wish would be. It is a life of flexibility, grace, enjoyment, and ease – yet also of efficient activity, compassion, and accomplishment.
Actually, I’m still finding out what the Tao is doing in my life. Lao-Tzu said, “Those who talk, don’t know. Those who know, don’t talk.” Yet here I am, talking and writing about that which I can’t really express. But it’s what I do. I write to you as an unknown friend in order that we both might see behind our words to the “thing itself” – Life.
Thank you for sharing the journey.
June 17, 2014
Agoraphobia
with "phobia" - fear
and you have agoraphobia,
defined by psychiatric wisdom
as a fear of being helpless
amidst the chaos of society.
I've got it, surely as I've got a credit card.
I can't, as can the typical agoraphobic,
escape by staying home.
The marketplace now reaches
into the corners of my mind
with its soft insistent whispers,
"You...need...to...buy...something...
now!"
One who fears this marketplace
is out of step with social order
and must be cured of the phobia.
The psychiatrist smiles and reassures me:
"You'll be fine; back to normal soon.
Here, swallow this, and rest a bit.
I'll stay here with you
while you log on Amazon.
It'll be OK. I'm right here.
Breathe... That's it... good.
Now click, 'add to cart'
Good... now click, 'proceed to checkout'
See? It's not so hard, now is it?"
June 7, 2014
The Tao
My cultural mythology insists that I should be important and do important things. The Tao insists that importance is an illusion. In the flow of Tao, nothing is more significant than anything else and nothing “important” needs doing - it is all being done.
A single cell in my body functions by taking its humble place among millions of others and going about its little “cell business.” It doesn’t try to fix anything about me. It doesn’t concern itself with infections, viruses, or injuries. It simply remains itself and the mysterious system of which it is a small part is able to do its work. If it were to start agitating itself, worrying, searching about for something great to do, it would no longer be doing its part. It would begin to interfere with the process. It would begin to pressure other cells to behave as it thinks they should. It would actually begin to bring harm the body in its attempts to be important, big, and significant. (Think cancer cells.)
I am a tiny little puff of smoke, amounting to nothing. Yet I am part of an amazing, incomprehensible, Mystery. I find my place by the side of a stream with the mountains rising into the endless sky above me. None of it needs me, yet here I am, as much a part of the Mystery as the galaxies. It needs nothing from me because it is me; and I am it. Imagine the freedom that comes when we are released forever from the need to be “great and marvelous.” Why, it’s truly great and marvelous!
May 21, 2014
Why I Write
I hear those sentences every time I sit to write, yet still I manage to put the words down. It is just "what I do." Words are maps of the territory of Life. They are useful. But they are not the Territory itself. I have spent so many years mistaking the map for the territory. I want to walk in, see, experience, and breathe the Thing Itself.
That is why I write. I am no longer looking to be noticed. I am not a publisher’s delight because I refuse to go “on the road” for the sake of sales. I am trying to bring all of the care, skill, and authenticity I can possibly muster to my art in each moment.
As my path continues to unfold, I find myself writing, not to a market, but to an unknown friend. I want, in some small way, to express a thought or soothe a fear in some unfathomable manner across space and time; to provide an imperfect map that might help you find the Territory. Who you are, dear friend, I don’t necessarily need to know, but it is for you I write.
April 30, 2014
Hello
I do use the internet to a degree. I teach students through a website called Taoist Studies. http://www.taoiststudies.com
I also write a weekly journal for some of my friends titled The Journal of the Wandering Taoist. http://www.wanderingtaoist.com
Nancy and I live in Chico, California, where Nancy works as a Bookbinder
http://www.bookbindingbynancy.com
and I write, teach, and paint in the Sumi tradition.
Once again, thank you for your kind words.
Blessings,
Bill
