All Else Is Bondage

by Wei Wu Wei

In 34 powerful essays, Wei Wu Wei explains Taoist and Buddhist thought in the context of modern experience, using wit and precision to convey profound insight into the nature of existence.

Genres: Spirituality, Philosophy, Buddhism, Religion, Nonfiction, Zen, Eastern Philosophy

68 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1999

About the author

Terence James Stannus Gray was a theatre producer who created the Cambridge Festival Theatre as an experimental theatre in Cambridge. He produced over 100 plays there between 1926 and 1933. Later in life, under the pen name Wei Wu Wei, he published several books on Taoist philosophy.

Reviews

[D.K. Sale · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found out I don't exist at all which is a huge relief.

[Armand Cognetta · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author begins with a strong introduction underscoring the complexities of ego death and the need for a lucid treatise on the subject - and then immediately launches into the use of words like "obnubilation" and phrases such as "this-which-from-eternity-they-both-were", in a completely unironic manner.

There's also this, apparently insane, part:

"It is as it is. That is all you can say," and they are Maharshi's words.

Which means that there is no entity or object at all as such, not even ourselves, not even "I"?

Not even "Not-I"! How could there be? Think, man, think! Does not thought unite with intuition in this ultimate insight? How... could... there... be?

Ha-ha-ha!"


What a hoot.


But while the over-complexifications, random bits of French and Latin, and excessive use of hyphens are probably unnecessary, you get the sense that it doesn't have egoistic roots - only that the author enjoys this subject to such an extent that writing this book is a form a play for him and that he can't help with the occasional childlike flourishes of joy.

Anyways, I enjoyed reading this book. Ego death is the psychological process by which a person learns to de-identify with the ego. The basic idea is that because all concepts are fictions (although often quite useful fictions), and the "I" or the ego that we identify with is in fact a concept, the "I" that we think we are doesn't actually exist in any real sense. In other words, we aren’t what we think we are, because we are unable to understand ourselves through any thought, or concept of self, in the same way that the concept of a “tree” doesn’t capture the nature and infinite complexity of any given tree. Thoughts and concepts are all just models, which while useful, can never fully explain the true nature of ourself – which just is.

The actual understanding of ego death is said to not be able to be stated in words, as it is not an actual concept, but something beyond that – but it can be pointed to. One who has undergone ego death is said to go beyond good and bad, pain and pleasure, and all such dichotomies - because these concepts only exist when one believes oneself, and all selves, to be a separate and individual entities, rather than merely undifferentiatable parts of a unified whole.

"Envy, hatred and malice will be no more, vengeance will no longer seem desirable, we shall be invulnerable, and we know why - for we have said it again and again in the foregoing pages - and so there is no one to hurt any of "us". Love and hatred are replaced by universal benediction, manifested as kindliness and good nature towards the world around us which we now recognise as ourself."

[Ale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fucking good.

[Galen Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

The foundation of my intuitive research. Best little book I've ever read. With patients and a good dictionary this book can get you "there."

[Sky Feather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This small gem is utterly mind blowing. One of the most influential; far out pieces of human thought I have ever read! It also helped me in my process of detaching from the ego state and further to perceive in a deeper level my attachments and expectations. The day I began reading it, I stayed awake until 3 in the morning, devouring each phrase, each paragraph. I so much enjoyed reading this book!

The phenomenal subjective “reality”, helped me perceive “myself” as I truly am, that is, a vehicle of the hyper-consciousness that chooses to manifest. Since there is no self, accordingly, in fact there cannot be any notion of pleasure, suffering, safety, danger etc. In essence, I am not separate from any other human being. When another human being is suffering, in fact I am suffering too (if I choose to identify myself with the phenomenal “reality”). What I can truly do, is to help other sentient beings realise that in fact, we are not separate. There’s not even a notion of “we” or “us”. There’s only one “self”, or better one consciousness, that perceives the separateness in this dimension, on this planet, acting accordingly selfishly and separately. Perceiving all that, I feel lightweight, the bondage feels less visible and my consciousness expands to embrace each sentient being.
Perceiving all that, I have the necessary energy to devote myself to the manifestation of the principles of the universe: Truthfulness; Compassion; Forbearance. The energy through me allows me to see that when each consciousness (ie: phenomenally separate human beings) acts as a whole, then there’s only One flow, the flow of the universe through the consciousness (“I” and each “I” for that matter).

And as I wrote some years ago:
..this life is a dream; everyone you meet is your reflection; there's only One person experiencing all possibilities. Whenever you forgive the other person, you heal your mind. Seek your true self ~

Thoughts:
.:: in the absence of my presence I discover myself, looking at me ~
.:: there's something so clear that these eyes cannot perceive ~
.:: and then... silence springs in the forest... and all things have a name that cannot be spelled ~
.:: far away... within ~
.:: I appear to exist and I exist to appear between what is known and what is not known. Between the two my life unravels as a wave reaches the shore. Who lives my life is not yet known, as the subjective perception is struggling to identify what cannot be known ~

[Philo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be one of the “meatier” of his series. There’s a lot to be gotten from his books, but it takes patience and persistence. This is not a book that you would read through in a few sittings. Sometimes you have to read one chapter/one page and sit there and just let it work through you.
It’s a pretty difficult task to try to describe the indescribable and his concise, direct approach provides us with some pointers in that direction.

[Gus Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not an Easy read but well worth the effort

I found this book hard going and not an easy read but stuck with it. I will read it again and again.

[Chris Scott]

I understood all of this

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

way too abstract, to the point of being intentionally obtuse. Maybe I'm just not there yet, but unreadable.

[Malum · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, poetic read.

[Alexandru Jr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

incearca sa impace advaita cu budhismul si cu taoismul, traducandu-le intr-un limbaj occidental.
nu exista un "sine" ca fenomen - ca obiect, ca ceva ce poate fi descoperit - pentru ca sinele e subiectivitate pura, e noumenal - si unic - si nu are atribute. nu e sinele "meu" sau "al tau", e ceva impersonal.
si toate obiectele sunt obiecte ale unei minti unice. care e universul insusi, care e "eu" - dar nu "eu, alex" sau "eu, x" - dar care e pur si simplu.
tot ce exista - totalitatea obiectelor - sunt supuse legilor cauzalitatii, adica sunt conditionate de alte obiecte / fenomene. iar iluzia vointei - care vine din iluzia existentei unui "eu" separat - e doar o iluzie.
tot ceea ce se intampla se intampla pur si simplu.
si cand intelegi asta, esti ceea ce esti, accepti ceea ce este - si nu te identifici cu "eul" tau mic si suferind si care se crede separat.

cam asta pare a fi ideea de baza.
mai sunt niste lucruri pe care nu le-am inteles pana la capat - dar nu as fi inteles nici ceea ce am scris mai sus daca nu as fi "vazut" lucrurile astea intr-un proces care se cheama "direct pointing". pe un forum care se cheama "liberation unleashed".
asa, cel putin, dupa experienta de direct pointing, ceea ce spune wei wu wei pare fff justificat si exact - doar ca intr-un limbaj destul de complex, dar oricum interesant, chiar daca nu-l intelegi pana la capat.

dar nu stiu cat de mult sens ar avea cartea asta pentru cineva care nu a avut deja insightul despre care se vorbeste in ea.

sau poate eu proiectez insighturile mele asupra textului pe care tocmai l-am citit. desi nu prea cred, totul se tine prea bine si asta pare a fi cea mai coerenta interpretare :)

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'd give this 1.5 stars. Couldn't finish it; I think this book obscures more than it allows one to connect with a harmonic universe. And I've decided to look elsewhere for my spiritual development. Maybe I'll return to it one day, after learning from other sources about the practice of what they are trying to tell me about.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

there is little else i can say abut his book other than the sentaance below.. check it out good read


positive & negative are phenomenal concepts
we are not conceivable to all

[Dean Paradiso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written with some heavy conceptual ideas and phraseology, yet one of the clearest and concise explorations into nonduality.