In my previous blog entry I pointed out four themes where ChatGPT said Thoreau and Taoist ideals aligned closely. The first of these was Harmony with Nature, which I discussed yesterday. I suspect that being in Harmony with Nature leads directly to the second theme: Simplicity and Wu Wei.
Every morning is a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity, and innocence, with Nature herself. While I enjoy the friendship of the seasons nothing can make life a burden to me. The gentle rain which waters my beans and keeps me in the house today is not drear and melancholy, but good for me too. Nothing can compel a simple and brave man to a vulgar sadness. If all were to live as simply as then I did, thieving and robbery would be unknown. These take place in communities where some have got more than is sufficient while others have not enough. I will not plant beans and corn with so much industry another summer, but such seeds as sincerity, truth, simplicity, faith, innocence.
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One of the closest parallels between the Tao Te Ching and Thoreau is in this passage. Although there are various translations of the Three Treasures, the three most common are simplicity, humility and compassion. A simple, calm and open existence can bring personal peace, and influence others to find peace for themselves. The closer Thoreau comes to the simplicity of Nature, the more he takes possession of the truly free gifts of this world. Others are attracted to this, though they may not even know it; they align themselves to this energy unconsciously, as leaves turn to the sun.
It seems that nothing is free today, but few things come cheaper than communing with Nature if you are content with simple pleasures. If it’s too cold to venture out, I can still enjoy watching the Juncos eating the seeds found in our backyard or watching them splash in the bird bath I’ve recently thawed by pouring boiling water on the ice. If the weather cooperates, there’s nothing I enjoy more than a walk across the street in Pt. Defiance Park or birding the four miles at Theler Wetlands.
It would be nice to think that a love of Nature might free us from our love of Things, but, sitting here at my computer listening to Kumoso, surrounded by electronic toys, it’s pretty clear that that’s not true. At best, getting out in Nature reminds us that we don’t really need all those things to be content.
A Thoreau notes:
A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone. Superfluous wealth can buy superfluities only. Money is not required to buy one necessary of the soul. It is life near the bone where it is sweetest.
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Life near the bone is a wonderful starting point for the Seeker. Focus on what is important: it exposes the trivial for what it is, laying bare what is most meaningful and deserves attention and energy.
These quotes remind me of Emerson’s lines in his poem “Ode Inscribed to W. H. Channing” which states that “Things are in the saddle and ride mankind.” I’ll have to admit that those lines made a big impression on me when I first read them in college and is one of the few quotes that I still remember from all those poems I read. I’m sure it’s those lines that prompted me to tell several people that it’s better to not want something than it is to own it. Now if I could just live my life by that motto.
Anyone who lives simply in Nature is going to reflect the third theme: Individualism and Non-Conformity.
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music that he hears, however measured or far away. It is not important that he should mature as soon as an apple-tree or an oak. Shall he turn his spring into summer? Do not seek so anxiously to be developed, to subject yourself to many influences, to be played on; it is all dissipation. Humility, like darkness, reveals the heavenly lights.
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The drumbeat is not only the “far away” of unique behavior, but also the “measured” beat of those who like to follow the rules, and the rhythm of everything in between. Thoreau wants everyone listening to their own music, and not to feel coerced to follow another’s. Chuang-tzu said it like this: He goes his way without relying on others and does not pride himself on walking alone. While he does not follow the crowd, he won’t complain of those who do. Nature develops at the pace appropriate for it; seasons follow seasons as they should. A settled person, within a settled society, grows at the speed most fitting for his or her nature. It is wrong to want spring to be summer because “rushing into action, you fail. Forcing a project to completion, you ruin what was almost ripe.” Listen to the beat, be humble in following it, and gain a chance to walk with the divine.
Having taught high school for thirty years, I’m all too aware of the pressures to conform and the consequences if you don’t. I’m also aware of the unhappiness that can follow if you don’t trust your own instincts. We are all products of our society, and it’s hard to resist those pressuring us to conform. Experience tells me, though, that [generally] those who learn to listen to their inner selves end up happier than those who deny those feelings in order to conform.
It’s a little harder to find a direct quote from Thoreau that illustrates the fourth theme, Mystical Reflection, but Thoreau seems to be following Emerson’s suggestion on how to connect to the Over-soul. Emerson suggests moments of solitude and self-reflection to connect with the Over-soul. He believes that in quiet moments, free from distractions and societal expectations, one can hear the divine voice within.
I learned this, at least, from my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours. He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary; new, universal, and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him; or the old laws be expanded, and interpreted in his favor in a more liberal sense, and he will live with the license of a higher order of beings. In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor weakness weakness. If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.
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The greatest power, the one that lasts, is harmony. Struggle isn’t struggle because it is necessary; problems are not problems but training for success. The Seeker can eliminate worry and doubt by beginning to realize: Because he believes in himself, he doesn’t try to convince others. Because he is content with himself, he doesn’t need others’ approval. Because he accepts himself, the whole world accepts him. This is the simplicity that Thoreau sought. Following the Tao means living the freedom of its laws: creativity, conservation, recharging, endless strength and durability. Thus, the Seeker becomes the Sage by sinking into the power that has always been there, by becoming the Tao and acting as one with the laws of the universe.
Thoreau’s emphasis on simplicity and living in harmony with nature aligns closely with Taoist ideals, particularly the Three Treasures of simplicity, humility, and compassion. By embracing simplicity and non-conformity, individuals can find inner peace and connect with the natural world, leading to a deeper understanding of themselves and the universe. Ultimately, alignment with the Tao makes it possible for seekers to become sages, embodying the freedom and harmony inherent in the universe’s laws.
Hello, your post today resonated with me more than usual and I felt obligated to comment. It’s interesting because one of the routines I’ve been working on is meditation after rising in the morning. Nothing overly complicated, just putting the body in some prone position and then counting 0-100 and starting over, letting the thoughts take you where they might but overall just trying to be present in the moment.
There is a point, where ultimately I reach fulfillment and consequently I know I have finished the practice. Much of what the great teachings you mention here seem to relate to me in respect to my meditation practice- without meditation the ideas would be foreign. My practice is elementary, but effective. So learning (or reading) about other philosophies is relevant. Like I said, it seems to resonate.
Whitman said when he is with people he loves or doing things he loves (I can’t remember which) his food tastes better, he sleeps better, etc. the same is true for me but also when it comes to the case of meditation.
I can attest that meditation has an ability to set me forth with more purpose and satisfaction (much along the lines that Whitman describes) even if it’s only temporary. Now I know why people meditate multiple times per day. Its got to be: the more you do it, the more benefits you get.
My love of nature goes back to my childhood, but I started meditation long before I became interested in Taoism and Zen.
Even though I read the Tao Te Ching in grad school, it was a while before I began yoga and Meditation.
My interest in the Tao, Chi, and YinYang, though, came after I had practiced Tai Chi for several years. Tai Chi, at least the way I do it, is a form of meditation. Watching various forms of Tai Chi and Qigong led me to expand my interest into what lay behind Tai Chi.