What I know I learned about because I got into a discussion with my best chum. He explained to me that Tao tends to be a Path of Action and InterAction, where Zen tends to be a path of InAction.
For years I thought I was traveling a Zen path. One of acceptance and joy in all things in the Universe. Instead, I was an active participant, as most folks are. However, the difference is all philosophical.
To be a participant of Tao, one is aware of the Universal Interactions and takes joy in how everything moves and spins as it does. We also take joy in the recognition of our own part in the interactions and knowing that everything we do causes a ripple in the Universe. That we are all in this together and it is all a matter of give and take. What hurts the least of us, hurts us. Jesus would be a practitioner of Tao.
To be a participant of Zen, one sits on the mountain or under a tree, watching the world as an observer, rather than a participant. Of course, being an observer, we also understand that we are participating, but at a very minimal level. We see the interplay of light and shadow, of emotion and logic, and take joy in the interactions of these things, recognizing that they amount to very little in the scope of the Universe, but still taking joy in them. Jesus was also a practitioner of Zen.
In essence, the world is a world, the Universe is a Universe of Balance. Forget Karma... that's been all blown out of proportion, and most folks don't understand what it really means anyway. Ying and Yang? Again, most folks have no concept of the Masculine/Feminine balance of the universe. Instead they assign Male/Female concepts - It's entirely different.
But I digress. In short, Dear Sis... the more aware we are in mind, the more aware of our spiritual connectivity, and the more aware we are of our part in the Universe the more we, as spiritual beings, are in balance.
You, my darling Capi, are pretty darn close, and I envy you for it.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2009-01-13 06:27 am (UTC)For years I thought I was traveling a Zen path. One of acceptance and joy in all things in the Universe. Instead, I was an active participant, as most folks are. However, the difference is all philosophical.
To be a participant of Tao, one is aware of the Universal Interactions and takes joy in how everything moves and spins as it does. We also take joy in the recognition of our own part in the interactions and knowing that everything we do causes a ripple in the Universe. That we are all in this together and it is all a matter of give and take. What hurts the least of us, hurts us. Jesus would be a practitioner of Tao.
To be a participant of Zen, one sits on the mountain or under a tree, watching the world as an observer, rather than a participant. Of course, being an observer, we also understand that we are participating, but at a very minimal level. We see the interplay of light and shadow, of emotion and logic, and take joy in the interactions of these things, recognizing that they amount to very little in the scope of the Universe, but still taking joy in them. Jesus was also a practitioner of Zen.
In essence, the world is a world, the Universe is a Universe of Balance. Forget Karma... that's been all blown out of proportion, and most folks don't understand what it really means anyway. Ying and Yang? Again, most folks have no concept of the Masculine/Feminine balance of the universe. Instead they assign Male/Female concepts - It's entirely different.
But I digress. In short, Dear Sis... the more aware we are in mind, the more aware of our spiritual connectivity, and the more aware we are of our part in the Universe the more we, as spiritual beings, are in balance.
You, my darling Capi, are pretty darn close, and I envy you for it.