What is
Philosophy as demonstrated in Ancient Chinese Philosophy?
Philosophy
as demonstrated in Ancient Chinese Philosophy talks about the contribution of
human beings in the world. This means to say that the human beings have or
creates a great impact in the world. That whatever it does creates a direct
influence to the world. Chinese Philosophy is about correcting the ways of how
humanity works in order to avoid the emerging problems of the society.
The
Philosophers Confucius and Lao Tzu both perceived that there are already
problems in the society. For Confucius, there really is a problem in the
society since, as stated in Analect 3:24, he (Confucius) is not anymore sitting
in any position which is not right because he is a noble man. In their
tradition, the noble man is the one who is suited to be sitting in the office
because of his proper education on how to be a public servant. Another problem
that occurred is that the peasants have been working hard yet they receive
little amount as salary and they remain poor while the noble man gets even
richer. Lastly, the people are starting to doubt if the ancestors can really
bless the living. This uncertainty is because of the people’s observation of
their political system wherein the people are only assuming office because of
power and not because of public service.
Confucius
identified the problem as social disorder rooted in the incorrect use of names.
In this part, it can be understood that Confucius is really up for changing the
ways of the people and would really like to bring them back to the ways of
humanity. As stated in the Analects, the
world is facing problems in the world because the leaders that are seated in
throne are not suited in the position. They just got the position because of
some ancestral passage. Because of this system, the ones who deserve to be in
office are not given any position. One reason for this is that sometimes they
don’t have a rich or influential ancestry.
In
this example, it can be seen that there is really a problem in the society and
that the root cause is the incorrect use of names. As stated above, the
political power comes from the rich and influential lineage. Because of this,
some officers do not deserve occupying the office. These officers have used the
office for some other purposes like the greed of power instead of public
service. They kill other aspiring people and replace them, with whoever they
want. This illustration is clearly an example of incorrect use of name. The
officers were not able to stand and live their name as public officers. They
are use the office for some other reasons.
According
to Confucius, the incorrect use of names will result to problems like a noble
man being out of office, a peasant that still has nothing and the people who
doubts their ancestors’ capacity. The incorrect use of names was the root cause
of the social disorder because people have no idea about what their words may
mean. The names must stand their names for the names and the things have a
connection within them that gives meaning. The relationship between the name
and the thing makes it whole and asserts its existence and significance. If people use names and don’t know their
proper meanings, it will create confusion in them and thus result to disorder.
The disorder will only lead them away from the truth of the thing.
The
same thing will happen if people do not know the meaning of their names. If
they do not know the connection between them and their names, they will be led
far from the truth of their existence and significance. When one is given a
name, one has to exercise it. Meaning one has to live up the name assigned to
him. When one is tasked to be a politician, he must know what it is to be a
politician. He must know that occupying a public office is for public service
and that whatever he does is always for the betterment of the people and not of
his self. He is trusted to be in that position because of his ancestral lineage
and he must learn to live with it. Because of his education, he has the right
to be seated in office, thus he must learn to be rightful in the said position.
With Lao Tzu, the problem that he perceived
was that of natural disorder rooted from knowledge and desire. The disorders
which are poverty, rebellion, and violence are all product of the absence of
the natural self and of the Tao.
Gaining
knowledge according to Lao Tzu is not a good thing if one wishes to follow the
Tao. For him, gaining knowledge means creating distinctions or divisions such
as good and evil, hot and cold, pass or fail, etc. Such distinctions separates
things, thus makes things seemingly unequal.
These distinctions influence a person in making judgments which will
turn out biased. When one has knowledge, which is distinctions, he would most
probably choose the one which he would benefit from, thus rejecting the other.
This rejection is not part of the way of nature, as in it, everything is equal.
When one is rejected, it would mean that the other is much more important or
valuable than him/her/it. Aside from creating distinctions, knowledge also
results in consequences that are far beyond ones intention. For example, when
one has distinguished good and evil, one would probably choose good as it has a
positive effect on him. When the evil is rejected, then there would be pain in
the part of the rejected evil. The one who chose good over evil doesn’t have
the intention of hurting the evil, but as a consequence of his action, he just
did.
The
knowledge of things will lead the person into wanting more and more knowledge.
This creates a problem according to Lao Tzu. This is because the knowledge
acquired by the person males him want more. Because of his knowledge, it
fuelled him to wish to obtain more, to desire for more. The effect of this
desire is that a person will lose focus on the essential things in his life.
Because of the want to get more, he forgets to examine his self of what he
truly wants and needs. Also, this desire would lead the person to get jealous
of what the others have and what he doesn’t have. This would sometimes end up
invading others property just to satisfy this want. The invasion is a violation
of the natural way of the person. It is a violation because the person tries to
do everything, the what to and the how, just to get what he wants. He pushes
himself to create ways which are far beyond his natural self. Having studied Lao Tzu, I can say that he has
always been pushing for a simpler life, a life in which is accord to the Tao to
avoid stress, anxiety and social disorder. This pushing for more than what a
person can do and may have is really a violation of his natural self, of the
natural law.
This
knowledge of knowing creates desire in the person that led him into being
caught up by the material world. Being caught up means that the person is becoming
farther from the Tao. He sometimes forgets about reflecting on what he really
needs. He is unable to see the important thing in his life, the things that are
really essential. Having knowledge and desire fuels the social disorders
because it lets a person be insane, be stressed, be mad about achieving things.
When one is yearning for something, it would make him do whatever he likes just
to achieve it. This means that the person goes beyond his capacities thus break
the natural law.
The problems
perceived by Confucius and Lao Tzu are different in a way as they have
different views on how man should live his life. With Confucius, he stated the
problem as social disorder rooted in the incorrect use of names while Lao Tzu perceived
the problem as natural disorder rooted in man’s knowledge and desire. With this
it can now be seen how these two differs in the way they wanted man to live his
life.
The
philosophies of the two are different in a way that Confucius’ Philosophy is
about making man live according to the ways of humanity. His Tao or Way is
rooted on the ways of humanity. His solution in ending the social problems is
creating an ideal person, the noble man in each one. Being a noble man means
that the person has realized and exercised his full potential as a human being.
The
Tao as rooted in the ways of humanity can be understood using Arthur Waley’s
translation of the Confucian Tao. According to him, Confucius’ Tao is the
principles of truth and right. Meaning it is in the Tao that we understand all
things in the world as it is the basis of everything. The Tao is the source of
what is true and what is right. There is an obligatory character in which human
beings are to follow the Tao as the Tao means, in its Chinese character, the
way in which the leader takes. It is an obligatory way for a human being to
follow the moral law which is basically the Tao. The link between the two is
that the moral law, which is the Tao, is basically based on humanity.
Therefore, the way a human being must follow is the way of humanity.
By
that it can be concluded that one must be in accordance to the norms of the
society as the Tao is grounded on humanity. Before man can live in accordance
to humanity, he must first know what it is and how to be human. In this way, he
would better understand the knowledge that he will gain and can exercise it
effectively. So when one wants to know what it is and how to be human, he must
first be open to learn about it. Learning lets you know things that you need to
know and not just anything. Before a person would be open to learning, he
should acknowledge the fact that he does not know everything. After that, he
should learn to distinguish things he knows and things he does not know.
Learning
is comprehending things and not just memorizing or accepting those that are
already given. It is analysing and weighing down the things that are known. To
learn is to be able to see the underlying principle of the knowledge gained. A
learned person is someone who thinks and can justify his answer. He is someone
who makes sense in what he is saying.
Knowledge
results to learning. When one has known things, then he would try to evaluate
if these knowledge can help him in his journey of knowing what it is and how to
be human. A person who is after becoming an ideal human person does not aim to
know everything but only those that could help him in his development in becoming
a human being. Learning is about knowing and evaluating things that matter and
then applied to the person’s life.
If
man wishes to be an ideal human being, he has to know what it is to be an ideal
human being. But before a person becomes an ideal human being, he should first
know what it is and how to be a human being. Knowing what it is to be a human
being means that he has to be with fellow men. This means to say that learning
can be achieved if he lets himself be with other human beings and when he is
one with other human beings.
All
these things discussed can only be learned if the person is engaged in with
fellow human beings. He should live in harmony with other people. It is easier
for man to familiarize his self with the human actions since he himself is a
human person. He can learn to act and acquaint with people since he already has
a background about them based on his experiences with them.
Learning
to be one with humanity can be understood through understanding the concepts which
are the Tao as a social-moral way, the giving of importance to tradition, the
understanding of the basic goodness and intelligence of man, and the developing
of a person into a noble man.
First
concept is understanding the Tao as social-moral way. Before I discuss why the
Tao is a social-moral character, I will first tackle why humanity is a social
mechanism. As humans, we should live in
harmony with other people as it is our nature to be one with them. According to
Analects 18:6, one cannot be in union with other creature for it is not his
nature to be with them. A person should be one with another person for it is
his own kind and that human beings has their own way that is different from
other creatures. Now knowing that a person is to be in union with other human
beings, I will now proceed to why the Tao takes in a social-moral way.
As
what I have mentioned earlier, the Tao is the source of what is right and
wrong. Meaning the Tao is the basis for everything. The Tao should be followed
as it is what its Chinese character means. The Tao could also be understood as
the moral law which is based on humanity. Therefore, since the Tao is based on
humanity, it is then to be followed since man is to follow the ways of
humanity.
In
order to understand the way of human beings, I will discuss, in this part, what
it is to be a human being. First of all, humanity sprung up from filial piety
and brotherly respect. Filial piety, as
what I have mentioned, is like the relationship between the parent and the
child. It is the child showing respect to his parent and of the parent showing
respect to his child. It is the child following the ways of the parent and it
is the parent assisting the child. Brotherly respect on the other hand is the
respect between peers or siblings. It is showing that all human beings are
equal. There is a sense of respect to each one because a man is as equal to
another man.
Therefore,
the Tao is a social-moral way because it is the way of humanity. The way of
humanity is that it should be with other human beings to be called a human
being and that the Tao, which is the moral law, is based on humanity.
Second
concept is recognizing or giving importance to tradition. In here, Confucius
puts on emphasis to that a human being should also acknowledge the past. This
is to say that the past has something to contribute in solving the problems
today. Therefore, the past only inspires the present. It doesn’t mean that
whatever happened in the past should be repeated today. The problems faced
before are partly different from the problems from the present but it does teach
a person on how to solve it.
Confucius
encourages a creative repetition. Meaning a person does not just repeat or
inherit whatever is done before but he finds a way in which it is shown to be
something new. The importance of tradition is showing the relevance of the past
that can has contributed on what the world is now.
Third
concept is having faith in the basic goodness and intelligence of man. This is
to say that Confucius believes that a human being is born good, with no bad
intention, and that is capable of learning things greatly. Everyone has an
identical natural ability which is good and intelligent. Confucius is trying to
go against the present condition of the state and society. He wanted to let
everyone have an equal opportunity to sit in a public office. He said that
public office should be a matter of character and not of ancestral lineage.
In
order to fit in any public office, Confucius emphasizes on the availability of
education for everyone. He believes that through education, a man will be
equipped enough to know things that would help him be a public servant or a
noble man (chun tzu).
Confucius
is fighting for an equal treatment between men as men are originally equal. The
children of noble families should not be the only one to be offered with
education that will provide them the skills to be a noble man themselves.
Everyone should be offered with the same chance.
Last
concept is the development of a noble man. If a man has known how to be a human
being, then he can now be developed into a noble man. A noble man according to
Confucius is someone who should be in public office because these men were
trained to be one. He is someone who possesses the characteristics in which
makes up a noble man (which would be discussed later). For Confucius, a noble
man must not be gained through ancestral lineage but to be developed. As what I
have stated, Confucius is promoting equality to men, thus sitting in a public
office or being a noble man must be earned through training and not
inheritance.
A
public office is not about having power but it is about having
responsibilities. The officer must be a superior man. His superiority however
must not be about the rank or position but a superiority of character. A human
being must not think of public office as place to gain or elevate his self for
control over the state and the society. He must think that public office is to
elevate the self for the development of the others. His responsibility as a
public officer is always to accomplish something for the betterment of his
people.
The
four concepts are an indicator of being a man one with humanity. This is to say
he lives harmoniously with other human beings. Being a man of or with humanity
signifies a man following the Way (Tao) as the Way is humanity.
When
one has known how to be human, then he can now be developed into a noble man
which Confucius suggests to be the solution to the problems. In order to be a noble
a he has to be a family oriented man and regulates and is regulated by the use
of virtues.
First
is the man should be family oriented. Meaning the man is well trained to be
responsible of his self and of the others. The family plays an important role
in the person’s development as the kind of person the child may become reflects
the family too.
The
family does not only serve as a little society in which will protect a person
but it also serves as the training grounds of a person as to what he will
become. The family is the one who teaches a person the things he needs to do as
a preparation for a bigger world. It is where the person is being formed to the
kind of person he is to be.
It
is in the family that the person learns the sense of responsibility. This is to
say that it is there that he learns how to control his words and actions. It is
through the family that the person is trained to handle duties. Great things
start from small ones. So, the person is being trained in the family by small
amounts of tasks that would prepare him in bigger responsibilities that he
would be handling as he grows and extends his horizon.
When
one has learned the sense of responsibility, he learns to be somehow a good
family man as he learns to prioritize things. Being a good family man is to
learn how to be better human being because if a person is a better human being,
he knows what to do first. He would be considerate of his actions. He would
know what is to be prioritized and what is to not to be. Being a better human
being is being responsible to his actions and decisions. It is being liable to
the consequences he might face.
The
sense of being family oriented is being held responsible to the family.
Meaning, the person is accountable to what may happen in his family as he is
the one who is molding them to be better human beings. He serves as the guide
to other family members as to what they would become. He becomes the reference
point of the others.
The
next standard is that the man should regulate and be regulated by the use of
virtue.
The
person must be molded in the family first. The molding of the person is through
the use of virtue and not by force. This means that the person must be
motivated to do or to act by the use of virtues or ethical behaviors.
When
a person is motivated by force, his actions or deeds are not coming from within
him, thus he would not be efficient to what he does. He would not be able to
perform his tasks well as he is not sincere or committed to it. Force would
only result to unsatisfactory outcomes.
When
one is motivated by virtue, then the person would be passionate to what he
does. One can see the dedication he has putted in his work, thus it would be
efficient. Virtues then would result to satisfactory outcomes.
If
one is to be regulated by virtue and not by force, then the virtues should not
be imposed to the person. This means that in order to be efficient, he should
be the source of the realization. Yes, he is taught of the virtues but it
should not be imposed on him. He should be the one to realize the worth of the
virtue. If then, in order to realize the virtues, he should be led through
examples. These examples are what the person sees or observes in his
surroundings. It is what others had done and that he saw the effects of these
virtues. He should not be forced to do the same as it would be a form of deception
mot just to the people but to the person himself.
Since
the man turns out to be responsible enough of his actions and that was well
regulated by the use of virtues, his actions too on to the next generation is
also the same. Meaning, he would also regulate the other people, basically his
family members, by the use of virtues into teaching them to be responsible
family members and later on responsible citizens or leaders of the society.
The
being family oriented and being regulated and regulates by the use of virtues
is what makes a noble man, the fullness of human-ness.
If
the person has achieved the qualities of being a noble man, he has to know what
it is and how to be and noble man. Being a noble man should be through
following the Tao and having or possessing the virtues.
First
is the following the Tao. As what I have mentioned above, the Tao has an
obligatory character in which a person must follow it since the Tao is based on
the ways of humanity. A human being is to follow the ways of humanity as he is
a human being. He could not follow the ways of other creatures as he is
different from them. A human being’s way of living must be the way of humanity,
thus the way of the Tao.
Second
are the virtues. In here, Confucius is discussing the different virtues a
person has to know and apply when he wanted to be an ideal human being and that
means being a noble man. The first virtue is for man to love man. Meaning, man
has to form his moral character through loving other people. This love for
others however, can be achieved if the person has loved his self first, which
can be felt when the person experienced being loved. It is through experiencing
the love from others and from the self that he will be able to show love.
There
are different types of love that is to be shown by man. First is the love like
that of spouses. Meaning this is the kind of love that treats everybody equal.
In here, the respect is extended to those brothers even if they are different
from the person. The relationship established here goes beyond the race or
kinship between the persons involved. Brotherly respect refers to the common
respect everyone has to have.
Second
is the love like that of parent and child. This type of love is that which
shows respect to those who are superior and inferior to the person. Meaning,
this is the type of relationship that is established through obedience and
piety. Obedience here refers to following the orders or the norms in order to
create a harmonious living between men. Obeying the norms however, requires the
intention of the person. It means that the person following it knows why he is
following it and not just for mere showing off. On the other hand, piety refers
to the devotion the person puts in obeying the orders and the norms. Just like
obedience, the devotion should also need intention coming from the person. This
requires sincerity from him and not just mere compliance to the norm.
The
love for man or humanity can be expressed through conscientiousness and
altruism.
Conscientiousness
is the loyalty of the person in doing the things for humanity. This means that
humanity is expressed through the person’s habit of doing it. Learning humanity
doesn’t mean that a person can be considered a man of humanity. To be called a
man of humanity, the person must be consistent to what he is doing. There must
be a sense of commitment from the person to his action. In doing such actions,
he must not think of what others might think of him. This means that he does
not care if others are watching him or not. The sincerity of the person must
not be measured by the praise or recognition he gets. If the person really is a
noble man, then he is a noble man regardless of whether a lot of people are
aware or not.
Since
conscientiousness is an expression of humanity, therefore it is done to and
with other human beings. It cannot be expressed to the self and by the self.
Another thing also is that conscientiousness is cultivating not just the self
but also the others. This means that the cultivation of the self is done
through cultivating others too. This act is establishing relationships with the
other human beings.
The
next expression is altruism. Altruism or reciprocity is the completion of
conscientiousness. It refers to the response that is needed when confronted
with different attitudes. It is simply the application of the so-called Golden
rule, “Do not do unto others what you do not want other to do unto you”. Confucius
said that if a person has done something bad toward another person, the same
thing would happen to him. Rudeness is a response of a person towards the
rudeness of the other. The reaction or response of a person does not mean or
signifies the differences between the two but it is because of the action he
has done.
Altruism
is the completion of conscientiousness because it is in here that the person
can show his seriousness in what he is doing. This means that he has not only
loved and respected others but also he has shown his self love and respect.
Second
virtue is righteousness. Righteousness is being fair in a given situation. It
is acting basin on what is right. A
superior man does not take sides on a given situation. He thinks and listens to
every side of the story. He is not narrow minded. He weighs down circumstances
and bases his decision from there.
Next
virtue is propriety. This virtue is doing what is the right thing to do. The
right thing to do is sometimes based on rules or laws imposed. Confucius
emphasized on doing what is proper, to what is according to the rules. Although
Confucius is saying that the proper way to do things is through following the
rules, he still puts emphasis on having intention in doing the rules or
practices.
The
virtue of propriety disciplines a person because he knows that there are
certain regulations to be followed in order to bring harmony between men. This
means to say that despite the differences among the people, because of the
rules, which are proper, it creates harmony among them. It grounds the person
and tells him his place in the society.
The
last virtue is the virtue of wisdom. Wisdom is doing the duties of man through
the ways of humanity. Meaning, the completion of the learned knowledge of being
an ideal man is done through acting it out or living it out. Being a man of
wisdom means that a person does not settle by knowing human beings but aims to
be an ideal human being.
When
a person or man has realized his full potential as a human being, which is
being a noble man, he could live harmoniously with the world as it is man’s
nature to live according to the ways of humanity. Being a noble man means that
the person has realized and lived his potential as a human person.
Lao Tzu’s
Philosophy is somehow different from Confucius because for him the problems are
that of natural problems rooted in knowledge and desire. Lao Tzu’s Philosophy is
going back or doing the ways of nature (Tao). This means that the Tao of Lao
Tzu is about doing things that are according to the Natural Laws.
What is
Philosophy as demonstrated in Ancient Chinese Philosophy by Lao Tzu?
Philosophy,
according to Lao Tzu is going back or doing the ways of nature (Tao). This
means that the Tao of Lao Tzu is about doing things that are according to the
Natural Laws.
Before I
discuss the Natural Law, I would first discuss the first concept in which it is
rooted from. The Tao for Lao Tzu is the origin of the universe. It is the
beginning of all things and it is where all things end up to. The nature of Tao
is that it is formless. It takes no shape and is intangible but it is from it
that the universe is formed. The Tao, as it is formless, cannot be perceived by
the senses and because of this, it takes no name. It doesn't have a name
because the being may be boxed into one context only. The Tao is eternal and it
is improper to box into one context which is the concept of naming. It is just
called Tao to have a direct reference.
The being of
the Tao is partially unknown to man. Partially because there is a claim of its
existence. It is said that the Tao is the source of every other being but the
physical appearance or the existence of it is still anonymous. Lao Tzu has said
that the Tao is formless but it doesn't mean it isn't there. The Tao exists but
its identity is undetermined. The Tao
for Lao Tzu is beyond the perception of man. It something greater than man and
its power is beyond man’s imagination. Man is a limited being and the Tao
doesn't go below his level just for him to know about it. Man is not the measure
of Tao but the nature of Tao itself.
Because of man’s limitation, he may perceive the Tao as nothing but the
Tao is so much for man that he fails to recognize it.
Another
characteristic of the Tao is that it is impartial meaning it takes no sides. It
doesn't care about people. It didn't boast itself to man that it is willing to
go lower up to man’s perception. The Tao has its own natural way and it does
not change itself just to please man.
The Tao is
so great that it doesn't fail to accomplish anything. It completes its matters
through the process and sometimes, it is left unnoticed. Even though it has
achieved many things, the Tao doesn't call attention. What it does are ordinary
things and doesn't take credit for it. It does nothing in excess and it is
always enough. Therefore, the Natural Law is rooted on the Tao because it is
the beginning of everything. It created everything.
Now, going
back to the Natural Law, it is the law in which things act according to their
innate capacity. This is to say that things happen according to the movement of
their natural self. It is the way of the universe, the way of nature.
If one is to
comprehend Natural Law, one must understand its two ideas, the natural way of
things and the natural self. First is the natural way. In this part, the
concept of opposites is being discussed.
The
emergence of opposites is normal. The world composes opposites but these
opposites do not exist to contradict and negate each other. Each of the
opposites contains the other as in the case of the yin and the yang. The other
takes part in the formation of the other. It cannot be known without the
presence of the other. Despite them being opposites, they still share a sense
of sameness that makes them. For example, the long and the short share in the
essence of length.
The natural
way of the opposites is going on a circular direction. It means that the
opposites work through reversal. The other opposite precedes to the other like
rain precedes sunshine. One thing about the opposites is that it is only
opposite to its partner. It is not opposite to other things. Another
interpretation of the reversal is that the opposites always goes back to the
Tao. It is done this way because all of them are from the Tao. They are one
with the Tao. The Tao is the origin of these things and to it everything shall
return. It is the natural way of things. Going on a reversal way.
As what I
have said, the emergence of the opposites is normal. Despite the opposite-ness
of these things, it still managed to be in harmony with one another. The invitation for man here is to go on to
the natural way of things. That it let things happen. In the case of the
opposites, the two are not in contrast with each other. One does not negate the
other but instead, it complements it thus creating harmony despite their
difference. In man’s life, despite the opposite or contradictions, he should be
in tune with it. He should not negate it as it would bring worse scenarios. The
man should just let things happen.
Second idea
is the natural self. In this part, the concept of the Te is being discussed.
Civilization
and education makes man break away from the natural order of things. Man
creates his own ways like following a rigid, straight path which only keeps
moving forward and does not look on to the past. It is also because of
civilization and education that man learns on making preferences over the
opposites. The emergence of opposites is natural but because of the prejudice
and biases, it makes man think to prefer one over the other.
According to
Lao Tzu, man is innately good. Good in the sense that he is innocent of the
biases and prejudices. This is the natural self: goodness. Because of
civilization and education, man forgets his real and natural self. He starts to
create a new self that is based on the demands of the society and not of the
Tao. The goodness that is innocence without malice is being replaced by the
goodness that is in accordance to humanity. The ways of the Tao doesn't care
about the virtues of humanity. It has its own virtue.
The
challenge for man here is to be able to go back to the Te or virtue of the Tao
which is to be good through innocence without malice. It is going back and
knowing the self for the self. The mastery of the self leads man to learn the
value of contentment thus does not create desires. Having no desires means not having
preferences over things. The Taoist Te, is basically concerned about the
development of the person for the benefit of his self.
The
descriptions above makes up the Natural Law. The realization of this natural
law however, is difficult to achieve as one may be caught up by the material
world. This is the case, as what has
been indicated in the powerpoint presentation, of Confucianism. Confucius
discusses things that are of this world and Lao Tzu says that he doesn’t solve
problem. He uses solutions which are also found in this world which is not the
real solution. For him (Lao Tzu), the real solution is not of this material
world. The realization of the natural law can be done through reflection. This
reflection leads to insights and would let someone know what he really wants
and needs. This will lead him into the realization of his natural self.
In order for
one to know the self, Lao Tzu said that one should reflect on the self. This
means that one should go back to his roots and follow its ways. When one has
found his roots, he would have a deeper understanding of his self and he will
better know his abilities. One characteristic of nature is that it does not
broadcast itself. It does not set itself in the foreground so that everybody
will know. It is humble and acts the way it should be. The person, following
the nature is and should also be humble. He should do what he needs to do even
if no one is watching him.
Taoism says
that one should follow the ways of nature. Knowing the self is going back to
the ways of nature. In order to know whether the person has followed it, he
should at least empty his self of the things he knows from humanity. Meaning he
should unlearn the ways of humanity which is always fast tracking things and
pretending to be someone or somebody he is not. This is a method that is to let
the self be unoccupied from the biases and expectations of humanity from a
person. Emptying the self from all external factors helps him to be able to go
back to the self and consult it as to what it really wants and needs. Going
back to insight is going back to the nature of the self, the natural self.
When one has
successfully freed the self from the prejudices of man, he will now try to
learn his self. Learning the self is going back to insight.
The going
back to insight is knowing from within. It is trying to listen to what is in
the self, the real self that is not influenced by the things of humanity. It is
knowing what the self really is, knowing what it real needs, and what it really
wants to be. Insight or reflection here is to be detached from the demands of
humanity and focus more on the demands of nature. This is to say that the
person should find the core or the roots of his self. He should be more
attentive on the things he claims to know and the way he lives his life.
Since the
person has followed the ways of nature and that he has detached his self from
the ways of humanity, he learns or understands better the things that are
essential to him. He keeps everything which is important and throws out the
unnecessary.
When one has
known the nature of the self, he is being aware of his capabilities. This is to
say that through reflection, he has come to know his strengths and weaknesses. He
does what he is capable of doing in the way it must be. He does not boast what
he can do and does not call the attention of the people. The person is
efficient in doing the things he ought to do. He isn’t any more fascinated with
the things in the human world.
Another
thing is that he will understand better the necessities of the self. As what I have mentioned, the person will
realize the essential things that the natural self needs and he will only do
the things that would satisfy those needs.
The basic or
important needs are those that would only help him survive his daily life. He
will not aim for more because he knows that the other needs are non-essential
and that they are what we called luxuries in life. He would only do the things that will let him
achieve the needs and wants of the natural self. Aside from that, he aims for
nothing else.
Since the
person knows what he wants and needs, he knows when and how to stop his self
from aiming more. He knows how to control himself from attaching to other
things in the material world. He reminds his self to only do the things that
would let him acquire the needs. Other than that, he knows that it is beyond
the nature of his self and of the Tao.
The Taoist
sage does not aim for something bigger than the needs of the self. Aiming for
more will lead him violating the natural way of his self which is according to
the natural ways of the Tao. The sage does not desire to have luxuries in his
life. He knows how to be contented of what he has.
Knowing what
the self needs is knowing the things that is to be done. When one has a clear
vision of what he ought to do, he will no longer aim for anything else because
he knows what his self really wants.
To become a
Taoist sage, one must know the self in order to know the things that he needs
to do. When the person does not know his self, it will lead him to do anything
that pops up in his mind. He will be more attached to the material world and
aims everything on it as he is not certain to what his self really needs. He
would aim to have everything as he tries to identify his self.
If one’s
idea is corrupted, it would result to greater problems. The problem that Lao Tzu perceived was that
of natural disorder rooted from knowledge and desire. The disorders which are
poverty, rebellion, and violence are all product of the absence of the natural
self and of the Tao.
Lao Tzu
presented some solutions to this agony that a person may be experiencing. First
is that the government should not interfere with the affairs of the people.
This is to say that they let the people handle their things the way they wanted
it to be. The government does not control the lives of the people instead they
only facilitate them. They are only there to assist the people and not to
impose things and let them do whatever they wanted them to do.
The
non-interference of the government can only be done through a great king whom
Lao Tzu identified as a philosopher-king. Having a philosopher-king as a leader
is Lao Tzu’s second solution. A philosopher-king is one who has learned to be
sage, that is to say that he knows the way of the Tao. He lives in a life that
is following the ways of nature. He is someone who has already known the ways
of the Tao, thus he took the responsibility of being the leader to avoid those
who has dreamt of becoming a leader and rule over the empire. With a
philosopher-king as a ruler, the empire would experience what Wing Tsit Chan
interpreted as the laissez faire type of government. With this type of
government, the people are free to do whatever they want to do. The role of the
government is to not enforce laws but to ensure the security of the people and
assist them in their needs.
One has to
be led in that way so that one would realize the need to let things act on
their own. I believe that it is a person’s nature to act when someone has
already done it. What I mean is that
someone do things because of somebody else’s influence. It is easier for man to
realize the need to go back to the ways of nature when one has already done it.
Having a philosopher-king and a government that follows the ways of nature
would inspire a person to also go back to the ways of nature.
Through the
leadership of the government under the philosopher-king, the people would have
a better understanding of how to handle natural conflicts or problems. The
philosopher-king who knows the ways first has opened the doors for others to
realize that too. He let others grasp their own potential through letting them
realize their natural self. Through that, they recognize the natural play of
things which is that there would always be contradictions and dealing them is
not through abolishing the other but through compensating and harmonizing the
two.
With the
philosopher-king and the government following the ways of the Tao, it would
open a person’s mind to also return to the ways of nature. Returning to the Tao
would help them in dealing natural problems and conflicts.
Therefore,
Lao Tzu’s Philosophy is doing the things that are of the Tao. These things of
the Tao are those in accord to the Natural Law, the natural way of things. It
can only be done when one has known the self. Again, knowing the self is going
back to the natural way of the self which is according to the natural way of
things.
Knowing the
self can be done by the way of unlearning. Unlearning is the emptying the self
of the teachings brought by humanity. By this, the person will see the bigger
picture other than humanity which is the universe. He then sees how nature
works which is being steady and stable.
Lao Tzu sees
the solution to the problem of the world as letting things flow the way they
should be. It is therefore letting things be themselves. Then, if this is so, one
has to avoid the hunger of things, he would not yearn for anything other than
supplying his basic needs. He would only satisfy his needs for survival.
Yearning for more would mean forcing the self. Meaning it is going beyond the
natural self.
Although the
two philosophers has different views on how man should live his life, they are
still the same in the sense that they wanted to bring back the people in their
own way. Confucius interpreted this way as the way of humanity and Lao Tzu
interpreted this as a way of nature. Also, they are the same in a way that they
do not force people to do or practice what is mentioned above as for Confucius
it would be a waste of time and for Lao Tzu it is beyond the natural pace of
man.
