I love Chuang Tzu’s concept of "fasting of the mind" 「心齋」 here. Conformity is so powerful. It happens gradually hence we don’t even realize it. Like the story of a frog boiled alive, initially immersed in a pot without realizing that the water is gradually heating up.
So true. It's like sleepwalking into something we don't really resonate with as an individual. Yet, when we are in a group, our sensitivity changes and our level of awareness seems to shrink.
Talking about awareness, I just read this and am curious what you think from Taoism perspective - if it makes sense to either go inward or embrace self complexity in a hyper complex world. My sense is we need to be able to do both across different stages of our lives.
It's a great read and the first time I've heard the concept of "self-complexity." I agree with you. We need to adopt different ways of living at various stages of life. From a Taoist perspective, being resilient to adapt is the key, and inner resilience is cultivated by constantly looking within for stillness and going through the turbulence of the world. Both Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu also emphasize the idea of self-transformation in the context of constant change and uncertainty.
At the same time, wu-wei can remind us what kind of layers, or to what extent, we want to add to our self-identity, as the idea is about non-intentional action or non-forcing. It's a heightened level of awareness regarding the distractions, activities, and entanglements in our immediate reality. As the world becomes more complex, we control what to subtract, how to be simple, and when to reevaluate everything out there instead of being driven by external forces and pressures.
I am loving the multi layered translations here. Ancient languages have so many facets. I'd like to add: After studying physical which interweaves all levels of healing for these last 12 years. I see that know thyself goes beyond the mind, but all levels. Physical, emotional and energy moving. When we can tune into the multiple layers of the self, all things begin to align as its whole self. the western world, the yang world, the masculine world has focused so on mind as self, but truly we are many layers and within each layer many facets.
Really like your interpretation. We are a multi-layered existence. The mind is very much on a logical and analytical plane. While we overly rely on it, we overlook the function of intuition and other elements of existence. Exactly as you mentioned, the physical, emotional and energy.
I love comparing the different translations, too. Sometimes, it feels like a brain exercise as we attempt precise meaning. In other moments, we get a different understanding as we accumulate varied experiences. Unfathomable. Fascinating.
incredible comment. :) I love that yoga means the unification of the 4 “bodies” not just stretching and taking instagram selfies. Keep up the amazing work.
I love Chuang Tzu’s concept of "fasting of the mind" 「心齋」 here. Conformity is so powerful. It happens gradually hence we don’t even realize it. Like the story of a frog boiled alive, initially immersed in a pot without realizing that the water is gradually heating up.
So true. It's like sleepwalking into something we don't really resonate with as an individual. Yet, when we are in a group, our sensitivity changes and our level of awareness seems to shrink.
Talking about awareness, I just read this and am curious what you think from Taoism perspective - if it makes sense to either go inward or embrace self complexity in a hyper complex world. My sense is we need to be able to do both across different stages of our lives.
https://open.substack.com/pub/morehumanpossible/p/dancing-with-self-complexity?r=38c9g&utm_medium=ios
It's a great read and the first time I've heard the concept of "self-complexity." I agree with you. We need to adopt different ways of living at various stages of life. From a Taoist perspective, being resilient to adapt is the key, and inner resilience is cultivated by constantly looking within for stillness and going through the turbulence of the world. Both Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu also emphasize the idea of self-transformation in the context of constant change and uncertainty.
At the same time, wu-wei can remind us what kind of layers, or to what extent, we want to add to our self-identity, as the idea is about non-intentional action or non-forcing. It's a heightened level of awareness regarding the distractions, activities, and entanglements in our immediate reality. As the world becomes more complex, we control what to subtract, how to be simple, and when to reevaluate everything out there instead of being driven by external forces and pressures.
I am loving the multi layered translations here. Ancient languages have so many facets. I'd like to add: After studying physical which interweaves all levels of healing for these last 12 years. I see that know thyself goes beyond the mind, but all levels. Physical, emotional and energy moving. When we can tune into the multiple layers of the self, all things begin to align as its whole self. the western world, the yang world, the masculine world has focused so on mind as self, but truly we are many layers and within each layer many facets.
Really like your interpretation. We are a multi-layered existence. The mind is very much on a logical and analytical plane. While we overly rely on it, we overlook the function of intuition and other elements of existence. Exactly as you mentioned, the physical, emotional and energy.
I love comparing the different translations, too. Sometimes, it feels like a brain exercise as we attempt precise meaning. In other moments, we get a different understanding as we accumulate varied experiences. Unfathomable. Fascinating.
incredible comment. :) I love that yoga means the unification of the 4 “bodies” not just stretching and taking instagram selfies. Keep up the amazing work.
Thank you for sharing, Megan. I didn't know about the rich meaning of yoga. Wonderful.