The Tao, sutra 47

[rawmr]

One can know the world without leaving the house. One can see Tao without looking out the window. The more you study, the less you know.

And that last sentence is probably the most unfortunately worded statement in all the East Because taken literally it is absolutely absurd, and is responsible probably more than any other single line for much of

Comments

[baal_kriah]

I've always enjoyed George Harrison's musical version of this sutra.

[rawmr]

Clever those song writers, I still haven't figured out how its done really, or I'd be pickin' out sutras and recording songs too. hehe. Think I'll just keep thinking about the movie script I started, and finishing the photo work for my book for now. And when Depak Chopra kicks off or gets to senile to continue, I'll take up from there with the self-help books. Got to have at least one decent pop-guru going at any one time.

[afro_chicken]

and is responsible probably more than any other single line for much of the ridicule New Age/Eastern thought deservedly gets with its "Do nothing, think nothing. that's the way to enlightenment." Many have tried to correct this misunderstanding

It is absolutely shocking to see how even grad students in the sciences tend to read for mere memorization of words, rather than the comprehension of the operative principles being described in there reading materials.

I find that this is because people are not trying to learn anything. Instead, they are trying to feel/look/sound smart. The best way to do this is to appear as if you have disproved very deep philosophies. Also, many do it just because they cannot be bothered thinking.

[rawmr]

Oh yes, indubatibly on all counts. And all counts fit ash93, the grad student in question. The other thing is, few folks care to learn about the subconscious, because all the not so little and uncomfortable truths about the self that have been repress lie there naked and exposed.

One of my pet peeves is that colleges have all but eliminated the study of the subconscious from their curriculum, and the few courses given are seriously deficient. Given this and students like ash93 who actually make up the norm, it seems deserving that the field should be reclassified from science to the arts, or something. In the present condition, it just doesn't deserve the title of Science.

Welcome to live journal, your friends list is sparce at the moment, but I'll add you. :)

[afro_chicken]

In Australia, universities have to actually justify how all their courses and/or subjects can be used in employment. It's the elimination of thought-for-the-sake-of-thought. Somehow, where I'm going still gets away with a bit of thought for the sake of thought.

Thanks for the warm welcome. :)

I hail from the myspace blog-realm, where people generally fall to the level of crude name-calling, and absolutely illogical arguments. The God debates were always fun, but I felt like I wasn't really engaging in intelligent debate. So here I am. So far, I'm happy, but we'll see how things pan out. :D

[rawmr]

Abstract_thought has young but interesting minds; politicsforum is a very good one with a number of serious grad students and professionals adding their insights; seraphimsegrist is a retired Bishop of the Eastern Orthodox church, a wonderful and interesting guy who several times daily puts out very entertaining pieces on literature, art and comparative religion/philosophy.