Nothing can make you happy

[david_dawei]

Yesterday, my wife was so happy.. in fact, when I came into the room after working for the day she exclaimed it, "today, I'm so happy"

 

I asked her the whys and whats and wanted to dig for answers... after all, it was finally an opportunity for us to talk a common language since the beginning challenges of facial gestures... I wanted to hear her articulate this 'happiness'...

 

and she said, "I thought nothing today"

 

After a moment of silence.. I decided to counter with...

 

"How can you know it was happiness if you were not thinking... You telling me that your thinking happiness but you said you had no thought?" B)

 

She replied, "Because I'm happy".

 

[ I immediately thought of the "White Horse is not a Horse" story.. see link below.]

 

To make a long story of 'nothing' short... the gist of her comment was that by not thinking anything, this means that there were no bad thoughts, no bad vibes, no pressures from life.. it was a day 'without thought'. Some might recall a refrain that I often share is her secret to life: "Don't think, only do"... and I was getting a further glimpse toward understanding her 'no thinking' approach to life, and the happiness that results.

 

As background, the idea of 'no thought' is very classical in chinese philosophy, often coupled with the idea of spontaneous action over 'thoughtful' (planned or over analyzed) action.

 

The chinese is: Wu Wei , akin to 'no action'.. but better understood as: "No [unnatural] action". Action that requires no thought is 'thought' to be in harmony with nature; closer to animals instinct, and our original self (I guess prior to influences of society and such)

 

This idea is what first attracted me to Zen. The problem with understanding Zen is that it believes that the true transmission of it's teachings are non-verbal and giving no-thought.... which means how can you really understand it But every once in a while, my wife will surprise me with some Daoist or Zen-like lesson, and I not only get to see it in action but get to hear her cognizant of it and explain it a little.

 

I've talked to and asked many chinese to explain chinese philosophy, but many either don't want to or cannot articulate what they clearly are living. I'm glad to find someone who will satisfy my desire to know and understand such estoric ideas with simpy life lessons on how 'nothing can make you happy'... (yes, a Zen polarized pun intended...)...

 

 

A White Horse is not a Horse

[Robert S.]

Awesome post, David.

[david_dawei]

ok.. that was yesterday.. today is today...

 

We're at the supermarket and we're ready to pay... and I can't find my Credit Card.. so pull out the ATM... that's when the fire bells went off

 

"Why you use that?"

 

"I can't find the CC.. must be in my pants at home"?

 

"Why you do that.. you don't think to tell me"?

 

"I'm telling you now"

 

"Next time you need think. Tell me"

 

---

 

And so you have it.. a "no thought" [think less is best] day is happiness and a "you didn't think" [think more I implore] day is not. Everywhere inbetween is the stuff live is made of...

[ameriken]

Reminds me of 'Last of the Samurai' when Tom Cruise was sword sparring with one of the samurai there.....and was taking a beating. He was instructed that part of his problem was 'too much mind'...his mind was focused on too many things.

 

We are victims of our own minds....it creates the feelings and thoughts we have from stress and our circumstances, and then our minds have to conquer it. No mind is a great achievement....

[DMikeS4321]

Yesterday, my wife was so happy.. in fact, when I came into the room after working for the day she exclaimed it, "today, I'm so happy"

 

I asked her the whys and whats and wanted to dig for answers... after all, it was finally an opportunity for us to talk a common language since the beginning challenges of facial gestures... I wanted to hear her articulate this 'happiness'...

 

and she said, "I thought nothing today"

 

After a moment of silence.. I decided to counter with...

 

"How can you know it was happiness if you were not thinking... You telling me that your thinking happiness but you said you had no thought?" B)

 

She replied, "Because I'm happy".

 

[ I immediately thought of the "White Horse is not a Horse" story.. see link below.]

 

To make a long story of 'nothing' short... the gist of her comment was that by not thinking anything, this means that there were no bad thoughts, no bad vibes, no pressures from life.. it was a day 'without thought'. Some might recall a refrain that I often share is her secret to life: "Don't think, only do"... and I was getting a further glimpse toward understanding her 'no thinking' approach to life, and the happiness that results.

 

As background, the idea of 'no thought' is very classical in chinese philosophy, often coupled with the idea of spontaneous action over 'thoughtful' (planned or over analyzed) action.

 

The chinese is: Wu Wei , akin to 'no action'.. but better understood as: "No [unnatural] action". Action that requires no thought is 'thought' to be in harmony with nature; closer to animals instinct, and our original self (I guess prior to influences of society and such)

 

This idea is what first attracted me to Zen. The problem with understanding Zen is that it believes that the true transmission of it's teachings are non-verbal and giving no-thought.... which means how can you really understand it But every once in a while, my wife will surprise me with some Daoist or Zen-like lesson, and I not only get to see it in action but get to hear her cognizant of it and explain it a little.

 

I've talked to and asked many chinese to explain chinese philosophy, but many either don't want to or cannot articulate what they clearly are living. I'm glad to find someone who will satisfy my desire to know and understand such estoric ideas with simpy life lessons on how 'nothing can make you happy'... (yes, a Zen polarized pun intended...)...

 

 

A White Horse is not a Horse

 

David,

 

This is a great story. I have a little pet theory and I want to run it past you. Please tell me what you think.

 

I have seldom seen a Chinese person in China misstep or run into something. I don't mean pushing in line, I mean like, stumble or bump into something. From this I infer that they are just more in touch with their surroundings, more attuned to their environment.

 

When in China and crossing a street, I am simply astonished to see how many people simply step off into traffic. No glance, no "look both ways", just step off. Now, I KNOW there are plenty of car-pedestrian accidents, but from what I see, there should be blood running in the streets.

 

It's nerve wracking for me to watch this behavior by pedestrians, even MORE nerve wracking to participate. Sometimes I insist that we cross the street "American style" (crosswalks), but Lao Po laughs at my concern.

 

We seem to fight everything in this country. Nothing comes easily as it seems almost everything is a struggle. Certainly the pace seems different in China. What's your take on this?

 

Do you see any connection?

 

Best Regards and Merry Christmas

 

Lao Tzu said: "He who knows does not speak; he who speaks does not know". He then proceeded to write 10,000 words to describe this philosophy. Do you think he got the irony or is the message "deeper" than that?

Edited December 20, 2006 by DMikeS4321 (see edit history)

[david_dawei]

I have seldom seen a Chinese person in China misstep or run into something. I don't mean pushing in line, I mean like, stumble or bump into something. From this I infer that they are just more in touch with their surroundings, more attuned to their environment.

 

When in China and crossing a street, I am simply astonished to see how many people simply step off into traffic. No glance, no "look both ways", just step off. Now, I KNOW there are plenty of car-pedestrian accidents, but from what I see, there should be blood running in the streets.

 

It's nerve wracking for me to watch this behavior by pedestrians, even MORE nerve wracking to participate. Sometimes I insist that we cross the street "American style" (crosswalks), but Lao Po laughs at my concern.

 

We seem to fight everything in this country. Nothing comes easily as it seems almost everything is a struggle. Certainly the pace seems different in China. What's your take on this?

 

Do you see any connection?

I have pondered this same thing... my current work in traffic safety makes it all the more interesting as well.

 

I do think they are in touch with something but it might not be exactly the same idea as yours. I see this same issue at work whether it is their walking, driving, and interactions with people.. so I see the walking issue as part of another whole; In a nutshell, they observe everything around themselves and have very good spatial awareness.

 

What I see is that one has to look at not an individual but the entire system (ie: people and cars).. everyone in the system abides by the same observational rules; to see everything. This way, if you do miss something another person will make some evasive maneuver as if to suggest you didn't miss something. To me, the entire system works in sync this way. Two Pedestrians can walk half way across a street and stop in the middle of two way traffic and have a conversation like they are in their homes.. cars stay on their path and the people do not move. WHen I was young, we used to do this as a game of 'chicken'.. so I am very good at doing this in china...

 

Generally in the US everyone operates on the idea of "right of way"; you have too many independent processes trying to unfold without too much regard for others... that's why we have road rage in the US but not as much in China; in the latter, you have a responsibility towards the whole. In the US since the pedestrians fear the cars and cars do not trust the people... but I do observe in South Florida that it is much closer to China style crossing than say Massachusetts.. so maybe high density of people create more an understanding of how the system must work together).

 

With people, I see this at work and explains why (in my mind) they don't need to explain on a certain level; my wife's "don't think, just do" can only work if you observe what is needed to be done.

 

If my wife has a cough, I [now] instinctively go get water... I don't ask her if she wants any. To ask would be to have observed but not understood. To go get water (just do it) is to observe and understand. She observes that I get the water and she drinks it (since part of the observation is that by my action I'm taking care of her; If I believe she should have water then she'll drink it).

 

So I think the higher unifying issue is one of observing everything around oneself... In this way, there is a mutually seeking harmony to the environment (or the system as I called it).

[david_dawei]

Lao Tzu said: "He who knows does not speak; he who speaks does not know". He then proceeded to write 10,000 words to describe this philosophy. Do you think he got the irony or is the message "deeper" than that?

Lao Tzu is very interesting guy, although some question whether he truly existed or wrote the books attributed to him. He is considered an older contemporary of Confucius and the father of Taoism/Daoism. It is said that Confucius (at 35 years old) went to see Lao Tzu (at 88) and the origin of "Lao Tzu" comes from Confucius calling him "old philosopher/gentleman". The deference that Confucius supposely extended to Lao Tzu is seen by some as storytellying to simply attempt to make Taoism as superior to Confucianism.

 

Lao Tzu worked in the emperor's library for many years and as [yet another] story goes.. decided to 'retire' to the mountains... mounted a buffalo (often pictured on one) and rode off... the border guard realized that he was never coming back and asked him to record his teachings. Over two days, Lao Tzu is said to have written the 5,000 character Tao Te Ching.

 

Interesting to note similarities to other famous figures:

- A self kept man hidden in a library founded this philosophical 'way'; Similar to Einstein who worked in a patent office for years and suddenly emerged from that with theories that changed science.

- Although different from say Buddha and Jesus, who had disciples (Lao Tzu didn't).. but all three never intentionally penned their own sayings (Lao Tzu only did by request of the guard).

 

---

 

Getting to your comment on the quote... it is very similar to the opening sentence of the Tao Te Ching: "The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao"

 

One could argue along the lines I think you suggest: how could he have such an opening sentence and then proceed to write 5000 characters speaking about it !

 

Yes, there is some irony in penning what cannot be spoken or said.. some argue that he is not speaking after all, but writing or explaining... but that is a weak argument IMO...

 

Language (in whatever form) is a part of a whole, as is everything; for Lao Tzu, this means it is all a part of (or inferior to) the eternal Tao. If one will attempt to use language to describe the eternal [ergo, and everything], then it must be able to also describe itself and how it can do that, but that part must be able to describe how it can do that and on and on... It falls over itself in an infinite loop of sorts.

 

In short, the meaning of your and my quoted text is: The part can never describe the whole.

 

The rest of the 5000 character text is less a expounding of that point and more an anthology of ideas... a handbook on Tao (including an origin to the universe)... poured out over two days by an elderly philosopher headed to the mountains to escape life... (if one believes the border guard story)

[lili58]

 

When in China and crossing a street, I am simply astonished to see how many people simply step off into traffic. No glance, no "look both ways", just step off. Now, I KNOW there are plenty of car-pedestrian accidents, but from what I see, there should be blood running in the streets.

I have a very similiar observation regarding americans . I am simply astonished to see how crazy americans drive here. They cut me off, they do U turns when it's not allowed, they change 3 lanes at a same time, and young guys drive so fast. It's so scary to watch and participate in!!! Then I thought, maybe we all same. Like how chinese people are very comfortable on their feet or on their bicycles, so do americans are very comfortable in their cars. Once they are in their car, they are not afraid of anything .

[phantom1949]

Every interesting insight. Thanks for the posts.

[SmilingAsia]

I thought nothing today - I worried about nothing today.

 

A white horse is not a horse.

The white mouse my daughter keeps is not a mouse, but a pet.

A white elephant is not a working elephant, but an animal to worship.

 

So, a white guy is not a guy?

Edited December 21, 2006 by SmilingAsia (see edit history)

[Mick]

ok.. that was yesterday.. today is today...

 

We're at the supermarket and we're ready to pay... and I can't find my Credit Card.. so pull out the ATM... that's when the fire bells went off

 

"Why you use that?"

 

"I can't find the CC.. must be in my pants at home"?

 

"Why you do that.. you don't think to tell me"?

 

"I'm telling you now"

 

"Next time you need think. Tell me"

 

---

 

And so you have it.. a "no thought" [think less is best] day is happiness and a "you didn't think" [think more I implore] day is not. Everywhere inbetween is the stuff live is made of...

 

Ah, a lesson in natural vs. unnaturnal thought...

 

What is the sound of one debit card slapping?

[bosco]

I love this subject! A couple of my own efforts to describe:

 

One Hand Clapping

 

 

What is the sound

Of one hand clapping?

But the sound of

A mind free of thought,

A wing without flight,

A dream not given voice,

A heart without passion,

Lovers separated by time and miles.

 

What is the sound

Of one hand clapping?

But the sound of

Emptiness

Embedded in wholeness.

 

 

Neti, neti (Not this, Not that)

 

 

I dwell within a reality

Which is everything,

And dream an illusion,

Which is nothing.

 

However . . .

If ¡®nothing¡¯ can exist in awareness

As a comprehensible possibility,

Then in fact it must be something;

And, if that something

Which is nothing

Exists without form,

Then that nothing

Which is something

Must exist

With neither edge nor boundary.

Therefore it may be shown

That that nothing

Which neither can be differentiated

Nor separated from any other nothing

Might in fact,

Only unveil itself within awareness

As Everything.

 

I dream a reality

Which is nothing,

And dwell within an illusion

Which is everything.