March 08 and 09, 2014
the vinegar tasters
I listened to a TED talk yesterday--Brene Brown speaking on vulnerability. Turns out this is quite a popular talk and I can see why. It seems to cut to the core issue of what ails us all---a profound feeling of disconnection (with 'no exit' in sight.) Its most likely cause: an unwillingness to be vulnerable.
Without listening to the talk, one might think it is going to be a little woo-woo or "girlie" but it turns out to be a very balanced presentation. Brown is an academic with an academic methodology. Her message, which could be legitimately revealed by an non-academic method, carries more weight culturally because of her empirical approach. Why it is that a skeptic who has uncovered evidence pointing to the exact opposite of their own belief system is more believable than someone who has a willingness to believe without solid empirical evidence is, I think, a part of the exact problem she describes. Vulnerability has become something more to fear and avoid than to be embraced--and it is certainly not seen as valuable.
After listening to her talk, I immediately sprang into action--which is just like me. "I am going to be vulnerable--right now!!" Lucky for me, I know better than to send this kind of crazed excitement OUT into the world. So, I penned my passions, felt purged, and then sat on them while I let the Natural Order of Things (NOT) take over.
The Take Over:
I am a big fan of Eastern philosophies and if anyone ever held a gun to my head and forced me to join an established group regarding religion or philosophy I would have to go with Taoist. It most closely resembles everything I've experienced and come to believe in regards to the "reality" of this world. There is a well-known Chinese allegorical painting, entitled The Vinegar Tasters. It is meant to illustrate the differences in philosophy between the "Three Teachings" of the East: Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. Remember, please, that this is a Chinese painting and a Chinese allegory**:
Without listening to the talk, one might think it is going to be a little woo-woo or "girlie" but it turns out to be a very balanced presentation. Brown is an academic with an academic methodology. Her message, which could be legitimately revealed by an non-academic method, carries more weight culturally because of her empirical approach. Why it is that a skeptic who has uncovered evidence pointing to the exact opposite of their own belief system is more believable than someone who has a willingness to believe without solid empirical evidence is, I think, a part of the exact problem she describes. Vulnerability has become something more to fear and avoid than to be embraced--and it is certainly not seen as valuable.
After listening to her talk, I immediately sprang into action--which is just like me. "I am going to be vulnerable--right now!!" Lucky for me, I know better than to send this kind of crazed excitement OUT into the world. So, I penned my passions, felt purged, and then sat on them while I let the Natural Order of Things (NOT) take over.
The Take Over:
I am a big fan of Eastern philosophies and if anyone ever held a gun to my head and forced me to join an established group regarding religion or philosophy I would have to go with Taoist. It most closely resembles everything I've experienced and come to believe in regards to the "reality" of this world. There is a well-known Chinese allegorical painting, entitled The Vinegar Tasters. It is meant to illustrate the differences in philosophy between the "Three Teachings" of the East: Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. Remember, please, that this is a Chinese painting and a Chinese allegory**:
We see three men, representing K'ung Fu-tse (Confucius), Buddha and Lao-tse, standing around a vat of vinegar. Each man has dipped his finger into the vinegar and tasted it. The expression on each man's face reveals his individual reaction and thus his personal philosophy.
K'ung Fu-tse has a sour expression. Buddha has a bitter expression. Lao-tse is smiling.
K'ung Fu-tse believes that the present is out of step with the past and that the government of man on earth is out of harmony with the government of Heaven. K'ung Fu-tse has myriad suggestions of actions to take to correct this misalignment.. Therefore, the vinegar tastes sour to him.
Buddha has a bitter expression. Buddha beleives that the world is a generator of illusion, filled with attachments, desire and therefore, suffering. This suffering causes our personal misalignment with Heaven. Buddha has myriad suggestions of actions on how to recognize these illusions and therefore have influence over suffering and thus correct this misalignment. Therefore, the vinegar tastes bitter to him.
Lao-tse is smiling. Lao-tse believes that harmony currently exists between Heaven and Earth, that one reflects the other, like a mirror facing another mirror. He believes that every thing has its own truth, essence and law and when man is in acceptance of this law Harmony is more obvious. It is the articulation that a struggle exists that causes the struggle and the discord is unnecessary. Therefore, the vinegar tastes like vinegar to him: perfect. So he smiles.
K'ung Fu-tse created rules and traditions and ritual and ceremony to better align one's self on this Earth with the absent Harmony of Heaven.
Buddha created precepts and suggestions and philosophies to recognize the pratfalls of a being a spiritual being in a physical world, to better align one's self on this Earth with the off-dementional Harmony of Heaven.
Lao-tse identified rules and precepts as the problem, the cause of all struggle. and man's hard-wiring for acceptance reveals the presence of alignment already present between Earth and Heaven.
Buddha created precepts and suggestions and philosophies to recognize the pratfalls of a being a spiritual being in a physical world, to better align one's self on this Earth with the off-dementional Harmony of Heaven.
Lao-tse identified rules and precepts as the problem, the cause of all struggle. and man's hard-wiring for acceptance reveals the presence of alignment already present between Earth and Heaven.
So, I have no doubt that at some point someone will read this little excerpt and pronounce me an idiot: Buddha didn't believe that, Lao-tse wasn't trying to say that, K'ung Fu-tse never said that....and you are right---none of these things ever happened. All that any of us have is our own pitiful interpretations of the experience and words of others.
I do know for certain this, though:
I do know for certain this, though:
Nature can never be completely described, for such a description of Nature would have to duplicate Nature.
No name can fully express what it represents.
It is Nature itself, and not any part (or name or description) abstracted from Nature, which is the ultimate source of all that happens, all that comes and goes, begins and ends, is and is not.
But to describe Nature as "the ultimate source of all" is still only a description, and such a description is not Nature itself. Yet since in order to speak of it we must use words, we shall have have to describe it as "the ultimate source of all."
If Nature is inexpressible, he who desires to know Nature as it is in itself will not try to express it in words.
To try to express the inexpressible leads one to make distinctions which are unreal.
Although the existence of Nature and a description of that existence are two different things, yet they are also the same.
For both are ways of existing. That is, a description of existence must have its own existence, which is different from the existence of that which it describes; and so again we have to recognize an existence which cannot be described.
-Tao Teh King, by Lao Tse
Page 1
Translation, Archie J. Bahm
1958
Page 1
Translation, Archie J. Bahm
1958
Best philosophy page ever!
To bring it back around: vulnerability.
It amuses and perturbs me to no end that there is a dark side to everything. Meaning, without balance in every issue, every concern, something that by its very nature seems "good" can easily turn into something "bad". Maybe a better way of putting it would be "something that by it's very nature seems 'constructive' can easily turn into something 'destructive.'" Since, good/bad and constructive/destructive are neither right nor wrong nor better nor worse, all THIS means is "do our intentions more often than not match our actions?" (Since none of us can predict or control any outcome, that is not what this is about.)
Brown says (according to me) that vulnerability is a gift we can give to one another. That when one person steps into this precarious place it inspires another to join them there. And that this is the nature of connection; this is where connection exists. Connection can only exist if the paths and channels between persons are open and vulnerability is what opens them.
The dark side: entitlement. I decide to "give you" the gift of my own vulnerability and wait for you there, in that precarious place, for my reward. If I am vulnerable, you must recognize this and become vulnerable with me! Don't you see the gift I am giving you? Don't you see how hard this is? Why can't you appreciate this gesture??
For me it always comes back to the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi when he says:
It amuses and perturbs me to no end that there is a dark side to everything. Meaning, without balance in every issue, every concern, something that by its very nature seems "good" can easily turn into something "bad". Maybe a better way of putting it would be "something that by it's very nature seems 'constructive' can easily turn into something 'destructive.'" Since, good/bad and constructive/destructive are neither right nor wrong nor better nor worse, all THIS means is "do our intentions more often than not match our actions?" (Since none of us can predict or control any outcome, that is not what this is about.)
Brown says (according to me) that vulnerability is a gift we can give to one another. That when one person steps into this precarious place it inspires another to join them there. And that this is the nature of connection; this is where connection exists. Connection can only exist if the paths and channels between persons are open and vulnerability is what opens them.
The dark side: entitlement. I decide to "give you" the gift of my own vulnerability and wait for you there, in that precarious place, for my reward. If I am vulnerable, you must recognize this and become vulnerable with me! Don't you see the gift I am giving you? Don't you see how hard this is? Why can't you appreciate this gesture??
For me it always comes back to the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi when he says:
........Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved as to love.....
Amen to that.
** Clearly, Buddhism originated in India, but as its wisdom spread, it was, of course, tailored to synchronize with the indigenous culture. China altered Buddhism considerably to reflect its own essential beliefs.
