道年 Tao Year #3 - Know

道年 Tao Year #3

Tao Fish

© Tao Fish - bone structure of Daodejing #36 (English commas added).

Pattern: 8 Days Zen Guqin.

Larry Neal Gowdy

Copyright ©2019 March 16, 2019



How, is a year described? How, does a common person describe a year? What does the word 'year' mean?

Does a year mean twelve months? What then, does a month mean? Thirty days? What then does a day mean? Twenty-four hours? Then what does an hour mean? Sixty minutes? Then what does a minute mean? Sixty seconds? What then does a second mean? A sixtieth of a minute? Circular reasoning... tower of turtles... never able to find the meaning of 'year'... most people, cannot describe a year... most people, cannot know what a year is... cannot think...

Is a year twelve full moons? What is a full moon? Describe why a full moon is possible... describe firsthand observation, not describe memorized words... if, cannot describe why and how moon is full, then not know... not thinking...

How able to be certain that another year will occur? Why previously believe that another year would occur? Describe why... if cannot describe why, then, no thinking...

Thinking people can easily describe a year, as well as full moons, and days, and nights, durations of time, cycles, cycles of cycles, and the logic behind each in-depth description while never using a learned, memorized, description. The act of thinking, is not mystical magic... not, supernatural... not magical powers... not dependent upon an ideology or philosophy that is to be obeyed and followed... it, is, simply, thinking...

But, most people, do not think... people, are emotionally frightened of thinking... and that is why books like Daodejing exist, to encourage people to think.

All languages, all words, mean nothing... regardless of memorizing many words, none have meaning... if cannot describe a year, then, no thinking... if no thinking, then cannot describe meaning of any word. Words, are never able to be described by most people... no philosopher can do it... no scientist can do it... no academician can do it... therefore, all words have no meaning... because, no thinking.

By how a person, describes a year, the description describes the person's self-awareness, as well as, describes the person's awareness outside of himself. Reciting words learned in schools, proves, no thinking...

'Zi say: Review old, and know new... can use (to be) act-as teacher.' (Draft version from 中庸 Zhong Yong - Middle Use)

'Great learn(ing), it way involved-in bright-clear-understanding. Bright-clear-understanding goodness involved-in do-oneself.' (Draft version from 大學 (Da Xue - Great Learning)

'Way certainly way not common way. Reason common not desire because observe it subtle. Common have desire because observe it boundary.' (Purposefully incorrect draft translation from 道德經 (Daodejing) that retains a parallel underlying concept that most people only desire materialistic things.)

Common people do not think... common people, are greedy... always hungry for things that can be held in the hand... stick hands into traps. Common people, do not desire things that the people cannot see nor think of... common people, can only see, and can only have thoughts, of things that have boundaries... of things that have surfaces... two-dimensional thinking... flat... all human words, are flat... all human mathematics, flat... all, surface-only... never, the subtleties that reside below the surfaces of boundaries...

Ponderable matter, has boundaries... science, is of boundaries... heavens, have boundaries... all material things, have boundaries... chidao, no boundaries...

Confucianism often speaks of thinking... of making choices... of reasoning... of self-determining what is correct...

The Great Learning enters into a brief example of thinking sequences...

Daodejing enters into numerous examples of self-awareness, of self-observation... of thinking...

All three — Confucianism, Great Learning, and Daodejing — all rely upon two common threads... Nature, and, thinking for one's self. Following, any teaching, is not thinking for one's self...

Tiny hands, holding an apple... trapped... tiny minds, holding memorized words... trapped... cannot think to let-go...

If can describe what a 'year' is, then, will also know that the word 'year' means nothing... will also know, and will be able to describe in-depth, what 'time' is... if can describe time, then will also know something far beyond what all books claim to be the ultimate knowledge...

Chidao... has no boundaries... common people do not desire chidao, because, the people cannot think... cannot observe their own minds... cannot describe the subtleties of chidao... cannot hold chidao in their hands...