Kyle Woodruff's Blog: TheDevoutHumorist - Posts Tagged "confucianism"
TDH #2
The philosopher Tsang said,
‘I daily examine myself on three points:
whether, in transacting business for others,
I may have been not faithful;
whether, in intercourse with friends,
I may have been not sincere;
whether I may have not mastered and practiced
the instructions of my teacher.’
Analects of Confucius - Book 1, Chapter 4
(Translated by James Legge)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I read The Analects a decade ago and barely remember a thing about the collection. I’m interested to flip through it again in a new stage of life to see what strikes me now. I have the painting of The Three Vinegar Tasters on my wall, depicting the expressions of the three wise men of the East (Lao Tzu, Buddha, & Confucius) relating to the predominant attitude of each man’s philosophy:
- Confucius wears a sour expression, as life was sour, in need of rules to correct the degeneration of people.
- Buddha suffers through a wince, as life was dominated by suffering, due to attachment and desire for wishing things were other than they are.
- Lao Tzu smiles, as life was sweet, fundamentally perfect in its natural state of being.
I believe there’s a time and place for all three perspectives, as we sip from the same metaphorical vat of vinegar after all. Here we see an example of where rules and reflection can help guide us toward a more faithful, sincere, and disciplined state of being.
‘I daily examine myself on three points:
whether, in transacting business for others,
I may have been not faithful;
whether, in intercourse with friends,
I may have been not sincere;
whether I may have not mastered and practiced
the instructions of my teacher.’
Analects of Confucius - Book 1, Chapter 4
(Translated by James Legge)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I read The Analects a decade ago and barely remember a thing about the collection. I’m interested to flip through it again in a new stage of life to see what strikes me now. I have the painting of The Three Vinegar Tasters on my wall, depicting the expressions of the three wise men of the East (Lao Tzu, Buddha, & Confucius) relating to the predominant attitude of each man’s philosophy:
- Confucius wears a sour expression, as life was sour, in need of rules to correct the degeneration of people.
- Buddha suffers through a wince, as life was dominated by suffering, due to attachment and desire for wishing things were other than they are.
- Lao Tzu smiles, as life was sweet, fundamentally perfect in its natural state of being.
I believe there’s a time and place for all three perspectives, as we sip from the same metaphorical vat of vinegar after all. Here we see an example of where rules and reflection can help guide us toward a more faithful, sincere, and disciplined state of being.
TDH #9
The Master said,
‘Learning without thought is labor lost;
thought without learning is perilous.’
Analects of Confucius - Book 2, Chapter 15
(Translated by James Legge)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This reminds me of that many times recycled quote about knowledge not being power, but applied knowledge being power. Numerous people are attributed with some recent variation--the likes of Eric Thomas, Julian Hall, and Dale Carnegie to name a few--but this line of thinking was around thousands of years before any of them were born.
Confucius lived from 551-479 BCE, but even his teachings may have been a revival of earlier religious traditions, dating back closer to 2,000 BCE. The point I’m trying to make is that much of the wisdom we see floating around the modern ether was thought up a time before internet memes, passed down verbally before words were ever written down. And many gems of wisdom were borrowed by other cultures or religions before them. I’ll highlight more of them to come.
The more I study ancient religions and philosophies, the more I see they stem from similar belief systems about living a righteous life. There are likely more commonalities than differences, which is what I’m trying to highlight with this collection here.
Something I like about Confucianism is there are no Confucian gods (and it’s debated whether or not this is considered a religion because of it), and even Confucius himself is worshiped as a spirit rather than a deity. But the focus on inner virtue, morality, and respect of community has influenced China for more than 2,500 years. There is much to be learned from a line of thinking that has stood that test of time.
‘Learning without thought is labor lost;
thought without learning is perilous.’
Analects of Confucius - Book 2, Chapter 15
(Translated by James Legge)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This reminds me of that many times recycled quote about knowledge not being power, but applied knowledge being power. Numerous people are attributed with some recent variation--the likes of Eric Thomas, Julian Hall, and Dale Carnegie to name a few--but this line of thinking was around thousands of years before any of them were born.
Confucius lived from 551-479 BCE, but even his teachings may have been a revival of earlier religious traditions, dating back closer to 2,000 BCE. The point I’m trying to make is that much of the wisdom we see floating around the modern ether was thought up a time before internet memes, passed down verbally before words were ever written down. And many gems of wisdom were borrowed by other cultures or religions before them. I’ll highlight more of them to come.
The more I study ancient religions and philosophies, the more I see they stem from similar belief systems about living a righteous life. There are likely more commonalities than differences, which is what I’m trying to highlight with this collection here.
Something I like about Confucianism is there are no Confucian gods (and it’s debated whether or not this is considered a religion because of it), and even Confucius himself is worshiped as a spirit rather than a deity. But the focus on inner virtue, morality, and respect of community has influenced China for more than 2,500 years. There is much to be learned from a line of thinking that has stood that test of time.
TDH #16
If a superior man abandon virtue,
how can he fulfill the requirements of that name?
The superior man does not,
even for the space of a single meal,
act contrary to virtue.
Analects of Confucius - Book 4, Chapter 5
(Translated by James Legge)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sometimes timing in life is just too perfect.
I was in the float tank last night, meditating on these recent posts about seeing others in yourself and yourself in others. Here are some of the insights that came through:
~ I have been darkness, and now I am light. Be light for those around me.
~ Recognize the inner child inside of everyone else as if it is me.
~ No longer seek others to fill my needs. Be the one others seek.
~ Be open and accepting to anyone who comes my way.
The moment I walked out of the studio with that meditative high, a man approached me asking for food. He said he’d been trying to turn over a new leaf, to make an honest living, but he’d been having trouble landing steady work.
Often when people ask for money, I don’t give because I assume it’s going to drugs or alcohol. But this man asked for food, and I could see the sobriety in his eyes. Plus we were standing next to a pizza shop that sold slices with a glowing “OPEN” sign. There was nothing else to do.
I bought a couple slices and sat down with him while he ate, and listened to his story: Former cocaine dealer, theft and felony on his record, but he was young and stupid then.
He seemed sincere; he even saved a slice for the friend who was letting him stay at his place. I pointed him toward a place I saw was hiring recently and he thanked me. Before we parted ways he said, “I knew God was gonna send someone my way this evening.”
Had I abandoned virtue, even for the space of a single meal, I would not have been filled with the satisfaction that statement brought me.
I have been darkness, and now I am light.
Be the one others seek.
how can he fulfill the requirements of that name?
The superior man does not,
even for the space of a single meal,
act contrary to virtue.
Analects of Confucius - Book 4, Chapter 5
(Translated by James Legge)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sometimes timing in life is just too perfect.
I was in the float tank last night, meditating on these recent posts about seeing others in yourself and yourself in others. Here are some of the insights that came through:
~ I have been darkness, and now I am light. Be light for those around me.
~ Recognize the inner child inside of everyone else as if it is me.
~ No longer seek others to fill my needs. Be the one others seek.
~ Be open and accepting to anyone who comes my way.
The moment I walked out of the studio with that meditative high, a man approached me asking for food. He said he’d been trying to turn over a new leaf, to make an honest living, but he’d been having trouble landing steady work.
Often when people ask for money, I don’t give because I assume it’s going to drugs or alcohol. But this man asked for food, and I could see the sobriety in his eyes. Plus we were standing next to a pizza shop that sold slices with a glowing “OPEN” sign. There was nothing else to do.
I bought a couple slices and sat down with him while he ate, and listened to his story: Former cocaine dealer, theft and felony on his record, but he was young and stupid then.
He seemed sincere; he even saved a slice for the friend who was letting him stay at his place. I pointed him toward a place I saw was hiring recently and he thanked me. Before we parted ways he said, “I knew God was gonna send someone my way this evening.”
Had I abandoned virtue, even for the space of a single meal, I would not have been filled with the satisfaction that statement brought me.
I have been darkness, and now I am light.
Be the one others seek.
TDH #23
The Master said,
“The gentleman understands what is moral.
The small man understands what is profitable.”
The Analects of Confucius - Book 4, Chapter 16
(Translated by D.C. Lau)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’ve had some wild experiences in meditation, but last night in the float tank was amongst the wildest. Ninety minutes in I pierced through a new level of consciousness I haven’t achieved before. The term that came to mind was the title of a book I read years ago: Breaking Open the Head. While there, I wondered if this was what the Buddha meant by Nirvana (though it feels strange to claim I reached transcendence or enlightenment or anything of that nature). I got out feeling high on drugs; I even hung around the studio for twenty minutes before I felt good enough to drive. It was intense to say the least.
One of the intentions I went into the float with was around money. I’m in sales, which is competitive by nature, and the chase for commissions is never ending, so the pursuit of profit is always on the forefront of the mind. This job has been an uphill struggle for me, while I’ve seen others (seemingly) closing bigger deals with ease. My work ethic, my abilities, my relationships with prospects and clients are all up there with the best of my colleagues, so I decided to look inward, as I’ve noticed psychological barriers have been the issue attracting other things in life before.
I grew up around frugality, and so this was naturally infused into my line of thinking. I believe it was this scarcity mentality which has played a role in limiting my financial profitability. But along with (hopefully) breaking through this inherited self-fulfilling prophecy, I was also shown awareness of my unhealthy obsession with money, or the idea of a lack of money.
I’m not struggling, I can pay my bills, I can put something aside as savings, yet I’ve been holding onto this constant tension regarding money that I finally released. I’m talking about a major physical relief I’m still recovering from as I write this the next morning.
Will truckloads of money begin falling into my lap at this point? Perhaps not. But at least I can breathe easier and focus on the moral pursuits in life. (But the moment I become rich--monetarily, that is--I’ll report back my findings!)
“The gentleman understands what is moral.
The small man understands what is profitable.”
The Analects of Confucius - Book 4, Chapter 16
(Translated by D.C. Lau)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’ve had some wild experiences in meditation, but last night in the float tank was amongst the wildest. Ninety minutes in I pierced through a new level of consciousness I haven’t achieved before. The term that came to mind was the title of a book I read years ago: Breaking Open the Head. While there, I wondered if this was what the Buddha meant by Nirvana (though it feels strange to claim I reached transcendence or enlightenment or anything of that nature). I got out feeling high on drugs; I even hung around the studio for twenty minutes before I felt good enough to drive. It was intense to say the least.
One of the intentions I went into the float with was around money. I’m in sales, which is competitive by nature, and the chase for commissions is never ending, so the pursuit of profit is always on the forefront of the mind. This job has been an uphill struggle for me, while I’ve seen others (seemingly) closing bigger deals with ease. My work ethic, my abilities, my relationships with prospects and clients are all up there with the best of my colleagues, so I decided to look inward, as I’ve noticed psychological barriers have been the issue attracting other things in life before.
I grew up around frugality, and so this was naturally infused into my line of thinking. I believe it was this scarcity mentality which has played a role in limiting my financial profitability. But along with (hopefully) breaking through this inherited self-fulfilling prophecy, I was also shown awareness of my unhealthy obsession with money, or the idea of a lack of money.
I’m not struggling, I can pay my bills, I can put something aside as savings, yet I’ve been holding onto this constant tension regarding money that I finally released. I’m talking about a major physical relief I’m still recovering from as I write this the next morning.
Will truckloads of money begin falling into my lap at this point? Perhaps not. But at least I can breathe easier and focus on the moral pursuits in life. (But the moment I become rich--monetarily, that is--I’ll report back my findings!)
TDH #30
The Master said,
“Rotten wood cannot be carved;
a wall of dung cannot be whitewashed.
[...]
It used to be that with people,
when I heard what they said
I trusted their conduct would match.
Now I listen to what they say and observe their conduct.”
Analects of Confucius - Book 5, Chapter 10
(Translated by Robert Eno)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friends, family, colleagues, strangers: All of these at some time or another will do something contrary to what they say. No one is perfect.
I understand this, but I’m still triggered by it. I’ve found it boils down to failed expectations, and my attachment to them.
I’ve been embracing this concept of “non-attachment” lately, and it’s truly something to keep at the forefront of the mind. Any time feelings of anger, sorrow, or anxiety bubble up, I meet them with the mantra “non-attachment” and they immediately lessen their hold over me. From there I can view the situation from an objective point of view and evaluate.
A one time offense is merely something to be noted, but repeating patterns are what should be taken into consideration. Still, your emotions aren’t to get involved, but your perception, opinion, and relationship with the other person might change. (It’s more difficult when that other person has influence over your life, like a boss, for example, but getting emotional over the situation never helps anything.)
It may result in outgrowing people you once looked up to, accepting that, and moving on. It’s the attachment of what that person was “supposed to be” to you that nags at your feelings. Ultimately, though, other people’s words and actions are out of your control. All you can do is keep your own word and hope to be a shining influence for others.
Something I wrote in my journal the other day was:
Drop need. Drop desire. Drop expectations.
Embrace flow. Embrace neutrality. Embrace non-attachment.
This mindset has helped mitigate the emotional response to things out of my control as of late. And so I pass that along to you to do with it as you will.
“Rotten wood cannot be carved;
a wall of dung cannot be whitewashed.
[...]
It used to be that with people,
when I heard what they said
I trusted their conduct would match.
Now I listen to what they say and observe their conduct.”
Analects of Confucius - Book 5, Chapter 10
(Translated by Robert Eno)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friends, family, colleagues, strangers: All of these at some time or another will do something contrary to what they say. No one is perfect.
I understand this, but I’m still triggered by it. I’ve found it boils down to failed expectations, and my attachment to them.
I’ve been embracing this concept of “non-attachment” lately, and it’s truly something to keep at the forefront of the mind. Any time feelings of anger, sorrow, or anxiety bubble up, I meet them with the mantra “non-attachment” and they immediately lessen their hold over me. From there I can view the situation from an objective point of view and evaluate.
A one time offense is merely something to be noted, but repeating patterns are what should be taken into consideration. Still, your emotions aren’t to get involved, but your perception, opinion, and relationship with the other person might change. (It’s more difficult when that other person has influence over your life, like a boss, for example, but getting emotional over the situation never helps anything.)
It may result in outgrowing people you once looked up to, accepting that, and moving on. It’s the attachment of what that person was “supposed to be” to you that nags at your feelings. Ultimately, though, other people’s words and actions are out of your control. All you can do is keep your own word and hope to be a shining influence for others.
Something I wrote in my journal the other day was:
Drop need. Drop desire. Drop expectations.
Embrace flow. Embrace neutrality. Embrace non-attachment.
This mindset has helped mitigate the emotional response to things out of my control as of late. And so I pass that along to you to do with it as you will.
TDH #38
The Master said,
“Even when walking in the company of two other men,
I am bound to be able to learn from them.
The good points of the one I copy;
the bad points of the other I correct in myself.”
Analects of Confucius - Book 7, Chapter 22
(Translated by D.C. Lau)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was eavesdropping on conversations on my stroll down the boardwalk this morning. Everything is out of context so it’s fun to plug in your own. Here, try:
“He just dropped off a huge duffle bag full of beer and left for Vietnam!”
(I say Bruce Sprinsteen before they “sent me off to a foreign land to go and kill the yellow man.”)
“I don’t wanna remember him like this, you know? I think I’m just gonna put him down.”
(After this kick of serial killer shows, my mind jumped to the assumption she meant her husband.)
The two people I’d like to focus on regarding the above quote, though, was a man who was on the telephone before the sun had even lit up the sky, yelling into the phone saying, “He’s drivin’ me up a fuckin’ wall!”
The juxtaposition between this guy and the conversation I had with the most attractive homeless gal I’ve ever seen a couple hours later was incredible.
(I’ll just pause to acknowledge the description of this latter party for a moment, because I’m sure it stirred up some questions in your mind. Seeing her when I first approached, you never would have guessed it with the stylish outfit she was wearing. She surprised me with this fact soon into our conversation and I was shocked. Anyway…)
Homeless Gal, despite her circumstance, had the utmost positive outlook on life and God. She had found herself in this situation after escaping a domestic violence situation and managed to keep a job as she floated around. I was floored by her optimism about how God must’ve made her homeless for a reason.
Meanwhile, Angry Phone Guy probably had a nice warm bed to wake up in every morning and a hot shower to go home to every night, yet before the day had even begun he was all fired up with anger.
The contrast between these two people really put things in perspective because I’ve also woken up in a comfy bed ready to burn down the world. From now on, anytime I’m even remotely close to that attitude, I plan to reflect on Homeless Gal and make sure I adopt her state of mind.
Thanks for the inspiration, HG 🙏
“Even when walking in the company of two other men,
I am bound to be able to learn from them.
The good points of the one I copy;
the bad points of the other I correct in myself.”
Analects of Confucius - Book 7, Chapter 22
(Translated by D.C. Lau)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was eavesdropping on conversations on my stroll down the boardwalk this morning. Everything is out of context so it’s fun to plug in your own. Here, try:
“He just dropped off a huge duffle bag full of beer and left for Vietnam!”
(I say Bruce Sprinsteen before they “sent me off to a foreign land to go and kill the yellow man.”)
“I don’t wanna remember him like this, you know? I think I’m just gonna put him down.”
(After this kick of serial killer shows, my mind jumped to the assumption she meant her husband.)
The two people I’d like to focus on regarding the above quote, though, was a man who was on the telephone before the sun had even lit up the sky, yelling into the phone saying, “He’s drivin’ me up a fuckin’ wall!”
The juxtaposition between this guy and the conversation I had with the most attractive homeless gal I’ve ever seen a couple hours later was incredible.
(I’ll just pause to acknowledge the description of this latter party for a moment, because I’m sure it stirred up some questions in your mind. Seeing her when I first approached, you never would have guessed it with the stylish outfit she was wearing. She surprised me with this fact soon into our conversation and I was shocked. Anyway…)
Homeless Gal, despite her circumstance, had the utmost positive outlook on life and God. She had found herself in this situation after escaping a domestic violence situation and managed to keep a job as she floated around. I was floored by her optimism about how God must’ve made her homeless for a reason.
Meanwhile, Angry Phone Guy probably had a nice warm bed to wake up in every morning and a hot shower to go home to every night, yet before the day had even begun he was all fired up with anger.
The contrast between these two people really put things in perspective because I’ve also woken up in a comfy bed ready to burn down the world. From now on, anytime I’m even remotely close to that attitude, I plan to reflect on Homeless Gal and make sure I adopt her state of mind.
Thanks for the inspiration, HG 🙏
TDH #46
While standing by a river,
the Master said,
“What passes away is, perhaps, like this.
Day and night it never lets up.”
Analects of Confucius - Book 9, Chapter 17
(Translated by Robert Eno)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Hello!” a voice rang down from nowhere.
“Hellooo!” it yelled again as two grannies sought to find from where it came.
“Hi, yeah, up here,” a middle-aged woman called down toward their wheelchairs.
As the ancient mummies craned their necks to see who was squawking from above, the woman leaned over her balcony and said, “I know you mean well, but feeding bread to those birds leads to wing deformities!”
Why if I had my bow I woulda slung an arrow in her general direction, harassing people with one foot in the grave like that.
“You listen to me, lady,” I wanted to yell. “If those old-timers wanna toss their last scraps of social security bread at ducks then you leave ’em alone!”
I didn’t have to, though. Those sweet geriatrics ignored that wench and went on feeding.
(That or they were deaf as hell.)
By some cosmic intervention this water-side scene occurred as I was writing about this quote. It served as a reminder that old age will catch us all.
Fortunately I read “On the Shortness of Life” when I was young. Here’s the gist of Seneca’s work in a snapshot:
“It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it. Life is long enough, and a sufficiently generous amount has been given to us for the highest achievements if it were all well invested. But when it is wasted in heedless luxury and spent on no good activity, we are forced at last by death’s final constraint to realize that it has passed away before we knew it was passing.”
His wisdom made me realize how the existence we take for granted is in short supply. We have, what, eighty years if we’re lucky? And there’s a chunk on the front end which is barely remembered, and a chunk on the back end which is, well, barely remembered?
From that book forward I vowed to live my spry and active years by asking, “What’s the most efficient use of my time right now?”
And if that means feeding wildlife when I’m half-dead, then you leave me be.
So I ask you: Have you used your time wisely today?
the Master said,
“What passes away is, perhaps, like this.
Day and night it never lets up.”
Analects of Confucius - Book 9, Chapter 17
(Translated by Robert Eno)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Hello!” a voice rang down from nowhere.
“Hellooo!” it yelled again as two grannies sought to find from where it came.
“Hi, yeah, up here,” a middle-aged woman called down toward their wheelchairs.
As the ancient mummies craned their necks to see who was squawking from above, the woman leaned over her balcony and said, “I know you mean well, but feeding bread to those birds leads to wing deformities!”
Why if I had my bow I woulda slung an arrow in her general direction, harassing people with one foot in the grave like that.
“You listen to me, lady,” I wanted to yell. “If those old-timers wanna toss their last scraps of social security bread at ducks then you leave ’em alone!”
I didn’t have to, though. Those sweet geriatrics ignored that wench and went on feeding.
(That or they were deaf as hell.)
By some cosmic intervention this water-side scene occurred as I was writing about this quote. It served as a reminder that old age will catch us all.
Fortunately I read “On the Shortness of Life” when I was young. Here’s the gist of Seneca’s work in a snapshot:
“It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it. Life is long enough, and a sufficiently generous amount has been given to us for the highest achievements if it were all well invested. But when it is wasted in heedless luxury and spent on no good activity, we are forced at last by death’s final constraint to realize that it has passed away before we knew it was passing.”
His wisdom made me realize how the existence we take for granted is in short supply. We have, what, eighty years if we’re lucky? And there’s a chunk on the front end which is barely remembered, and a chunk on the back end which is, well, barely remembered?
From that book forward I vowed to live my spry and active years by asking, “What’s the most efficient use of my time right now?”
And if that means feeding wildlife when I’m half-dead, then you leave me be.
So I ask you: Have you used your time wisely today?
TDH #54
The Master said,
“It is not easy to find a man who can study for three years
without thinking about earning a salary.”
Analects of Confucius - Book 8, Chapter 12
(Translated by D.C. Lau)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’m finding the “Analects of Confucius” to be one of the more challenging texts to find quotes I relate to, but I’m stubbornly determined to keep it in the rotation. (Thanks, OCD.) The parallels here might be a stretch, but it’s all I’ve got right now and I’m trying not to go too long between posts as I balance a blog, book, work, and other personal endeavors.
Anyway, the worst feeling to me is losing sleep over your job, but flipping the mind’s OFF switch to separate work and life has always been a challenge for me, especially since it takes up such a big chunk of your time.
I was expanding upon the notion of being a “prisoner” in certain capacities (brought up in a previous post) with a fellow philosopher and careers was one of the “prisons” discussed. In the past I’ve romanticized the notion of casting away all material and monetary attachments and moving to an ashram in some far off land, but I’ve also wondered if doing so would just be an escape.
Sure, there’s freedom in being a Buddhist monk, meditating your days away on the top of a mountain somewhere, living off the bare minimum and whatnot. But would I be doing it in the pursuit of enlightenment and happiness, or would I be doing it to avoid the frustrations and challenges that come with a “normal” life down here on earth?
There’s plenty of growth and healing to be had in the face of tests in office politics or financial pursuits, as non-new age spiritual as those things might sound. I’ve worked through many triggers that have arisen in working a sales job over the last few years, including dealing with rejection, discomfort with public speaking, navigating the professional social landscape, and breaking through self-imposed financial limitations.
Would those have come up while sitting in Lotus pose up on the hill? Not sure. Certainly not in the same capacity as they did down here.
I think the answer (for me at least) is to find some kind of balance in it all, getting in the float tank every Friday night to process the week, journaling about life to hash out my thoughts, and then of course putting imaginary pressure on myself to complete a book and blog on top of it all because at the end of the day I’m a workaholic and somehow find satisfaction in the imbalance. Excuse me while I contradict myself and burn the candle at both ends 🤪
“It is not easy to find a man who can study for three years
without thinking about earning a salary.”
Analects of Confucius - Book 8, Chapter 12
(Translated by D.C. Lau)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’m finding the “Analects of Confucius” to be one of the more challenging texts to find quotes I relate to, but I’m stubbornly determined to keep it in the rotation. (Thanks, OCD.) The parallels here might be a stretch, but it’s all I’ve got right now and I’m trying not to go too long between posts as I balance a blog, book, work, and other personal endeavors.
Anyway, the worst feeling to me is losing sleep over your job, but flipping the mind’s OFF switch to separate work and life has always been a challenge for me, especially since it takes up such a big chunk of your time.
I was expanding upon the notion of being a “prisoner” in certain capacities (brought up in a previous post) with a fellow philosopher and careers was one of the “prisons” discussed. In the past I’ve romanticized the notion of casting away all material and monetary attachments and moving to an ashram in some far off land, but I’ve also wondered if doing so would just be an escape.
Sure, there’s freedom in being a Buddhist monk, meditating your days away on the top of a mountain somewhere, living off the bare minimum and whatnot. But would I be doing it in the pursuit of enlightenment and happiness, or would I be doing it to avoid the frustrations and challenges that come with a “normal” life down here on earth?
There’s plenty of growth and healing to be had in the face of tests in office politics or financial pursuits, as non-new age spiritual as those things might sound. I’ve worked through many triggers that have arisen in working a sales job over the last few years, including dealing with rejection, discomfort with public speaking, navigating the professional social landscape, and breaking through self-imposed financial limitations.
Would those have come up while sitting in Lotus pose up on the hill? Not sure. Certainly not in the same capacity as they did down here.
I think the answer (for me at least) is to find some kind of balance in it all, getting in the float tank every Friday night to process the week, journaling about life to hash out my thoughts, and then of course putting imaginary pressure on myself to complete a book and blog on top of it all because at the end of the day I’m a workaholic and somehow find satisfaction in the imbalance. Excuse me while I contradict myself and burn the candle at both ends 🤪
TDH #62
The Master said,
“Do not be concerned that you have no position,
be concerned that you have what it takes to merit a position.
Do not be concerned that no one recognizes you,
seek that which is worthy of recognition.”
Analects of Confucius - Book 4, Chapter 5
(Translated by Robert Eno)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was reading something this morning about the perception of time and patience. This aligned with my reflection on a decade of honing the craft of writing that led up to the book I just launched over the weekend.
I remember when I was gifted my first journal that sparked the habit of recording thoughts and dreams and quotes from readings. How that snowballed into putting out an artistic creation into the public eye has been quite the journey. I know how much time and effort has gone into that process, but in the eyes of others, my name as an author falls under the category of Nobodies. After ten years of hard work, I am just now starting at ground zero.
This quote by Confucius is a good reminder not to concern ourselves with being recognized by others, but to first concern ourselves with being worthy of recognition. Of course everyone who strives for success hopes it will emerge overnight, but the reality is that supreme patience must be summoned. (An insight that came out of the float tank once was, “There’s patience, and then there’s PATIENCE.”)
As Robert Greene says in The Daily Laws, “Never seem to be in a hurry--hurrying betrays a lack of control over yourself, and over time. Always seem patient, as if you know that everything will come to you eventually. [...] Learn to stand back when the time is not yet ripe, and to strike fiercely when it has reached fruition.”
Looking back on the work I’ve put in over the last ten years it seems like it’s gone by in a flash. Now I look forward to what I can build in the next ten years from now.
“Do not be concerned that you have no position,
be concerned that you have what it takes to merit a position.
Do not be concerned that no one recognizes you,
seek that which is worthy of recognition.”
Analects of Confucius - Book 4, Chapter 5
(Translated by Robert Eno)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was reading something this morning about the perception of time and patience. This aligned with my reflection on a decade of honing the craft of writing that led up to the book I just launched over the weekend.
I remember when I was gifted my first journal that sparked the habit of recording thoughts and dreams and quotes from readings. How that snowballed into putting out an artistic creation into the public eye has been quite the journey. I know how much time and effort has gone into that process, but in the eyes of others, my name as an author falls under the category of Nobodies. After ten years of hard work, I am just now starting at ground zero.
This quote by Confucius is a good reminder not to concern ourselves with being recognized by others, but to first concern ourselves with being worthy of recognition. Of course everyone who strives for success hopes it will emerge overnight, but the reality is that supreme patience must be summoned. (An insight that came out of the float tank once was, “There’s patience, and then there’s PATIENCE.”)
As Robert Greene says in The Daily Laws, “Never seem to be in a hurry--hurrying betrays a lack of control over yourself, and over time. Always seem patient, as if you know that everything will come to you eventually. [...] Learn to stand back when the time is not yet ripe, and to strike fiercely when it has reached fruition.”
Looking back on the work I’ve put in over the last ten years it seems like it’s gone by in a flash. Now I look forward to what I can build in the next ten years from now.
TDH #70
The Master said,
“There are shoots that never come to flower,
and there are flowers that never bear fruit.”
Analects of Confucius - Book 9, Chapter 22
(Translated by Robert Eno)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How does this play out long term?
I wondered this as I observed three girls and a boy playing by a pond under the half-assed supervision of one of their fathers, who was preoccupied with fishing.
Here’s what happened:
Girl A threw seaweed at boy, boy started crying.
Girl A ran away to play with girl B, pretending like she had nothing to do with the tears.
Boy ran to father and, while being half-ass comforted, girl C shared her toy with boy and the tears immediately vanished.
Now, what kind of stories and habits were being reinforced for the long haul here? For example:
Girl A learns that if she runs away from things that might get her in trouble, she can escape responsibility.
Boy learns that if he cries over little things, others will give him stuff to make him feel better.
Girl C learns that if she gives things to people who are upset, they’ll like her.
I fear fatherhood, if it’s ever in the cards, may one day short-circuit my over-analytical brain.
But all I could think was, Will these shoots come to flower? Or will they die off the vine before they bear fruit?
(I guess in this metaphor they’re toxic flowers or poison berries, but I’m stretching here because I find Confucianism the most difficult to write about.)
Anyway, can you think of any patterns like this you may have learned back when your memories are still fuzzy?
“There are shoots that never come to flower,
and there are flowers that never bear fruit.”
Analects of Confucius - Book 9, Chapter 22
(Translated by Robert Eno)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How does this play out long term?
I wondered this as I observed three girls and a boy playing by a pond under the half-assed supervision of one of their fathers, who was preoccupied with fishing.
Here’s what happened:
Girl A threw seaweed at boy, boy started crying.
Girl A ran away to play with girl B, pretending like she had nothing to do with the tears.
Boy ran to father and, while being half-ass comforted, girl C shared her toy with boy and the tears immediately vanished.
Now, what kind of stories and habits were being reinforced for the long haul here? For example:
Girl A learns that if she runs away from things that might get her in trouble, she can escape responsibility.
Boy learns that if he cries over little things, others will give him stuff to make him feel better.
Girl C learns that if she gives things to people who are upset, they’ll like her.
I fear fatherhood, if it’s ever in the cards, may one day short-circuit my over-analytical brain.
But all I could think was, Will these shoots come to flower? Or will they die off the vine before they bear fruit?
(I guess in this metaphor they’re toxic flowers or poison berries, but I’m stretching here because I find Confucianism the most difficult to write about.)
Anyway, can you think of any patterns like this you may have learned back when your memories are still fuzzy?
TheDevoutHumorist
Ancient wisdom with a modern application (and an often humorist twist)
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