Daoism Explained: From the Dream of the Butterfly to the Fishnet Allegory

by Hans-Georg Moeller

Hans-Georg Moeller has achieved the perfect blend with At the Center of the it is both a fascinating introduction to Daoist thought as well as an original and insightful contribution to Eastern philosophy. This book will take the place of The Tao of Pooh by Hoff. Like that book, At the Center of the Circle offers a comprehensive presentation of Daoist philosophy that is interesting and easy to follow. Two ways the present book differs from the earlier classic are (1) this one has a more rigorous philosophical grounding so teachers will not hesitate to use it in classes and (2) it takes into account the research and discoveries in the decades following the release of the Pooh book. It is written for a general readership interested in Asian thought and religions as well as for specialists in the field of comparative and Chinese philosophy.
This work is unique in its focus because it offers a coherent interpretation of the general tenets of Daoist philosophy on the basis of the imagery employed in various Daoist texts and by explaining how those texts and images connect to each other and how they were actually understood by ancient Chinese philosophers. The study sheds new light on many important Daoist allegories by showing how modern translations often concealed the original wit and humor of the Chinese original, or imposed alien philosophical frameworks on them. It attempts to take away the metaphysical and Christian disguises with which Daoist philosophy has been obscured by Western interpretations in the past one hundred years. By explaining the differences between Daoism and traditional Western modes of thought, it also shows how Daoism might contribute to the present-day endeavor of overcoming of the latter.
The study begins with an introductory section providing basic information on the texts of classical Daoism (Laozi, Zhuangzi), the history of Daoism, its political and religious dimensions, and the meaning of the term Dao. The first chapter of the book analyzes?often from a new perspective?Daoist images (such as water, the root, femininity) and allegories (such as the famous ?Dream of the ButterflyOCO and the ?Fishnet AllegoryOCO) and explains their philosophical significance. The second chapter, referring to those images and allegories, outlines several philosophical concepts of Daoism including life and death, nature, art, ethics, and the body. The third chapter offers a more abstract interpretation of specific structural features of Daoist philosophy by putting emphasis on one core the circle and its empty center (this is, obviously, what the title of the book refers to) and compares, or rather contrasts, it with Western (especially Christian) thought. The fourth chapter discusses the relation between Daoism and Zen ( Chan) Buddhism and concludes with an outlook on the relevance of Daoism for contemporary philosophy.
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Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, China, History, Religion, Taoism, Audiobook

188 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 9, 2004

Reviews

[Cav · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read a few books about Daosim before this, and wanted to change it up a bit from my usual reads, so I bumped this one up in my "to read" list.

Unfortunately, Daoism Explained was just too dry and tedious for my tastes. I abandoned the book a little over midway through, as I was not willing to waste any more time on something I was not enjoying at all.

Author Hans-Georg Moeller is Associate Professor and Chairman of the Philosophy Department at Brock University in Ontario. He has also held positions at the University of Bonn, the University of Zurich, and the University of Wisconsin.

Hans-Georg Moeller:


As touched on above; I found the writing here way too long-winded and boring for my (admittedly) finicky tastes. I am very big on how readable my books are, and this one just didn't pass muster for me here... (Sorry)

Moeller mentions that Laozi is not the originator of this philosophy. Or at least, not the sole originator:

"The excavated manuscripts support the theory that the Laozi cannot be ascribed to a single, historically identifiable author, but that it is, instead, a collection of separate “philosophical” sayings that were transmitted orally before they were written down. This is strongly suggested by the distinctive style of the text. A great many of the sayings are rhymed, and the language is dense and highly “concentrated.” Some of the sayings sound like an oracle, some of them like a riddle, and some seem to be ritual formulas.
Obviously, the Laozi was meant to be learnt by heart, and it was spoken aloud and orally transmitted. It is likely that in the earliest years of its circulation, written copies of the text—like the manuscripts found in the tombs—were the exception rather than the rule. If one wanted to provide the dead with a version of the Laozi, it had to be in the form of a scripture—in life there was, however, no need for this."

He expands a bit further:

"If this theory about the origins of the Laozi is correct, the text is an anthology of wise sayings that were transmitted among the intellectual “elite” of ancient China, and it comprises materials from different sources and from different times. The earliest strata of the text may well be 2500 years old or more. The practice of putting artifacts and writings into the tombs of members of the aristocracy may have contributed to the increasing “literalization” of the Laozi and other “books.” When writing became easier and more common (for instance, through the invention of paper during the Han dynasty), the present-day Laozi began to take shape.
When this had happened, philosophers and literati like Wang Bi prepared their own editions of the text by adding commentaries and interpretations. At this point in history, the Laozi had ceased to be an orally transmitted collection of sayings and finally became a “classical scripture” known as the Daode-jing, which means:
“The Classical Scripture (Chinese: jing) about Dao and De.” Using a metaphor from the Laozi, one might say that over several centuries the Laozi had changed from “uncarved wood” into an elaborate wood carving. Thus, it is impossible to identify a single author who, at a specific point in history, composed the “authentic” Daodejing. It is rather a “collaborative” work that emerged within a philosophic tradition over a long period of time. There never was a person called Laozi who had “written” the text that was later given his name."

******************

As mentioned above, I did not enjoy the style that this one was presented in. I decided a while ago to pull the plug on books that I am struggling to get through, to move on to greener pastures.
Your milage may vary, of course, but this one just wasn't for me.
1.5 stars.

[Daz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can understand now why this book has made its way to art shops in Melbourne, and why it was recommended to me by a very gifted Fine Arts student from China. There is something quite beautiful about the writings of Daoism that calm the soul and offer that essence of minimalism; that ‘less is more’, 'non-action is action' philosophy that art and writing often benefit from.

In the beginning of this book Daoism Explained, Moeller does a clever job of presenting the writings of the Laozi and the Zhuangzi, by comparing western philosophical interpretations to what he believes is the original and intended Chinese meaning. There were times where I felt like Moeller’s subjective voice was a little too overpowering for what should be an objective study of philosophy. Nevertheless, some of the material is quite significant when coming to terms with the ‘intended sense’ (for lack of a better term) of Daoism. For example, In the Dream of the Butterfly, Moeller identifies a glaring problem with western philosophy’s translation and interpretation of the allegory. Within their muddled mess, there is an unexplained emphasis on the subject “I”, while always seeking to gain some kind of profound meaning or a significance in regards to transcendence when the man 'remembers' his dream of being a butterfly. Those pesky westerners! They appear to think they can understand centuries of Daoist philosophy just because they can wear a Chinese robe for one day. As Moeller asserts, Daoism in its nature and in the original interpretation seeks to do just the opposite. For example, In the Dream of the Butterfly - the man does not focus on remembering his dream but rather an act of forgetting. 'Being' and not 'I' should rather focus on forgetting, letting go and understanding that the life or the dream of the butterfly and the life or the dream of the man are both distinctly separate yet very much experiencing their own worlds. This is just one example of a discussion within the book that I found fascinating.

So far (halfway through), Moeller’s writing is clear and concise. His material is well researched and this book is definitely not a waste of time if you are interested in the subject. Whether or not he ‘Explains’ every part of Daoism in accordance with its original intention is well up for debate. Herein lies why the book suffers a little bit from a pushy, forceful tone of voice. The irony for me, is that I think his work could have done with a little more objective flow, a little more... Dao. Still, a fantastic read with some remarkable imagery, metaphors and quotes that give beauty and humility to the spirit.

Extended note -

After finishing this work, Moeller moves away from his subjective voice. Some very interesting discourse on the 'The Way of the Dao', ancient Chinese structures of space, presence (you) vs nonpresence (wu) and a conclusion for where Daoism stands within Contemporary Philosophy. A little dense towards the end. Overall, a book worth reading for anyone fascinated by the topic and should really be apart of any artists' bookshelf.

[Dave Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seems comprehensive
Not gonna lie, I picked this book up to learn more about Cultivation, or the idea of body cultivation.
I got a lot more. This is one of those books that tells you things you didn't know that you didn't know.
The history of Daoism, That was a hoot.
The ways that Daoism has been misinterpreted in the West, Very useful
The way Daoism views things like; Time, the Self, Cause & Effect, and Morality.
Ah yes, And Cultivation. No kidding it's a for real part of Daoism. It can make you live forever, let you make art that looks like ghosts made it, and have a perpetual boner. That's gotta beat speaking in tongues any day.
So, over all It's interesting, some of it seemed very wise. But just as I was about to understand it... it slips out of my grasp like a wet bar of soap.

[Timothy Yim-Stueve · Rating 4 out of 5]

made me rethink a lot of what I thought I knew about Daoism!

[Finbar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book on Daoism. I enjoyed Moeller's style of writing. He makes a subject that is often obtuse and shrouded in obscure metaphor clear and direct. I highly recommend this for anyone interested in Daoism or for those who have dabbled but were unable to penetrate the veil.

[Malum · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this would be more of a 101 intro to Daoism, but it ended up being a pretty complex 102 or 103 level book.

[Hans Otterson]

I've been rambling my way through and in and out of the Daodejing for some time now. That philosophical-aphoristic work is at times incredibly deep and instructive and at times incredibly cryptic.

Mr. Moeller's book, beginning with a history of Daoism and continuing with a breakdown of Daoist images, allegories, and dialogues, really clarifies a ton and makes me feel equipped to dive back into the DDJ and move on to things like the Zhuangzhi, the I Ching, and others. In the western world, the DDJ is often sold as an ancient book about how to live, in a similar way that the Bible was often pitched to me as an adolescent as a "blueprint for life". Well, anyone who's read the Bible cover-to-cover, really read it without ideology behind their eyes, can tell you that it's no clear blueprint for life (which isn't to say it doesn't contain wisdom). In the same way, no one who's really read the DDJ could honestly drop it in your lap and tell you it's a guide to life.

Daoism Explained reveals the origin of the DDJ as a political book--a book for ancient elites about how to lead. The "I" perspective of the book gets misconstrued in western readings as the individualistic "everyman": the book references "the master" as me, right? As someone to become, right? Well, no. A lot of it is talking about how to run a country, in the way that Plato's Republic was. And like The Republic, a lot of it is relevant to the individual's life and way of living, but approaching the book without some background info is going to lead you astray. Which is where Daoism explained comes in.

Because the meat of the book is Mr. Moeller going through Daoist texts and stripping away the traditional, westernized interpretations of them, that often squeezed the texts into familiar philosophical shapes at the cost of perverting and in some cases inverting them entirely. It's incredibly refreshing, nuanced, and rooted in readings of ancient commentators on the Daoist texts themselves, not simply Mr. Moeller's "new interpretation".

If you ever get intrigued by the Daodejing, I'd say, take a leisurely week and read it (you could read through it in an hour, but you'll want to let it breathe). And then read Daoism Explained next, and you'll be pretty damn well equipped to continue on. Highly recommended.

KC

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does a great job of explaining Daoism while preempting some of the misunderstandings that a western reader would be likely to have. My favorite bit was his explanation of the parable of the butterfly, which I think does a superb job of showing how Daoism is often framed in a way that makes it sound like Western Philosophy.

The typical understanding of the parable of the butterfly is that the speaker wakes from his dream of being a butterfly and pontificates on the possibility that they are actually a butterfly dreaming that they’re a man. If this sounds like an oriental retelling of Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, that’s because the original translators mutilated the parable beyond recognition.

The original is told in the third person, and does not contain this element of wondering. Instead, the subject of the parable simply believes themselves to be a butterfly while they dream and believes themselves to be a man once they wake. Instead of a progression from falsity to truth, there’s a simple parallelism between two equally complete states of reality.

What does this mean? In my opinion the image is easily as dense as the parables in the Bible, and I would be doing the Zhaungzi (the text from which the story is taken) a great disservice by pinning it with just one meaning. One thing that I take from this newly clear story is the theme of the equality of all states of being. The butterfly doesn’t benefit from speculation about another world, and neither does the man.

The ending of the book speculates a bit about the future of Daoism and brings up the tantalizing possibility that Daoism might be an important part of the modern philosophical attempts to develop a worldview that is compatible with the postmodern condition.

I would say that if you learned the Daoism 101 story in a school and you want to go beyond the basics, this book would be an excellent place to start.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

"easy to follow"
*goes on about ontology for 30 minutes.*
...

Daoism Explained by a philosophy PhD for philosophy majors, definitely NOT easy to follow or accessible for the average reader interested in Daoism.

If he thinks western translations have butchered the Daoist texts and philosophy so much, than a greater contribution would be accessible accurate translations of those works for western audiences.

However, if the message can't be translated and only exists in the original language then it's not really universal wisdom is it. Whatever the message and point of Daoism is and why it has utility to the average person it should transcend language, culture, and time, if not then it's just poetry. "You don't fix faith, it fixes you."

[Peter Sheffield · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stilted and dry, not my cup of tea!

[Chancakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The books does a really good job of introducing Daoism in a rigourous way that is often missing in English presentations of the the tradition. He clarifies western misunderstandings of Daoism that have been perpetuated since the earliest encounters and translations of Daoist texts from the 19-20th century. Hoeller unpacks the various allegories employed in both the Laozi and the Zhuangzi, in addition to citing other texts like the Huainan Zi to clarify points in the former two.

Someone downsides to the book is I think a lack of exploration of the Neo-Daoist interpretations of Laozi from authors like Wangbi, which, arguably had the largest impact on the legact of Daoist thought in China post the Han period. Moeller criticised Wangbi and other Neo-Daoists for an overly metahphysical reading of the Laozi but it seems they are just drawing out the metahphysical and ontological thought present in the text. Either way they are an important branch of Daoism that I think would have been good to introduce.

[Colin Hoad · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book that seeks to place Taoism as a philosophy apart from the Western tradition. The author asserts that a number of assumptions Western scholars have regarding Taoism are based upon inaccurate early translations of key Taoist texts, including the famous "butterfly dream" parable in the Book of Zhuangzi. Moeller sketches out a new philosophical framework for Taoism and invites the reader to appraise it as a distinctively Chinese system of thought as opposed to a mere branch of existing Western philosophy.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clear and concise overview of philosophical Daoism as well as explaining some of the pitfalls in interpreting Daoist texts based on their translations. A good place to start before reading the Daodejing or Zhuangzi.

[Zeke Chase · Rating 4 out of 5]

Explained a lot, good starter. Daoism is such an abstruse philosophy.