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Unworldly Wise: As the Owl Remarked to the Rabbit
Wei Wu Wei's final book, is an enlightened parable in the form of a conversation between an owl and a rabbit about God, love, and the way things are.
70 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1991
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77 people want to read
About the author
Wei Wu Wei
22 books76 followersTerence James Stannus Gray was a theatre producer who created the Cambridge Festival Theatre as an experimental theatre in Cambridge. He produced over 100 plays there between 1926 and 1933. Later in life, under the pen name Wei Wu Wei, he published several books on Taoist philosophy.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 10, 2019
Wei Wu Wei's writings may appear to be too philosophical and intellectual but for me, that's far from the truth. The intellectual understanding is an important but very small part of THE UNDERSTANDING.
Wei Wu Wei seems to be a jovial man. On the surface level what may appear complicated philosophical jargon, is really a simple recognition of the truth. And the mind cannot last here. It is an 'apperception' as he says.
So my suggestion to the readers is - by all means, read this book. Over and over again. It's a very small one. It doesn't matter if you don't really understand. The mind has a nature to crumble when such writings enter and lodge in it. Which is why Wei Wu Wei may seem to get bad reviews at times.
The truth is already known. It's an open secret. There is nothing knew in what he says at all. It only needs to be pointed at and Wei Wu Wei is incredible at that. For me atleast.
It's a very innocent nice work. I enjoy re-reading it. This book ages well.
Wei Wu Wei seems to be a jovial man. On the surface level what may appear complicated philosophical jargon, is really a simple recognition of the truth. And the mind cannot last here. It is an 'apperception' as he says.
So my suggestion to the readers is - by all means, read this book. Over and over again. It's a very small one. It doesn't matter if you don't really understand. The mind has a nature to crumble when such writings enter and lodge in it. Which is why Wei Wu Wei may seem to get bad reviews at times.
The truth is already known. It's an open secret. There is nothing knew in what he says at all. It only needs to be pointed at and Wei Wu Wei is incredible at that. For me atleast.
It's a very innocent nice work. I enjoy re-reading it. This book ages well.
March 2, 2019
A smart finish
What an experience, the dialogue between Owl and the Rabbit. They are metaphor for God and human.
It's become "I" an awareness was no separate from subject and the object. When subject disappear and object too. Then both are same as one that one is 'I'
The whole book spilled with wisdom
An Wise Owl enlighten us and can call an amazing tour!
What an experience, the dialogue between Owl and the Rabbit. They are metaphor for God and human.
It's become "I" an awareness was no separate from subject and the object. When subject disappear and object too. Then both are same as one that one is 'I'
The whole book spilled with wisdom
An Wise Owl enlighten us and can call an amazing tour!
March 2, 2020
Not my cup of tea, but I appreciated being intellectually challenged reading this (deceptively simple) novella about a rabbit and an owl. My main takeaways: (1) everything is relative, (2) we are not what we do but what we are, (3) we are God, (4) we die, but not really -- only our earthly bodies.
June 6, 2020
While I'm not opposed to the message in itself, I would have appreciated a more consistent owl. He used terms he originally denounces in later, albeit benign, dialogue.
I also don't need to read an allegorical story about personified (enlightened?) animals to learn the basics tenets of a religion.
I also don't need to read an allegorical story about personified (enlightened?) animals to learn the basics tenets of a religion.
October 5, 2015
Unworldly Wise is a lighthearted analysis of Buddhist/Taoist concepts using the anecdote of a Rabbit and Owl discussing what is and what is most certainly not. My bachelor's degree in Eastern philosophy allowed me to enjoy the humor as the poor rabbit tried to wrap her mind around the owl's explanations. Subjectivity is meaningless. "I" am all that is. There is nothing to "do," I just am.
Other animals appear in the story (dragon, cow, squirrel, unicorn and a hyena) but they don't offer sufficiently alternative views, so the same concepts are repeated over and over with little variation. Those not familiar with these concepts may not get the joke, and unless hearing the same thing over and over manages to brings them enlightenment, they may get to the end of the book without learning anything more than Wei Wu Wei was an odd duck.
All in all, Unworldly Wise is a very accessible work, bringing complicated Eastern concepts of selflessness, integrity and non-action to a wider audience.
Other animals appear in the story (dragon, cow, squirrel, unicorn and a hyena) but they don't offer sufficiently alternative views, so the same concepts are repeated over and over with little variation. Those not familiar with these concepts may not get the joke, and unless hearing the same thing over and over manages to brings them enlightenment, they may get to the end of the book without learning anything more than Wei Wu Wei was an odd duck.
All in all, Unworldly Wise is a very accessible work, bringing complicated Eastern concepts of selflessness, integrity and non-action to a wider audience.
July 12, 2012
One of my most favorite books ever !
January 24, 2018
Written in very simple language, it's a casual read with clear pointers to the philosophy of non-duality. The dialogue between the two animals, one being a predator and the other its prey, I think was intentionally chosen to show how the polarities or opposites have roots in each other.
The best part is, when the rabbit smells sulphurous air and the author introduces the dragon, and the rabbit becomes fearful and begins to relate it to everything evil and diabolic. And the Owl points out that its a western superstition and dragons were always embraced in the east and are quite gentle and graceful animals.
The best part is, when the rabbit smells sulphurous air and the author introduces the dragon, and the rabbit becomes fearful and begins to relate it to everything evil and diabolic. And the Owl points out that its a western superstition and dragons were always embraced in the east and are quite gentle and graceful animals.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews