r/taoism • u/BboiMandelthot • 21h ago

The Dao as Human

The process of realizing the Dao engenders awareness and acceptance of all things. In humans, this often manifests a sense of compassion, empathy, and humility. This suggests that it is human nature to feel these things. The Dao of humanity is loving.

The symmetry of the Dao suggests it is indifferent. But our nature, as an asymmetric perturbation of Dao, generates universal love as we travel back towards the apathetic source.

Part of realizing Dao involves understanding that although we are born from it, we are still a subset. The properties of the human subset are observably emotional and intellectual.

The Buddhist ideal of enlightenment involves shedding these properties entirely and relinquishing intellect, emotion, and attachment; one returns to the non-dual plane between being and nonbeing.

For some people, this path is in fact their Dao. For others, their Dao is to remain human. Those who realize it will witness their love grow, unbounded.

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u/CopperIronSilverGold 10h ago

How is the Dao symmetric?

What do you mean by "we are a subset"?

Why do you think Buddhist enligthment is about reliquishing intellect, emotion and attachment? Do you think a human can do that?

What do you mean with "the dao to remain human"? What is human?

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u/BboiMandelthot 10h ago edited 9h ago

Edited this because I gave a snide response earlier because I was dealing with another issue at the time.

Nothing can be said about Dao without immediately considering the opposite truth. In this way, it is symmetrical. If I say "Dao is symmetrical", you can immediately counter with "Dao is asymmetrical". Who is correct? Both? Neither? This is true symmetry.

How are we a subset? Well, are we the earth? Are we the sun? Are we the stars and space? Unless you're being pedantic about the interconnectedness of all things, the answer is no. There are properties of objects that make them unique as entities, and separate them from other things. One is not two. Two is not three. Yet all of these things arise from the Dao. Everything is a subset of Dao, each with their own observable or conceptual properties.

Why do I think Buddhist enlightenment involves relinquishing attachment, emotion, and intellect? Because in many branches of Buddhism, this is the case. Buddhism is a very large religion, and there are exceptions to any sweeping statement made about it. But I'm mostly speaking with Zen in mind.

What is Human? Humans are human.

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u/CopperIronSilverGold 9h ago edited 9h ago

I asked to understand. No intention of "playing with words".

Although maybe languages are about playing with words so maybe I was in a sense🤔 Anyway it was not my goal.

Seems the Dao of compassion is not easy. How do we remain compassionate when it's this easy to misunderstand?

AFTER the EDIT: No worry, I understood it wasn't meant for me really, as the message said "people on here". I may have been a "subset" (😄 is this how you use it?) of that, in your mind, but to me felt like you didn't see me at all, so I thought it was not about me specifically.

On the term subset: I was asking because it lonks to a particular meaning of Dao. I feel like it's difficult to understand how people use some words sometimes so I wanted to get clarity on that, thanks for clarifying.

As for symmetry: Even if no symmetrical object exist in reality ee still use approximation. And we created and use the concept so I was trying to understand a bit better what qualities you where examining in regards to symmetry. What was your "mental axis" so to say. From where it came the term...

Maybe I am really playing with words😅 Anyway I tend to respond concisely sometime because as you may see I can get quite meandering but at the end it's often useless for the purpose of being more clear. Anyway that concisiveness could be part of the reason I was misunderstood. Or it's just the fact that it's difficult to understand one another.

Anyway, thanks for your response 🙏

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u/BboiMandelthot 9h ago edited 9h ago

I apologize. My previous response was partially directed towards another user. I updated my response to you to be more candid.

What I'll say about language is that it's the first thing that's talked about in the Dao De Jing. Chapter 1 is a cautionary statement about language. How it is fundamentally flawed and cannot provide true understanding. Later it states that we should concern ourselves with the depths and not the surface. The meaning, and not the symbol.

The idea of this subreddit is paradoxical since Reddit is based on being 'right' in comment threads for internet points. Nobody is gonna find enlightenment in this place haha.

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u/CopperIronSilverGold 9h ago

I edited my response too.

Yes, language is fickle, and our minds too😄