LAO TZU AND TAOISM

Taoist Principles  Tao (or Dao)  “The Way” or “The Flow of the Universe” The natural rules that everything abides by  Yin and Yang- both are inextricably linked and even each other out, harmony is achieved by both  Dark and Light- like the day and the night  Male and Female  Up and Down- like the ripple of a stone dropped in water

Taoist Principles  Wei Wu Wei- action without acting  Be like water/river seemingly yielding to a boulder in its path  Do not try to assert your will upon nature  Naturalness  Value the simplicity of life  Pu- “wood uncut” or the uncarved block  The world imprints itself on us, but we should return ourselves to our natural state; this is harmony

Knowing vs. Being  Taoist teaching emphasize that one cannot know the Dao without experiencing the Dao  The learned person who studies Taoism cannot know what the Dao is  Which is why it is so difficult to talk about Taoist principles  Instead, we learn about it through experience and the experience of others, i.e. through stories

The Tao of Pooh  Who are the characters in Winnie the Pooh?  And what are their characteristics?  And who is the hero or protagonist of the stories?

Why is Pooh Bear the hero?  Benjamin Hoff makes the case that it is because he embodies the values of Taoism  He is simple-minded without being stupid  He sees the beauty in everything (‘Celebrate Thursday!”)  He enjoys the simple pleasures of life (Honey)  He is the Pu, i.e. the uncarved block

Activity  Take your can of Play-Doh  Before playing, notice that it is an “uncarved block” Full of potential and possibility What will you do with it?  Now play Enjoy the simplicity of Play-Doh Create something, smoosh it, make impressions of interesting things or patterns in the room  Now Reflect  How does Play-Doh reflect Taoist principles?