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The Tao of Pooh
What the heck is Tao, what does it have to do with Pooh, why do we care and
why is Reverend Joy saying it wrong? One question at a time. First, let’s see
if Pooh and Piglet can explain what Tao is?
Begin the Day reading
Doesn’t that explain what Tao is? Well, Pooh lives according to Tao without
even knowing what Tao is. So even tho Pooh can’t explain what Tao is, if we
study Pooh we begin to see what Taoist life might look like. Which at least
explains what Tao has to do with Pooh. But back to what Tao is. In the book
by Benjamin Hoff, Hoff describes three philosophies or “tastes” coming from
China. Confucius focuses on traditions and ancestors because he believes
that the present is out of alignment with the past and that is the source of our
trouble. Buddha focuses on attachments as the source of all suffering and
seeks to transcend this world of dust to find nirvana or the place of “no wind”.
Unfortunately usually a breeze is blowing. Lao-tse wrote “The Tao Te Ching”
and describes a natural harmony between heaven and earth that cannot be
described or forced. Taoism in Hoff’s book is “simply a particular way of
appreciating, learning from, and working with whatever happens in everyday
life. From the Taoist point of view, the natural result of this harmonious way
of living is happiness. Happy serenity and a subtle sense of humor.” Well
now, that sounds interesting.
Some of you have little word bubbles appearing over your heads. “Why does
she keep saying it wrong? It begins with a T not a D.” I know, but it is
pronounced D-a-o. And here we have our first opportunity to let go of what
we THINK should happen and be with what is. It is pronounced Dao. Just
breathe with that for a moment. It’s not what I thought it was. Oh dear.
I see new word bubbles. “OK so you’re saying Taoism correctly. We are not a
Taoist church! We are a Unity church. Shouldn’t we be learning Unity
principles?” Well, Unity embraces the idea that there are many paths to
oneness. What could it hurt to explore a different path and see what we might
be able to use from that path?
“Harmony, happy serenity and subtle sense of humor” doesn’t sound all that
bad. I’m not saying that Charles Fillmore writes like a stick in the mud but
