The Tao wisdom of Tao Te Ching is paradoxical
and even contradictory: it requires the reversal of the common or
conventional thinking process in order to truly appreciate and comprehend what
Lao Tzu was saying.
To illustrate, according to Tao wisdom, we think with
our hearts and only feel with our minds, while in conventional
wisdom, we use our minds to think, to reason, and to judge by using our common
logic. In Tao, we let the mind do its natural function of feeling and
observing, instead of thinking. More specifically, the main function of the
human mind is to observe the thoughts in the thinking mind but
without any judgment or interference. The Chinese for “I think” is literally
“my heart thinks.” (我心想) For centuries, the Chinese have
been inculcated with the concept that the heart, and not the mind, is
responsible for the ultimate thinking process. However, that is not to
contradict the Western concept that the mind thinks. In Tao wisdom, however,
“thinking with the heart” figuratively means consciously slowing down
the thinking mind, and thereby letting the mind observe the rambling
thoughts, instead of having the mind being controlled and overwhelmed by those
distracting thoughts. Simply put, the mind mainly feels and observes;
it does little thinking and judging in deference to the heart.
To further illustrate the above point, the human mind is
like a car, just an instrument of the human brain. The driver is the heart that
controls the steering. The car only observes and feels, just as the body does
through its five senses. The car does not control its speed or its direction,
but the driver does. It is, therefore, important that the car does not exceed
the speed limit, because if it goes too fast, it cannot properly observe the
surrounding environment with its details, and thus endangering the driver.
Similarly, it is also important for the human mind to purposely slow
down, so that the individual or the driver can see clearly where he or she is
going. Tao wisdom focuses on slowing down the thinking mind, letting
it become only the non-judgmental observer so that the heart can make the
intelligent choices and decisions in life. According to Lao Tzu, true wisdom is
total mental awareness—awareness of what is happening around us, awareness
of the nature of things; true wisdom is not based on any human
concept, let alone the pre-conditioning of the human mind. That is the reason
why it cannot be expressed in words; it has to be experienced and self-intuited
by each and every individual. There is no blueprint for all.
Indeed, the Tao wisdom expressed in Tao Te Ching is
filled with many paradoxes and contradictory expressions, for example:
“The more we look, the less we see.
The more we hear, the less we listen.
The more we crave, the crazier we become.”
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
