Hello
Daar was ongelukkig ’n probleem met my e-pos en ’n brief met die titel, “Kobus: Thau dalk nou tot ruste?” is nie vandag gepubliseer nie.
Vandag glip Cornelius Henn deur en publiseer die volgende:
Dis my vrye vertaling uit die inleiding van die Tao Te Ching, die leer van die Sjinese wysgeer Laotsze (± 600 vC) Dis ook die oudste beskrywing van die woord Tao na my wete.
Dit is inderdaad toe soos verwag is, die woord, thau, wat ’n baie spesifieke betekenis het in Esegiël het klink vir Cornelius toe soos Toa en gaan sy verbeelding op hol. In die brief aan Kobus verwys ek na ’n program van die BBC wat Daoïsme aanspreek en kan hier gevind word.
Die Inleiding:
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Daoism. An ancient Chinese tradition of philosophy and religious belief, Daoism first appeared more than two thousand years ago. For centuries it was the most popular religion in China; in the West its religious aspects are not as well known as its practices, which include meditation and Feng Shui, and for its most celebrated text, the Daodejing. The central aim in Daoism is to follow the 'Dao', a word which roughly translates as 'The Way'. Daoists believe in following life in its natural flow, what they refer to as an 'effortless action'. This transcendence can be linked to Buddhism, the Indian religion that came to China in the 2nd century BC and influenced Daoism - an exchange which went both ways. Daoism is closely related to, but has also at times conflicted with, the religion of the Chinese Imperial court, Confucianism. The spirit world is of great significance in Daoism, and its hierarchy and power often take precedence over events and people in real life.
With Tim Barrett (Professor of East Asian History at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London), Martin Palmer, (Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture, Hilde De Weerdt, (Fellow and Tutor in Chinese History at Pembroke College, University of Oxford)
Daar was ook ’n artikel onlangs in die New York Times en kan hier gevind word.
Notas daaruit:
Taoism has closely reflected this history of decline and rebirth. The religion is loosely based on the writings of a mythical person named Laotzu and calls for returning to the Dao, or Tao, the mystical way that unites all of creation. Although scholars once distinguished between “philosophical Taoism” and “religious Taoism,” today most see the two strains as closely related. As China’s only indigenous religion, Taoism’s influence is found in everything from calligraphy and politics to medicine and poetry. For much of the past two millenniums, Taoism’s opposite has been Confucianism, the ideology of China’s ruling elite and the closest China has to a second homegrown religion. Where Confucianism emphasizes moderation, harmony and social structure, Taoism offers a refuge from society and the trap of material success. Some rulers have tried to govern according to Taoism’s principle of wuwei, or nonaction, but by and large it is not strongly political and today exhibits none of the nationalism found among, say, India’s Hindu fundamentalists.
Oorweging van bogenoemde behoort dit dan moontlik te maak om Cornelius Henn se onsin te kan oordeel vir die onsin wat dit is. ’n Ingeligte leser sal dit nie benodig nie, maar vir die goeie orde en te bevestig dat die antwoorde deur my aangebied nie uit die lug gegryp word nie, maar dat daar werklik gepoog word om reg te laat geskied aan die verskille in die denkskole onder bespreking.
Wat baat dit Henn as hy alleen weet hy is reg?
Baie Dankie
Wouter
Wouter, jou brief is vandag gebubliseer. – Maggie