Wu Wei

[Douglaspocock]

More of a description to understand the Taoist concept of Wu Wei than a real poem, however it is meant to be a poem in similar form to a particular style of verse in the Tao Te Ching.

The Eyes see without seeing.
The Ears hear without hearing.
The Tongue tastes without tasting, the Nose smells without smelling. Just as the Skin feels without feeling.

Wu Wei

The Heart beats without beating as the Lungs breath without breathing. Just as Life lives without living.

Water flows without flowing and Grass grows without growing. Just as Stars shine without shining.

Wu Wei

Do without doing and Act without acting.
Simply. Be without being.

朴子

[ThePinsir]

I see a bunch of contradictions that make no sense...but I'm sure that's because I don't know a thing about the Tao Te Ching or Wu Wei. Maybe you could give some sort of sensory images or perhaps explain how "seeing without seeing" is supposed to work.

Also, are the characters at the bottom part of the poem? I've never seen a poem switch languages before, but I think it'd be pretty cool.

[tectak]

More of a description to understand the Taoist concept of Wu Wei than a real poem, however it is meant to be a poem in similar form to a particular style of verse in the Tao Te Ching.

The Eyes see without seeing.
The Ears hear without hearing.
The Tongue tastes without tasting, the Nose smells without smelling. Just as the Skin feels without feeling.

Wu Wei

The Heart beats without beating as the Lungs breath without breathing. Just as Life lives without living.

Water flows without flowing and Grass grows without growing. Just as Stars shine without shining.

Wu Wei

Do without doing and Act without acting.
Simply. Be without being.

朴子

Hi,
What is your purpose in posting this?
It would help other contributors if we knew.
Best,
tectak

[Douglaspocock]

I see a bunch of contradictions that make no sense...but I'm sure that's because I don't know a thing about the Tao Te Ching or Wu Wei. Maybe you could give some sort of sensory images or perhaps explain how "seeing without seeing" is supposed to work.

Also, are the characters at the bottom part of the poem? I've never seen a poem switch languages before, but I think it'd be pretty cool.

I will definitely take your advice about adding some sensory images and try to explain a little further. Do you think it would be better to lengthen the poem, or switch out some things? I will try for both and post them in time.

"Contradictions" don't exist as much in eastern philosophy as they do in western philosophy. For example, the axioms of the law of non-contradiction [P or ~P], and the law of the excluded middle [~(P and ~P)], do not exist. Something can be and can not be at the same time.
However, that doesn't really have anything to do with the concept of Wu Wei, which can be explained using the logic of a very influential and famous 'western' thinker. He doesn't really come from the west, and actually comes from a time long ago and in a galaxy far far away.
(I'll get to the poeming shortly, this is just a tangent to explain)

"Do. Or do not. There is no try" - Yoga, a Taoist Master.

Do (True), Do Not (False), and Try (Nothing). Exist in a mindset of possibilities. However, in essence, if something is tried and not completed, then it simply was not completed.
Example, You can either scratch your leg or you don't scratch, if you "try", then you still are not scratching your leg.
When you Try to do something, you are 'Doing something' when actually not doing anything. Your heart doesn't ever try to beat, it simply beats. Water doesn't try to flow, it simply flows.

I will address the Chinese. 朴 - means Simple and 子 means Seed, Child, or Small thing. 子 Also can mean Master, if used at the end of a name. There is more, but I use it when starting something at as simple as I can.

--
Tectak, my purpose, I suppose, is to try my hand at poetry. But, if the meaning of the poem is the question it is two parts.
1) To use poetry to explain Taoism, as it is the general format of one of the great works of Taoism.
2) To try to grasp the process of Wu Wei in poem form.

The problem with Taoism when explaining it is that by its very nature, it can't be explained. Think of Taoism as the truth that you can know and experience in yourself, but can not share with words, symbols, or any form of communication.
--

I will continue editing the poem now. Thank you for the advice so far.

---

The Eyes see without seeing.
The Ears hear without hearing.
The Tongue tastes without tasting, the Nose smells without smelling. Just as the Skin feels without feeling.

One can look, and see nothing before them.
One can listen, and hear nothing around them.
But,
If one sees, nothing is unseen, and if one hears, nothing is unheard.

To look for the leaf, is to miss the whole of the tree.
To look for the tree, is to miss the whole of the ground.
To look for the ground, is to miss the whole of the sky.
To look for an object, is to miss the whole of the subject.
And to miss the whole of the subject, is to miss the whole of the object.


The Heart beats without beating as the Lungs breath without breathing. Just as Life lives without living.
Water flows without flowing and Grass grows without growing. Just as Stars shine without shining.

One can see, and see all before them.
One can hear, and hear all around them.
To see and to hear is done without action,
All is completed without active intention.

As borders diminish, the whole is revealed.
The whole has no parts, all is equal in scope.
With nothing in focus, there is no blur to obscure.
See without looking and only open the eyes,
All will been seen, and nothing disguised.


Do without doing and Act without acting.
Simply. Be without being.

To gain perspective, is to broaden horizons.
The whole is the Tao, even if left unspoken.
Nay, particularly if left unspoken.
For to name is to focus, and to focus is to lose.
Loss of the whole is the loss of the part.

朴子

(It is now difficult to still call this Wu Wei, but the concept can not be explained apart from the whole.)

Please, continue to give me advice and any questions that you have I will try to directly explain. Then I will try to weave it into the poem that I expect to have grow forever. I will always change and try to clean it up while adding in new concepts as needed.
Thank you!

[tectak]

I see a bunch of contradictions that make no sense...but I'm sure that's because I don't know a thing about the Tao Te Ching or Wu Wei. Maybe you could give some sort of sensory images or perhaps explain how "seeing without seeing" is supposed to work.

Also, are the characters at the bottom part of the poem? I've never seen a poem switch languages before, but I think it'd be pretty cool.

@
I will definitely take your advice about adding some sensory images and try to explain a little further. Do you think it would be better to lengthen the poem, or switch out some things? I will try for both and post them in time.

"Contradictions" don't exist as much in eastern philosophy as they do in western philosophy. For example, the axioms of the law of non-contradiction [P or ~P], and the law of the excluded middle [~(P and ~P)], do not exist. Something can be and can not be at the same time.
However, that doesn't really have anything to do with the concept of Wu Wei, which can be explained using the logic of a very influential and famous 'western' thinker. He doesn't really come from the west, and actually comes from a time long ago and in a galaxy far far away.
(I'll get to the poeming shortly, this is just a tangent to explain)

"Do. Or do not. There is no try" - Yoga, a Taoist Master.

Do (True), Do Not (False), and Try (Nothing). Exist in a mindset of possibilities. However, in essence, if something is tried and not completed, then it simply was not completed.
Example, You can either scratch your leg or you don't scratch, if you "try", then you still are not scratching your leg.
When you Try to do something, you are 'Doing something' when actually not doing anything. Your heart doesn't ever try to beat, it simply beats. Water doesn't try to flow, it simply flows.

I will address the Chinese. 朴 - means Simple and 子 means Seed, Child, or Small thing. 子 Also can mean Master, if used at the end of a name. There is more, but I use it when starting something at as simple as I can.

--
Tectak, my purpose, I suppose, is to try my hand at poetry. But, if the meaning of the poem is the question it is two parts.
1) To use poetry to explain Taoism, as it is the general format of one of the great works of Taoism.
2) To try to grasp the process of Wu Wei in poem form.

The problem with Taoism when explaining it is that by its very nature, it can't be explained. Think of Taoism as the truth that you can know and experience in yourself, but can not share with words, symbols, or any form of communication.
--

I will continue editing the poem now. Thank you for the advice so far.

---

The Eyes see without seeing.
The Ears hear without hearing.
The Tongue tastes without tasting, the Nose smells without smelling. Just as the Skin feels without feeling.

One can look, and see nothing before them.
One can listen, and hear nothing around them.
But,
If one sees, nothing is unseen, and if one hears, nothing is unheard.

To look for the leaf, is to miss the whole of the tree.
To look for the tree, is to miss the whole of the ground.
To look for the ground, is to miss the whole of the sky.
To look for an object, is to miss the whole of the subject.
And to miss the whole of the subject, is to miss the whole of the object.


The Heart beats without beating as the Lungs breath without breathing. Just as Life lives without living.
Water flows without flowing and Grass grows without growing. Just as Stars shine without shining.

One can see, and see all before them.
One can hear, and hear all around them.
To see and to hear is done without action,
All is completed without active intention.

As borders diminish, the whole is revealed.
The whole has no parts, all is equal in scope.
With nothing in focus, there is no blur to obscure.
See without looking and only open the eyes,
All will been seen, and nothing disguised.


Do without doing and Act without acting.
Simply. Be without being.

To gain perspective, is to broaden horizons.
The whole is the Tao, even if left unspoken.
Nay, particularly if left unspoken.
For to name is to focus, and to focus is to lose.
Loss of the whole is the loss of the part.

朴子

(It is now difficult to still call this Wu Wei, but the concept can not be explained apart from the whole.)

Please, continue to give me advice and any questions that you have I will try to directly explain. Then I will try to weave it into the poem that I expect to have grow forever. I will always change and try to clean it up while adding in new concepts as needed.
Thank you!

No as in yes.
The "whole" is nonsense and so makes sense.
It is too long as it is too short.
Hey, this is easy and so is difficult.

Enough.
Write some poetry.
Best,
tectak

[ChristopherSea]

More of a description to understand the Taoist concept of Wu Wei than a real poem, however it is meant to be a poem in similar form to a particular style of verse in the Tao Te Ching.

The Eyes see without seeing.
The Ears hear without hearing.
The Tongue tastes without tasting, the Nose smells without smelling. Just as the Skin feels without feeling.

Wu Wei

The Heart beats without beating as the Lungs breath without breathing. Just as Life lives without living.

Water flows without flowing and Grass grows without growing. Just as Stars shine without shining.

Wu Wei

Do without doing and Act without acting.
Simply. Be without being.

朴子

I understand that achieving action through nonaction is incorporated into the concept of Wu Wei and is a significant component of the Tao Te Ching. I think where this poem fails is in the repetition of a single statement with numerous examples in an 'unpoetic' fashion. If one does not except that you can 'see' an object with your eyes closed, than the idea comes off as nonsense and reiterating it over and over will only make it worse. However, if you had said it in the manner that I just did (seeing without looking), you could have conveyed a concept to the reader. The Tao Te Ching is effective and poetic, as the excerpt below illustrates:

In pursuing one’s studies
something’s added each day.
In practicing the Way
something’s subtracted each day.

It grows less and less
until one reaches non-action.
When one reaches non-action
nothing is left undone.

It’s always through not interfering
that one can control the realm.
Whoever loves to interfere
will never control the people.

This would be accepted as both poetry and a lesson within the discipline. I also have some Tao poetry that I might post on this site.

Cheers/Chris

[milo]

I see a bunch of contradictions that make no sense...but I'm sure that's because I don't know a thing about the Tao Te Ching or Wu Wei. Maybe you could give some sort of sensory images or perhaps explain how "seeing without seeing" is supposed to work.

Also, are the characters at the bottom part of the poem? I've never seen a poem switch languages before, but I think it'd be pretty cool.

I will definitely take your advice about adding some sensory images and try to explain a little further. Do you think it would be better to lengthen the poem, or switch out some things? I will try for both and post them in time.

"Contradictions" don't exist as much in eastern philosophy as they do in western philosophy. For example, the axioms of the law of non-contradiction [P or ~P], and the law of the excluded middle [~(P and ~P)], do not exist. Something can be and can not be at the same time.
However, that doesn't really have anything to do with the concept of Wu Wei, which can be explained using the logic of a very influential and famous 'western' thinker. He doesn't really come from the west, and actually comes from a time long ago and in a galaxy far far away.
(I'll get to the poeming shortly, this is just a tangent to explain)

"Do. Or do not. There is no try" - Yoga, a Taoist Master.

Do (True), Do Not (False), and Try (Nothing). Exist in a mindset of possibilities. However, in essence, if something is tried and not completed, then it simply was not completed.
Example, You can either scratch your leg or you don't scratch, if you "try", then you still are not scratching your leg.
When you Try to do something, you are 'Doing something' when actually not doing anything. Your heart doesn't ever try to beat, it simply beats. Water doesn't try to flow, it simply flows.

I will address the Chinese. 朴 - means Simple and 子 means Seed, Child, or Small thing. 子 Also can mean Master, if used at the end of a name. There is more, but I use it when starting something at as simple as I can.

--
Tectak, my purpose, I suppose, is to try my hand at poetry. But, if the meaning of the poem is the question it is two parts.
1) To use poetry to explain Taoism, as it is the general format of one of the great works of Taoism.
2) To try to grasp the process of Wu Wei in poem form.

The problem with Taoism when explaining it is that by its very nature, it can't be explained. Think of Taoism as the truth that you can know and experience in yourself, but can not share with words, symbols, or any form of communication.
--

I will continue editing the poem now. Thank you for the advice so far.

---

The Eyes see without seeing.
The Ears hear without hearing.
The Tongue tastes without tasting, the Nose smells without smelling. Just as the Skin feels without feeling.

One can look, and see nothing before them.
One can listen, and hear nothing around them.
But,
If one sees, nothing is unseen, and if one hears, nothing is unheard.

To look for the leaf, is to miss the whole of the tree.
To look for the tree, is to miss the whole of the ground.
To look for the ground, is to miss the whole of the sky.
To look for an object, is to miss the whole of the subject.
And to miss the whole of the subject, is to miss the whole of the object.


The Heart beats without beating as the Lungs breath without breathing. Just as Life lives without living.
Water flows without flowing and Grass grows without growing. Just as Stars shine without shining.

One can see, and see all before them.
One can hear, and hear all around them.
To see and to hear is done without action,
All is completed without active intention.

As borders diminish, the whole is revealed.
The whole has no parts, all is equal in scope.
With nothing in focus, there is no blur to obscure.
See without looking and only open the eyes,
All will been seen, and nothing disguised.


Do without doing and Act without acting.
Simply. Be without being.

To gain perspective, is to broaden horizons.
The whole is the Tao, even if left unspoken.
Nay, particularly if left unspoken.
For to name is to focus, and to focus is to lose.
Loss of the whole is the loss of the part.

朴子

(It is now difficult to still call this Wu Wei, but the concept can not be explained apart from the whole.)

Please, continue to give me advice and any questions that you have I will try to directly explain. Then I will try to weave it into the poem that I expect to have grow forever. I will always change and try to clean it up while adding in new concepts as needed.
Thank you!

As philosophy or rhetoric it is fine. But as poetry it fails. Poetry is in the /how/ we say things irrelevant of the what. This is all about the /what/ as the language and manipulation are staid and boring.

[billy]

the poem poets without poetry.

it remins me of the tv series Kung Fu. there's nothing new in the piece, in truth the 1st 4 lines are pretty much cliche, they've been said ina thousand martial art's movie's etc. the concept is also cliche, it works with almost any action, fart without farting, laugh without laughing. poetry should be original

More of a description to understand the Taoist concept of Wu Wei than a real poem, however it is meant to be a poem in similar form to a particular style of verse in the Tao Te Ching.

The Eyes see without seeing.
The Ears hear without hearing.
The Tongue tastes without tasting, the Nose smells without smelling. Just as the Skin feels without feeling.

Wu Wei

The Heart beats without beating as the Lungs breath without breathing. Just as Life lives without living.

Water flows without flowing and Grass grows without growing. Just as Stars shine without shining.

Wu Wei

Do without doing and Act without acting.
Simply. Be without being.

朴子

[tectak]

the poem poets without poetry.

it remins me of the tv series Kung Fu. there's nothing new in the piece, in truth the 1st 4 lines are pretty much cliche, they've been said ina thousand martial art's movie's etc. the concept is also cliche, it works with almost any action, fart without farting, laugh without laughing. poetry should be original

More of a description to understand the Taoist concept of Wu Wei than a real poem, however it is meant to be a poem in similar form to a particular style of verse in the Tao Te Ching.

The Eyes see without seeing.
The Ears hear without hearing.
The Tongue tastes without tasting, the Nose smells without smelling. Just as the Skin feels without feeling.

Wu Wei

The Heart beats without beating as the Lungs breath without breathing. Just as Life lives without living.

Water flows without flowing and Grass grows without growing. Just as Stars shine without shining.

Wu Wei

Do without doing and Act without acting.
Simply. Be without being.

朴子

Oh yes, billy. Grasshopper.
Touched but felt
Sniffed but not smelt.
When you can walk on rice crispies
but make no sound,
then you will be a man....or some such.
Hilarious but not funny.
tec but not tak