The Way and The Awake

On my Formspring Account, I quite recently received a series of questions about the differences between Buddhism and Daoism. I didn't want to take the time to answer them on Formspring (where my thoughts would result in an unwarranted wall of text), so the inquirer suggested I post it on my blog (where a wall of text is completely warranted).

Daoism and Buddhism get along well. Laozi and Siddhartha would have been good friends had they ever met! Despite this, they have their differences, because they tackle different social and spiritual issues.

The world-known Taijitu, or the symbol of yin and yang.

Daoism (also spelled Taoism) comes from the Chinese word 道 (dào), which literally means "road", "way", or "path". The (arguably) earliest known work that speaks of the Dao is the 道德经 (Dào​dé​jīng), which literally means "The Classic Text of the Way and Virtue". The other text that I rely on most heavily, second to the Daodejing, is the 庄子 (Zhuāng​zǐ), named for Zhuangzi who wrote it.

Daoism is predominantly Chinese in origin, but has spread very indirectly and very subtly to influence Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, as well as a handful of other countries in smaller varieties.

The primary principles of Daoism include the concepts of the dao, qi, wuwei, the wu xing or 5 "elements" or "stages", Feng Shui, and perhaps the most famous aspects, the concepts of yin and yang. Daoism stresses health, longevity, compassion, moderation, and humility.

So, the most popular question I get is, "What is the Dao?" The Dao is described as being indescribable. "Well, shit." I know, I know, it seems like a copout on Laozi's part, but the Dao is deeper than that. It's the source of all being. The way to inner peace and outer strength. The binding connectivity of all that is. We are the Dao, and the Dao is in us. But it is possible to stray from the Dao, by straying from nature, from peace, and from simplicity.

I mentioned 無爲 (wúwéi), and I realize that's probably an unfamiliar term. It means, roughly, "non-action" or "non-doing". Wuwei is best described as being patient, mindful, and willing to ask yourself , "Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear?" Chapter 15 of the Daodejing is my favorite example of describing wuwei. Through wuwei, you get closer to the Dao. Wuwei always leads to the path of least resistance-- The metaphor Laozi uses is water. Nothing is softer than water, yet through its softness it overcomes rock, steel, humankind, and animals. It gives life and nourishes all things, but knows how to kill. It always takes the lowest path, the most humble Way, and through that humility it is brought to power. Through this knowledge, it's easy to see that the purpose a Daoist takes on is to align himself harmoniously with the Dao.

Daoism arose as a clear response to Confucianism, which placed certain things above others. That, by nature, resulted in a large amount of inequality in ancient China. Laozi and Zhuangzi say in response to that basic inequality, "Hey, man, listen. Money, fame, filial piety, power, those things are all fine... But we only know what "low" is because we assign value to "high". We only know "beauty" because we know "ugliness"." By getting rid of the comparison, they get rid of the inequality. Besides, in the end, we all come from the Dao, so we all are equal in nature because the Dao does not take sides.

A lot of Daoism-influenced countries worship Laozi and Zhuangzi (knowingly or unknowingly) as gods or idols, but I sincerely doubt either of them would have cared much. Maybe they might have even reprimanded those who do so?

So, what does a Daoist expect in death? Daoists believe that the soul is eternal. Instead of true death, that soul, that qi, is transferred or reappropriated somewhere else; maybe to a tree, an animal, maybe another human. So, Daoism believes in a form of reincarnation.

Buddhism is a few centuries earlier than Daoism. The word "Buddha" isn't a name-- It's a title. "Buddha" literally means "one who is Awake". Unlike many other religions and beliefs, the works that reference the Buddha and his teachings didn't start showing up until hundreds of years after Siddartha Gautama Buddha's death.

Siddhartha Gautama was an Indian official or prince; the son of a cleric. He grew up in a world full of Hinduism, and Hinduism's consequent caste system. Buddhism is completely Indian in origin, but it has spread wildly throughout not only Asia, but the entire world.

The primary teachings of Buddhism include the concept of reincarnation, the nonexistence of the human soul, the importance of compassion, and stresses many of the same values as Daoism.

I mentioned the caste system earlier. At the heart of the caste system, similarly to Confucianism, lies inequality. Siddhartha Gautama witnessed this inequality at a young age, and set out to find out the core reason for all of this suffering. He came to the conclusion that to live means you will suffer, without doubt. At the root of this suffering is desire. By getting rid of the desire, you can alleviate the suffering.

Buddhism arose as a clear attack on the caste system that was riddled with social, monetary, and (according to the Hindus) spiritual inequality.The Hindus were all about advancing to the next level, because of the transmigration of the soul. The Buddha, however, saw all of the inequality and social suffering this system of beliefs created, and went ahead to say "Fuck it! You don't have a soul. What transmigrates is the mind, not the soul."

In some countries (mainly southeast Asia), Gautama Buddha is revered as a God. However, he stated numerous times to his disciples that he did not want that at all. Funny how things work out.

A Buddhist believes in reincarnation after death, similar to Daoists. The goal of a Buddhist is to be reincarnated enough times through samsara, or existence, to emerge into Nirvana, the popular grunge band escape from reincarnation into a state of being-nonbeing.


Daoism and Buddhism obviously get along very well, but the key differences are in the details. The Daoist way of life is focused on aligning oneself to the natural way of the cosmos, while the Buddhist is trying to understand and surpass pain and suffering through leading a moral life. If you have any more questions about the differences, similarities, or anything about these two belief systems, you can ask about it in the comments or by way of any of my social networks listed below.

If you like my writing, you can join the site to the right of the page, like Speaking with Storms on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Google+ . If you have questions or just want to chat, I'm on Formspring too!

Thanks for reading. Stay human, my friends.

Today is a Silent Day

Ask any American where they where when the planes hit the tower, and they'll know. With little or no hesitation, they will know.

I was very young-- I was in 4th grade at a tiny Christian private school in a suburb of the Twin Cities. The teachers were having a devotion/faculty meeting and had no idea until the second plane hit.

When the principal was informed, he walked to my classroom first (as it was closest to his office) and he quietly called my teacher to join him with the other teachers in his office again. We all figured it was just another meeting.

When my teacher returned, she calmly explained the situation to us. A few of us gasped, others simply grew silent. I just stared. I would like to think I understood it fully then, but that's not really likely. Truth be told, I don't really remember.

Now, I'm older and looking back I am gifted with a certain insight. I now am able to grasp the depth of the events, and I am able to look mindfully into the stories and reports.

I've never been particularly patriotic, so I never got swept up in the whole swell of patriotism whenever 9/11 was mentioned. "Those damned Moslems hate our freedom" was something I knew was bullshit even at 4th grade.It was then really distressing for me to witness some of my friends (white and otherwise) speak so many hateful words about people who were different (or not even so much, depending on your perspective) without any knowledge other than the oversimplified stories that we as children had been spoonfed.

A lot of people have exchanged conspiracy theories, saying it was an inside job, saying the Government itself did it. I don't know if I completely buy into it, but I also don't completely buy into the official story. However, none of that matters. It doesn't matter if it was a conspiracy, it doesn't matter if it was exactly as the government said, it doesn't matter. 2,996 people lost their lives. Any loss of life is a tragedy, and when the death toll is this high, it doesn't matter exactly how it happened anymore. Just that it did.

Today is a silent day. It's important to remember what happened on September 11th of 2011, whether you think it was a terrorist act or a conspiracy or an accident or whatever. it doesn't matter-- Too many died for it to matter. I think it is wise to look mindfully into the tragedy and know the suffering of the victims, of the families, of the rescue forces, of the witnesses, of your own experience. The events had a large impact, from worldwide politics to the schoolyard racism.  Today is a silent day.

If you like my writing, you can join the site to the right of the page, like Speaking with Storms on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Google+ . If you have questions or just want to chat, I'm on Formspring too!

Thanks for reading. Stay human, my friends.

The Trial

My friend called me up
and said that she had been attacked.
He came at her with a knife
And pushed up on her back

He forced her up against a wall,
Took her purse, ripped her blouse
And she screamed til she felt the edge
Of a knife against her mouth

And he said “Hey little girl, don’t worry now
You’re in good hands”
That’s when he licked his lips
And started unzipping his pants

You can see where this is going,
So I’ll spare you all the shit
But just know that when I see him
I’ma throw a fucking fit

!So I did what I never thought I’d do:
I went out,
And bought a gun—and tons of bullets,
Though I planned on running out

.“I’ma fill his body up with pain
The way he did to you.
Nothing you say can stop me,
This is what I have to do.”

She didn’t want me to go through with it
But I was in a trance
So I walked right out the door
To kill him with my own two hands.

And I walked out to find him
With the piece tucked in my jeans
And I found him in a driveway
Workin’ on his machine.

He saw me comin’, asked me
“Hey, what can I do for you?”
So I brought out the gun and said
“Here’s what I’m gonna do.

I’m gonna count to three, and in that time
You’re gonna say to me
How you could do just what you did
So fuckin’ easily.”

He knew why I was there
So he put his hands down
And stared at me, As his eyes crunched up
And lips turned to a frown.

It was then I saw the tears
coming down from his eyes,
But I could never cut him slack
No matter how hard he cried

.“It was fucking awful, man,
I can’t fuckin’ sleep at night.
I was drunk and angry at my ex
She was just in sight,

I was so far fucking gone
That I hardly remember shit
But I do know what I did
And I know I deserve this.”

Then an old man behind me
On the sidewalk stopped in shock.
“Young man, you do not want this.
Put it down, let’s just talk.”

But I was so far into it
That I couldn’t hear him speak
All I wanted was this fucker’s brain
Splattered against the street.

Then the old man put his hand
On top of my shoulder,
And said “Put it down, son.
This act is even colder.

What he did is awful, yes.
He was drunk in wrath
But are you any different?
Do we need a bloodbath?”

I was thinking miles in minutes
“I don’t give a fuck, Mister!”
I was not gonna listen,
Cause I know he hurt my sister!

I know he’s a terror
And he knows he’s got a twister
Coming his way, man,
Now let me bust this fucking blister!

Then the man looked at my gun
and yelled “GO ON AND DO IT!
I deserve this, and you’re the only one
To put me through it!”

And he cried and cried and sobbed and sobbed
and lost all of his shit
But I couldn’t pull the trigger
And go through with it.

I felt the old man smile at me.
“You know how strong the rage is.
But now that’s all over, yes?
It’s in history’s pages.”

I turned around to face him,
But there was no one to see.
So I turned back to the man and saw him
Staring back at me.“

You’re a lucky man, you know.
I was going to pull the trigger.
But I think it was an angel that
Told me I could be bigger.”

So I threw the gun into a drain
When I was walking back
And I realized the kind of pain
That went into that attack.

I found her back at my place,
asking, “Please, don’t say it’s true.”
I shook my head without a word
And hugged her so she knew.

If you like my writing, you can join the site to the right of the page, like Speaking with Storms on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Google+ . If you have questions or just want to chat, I'm on Formspring too!

Thanatopsis

This evening I watched someone die.

There was a huge accident by my house. I didn't hear it happen, didn't see the lights of the police cruisers or fire engine or ambulances... I would have been entirely ignorant of it if I hadn't heard the helicopter.

I took my ear buds out and watched as the helicopter descended. I ran downstairs, slipped some sneakers on and put on my favorite jacket as I ran to go see what happened.

It was a head-on collision. A black pickup and a grayish four-door. The pickup (because of its design) had enough metal in front to keep the cab mainly intact... But the force of the impact on the smaller car had completely crushed in the door.

There was blood on the inside of the windshield.

I watched for 15 minutes as firefighters tried to open the door. After that, I was shooed away by a police officer.

I don't think I've ever thought so seriously about my own mortality before. Death suddenly got very real.

I don't really know for exact sure what happens when a person dies, but I refuse to believe "that's just the end", as an ex girlfriend of mine once put it. Sometimes I think of it this way: If our bodies are made of the same material as the rest of the universe (which it is, don't try and deny it), and we are alive, isn't it possible that our souls are made of some strange, invisible, imperceptible material that penetrates and envelopes all matter? And so when we die, we return to the earth, to the universe, to Being.

So how would we perceive that? Do we become superconscious deities? Unlikely, I would think. Or do we become part of the greater consciousness a la Evangelion (and yes, I understand a lot of people won't understand that reference)?

I'm still shaken up about what I saw, and I may very well be overreacting, but it really made me think.

Don't take your beating heart for granted. Each breath of air, each drink of water, each beat of our heart... each moment is a blessing.

I just had to get a few of these thoughts down. I know it's been a long time since I've updated, so from this night forward I'm going to try and update on a more regular basis.