Leon;
Ever read "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert Pirsig?
You'd like it, as it talks very much of a Taoist approach to maintaining a
machine (as far as that's possible). It taught me how to walk away from a
frustrating job, and return to one that no longer frustrates (might take
more than one "walk away").
ken shapiro
baltimore
1970 GT6+ KC81872L
----- Original Message -----
From: <GuyotLeonF@aol.com>
To: <triumphs@autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2000 5:05 PM
Subject: Triumphs and Chinese Philosphy, (little LBC).
Personally,
I do not believe that our cars should be associated with Buddism as
suggested.
I much prefer the Taoist perspective.
Consider this: (and reflect on how the following compares with how you
follow
the "Teachings of Triumph" - with all due respect to Chinese philosophers.
Of the "Three Teachings" of China:
Confucius (K'ung Fu-Tse) thought that life seemed rather sour, he believed
that the present was out of step with the past, and that the government of
man on earth was out of harmony with the way of heaven, the government of
the
universe. Therefore, he emphaised reverence for the ancestors, as well as
for
the ancient rituals and ceremonies etc.
In brief, he was seriously into rituals, precisely measured music, steps,
actions and phrases.
(in modern parlance, "he needed to get a life!")
To Buddha, life on earth was bitter, filled with attachments and desires
that
led to suffering. The world was seen as a setter of traps, a generator of
illusions, a revolving wheel of pain for all creatures. In order to find
peace, the Buddist considered it necessary to transcend "the world of dust"
and reach Nirvana, literally a state of "no wind". Although the essentially
optimistic attitude of the Chinese altered Buddhism considerably after it
was
brought in from its native India, the devout Buddist often saw the way to
Nirvana interrupted all the same by the bitter wind of everyday existence.
(I owe, I owe, it's off to work I go!)
To Lao-tse (Tao), the harmony that naturally existed between heaven and
earth
from the very beginning could be found by anyone at any time, but not by
following the rules of Confucianists. As he stated in his "Tao Virtue Book",
earth was in essence a reflection of heaven, run by the same laws - not by
the laws of men. These laws affected not only the spinning of distant
planets, but the activities of the birds in the forest and the fish in the
sea.
According to Lao-tse, the more man interfered with the natural balance
produced and governed by the universal laws, the further away the harmony
retreated into the distance. The more forcing, the more trouble. Whether
heavy or light, wet or dry, fast or slow, everything had its own nature
already within it, which could not be violated without causing difficulties.
When abstract and arbitrary rules were imposed from the outside, struggle
was
inevitable. Only then did life become sour.
To Lao-tse, the world was not a setter of traps, but a teacher of valuable
lessons.
Its lessons needed to be learned, just as its laws.
(Don't push it, don't force it, just Go with the Flow!)
Briefly:
The basic Taoism that we are concerned with here 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. You might say that happy serenity is the most
noticable characteristic of the Taoist personality, and a subtle sense of
humour is apparent even in the most profound Taoist writings.
When I look at my Triumph, life is sweet, when I drive my Triumph I
experience inner happiness, but to own a Triumph, you NEED that subtle sense
of humour.
That is my last word on this subject.
Happy TR'ing
Léon
ps. I am not particularly religious btw.
1963 Triumph Vitesse 2-Litre Convertible
Wimbledon, London, England.
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