Thanks Leon:
As a University Professor in Religion, I couldn't have said it better.
If, on rare occasions the TR6 breaks down, I figure it is time to be in
harmony with nature, to stop and see the world, and to smell the roses.
Everytime I have had something happen, I have met nice people, had
wonderful experiences, enjoyed myself completely. I feel sorry for all
the people who race back and forth in their effecient and dependable
machines...they miss out on so much of life! ;-)
Hope to see you in March,
Michael
On Wed, 9 Feb 2000 GuyotLeonF@aol.com wrote:
>
> 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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