Why is the sage so useless?

[Nikolai1]

All of the work in the world, all that we call good and useful, is performed by the ignorant. Ignorance is the tool that the Tao uses to get things done.

 

The busy, practical person is in a state of enchantment. They believe that what they do is useful. What they fail to see is that in a different time and place the Tao is using another useful, practical person to undo and spoil and ruin all the good work.

 

A big cause of suffering in this life is that we meet this person. In fact the world is full of people undoing all our good work.

 

But on one point you and your enemy both agree:

 

The sage, (who has cultivated wisdom and dispelled the Tao’s enchantment), is an extremely useless and lazy person.

 

He is quite happy to let us get on with our work. He does not tell us to desist. But he won’t lift a hand and help.

 

Last April I said to him: ‘The bush on the driveway is spreading out of control. In one week a branch has grown 10 cm, which means by this time next year we’ll have 5 metre branches covering the whole yard and the car won’t even reach the garage!

 

But he refused to lift a finger! Said he was busy til Christmas and he’ll look at it then!’

 

Why is this?

 

The sage cannot help but be lazy. Once the enchantment has been lifted, his mind, body and heart are now completely unable to participate in the useful work in the world. However much he tries it won’t work.

 

For a while this upsets him too! But with time he learns to stand aloof from his fellow bipeds, and to view their work as dispassionately as he sees the work of the ant or the tree. The people are just instruments of the Tao, and the Tao does not see fit to use him in that way.

 

Wherever we are working, whatever we are working for…this is the index of our ignorance!

 

 

[soaring crane]

When your husband says he'll do something, he'll do it. There's no reason to remind him about it every six months.

 

But... Bushes out of control and blocking the garage isn't a very sagely condition, I think.

[Apech]

Cultivating uselessness is the key to non-dual awareness.

[Apech]

When your husband says he'll do something, he'll do it. There's no reason to remind him about it every six months.

 

But... Bushes out of control and blocking the garage isn't a very sagely condition, I think.

 

Unless they are sage bushes?

[soaring crane]

Unless they are sage bushes?

 

o man, shoulda seed that one comin!

 

by the by, I don't think it's literally 'uselessness' in the usual pejorative sense that is supposed to be cultivated. It's more development of bottomless stores of usefulness that will never run dry. It's not-being-used-up that identifies the sage. There's a word for it, on the tip of my tongue ...

[Marblehead]

There's a word for it, on the tip of my tongue ...

Self-preservation?

[Marblehead]

I think it is an error to associate Taoist "uselessness" with the generalized concept of "laziness". There is a grand difference between the two.

 

Soaring Crane already pointed to it.

[Apech]

What is the Chuang Tzu story about the tree that is never chopped down? I'm sure you all know it better than me.

[Nikolai1]

I think it is an error to associate Taoist "uselessness" with the generalized concept of "laziness". There is a grand difference between the two.

 

But not to the ordinary people, the enchanted ones! Because they think their work is so important, anyone not doing work is lazy. They certainly wouldn't recognise what is actually going on - that the sage has earned his rest through the effort of gaining wisdom.

 

There will come a point where the sage could not find work, even if he wanted it. But for the time being, where our work is..so is our ignorance.

[soaring crane]

Self-preservation?

Inexhaustible ... But I had a German word in mind: unerschöpflich.

[Daeluin]

The tao is self-balancing. Where is all this work that needs to be done? I do not see it.

 

Come Christmas that bush will no longer be an issue, and will have been dealt with by non-doing.

 

Humans see work that needs to be done because they create in the first place. We build stuff so that it needs maintaining, and can barely keep up. Why not adapt to live with nature better, so that it is all taken care of? If we deign to alter nature, why not alter it so there are human edible trees and bushes growing in the wild, where-ever one may walk, and in cultivated harmonious ecosystems that take care of the needs for pesticides and watering? Then nothing needs to be done except explore this paradise and be spiritual.

 

Or we could simply cultivate an ability to see from the perception of completeness where-ever we may be, and thus settle in comfortably anywhere we go, without needing to adjust things. Perhaps others think us useless and leave us along, like Zhuangzi's useless tree that grows to such a rich age, but are we truly useless? We radiate wholeness in all directions, and others are healed by our very presence, even as they think it was their own work. Good enough for me.

[soaring crane]

Come Christmas that bush will no longer be an issue, and will have been dealt with by non-doing.

 

true, because it'll be covered by a rich layer of snow that the sage of laziness refuses to clear. What's the use in having a garage if you can't get to it?

[Nikolai1]

The ignorant person measured 10cms of growth in April, then multiplied that by 52 to give a yearly growth of over 5 metres.

 

He was not wise, and did not understand that anything that grows so quickly in April will have vanished by December.

 

This is an all too human error. We often panic, and take action which is not ultimately needed.

[GrandmasterP]

Are you perhaps using the term 'useless' in a somewhat pejorative sense Nikolai?

Almost as if it were a 'bad' thing or state of being?

Wouldn't one rather need to first discover who it was who defined 'useful' in order to investigate why and how they had arrived at their definitions?

Meaningful philosophical discourse can only ever commence after, but never before - carefully defining, in order to agree upon; the definitions of the terms to be used for reference.

Edited September 12, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[thelerner]

Cultivating uselessness is the key to non-dual awareness.

As a husband and sometime taoist I've tried to cultivate my uselessness in the face of many honeydo lists and requests.

[Marblehead]

But not to the ordinary people, the enchanted ones! Because they think their work is so important, anyone not doing work is lazy. They certainly wouldn't recognise what is actually going on - that the sage has earned his rest through the effort of gaining wisdom.

 

There will come a point where the sage could not find work, even if he wanted it. But for the time being, where our work is..so is our ignorance.

No argument but I just want to point out that the Sage does what needs be done, nothing more, nothing less.

[Marblehead]

Inexhaustible ... But I had a German word in mind: unerschöpflich.

Yes, your word would include "unfailing".

 

So, inexhaustibly unfailing?

[Marblehead]

What's the use in having a garage if you can't get to it?

Most people use them as storage sheds anyway.

[Marblehead]

As a husband and sometime taoist I've tried to cultivate my uselessness in the face of many honeydo lists and requests.

Hasn't worked, has it?

[GrandmasterP]

Love that 'honeydo'.

I am having that one.

Many thanks to you thelerner.

I am now officially retired ( on pre-retirement leave until my end date on Friday 19th).

Thus far today I have..

Cooked breakfast for Mrs GMP and myself ( beans and toast).

Checked oil and tyre pressures on Mrs GMP's little car prior to her departing for the shops.

Fed two deeply traumatised hens and reassured them that nasty Mrs Fox is unlikely to return any time soon. ( Hens seemed unconvinced).

Walked three dogs ( 2 then 1 because the puppy is still too manic to go out with the older two dogs).

Washed down all paintwork in dining room and lounge.

Ditto all kitchen unit doors ( it is a BIG kitchen).

Vacuumed all floors downstairs ( tiles and laminate).

Mopped all floors downstairs.

Fed three dogs their luncheon ( sausages , liver and chicken with mixer for two, raw mince and puppy biccies for one).

Helped Mrs GMP put away enough grocery shopping to feed a small infantry battalion during a month long campaign.

( I fear that there may be a dinner party in the offing).

Packed some more books into removal crates.

 

I may possibly be useless ( I do try to be) .

I am definitely knackered.

Edited September 12, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[Marblehead]

GMP, being married is not conducive to being a useless Sage.

[GrandmasterP]

Miss Alice our middle dog with Puppy Olive the puppy.

[GrandmasterP]

GMP, being married is not conducive to being a useless Sage.

 

Preach it Pastor!

AMEN!!

 

 

 

[GrandmasterP]

Mr Leo our old boy with Puppy Olive.

No 'sage' would ever own three working cocker spaniels.

Working Cockers are hard work.

 

[Captain Mar-Vell]

...

GMP, being married is not conducive to being a useless Sage.

 

Nor is being a useless Sage conducive to being married.

...

Edited September 12, 2014 by Captain Mar-Vell