26sol Posted September 17, 2017 from wikipedia Panentheism (from the Ancient Greek expression πᾶν ἐν θεῷ, pān en theṓ, literally “all in God” is the belief that the divine pervades and interpenetrates every part of the universe and also extends beyond time and space.Unlike pantheism, which holds that the divine and the universe are identical, panentheism maintains an ontological distinction between the divine and the non-divine and the significance of both. In panentheism, God is viewed as the soul of the universe, the universal spirit present everywhere, which at the same time "transcends" all things created. While pantheism asserts that "all is God", panentheism claims that God is greater than the universe. Pantheism is the belief that all reality is identical with divinity, or that everything composes an all-encompassing, immanent god.Pantheism is mentioned in a Papal encyclical in 2009 and a statement on New Year's Day in 2010, criticizing pantheism for denying the superiority of humans over nature and seeing the source of man's salvation in nature. which of these terms better describe Dao,or none?The way I see it nature/universe is Dao but Dao is beyond nature. If that is the case must humanity transcend nature in order to embrace the Divine? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lost in Translation Posted September 18, 2017 7 hours ago, 26sol said: which of these terms better describe Dao,or none? I have no idea, but man - what a difference 'en' makes! 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lost in Translation Posted September 18, 2017 In all seriousness, Lao Tsu said it pretty well in chapter 1 of Tao Te Ching. Methinks that thinking about Tao, as fun as that is, is not the point. Tao must be felt in the core of your being. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted September 18, 2017 Man is not to transcend nature. Man is to be One with Nature. Exchanging the word "God" with the word "Dao"; we all are an aspect of Dao. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
morning dew Posted September 18, 2017 (edited) 15 hours ago, 26sol said: which of these terms better describe Dao,or none?The way I see it nature/universe is Dao but Dao is beyond nature. If that is the case must humanity transcend nature in order to embrace the Divine? Short answer: I have no idea. I guess it depends on what words such as "beget" and "produce" mean, for example: https://www.yellowbridge.com/onlinelit/daodejing42.php If the model is something along the lines of ocean = wuji, waves = 10,000 things (with peaks = yang and troughs = yin) and Dao = just how the ocean wobbles/vibrates, then it seems to me it probably would be more along the lines of pantheism. Edited September 18, 2017 by morning dew 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
26sol Posted September 18, 2017 51 minutes ago, morning dew said: Short answer: I have no idea. I guess it depends on what words such as "beget" and "produce" mean, for example: https://www.yellowbridge.com/onlinelit/daodejing42.php If the model is something along the lines of ocean = wuji, waves = 10,000 things (with peaks = yang and troughs = yin) and Dao = just how the ocean wobbles/vibrates, then it seems to me it probably would be more along the lines of pantheism. Makes sense if there is one ocean. The main reason I go with panentheism, is that Nature has all these patterns and tools which could be the software Dao put there in order to not be obliged to be around all the time.Of course software has to be operated every now and then. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
morning dew Posted September 18, 2017 (edited) 54 minutes ago, 26sol said: Makes sense if there is one ocean. Yeah. I'd hazard a guess that as the ocean/wuji is pre-material-universe and outside of space and time, it would have to be a unity as spatial dimensions (or at least the ones we're familiar with) wouldn't exist. 54 minutes ago, 26sol said: The main reason I go with panentheism, is that Nature has all these patterns and tools which could be the software Dao put there in order to not be obliged to be around all the time.Of course software has to be operated every now and then. Well, I guess you could change the model to: ocean = wuji, waves = 10,000 things (with peaks = yang and troughs = yin) and Dao = the wind blowing over the surface, causing waves and interpenetrating with them. I'd say that would fit with your model and panentheism, off the top of my head. I have no idea which one is the right model, though, or if it's something else completely different. Edited September 18, 2017 by morning dew 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
