Good and Evil

[Detour]

In Western Judeo-Christian culture, we have very strong concepts of good and evil. Actions are clearly identified as one or the other, and that they are opposing, that the twine shall never meet. In Taoism however, we see this as one of many Yin Yang, opposing distinctions that rely on each other for existance. What then, of Taoist morality? Do we seek to balance the two in our lives, sometimes doing good, at other times evil? No, the solution is mindfullness. First we must see that good and evil are an illusion, after all their definitions often change from culture to culture. Instead of the action in and of itself, we become mindfull of the consequences. Any given action has different reprecussions in different situations, so this does take practice. Take for example, an unwise rich man gives money to a passing beggar. Unmindfull of the stench of alchohol on the beggar's breath, the beggar spends the money on more booze. The wise passerby ignores the beggar's plea, granting the beggar at least a moment of sober reflection on his actions. So by ignoring what society calls good, in this case giving money to the poor, and examining the consequences of that action in its context, we can truly do the right thing. This is the way of Taoist morality. Always being mindfull of one's actions and their consequences.

[forestofsouls]

I think true giving comes from the heart, without conditions. I've been taught that if you give, you should give without expectations. It doesn't matter if the beggar spends the money on food or booze. Our role is to be generous.

[Detour]

Actually I agree with you. To give with conditions is a coy way of buying something in return. The analogy is no doubt imperfect, the point is if we truly want to do good in the world, we have to look beyond our actions, we have to be mindful. In the case of giving, perhaps it would be better to be mindful of when we choose to give, rather than any reason for giving. After all, if we give all of ourselves all the time, while some may see this as saintly, realistically I think that person would become a doormat.

 

Or perhaps who we give to? In this case, the analogy still stands, with an addition. The wise man refuses the drunken begger, instead gives to the lone mother. He asks nothing, claims no merit, and walks away. In this way he is still mindful, and gives without condition. Plus, a greater good is achieved, as the mother uses the money to feed her family. Again, I am sure there are holes in the analogy, the point is that it is not enough to do good, for the right reasons, the right way, but also to be mindful, taking time out to examine actions and consequences, which I do not see as conditions as they are never spoken nor assumed. All the man is asking himself is who to give to, the drunkard or the mother? And he gives it to who seemingly would put it to better use. After all, he is no psychic, the drunkard might very well buy food and the mother might very well hire someone to castrate the man that left her- but in *thinking* of the possibilities, and hopefully being right on occasion, we may cause greater good -in not just the action, but the consequence- in our lives.

[Detour]

I know, because I've been in both situations. I am a recovering alchoholic, and I can tell you from experience the worst thing you can do for a drunk is enable them, best let them fall so they realize what they are doing to themselves and sober up. I've been the son of a mother that relied on others to pay bills, she was disabled, and could not work herself. If it wasn't through the kindness of family, she and I would not have lasted. Humility into other's plight is a good thing, but if you know better, you do know better.

[contrivedname!]

In Western Judeo-Christian culture, we have very strong concepts of good and evil. Actions are clearly identified as one or the other, and that they are opposing, that the twine shall never meet. In Taoism however, we see this as one of many Yin Yang, opposing distinctions that rely on each other for existance. What then, of Taoist morality? Do we seek to balance the two in our lives, sometimes doing good, at other times evil? No, the solution is mindfullness. First we must see that good and evil are an illusion, after all their definitions often change from culture to culture. Instead of the action in and of itself, we become mindfull of the consequences. Any given action has different reprecussions in different situations, so this does take practice. Take for example, an unwise rich man gives money to a passing beggar. Unmindfull of the stench of alchohol on the beggar's breath, the beggar spends the money on more booze. The wise passerby ignores the beggar's plea, granting the beggar at least a moment of sober reflection on his actions. So by ignoring what society calls good, in this case giving money to the poor, and examining the consequences of that action in its context, we can truly do the right thing. This is the way of Taoist morality. Always being mindfull of one's actions and their consequences.

you are correct, and this post has possibilities in it "Unmindfull of the stench of alchohol on the beggar's breath, the beggar spends the money on more booze."... what if the giver is mindfull and realizes that their (the beggars) dao doesnt involve the accumulation of riches? both possibilities are possible for differing mentalities. , this post starts from the supposition that reality needs correction. this maybe true, there maybe ideas which you rail against, this is humanity.