Upon watching the Tunnel segment from Kurosawa's Dreams, I found that there is a ton of imagery in this clip. The video starts out with an officer walking upon a beaten and cold path. This could be seen as a little bit of foreshadow, due to the fact that the mud and fog could give off some military imagery, the true gritiness of the situation. The officer does not look very well pleased, and upon entering the tunnel, a dog is barking. The dog could be a metaphysical wake up call to what is about to happen.
Shinto in a way can be related to Taoism, both have "The Way" in the essence of the philosophical religions. Shinto is the Way of the Gods, and in this clip, there could be some imagery in that. The soldiers that meet him upon the tunnel are dead, and in Shinto, to have dead spirits and ghosts around is somewhat of a normal occurrence just like in religious Taoism. The incorporation of these spirits may seem more of a Western thought, but for Shinto and religious Taoism, it is very important, for example the creation myth with the separation of the heaven and earth.
The reason the soldiers could of been following him is because of their loyalty and discipline. Shinto is only possible because of the people who follow it. Discipline is a very important trait to the Japanese, and to have that loyalty and discipline attention to detail and to the detail of believing is possible with Shinto. The soldiers did get a sense that they were actually dead and that it was all right for them to move on, this idea is about when someone dies unexpectedly, that spirit may act like it is still alive and try to remain on this earth, and it may take a real living person to tell them that they are dead or everything is alright for the spirit to move on.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
The Tao of Pooh
The Tao of Pooh is a very simplistic yet very deep and meaningful analysis of Taoism. Taoism in a simple form is conforming to inner nature of yourself and the nature around you without disrupting the nature of yourself and the rest of nature around you. To do no action is technically an action, but the wu-wei that is emphasized in the Tao of Pooh and Taoism is the core concept of the philosophical religion, the action of inaction is the true nature of self and keeps that person on the path.
Winnie the Pooh in the book is the core essence that was latter described. He does not try to stay on the path and does not do anything to disrupt nature, which is wu-wei. He is also described as being the uncarved block, which in a way is related to wu-wei, showing the quintessential act of following the Dao. The characters in the book try to understand but can not because of their nature, every character in the story has different traits that take them off the path. For example, the Owl is known for being wise, but to have infinite wisdom and making yourself be perfect in academic studies is striving off the path. It is stated in the Tao Te Ching, "When superior students hear of the Tao, They strive to practice it. When middling students hear of the Tao, They sometimes keep it and sometimes lose it. When inferior students hear of the Tao, They have a big laugh (Poem 41). The students who practice is may be trying to practice it in order to be one with the Dao, but that is an action, which actually leads them off. Being in the middle you are cognizant of the Dao hence an action, because those students try to stay on the path. The last students may be the inferior students and may not care about the Dao, but they also may be the ones who are on the Dao and have no need for action. This segment of the poem I found to be a very good example that can be related to the rest of the book. When Winnie is put up against the Owl, the Owl may be the superior student and Winnie may be the inferior one, yet Winnie has the uncarved block and can easily follow wu-wei.
This book is a wonderful example of Daoism, every little detail can be interpreted in a Daoist perspective, and reading the Tao Te Ching does in fact clear up a lot of the jargon and ideas. If one wants to follow the Dao, they must simply have no action and everything in nature will do its course. Sadly, this is very hard because humans have the cognitive ability to think and choose what they please, unlike an animal who hunts to eat and finds shelter to keep them alive.
Winnie the Pooh in the book is the core essence that was latter described. He does not try to stay on the path and does not do anything to disrupt nature, which is wu-wei. He is also described as being the uncarved block, which in a way is related to wu-wei, showing the quintessential act of following the Dao. The characters in the book try to understand but can not because of their nature, every character in the story has different traits that take them off the path. For example, the Owl is known for being wise, but to have infinite wisdom and making yourself be perfect in academic studies is striving off the path. It is stated in the Tao Te Ching, "When superior students hear of the Tao, They strive to practice it. When middling students hear of the Tao, They sometimes keep it and sometimes lose it. When inferior students hear of the Tao, They have a big laugh (Poem 41). The students who practice is may be trying to practice it in order to be one with the Dao, but that is an action, which actually leads them off. Being in the middle you are cognizant of the Dao hence an action, because those students try to stay on the path. The last students may be the inferior students and may not care about the Dao, but they also may be the ones who are on the Dao and have no need for action. This segment of the poem I found to be a very good example that can be related to the rest of the book. When Winnie is put up against the Owl, the Owl may be the superior student and Winnie may be the inferior one, yet Winnie has the uncarved block and can easily follow wu-wei.
This book is a wonderful example of Daoism, every little detail can be interpreted in a Daoist perspective, and reading the Tao Te Ching does in fact clear up a lot of the jargon and ideas. If one wants to follow the Dao, they must simply have no action and everything in nature will do its course. Sadly, this is very hard because humans have the cognitive ability to think and choose what they please, unlike an animal who hunts to eat and finds shelter to keep them alive.
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