Scholar Warrior by Ming-Dao Deng

Author:Ming-Dao Deng
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Non-Fiction, Philosophy
ISBN: 9780062306869
Publisher: HarperOne
Published: 1990-12-19T00:00:00+00:00

The Taoists felt that one who practiced the ways of the Scholar Warrior and of the Tao could extend the periods between these stages (but not indefinitely). If they knew qigong, knew how to exercise, and had attained philosophical understanding, then they could prolong their lives. Those who lived in harmony with the four seasons, withdrew from society to wander, and understood the profundity of wu wei could live even longer.

The Taoists did not take the numerology of the ages literally, but sought a more flexible means of planning their lives.

They divided the stages of their lives according to the images of the seasons. Spring is birth and childhood. Summer is youth. Autumn is adulthood and independence. Winter is withdrawal into contemplation and preparation for death. By integration with each season, and by preparation for each coming season through careful self-cultivation, the Scholar Warrior makes magnificent accomplishments along with measured progress toward ultimate self-realization.

We all have to pass through childhood, youth, adulthood, and old age. Just as the Taoist seeks to utilize the characteristics of change and the nature of impermanence, so too does the Scholar Warrior seek to use these general stages to lend power and harmony to life. This use of structure may surprise those who expect that Taoism is merely spontaneous. Though Taoists respond to the ebb and flow of life with great sensitivity, they have an inner intention, a larger understanding of life, that makes it possible for them to respond freely to any given circumstance. All through their lives, this inner sense of pattern guides them. They may revise the images whenever they please, but they keep these alterations private. Nothing stands between their thought and Tao. They understand every stage of life from childhood to death.

Spring

Spring is the time of birth. This first moment in our lives has a bearing on what will come later. Like the instant when a potter throws a lump of clay on a wheel, that event begins all others. Although we will gradually take form, our inner nature and how centered we are can delay or improve the final outcome. Our parents determine a great deal of our early formation. They are like the potter beginning to shape a pot. The clay is wet, plastic, yet it already has its own nature. It must be shaped carefully. Whatever form the potter begins determines the future shape of the pot. Once it begins to dry, the options for change or embellishment become fewer and fewer.

The balance between parent and child is a delicate one, and parents have to know both how to set things in motion in a child’s life and when to let things proceed without interference. Timing is everything. Some things not begun in childhood are difficult to instill later on. It is best to learn as much as possible, for only things that take root early can serve one through one’s whole life. A young person should be taught both academic and athletic arts. Some things, like

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