And now a word from India: The Bhagavad-Gita
September 23, 2006 | 10:55 am
I’m reading the Barnes and Noble version (for those who haven’t noticed, they publish books, too. It seems like mostly things that are out of copyright). This translation outlines the basics of the epic story, and interweaves the story with poetry, making it very readable.
I’m clearly on a mission to read as many ancient texts as possible and then see how they compare to one another. I’m happy to say that once again I found a lot of similarities between this and the underlying principles of other texts. For example, the themes of letting go of attachment and the ego are found here, too:
But when a man has found delight and satisfaction and peace in the Atman (God), then he is no longer obliged to perform any kind of action. He has nothing to gain in this world by action, and nothing to lose by refraining from action. He is independent of everybody and everything. Do your duty, always; but without attachment. That is how a man reaches the ultimate truth; by working without anxiety about results. In fact, Janaka (a royal saint mentioned in another religious text), and many others reached enlightenment, simply because they did their duty in the spirit. Your motive in working should be to set others, by your example, on the path of duty.
And:
Shake off this fever of ignorance. Stop hoping for worldly reward. Fix your mind on the Atman. Be free from the sense of ego.
Once again, a small book with lots of big ideas. More to come soon!
Posted by: Bhagavad-Gita — Meg
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Little book, BIG ideas — the Tao Te Ching
September 10, 2006 | 10:56 am
I picked up the Tao Te Ching a few weeks back, thinking “this is small. It’ll be a quick read.” Wrong! There are lots of great concepts packed into a tiny book — very tiny in this case since I’m reading the pocket edition of Stephen Mitchell’s version. On the one hand, this particular translation is pretty understandable and straight forward as far as these things go. On the other, though, the use of anachronistic terms such as “electron” is a bit jarring.
I’ve read that Lao-Tzu wrote the Tao Te Ching in a very short time, something like a day or two, I believe. There are also the questions of whether Lao-Tzu was one person or many, and the historical accuracy of the name. All that, I suppose, just adds to the fun and mystery of reading such an ancient book.
The Tao is the universal energy that flows through us. The idea is to go through life not fighting it, not pushing against it, but quite literally going with the flow. Gems from the book include: Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.
And then there is:
When a country is in harmony with the Tao, the factories make trucks and tractors. When a country goes counter to the Tao, warheads are stockpiled outside the cities. There is no greater illusion than fear, no greater wrong than preparing to defend yourself, no greater misfortune than having an enemy. Whoever can see through all fear will always be safe.
(see what I mean by the anachronisms, though? Lao-tzu is thought to be a contemporary of Confucius, 551-479 B.C.E. — not so many trucks then!. I guess it’s time to go pick up something other than the “New English Version” of it!)
The concepts, though, are timeless, no matter how expressed in the particulars. Well worth a read, and it’s certainly more comprehensible than other similar books.
Posted by: Tao Te Ching — Meg
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