The Useless Tree

Taoism

  • The Way of Poetry

       I am seeing Taoism in just about everything these days, even this short piece in today’s NYT: Charles Simic, a writer who juxtaposes dark imagery with ironic humor, is to be named the country’s 15th poet laureate by the… Continue reading

  • Taoist Afterlife

        I noticed a short article in Sunday’s NYT Magazine, "Eternity for Atheists," which discussed how serious scientists and philosophers, people who are skeptical of claims of supernatural forces, analyze the question of human afterlife.  Here is what one… Continue reading

  • Two Kinds of Bad

          A lot of Taoism of late, here at The Useless Tree.  That’s because I am wrapping up a month-long class on it, centering on the Tao Te Ching and the Inner Chapters of Chuang Tzu, for the… Continue reading

  • Tao Cat

        Why did this story make me think of Tao? Oscar the cat makes his grand entrances just as life is about to leave. A hop onto the bed, a fastidious lick of the paws, then a snuggle beside… Continue reading

  • Is Tao Like Logos?

         There is an article in the most recent Atlantic Monthly on the Catholic Church in China.  The piece centers on Bishop Jin Liuxian of Shanghai and the trials and tribulations he experienced in his long struggle to preserve… Continue reading

  • Trading on Tao

        I have to respond to the splashy front page article in today’s NYT that reports on – or should I say fawns over – the hip Las Vegas party restaurant, Tao.  It’s all about style and money and… Continue reading

  • Ancient Chinese Thought in Today’s LA Times

        I noticed two op-ed pieces in the LA Times today (one is from last week), which capture certain points of Confucianism and Taoism.  Let’s do the Confucian one first.     Meghan Daum writes about the over use… Continue reading

  • The Epistemological Radicalism of Chuang Tzu

        I will be discussing the first few chapters of Chuang Tzu with my summer class tomorrow.  In looking over the text, I keep coming back to a particular passage in chapter two, which really gets at his rejection… Continue reading

  • Sunday Modern Love: A Taoist Moment

        Today’s Modern Love column in the Sunday NYT is a beautiful reflection by a pregnant woman, Rhonda Kaysen, on whether or not to have an abortion.  The possibility of a child has emerged at the wrong time: they… Continue reading

  • Lady Bird Johnson, Taoist Sage

        When she had the chance to do what she wanted, both when she was close to political power and when she had retired, she planted flowers: "Whose spirits have not been lifted by the sight of scarlet tulips… Continue reading