Priscilla+Kim

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//**"My words are very easy to understand and very easy to put into practice." but "Straightforward words seem paradoxical..." What does this mean? How does it come into play in The Tao of Pooh with regard to scholars?**//

The quote is explaining that Taoism cannot be expressed with the words we utilize in everyday life. You cannot explain its ways but just be it. An example in the book is when the writer inquires of Pooh to explain himself and yet he cannot. He then comes to a conclusion that our languages are way too limited in the terms we use that there is no exact word for what Pooh stands for. Instead we can see the characteristics of a Taoist by the way we look at his/her actions of daily life. In the way he/she views life and the reactions they show in diverse circumstances. This is the only way in which one may be given the explanation of what a Taoist person is and should be. Scholars on the other hand use words in the attempt to appear intellectual but this only leads to creating complication within their statements. Basically in the effort to reveal themselves as an educated being they contradict what is true about their amount of knowledge. Their complication of every matter creates a confusion thus making it seem as if it was paradoxical or else contradictory.

//**Read the poem on page 30. What does Pooh seem to think about scholars? How does that relate to the Taoist view of knowledge?**//

This poem is basically portraying the complicated thoughts that run through a scholars head. Scholars trying to appear as the smart ones that possess worldly knowledge. They must strike others as one that knows anything and one that must not be questioned. The character who represents this in the book is Owl, utilizing perplexing terms in order to baffle the other creatures Pooh the Taoist now expresses this in a way explaining the defects these characteristics cause in ones life. Scholars are always thinking and creating a logical matter to everything. They are too overwhelmed within their own world of thoughts that they cannot take a moment to look around to what embraces them. This referring to the beauty of nature and the flow of life, accepting what is there. Always asking why something is or why something isn't shields them from looking beyond. As if were shades that causes the world to be a shade of gray while in truth it is of beautiful colors.


 * //What are the messages behind Cottlestone Pie 38~40 and 56. Think about inner nature.//**

The song Cottlestone pie states that in our lives people tend to attempt in changing reality and what just is. They try to shift what we have before us into what we know will never be. Like fitting a square into a circle or as in the song "a fly cant bird." Its only common sense really that these things are impossible, yet we continue to try and pour our efforts into such unreasonable doings. When you attempt such rational doings they will ultimately fail for it wasn't the motive in which it was to be done. In the book it states that "Cottlestone Pie" means either "Inner Nature" or "Things Are As They Are." for we cannot change what is nature. Only can we flow with nature and be with it, alteration is unthinkable and illogical. Leave things to be, why try and change it? Is basically what they are asking. Nature flows in its own way, its wrong to interfere and try to alter its path into the way we want. Its not existent for us to carve into the shape we desire but already IS as shape of its own.

Unit Project...

//__Question VIII.__// Write a short reflection of what you learned from these readings. With the benefit of hind site and knowledge of China and Japan, would Korea have been better off if it had “opened up to the west?”

Through the aspects of a modern Christian and ethnic Korean the extent our ancestors went through to block off western invasion seems pointless. In the end Korea resulted in becoming westernized and continues to adopt countless western ideas in technology and culture. If we were to end up accepting and opening our doors in the end, why sacrifice numerous lives of Christian missionaries and believers just to reach that accepting point? From a modern perspective it only portrays Koreans as stubborn and greedy for only aspects that will benefit themselves. In the reading they state that Koreans showed interest towards western technology but continued to refuse their entrance. The persecution of Christians was not only for the objective of preserving their culture and traditions; the ruling class wanted to maintain their power over the people. Their motive was caused by the fact that Christianity focused on one God that is almighty; diverting peoples attention from a powerful King thus causing him to lose power. Opening up to them when they approached them would've saved everyone the trouble.