Soo+Bin

"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?

Taoism allowed people to believe that by following nature, they would escape from the complexities of life, such as social structure. The quote above seems to express the simplicity of Taoism. Taoism is easy to follow without asking questions, however, by adding words to describe the religion, and constantly questioning the practices will make the religion more difficult to understand. Therefore, rather than describing with straightforward words, it is best to follow the flow and accept the way things are. In the book, it stresses the idea that Taoism is based on simplicity. Pooh represents the Uncarved Block, meaning the pure state of nature that is not restrained by social structures or rules. Whereas characters such as Rabbit and Owl, who signify the Confucianist scholars, both acquire knowledge into everything they see, making life more complex for them. The book supports Taoism as a religion that enables people to relax

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

Pooh views scholars as people who question the state of nature. Rather than accept the way nature flows. Scholars wonder about philosophical questions, which lead them to have a more complex perspective of nature. Taoism encourages followers to accept the way things are, while Confucianists concern on finding answers to questions, as well as view nature as something very complicated. Taoists believe that nature has its own way of shaping humans, without education. Education only restricts people from living a simple life and prevents them from developing their own individual pathway.