Simplicity and ziran

In Liu Xiaogan's essay called, "An Inquiry into the Core Value of Laozi's Philosophy", he asserts that ziran(naturalness) is the core principle or value of the Dao De Jing. Achieving this state places one in tuned with the Dao. This value is achieved through Laozi's unique leadership approach base on the concept of wu wei(nonaction/uncontrived action).

Throughout Laozi's text we find many lines that revolve around ziran. One term used, which represents this ideal state is p'u. P'u is translated to literally mean "uncarved block", which is a metaphor for simplicity. An uncarved block is genuine, plain, and has no fixed form - rather it possesses an endless potential for many forms. Laozi instructs us in chapter 28 to, "be a block of wood again".

a block of wood can split to make tools

sages make it their chief official

a master tailer doesn't cut.

Tao Te Ching, Ch 28, translated by Red Pine

Here, I understand these words to have a two fold meaning. The first meaning represents the sage as flexible in action by keeping themselves whole. They don't split themselves into limited utilities so are able to become leaders who can employ a diversity of means. The second meaning I relate to society - the sage promotes connectiveness throughout the whole.

To become learned, gain daily
To obtain Tao, reduce daily

Tao Te Ching, Ch 48, translated by Jonathan Star

Many of us tend to complicate our lives to a point where it can seem unmanageable some days. Here, the obtainment of Dao involves the practice of shedding all the unnecessary aspects of our daily life until we reach a state of simplicity. Now, the reference to learning can be viewed that Laozi frowns on obtaining knowledge. To me, this is not the case. I think that Laozi is warning us not to become attached to knowledge. Attachment leads to closed mindedness, which greatly inhibits our ability to evolve auspiciously. Once you have practical knowledge you no longer need to think about it - let it go and your actions will be more consistent. This keeps your mind empty and open, which in turn allows your capacity to learn to become endless.

To conclude for now, we find that Laozi viewed simplicity as a characteristic of the sage who has obtained ziran. When dealing with a complex world the Dao De Jing promotes simplicity and from the perspective of complexity theory, this is also considered an effective prescription. Afterall, complexity is made up of the simple.

More on this topic will be explored in the future. As well, I will be discussing the practical approach to achieving ziran, called wu wei.

Tao Te Ching, Chapter 57

Govern a country with upright integrity
Deploy the military with surprise tactics
Take the world with non-interference
How do I know this is so?
With the following:

When there are many restrictions in the world
The people become impoverished
When people have many sharp weapons
The country becomes more chaotic
When people have many clever tricks
More strange things occur
The more laws are posted
The more robbers and thieves there are

Therefore the sage says:
I take unattached action, and the people transform themselves
I prefer quiet, and the people right themelves
I do not interfere, and the people enrich themselves
I have no desires, and the people simplify themselves.

Tao Te Ching, Ch 57, translated by Derek Lin

This is one of many chapters from the Dao De Jing that addresses leadership. In fact, I very much view this text as a guide for "leading one's life". We are all leaders of our own life and responsible for our actions. In the first three lines we learn that the highest form of leadership is one of non-interference, which has a close relation to the concept of wu wei(nonaction/uncontrived action). This approach applies universally, while lines one and two have limited applications. Saying this, Laozi brings the areas of government and military force to light because he understands that they have their time and place. Lead through non-interference by using it as a foundation - a common ground in which other methods emerge when necessary. This necessity is dictated by developing an intimate understanding of the world around us.

So why is non-interference the highest approach? If we take a look at complex adaptive systems, such as social systems, we find that they are self organizing due to emergence and feedback. Complexity means that there is diversity, which can lead to many creative ways the system can adapt. These systems are sensitive to initial conditions due to their nonlinear nature, which means that small changes can have large impacts through iteration. For this reason, too much interference can have a negative impact on a system in two main ways. First, it can stifle creativity, which in turn can effect the system's ability to effectively and efficiently adapt. Second, the wrong input into a system can snowball into a large problem over time. Laozi's idea of non-interference teaches us to be cautious and considerate of our actions and their possible effects on the future.

Now, connectiveness within a system will determine how well it self organizes. If we look at the sage's declaration at the end of this chapter, it offers a further glimse into Laozi's leadership style and how it improves connectiveness. The sage leads their life in accordance with Dao, which in turn develops de(inner power/influence). Through the accumulation of "de" the sage's presence and example teaches without words and influences a like transformation in others - they break down barriers without trying to force or control, which improves connectiveness in terms of relationships. The final line of this chapter leaves us with the means and goal of the text. The means being a desireless state of wu wei - the goal being the achievement of simplicity(pu), which represents a state of naturalness(ziran). This naturalness is the way the sage accords with Dao.

I realize I have condensed a lot into a short post so elaboration will be needed. As I explore other chapters from the Dao De Jing, some stuff will become more clear. I suspect at some point in the future though, I will be dedicating separate posts to the subjects of wu wei, ziran, and de.

Here is the site where a full version of Derek Lin's translation of the Tao Te Ching is available: http://www.taoism.net/teahouse/

Introduction

No matter what area of study I'm exploring, be it psychology, business, military, politics, game theory, complexity theory, religion, or philosophy, if I find a practical approach it seems to be in tuned with the teachings offered in the Daoist Classics. Out of the Classics, I believe that none offers a more complete guide to leading an effective life than the Dao De Jing, which is attributed to Laozi.

For this reason, I will be speading a significant amount of time exploring the different chapters of the Dao De Jing here. Through my discussions you may come to see, like I do, how this ancient Chinese text is still incredibly relevant to this day. This will especially be validated as we peer at the world through the lens of complexity theory, which we will be doing throughout this blog.

Besides exploring the Dao De Jing, I will be discussing the other Classics, as well as many other different areas of thought and how they relate to achieving a more effective life.