The Tao of Pooh

By Benjamin Hoff

Pooh asks Narrator what they're writing, revealing it's the Tao of Pooh, as Pooh looks closer and smudges a couple written words, asking what it meant, the narrator frustratedly replying it's a work which helps 1 keep calm and happy, Pooh asking if Narr.'s read it. Narr. quotes a bit between Piglet and Pooh talking of what both think of 1st in the morning, Pooh's response after listening, was it sounds like Winnie-the-Pooh, which Narr. confirms, but is also about Taoism, Pooh denying this and saying it's about a bear, which never learns anything, and lives happily going on adventures, and being precocious. Narr. says, it's the same thing. The difficulty of this endeavor begins with starting somewhere, so it's best simply to begin.

So, to explain, Narr chooses to take Pooh to China for a mo. So, Narr poses the scene of going to a narrow street in a large city, and inside a small shop with classically painted scrolls. The shopkeeper shows them a painting according to the Narr's request, the title, The Vinegar Tasters!, and then goes to take care of a task for a min. They look at the new scroll of the old painting, 3 men standing around a vat of vinegar, and after tasting, wears the look of the 3 Teachings of China, representing the Essence of Life.

K'ung Fu-tse (Confucius) had a sour face for life. To Buddah, life was bitter. Lao-tse considers how the more man interferes with the natural balance by the universal laws, the more harmony retreats into the distance. So, whatever 1 did to change the natural order'd give the worse reaction to it, and only after this, does life sour.

To Lao-tse, life was a teacher of valuable lessons. Instead of turning away from the world of dust, join the dust of the world. Living this way, shows it being a "harmonious way of living", being happiness, a happy serenity being a notable characteristic of those who practice it, and subtle sense of humor. Pooh asks what all this has to with vinegar, Narr having forgotten it hadn't been mentioned, yet.

Lao-tse is smiling in the painting, which represents the interpretation of life being sweet, because 1 doesn't interfere, and have an unappreciative mind perceive the negative and turn it into a positive. So, life in the end, should be understood and used for what it is, sweet. Pooh asks if Narr means like honey, which he says would be too sweet, leading Pooh to ask if they were still in China, the reply being they were back in the office, so Pooh states it's time for a snack. Next, Pooh is trying to find a relation who also knew taoism and being a Pooh, Narr comforting him with 2 which was named after him called, P'u, the Uncarved Block.

Due to the complexity of the practice, examples in variation are provided to show the idea, which it is much more than only being an "idea". The "essence" is, the original simple thing has its natural power, and it's spoiled easily when losing the simplicity, and changes. This, being most fairly represented by its bear namesake, but sounds more like when 1 blows a fly away from 1's mouth. Piglet asks Pooh's advice on whether he had to move something to the right, Pooh forgetting his right from his left too much, so hesitating, but per the Pooh, the Uncarved Block ideal, he'll accomplish due to being simple-minded, but this not meaning "stupid".

Rabbit, Pooh, and Piglet are in the forest at a small sandpit, which they keep finding when they walk through the forest to find home. So, Pooh suggests when they go out next time, they should try locating the sandpit, and maybe they'll find something they didn't want to find, but turns out it is, after all, to which Piglet suggests Pooh try it, and they'd wait there for him. Rabbit laughs this off as being absurd, and walks into the mist, which apparently will help Pooh hear his honey pots calling, which Rabbit's talking drowns out. Pooh and Piglet walk off, the latter making sure to stay quiet, even as he began recognizing the area, and trying to hold back squeaky noises until Christopher Robin shouts out to them.

So, one could see Rabbit using Knowledge for the sake of cleverness, and Owl's is Knowledge for the sake of Appearing Wise, Eeyore's is Knowledge for the sake of Complaining About Something (Oh, my how many have relatives they're blessed with? Finger-pointing lovelies with disorders coming out their geriatrics, and one of a close relatives perfectly choiced fave Pooh-land character), which gets in the way of wisdom, happiness or prevents any real Accomplishments in life. So, when Narr asks Pooh to describe the Uncarved Block, he's unable to, simply being it, the nature of the figure of speech. So, when discarding arrogance, and discovering childlike mystery, the secret to those of the Uncarved Block: Life is Fun. An example, Piglet and Pooh attempt to come up with reasons why they'd go out on a windy day to say hi to their buddies, Pooh ending with the idea they'd wish them a "Happy Thursday", which shows from the state the Uncarved Block operates under, one uses the "ability to enjoy the simple and the quiet, the natural and the plain".

The best comparison'd be to show his opposite, Owl. Pooh marches his butt through the Hundy Acre Wood to ask Owl the low down. Lao-tse wrote, "The wise are not learned; the learned are not wise." The "Taoist ideal of wholeness and independence", is left out of West scholarly book study, and not injecting the needed "Taoist principles into practice", which leaves the needed amount of well-rounded desc, lacking.

It's difficult to discover the spirit of Taoism thru block text, but this is what should be expected from "the Abstract Owl", or "the Confucianist Dedicated Scholar", or how Pooh interprets it, "The Confusionist, Desiccated Scholar". What proceeds is Owl showing Pooh how 1 spells Tue, with a two and Thirdsday comes after. "Knowledge and experience" don't speak the same language all the time, since knowledge from experience usually yields more value than those which don't. Desiccated scholars have 1 value, which is to label things, but ask them to make whatever they label thrive, and one'll receive an "Unpleasant Surprise" "Living" is beyond this sort, but their value comes from useful, dull, quantities of info.

Life is about "Something More", though. The other "funny" part to do with Knowledge, is those who place it upon pedestal, blame the mind of the Uncarved Block for ignorance which causes the issues, due to short-sightedness, limitations, etc. So, when Owl's house falls due to it being built in the wrong direction and the wind knocks it down, he thinks Pooh caused it, rather than admit fault. At 1 time, Rabbit decides he doesn't like Kanga or Roo when they started living in the forest, so tries to plan ways to get them to leave, which don't work, since Clever Plans tend to fail sooner or later.

Cleverness shows its limitations and inaccuracy with passing time, due to not being deep enough at the start. Inner Nature shows the unique difference which Cleverness lacks. To explain, Pooh'll use "the Cottleston Pie Principle". Pooh defers this to Narr, agreeing he'd help by chiming in.

So, Narr then throws it back to him by requesting he sing the Cottleston Pie song, which he obliges. After, Narr takes it line at a time, since there's only 3 per each section of the song. "A fly can't bird, but a bird can fly", which most people are aware but forget to put into practice, reality gives, "Things Are As They Are". What comes next is writing from Chuang-tse, the 1st a convo between Chuang-tse and Hui-tse, who was criticizing C-t's teachings, to which C-t responds by comparison of a cat able to focus on its prey, but won't notice the net which catches it.

Chuang-tse also uses H-t's metaphor back on him, by adding H-t could complain how his tree doesn't hold value due to being unable to cut it for good lumber, but there are other uses he could use the tree, which wouldn't kill it, and has only deemed its uselessness because he's trying to turn the tree into something else, instead of using it in its "Proper Way". The obv takeaway here, "everything has its own place and function". This ofc, applies to people, as well not feeling they're in the right job/marriage/house, but if one pays attn to one's Inner Nature, one knows where one belongs, and where one doesn't, as well as the last obv, one man's food is the other's poison. Chuang-tse has a personal experience exampled: he's sitting on a bank when receiving news he'd been offered a position at court by the prince, who'd an over 2000 y/o tortoise housed in the palace.

C-t takes a beat before declining, since he'd rather be alive in the "mud" than dead in the palace, which's how the tortoise must feel, if given the choice between comfy mud, and a box the prince keeps it in. Pooh's in agreement with the preference to mud, esp in summer, but Narr's attempting to impress the philosophical point, which is further from being noted, for Piglet also chimes in agreement for mud's behalf. Owl flies up and puts his 2 cents in being not liking mud for how unhelpful it is for feathers, which Narr reminds is the point, everyone being different regarding different things. Next, onto the 2nd line of the song, "A fish can't whistle and neither can I".

So, a wise interpretation of this line'd be recognizing limitations within oneself, and what they are, specifically. So, not being able to do something which isn't usually connected to one's life is fine, but blindly trying to do things one isn't designed for can be counterintuitive to one's goal. Which doesn't mean give up, but recognize What's There, life if one has weak muscles, upon doing the right things, one can grow strong. If one ignores What's There, and attempts to lift a car, what condition does this leave 1 in?

Even after gaining strength, though 1 must recognize 1's limitations; the foolish don't follow this line of thought. As a demonstration, Tigger's our leader in showing his lack of knowledge of his own limitations. Narr edits how Tigger admits he's now aware, but will give example to a past experience Tigger had with Roo about naming what Tiggers are good at doing. Roo's taking guesses to what Tiggers do well, and getting confirmation of his 1st guess of Tiggers flying, being met with Tiggers being good flyers, indeed, as well as Owl does it, but Tiggers not wanting to.

Roo next asks if Tiggers swim, he confirming again, and when Roo asks if they can climb trees better than Pooh, Tigger confirms they're the best at climbing trees, much more than Poohs, this statement getting himself stuck in the tallest pine. Fortunately, Pooh and Piglet happen by, Pooh mistaking Tigger for a "Jagular" = jaguar, and warning Piglet they drop onto those who walk under trees, but before Piglet could run, they hear shouts of help, which eventually gets Christopher Robin and Eeyore to join and make a rescue net to save Roo and Tigger (sort of). A Chinese medicine saying goes, "One disease, long life; no disease, short life", which means if 1 acknowledges Weakness, 1 can do themselves a favor, unlike Tiggers who can do everything, which's very unhealthy. Since, once weaknesses are faced and understood, they won't be able to work against one, which happens when they're ignored, which'll lead to the conclusion, limitations highlight one's strengths.

So, as example when Owl's house fell down, Piglet is able to escape for being a Very Small Animal. The 3rd part of the song, "Why does a chicken, I don't know why", which is as simple as that, no one knows, science may have an answer, but it won't give the reason, which still means no one knows, meaning we need to recognize Inner Nature and work with Things As They Are, since when we don't, we get into trouble. Pooh and Piglet learn this when attempting to catch a Heffalump, Piglet thinking they'd eat acorns, and Pooh thinking different. So, once Christopher Robin plants the seed nonchalantly of having seen a Heffalump, it leads to the 2 trying to capture one, 1st Pooh thinking they should dig a deep pit for the Heffalump to fall into, which after convincing Piglet how versatile and reasonable a plan it was, they begin. When Pooh adds the bait of a honey jar, next Piglet checks, he scares himself into running for help to Christopher Robin for catching a Heffalump.

So to conclude, Pooh has Narr explain how the words, Cottleston Pie is a way of saying Inner Nature, so when replacing the last line of every verse it reads, "Ask me a riddle and I reply: Inner Nature" or "Things Are As They Are". People can be easily led away from what's right for them, for having Brain, which can be fooled, but Inner Nature can't be, which people don't look or listen to, and don't understand themselves very well, to start. So, if they don't understand themselves, they can't respect themselves, which makes them easily influenced. So, to balance this, 1 can apply the Way of Self-Reliance to see what works best for each individual.

Pooh explains it through an impromptu-ly riffed song. So, if facing parts of ourselves we don't like, we can see they exist, and decide what to do with it, whether to change it to a positive outlet or get rid of the behavior for a beneficial substitute. An incident recorded by Taoist Liu An shows: In the state of Ch'u, a housebreaker is made to serve as a soldier for General Tzu-fa, who knew how to utilize peoples skills deftly. When Ch'u is attacked by an army from the state of Ch'i, the housebreaker offers his skills, which the General grants, and so the housebreaker steals items from the general's camp, and has them returned, making the general fear the next time someone stole his items, they'd kill him, so he breaks camp, and they forfeit.

So, more often than not, to get rid of a Minus, change it to a Plus. If one does the right things, they'll come back the right way. Same with tendencies one doesn't appreciate, they return at a helpful time and in the right way to save one, somehow. So, if 1's had this experience, one'll think again before Unbouncing oneself.

Eeyore has an experience with Tigger's help, of getting Bounced into a river, so Rabbit, Pooh, and Piglet plan to lose Tigger at the highest point of the forest to make him lose his Bounce, but Rabbit instead gets them all lost, which Tiggers never do, so came in Useful. Pooh and Piglet locate their way back, but when CR qs where Rabbit is, Pooh states he doesn't know and he and Piglet were going home, CR tagging with Pooh, hearing Tigger bouncing about the forest making loud noises for Rabbit, who eventually hears, and is quite happy to be found. 1st always to recognize and trust one's Inner Nature will keep us knowing the way.

The stream going thru the forest had grown up, at 1 time being young and jumped, now much slower, and knowing there isn't a hurry, getting there some day. This next element is the most "characteristic" of Taoism-in-action, in Chinese called, Wu Wei, and in kind, is the most Pooh-in-action, and since there's no name in English for it, it will be known as the Pooh Way. The literal meaning of Wu Wei is, "without doing, causing, or making", and practically, "it means without meddlesome, combative, or egotistical effort". It can also mean, not "going against the nature of things; no clever tampering; no Monkeying Around".

The "efficiency" of Wu Wei is like water flowing, the path not a straight line, but going with the "inner security" and "natural rhythm of things". A teaching from Chuang-tse follows: At a great waterfall, K'ung Fu-tse is standing at the pool's edge and sees an old man flailing in the violent waters, so he and his disciples go to help him, but by the time they reached where he'd been, he was seen climbing onto the bank, whistling, K'ung Fu-tse catches up to him, and asks his secret to having survived, the old man stating, he simply followed the water's path, and stopped struggling against the "superior power". Learning to work with out Inner Nature, coupled with the natural laws working about us, we reach Wu Wei, after which we work with the natural order and operate on minimal effort. The natural world follows this principle, and doesn't make mistakes, "[m]istakes are made-or imagined-by man, the creature" overloaded by Brain, which separates itself from the supporting network of natural laws by interfering and trying too hard.

"Not at all like Pooh, the most effortless Bear". Pooh states how he got anything done, he only had to let it happen. The 1st example of the Pooh Way is when Pooh, Piglet, Rabbit, and Roo are playing Poohsticks, dropping them off the bridge into a river and watching to see them come out the other side, but after waiting awhile, seeing Eeyore float out. They learn Eeyore is hoping to be helped out of the river, when Rabbit asks why he's down there. Pooh comes up with the idea to throw stones near Eeyore to make waves to wash him ashore, which Pooh attempts, and sinks Eeyore at Rabbit's helpful direction. Eventually they spy Eeyore nearer to shore, they pulling him in, and Rabbit sharing of how good an idea he and Pooh'd had. When 1 works with Wu Wei, 1 puts the round peg in the round hole, and same with sq, no fuss, no struggles/stress. Ego attempts to force the different shaped pegs in the opposite holes, Cleverness devising plans to make pegs fit into where they don't belong, and Knowledge trying to figure out why the opposing pegs don't fit in opposite holes. Wu Wei doesn't try, it does, and when it does, it doesn't look like much happened, and yet Things Get Done (My exact experience dealing with undiagnosed narcissists in my About page)

Pooh comes up with the idea to throw stones near Eeyore to make waves to wash him ashore, which Pooh attempts, and sinks Eeyore at Rabbit's helpful direction. Eventually they spy Eeyore nearer to shore, they pulling him in, and Rabbit sharing of how good an idea he and Pooh'd had. When 1 works with Wu Wei, 1 puts the round peg in the round hole, and same with sq, no fuss, no struggles/stress. Ego attempts to force the different shaped pegs in the opposite holes, Cleverness devising plans to make pegs fit into where they don't belong, and Knowledge trying to figure out why the opposing pegs don't fit in opposite holes.

Wu Wei doesn't try, it does, and when it does, it doesn't look like much happened, and yet Things Get Done (My exact experience dealing with undiagnosed narcissists in my About page). When working with Wu Wei, 1 doesn't have to try hard to make things work, 1 merely allows them. Examples where Pooh allows this are provided. 1 mustn't think how they expect for something to happen a certain way, and then put action into actually making it happen this certain way, due to definitely messing the whole thing up.

So, when Pooh and Piglet go off to collect presents for Eeyore's birthday, Pooh grabs a jar of honey, but forgets why he's bringing it until after eating all the honey, so brings the jar as the gift, and Piglet collects a balloon, but in his hurry to give his present 1st, pops the balloon, but still gives it to Eeyore, who is happy for both, since he's got a jar to put things into, and so places Piglet's popped balloon inside. Wu Wei allows 1 to be Sensitive to Circumstances, so then one doesn't need to make as many complicated decisions, (unless you know the type of people I usually ditch, since they like claiming to be worse off than they are, say everyone's in the "same boat", and then try to drown you, cute! - I apologize if these references to my most recent experience with undiagnosed narcs is abrasive, but I'm seeing correlations of character traits) and let it work itself out (which I'm stellar at, but boy do I need to not rely on any other human to maintain bodily autonomy). In order to explain the next concept of Bisy Backson, Rabbit is given as example, and Chuang-tse has a description where a man doesn't like seeing his shadow or footprints, so tries running away from them, eventually exhausting himself and dying, and how if he'd only stood still, he'd stop seeing footprints, and if he'd stood in the shade, he wouldn't see his shadow, he'd've been a happy camper. So, a way of life where it's imagined the next step or if getting 1 other degree will help you work yourself into happiness, works against the natural order, and makes it difficult to be content, and very few end up happily succeeding, so people who think happiness is "somewhere beyond the rainbow" or grass is greener is shown by how as Rabbit returns to update Pooh and Narr of visiting Roo, and seeing he had colored blocks, but not the Uncarved 1, he decides Eeyore must have it before hearing the rest of what the Narr had to say in his quest to locating it.

The 1st Bisy Backsons were the Puritans who exhausted themselves instead of allowing for the earth to rest, so now we are blessed with fruits which taste like cardboard, and we shouldn't complain, but There It Is. So, instead of listening to the indigenous people of the land in following the earth's guidelines to tasty food, the Puritans see the paradise they're invited to as "alien and threatening, something to attack and conquer-because it all stood in the way of the Great Reward". It's also mentioned they don't appreciate singing which Pooh seems surprised by, asking what they must think of bears, and when it's posed by Narr they didn't like much of anything, Pooh states it's no wonder how things are Confused in the city (I'm clarifying, since this is spurred on by Narr having turned on the Radio for Pooh to hear the news of many killed in a collision of 5 airplanes being reported). So, from the Bisy Backson ancestry comes "the Miserable Puritan", "the Restless Pioneer, and from him, the Lonely Cowboy", who never felt at home or at peace with this "Friendly Land".

The Bisy Backson's rigid combative fanaticism has buoyed the tightfisted soul to be too hard on himself, on others, and the world which "heroically attempts to carry on in spite of what he is doing to it" (Sounds like everyone who projects their privilege on me, I've been blessed with repeated intros of the intersectionally the differently same). So, Backson sees "progress" in the way of "fighting and overcoming" when it involves changing on the inside which Backson's unwilling to accept. Growing and wanting to develop is perverted in the Bisy Backson's mind as they constantly struggle to change everything "(the Bulldozer Backson) and everyone (the Bigoted Backson) else but himself", and interfering with things he's no business making issue with, "including practically every form of life on earth." The Bisy Backson's behavior is put in check by his betters, but like parents, they can't be everywhere at once, "Babysitting the Backsons wears you out" (My experience with the latest undiagnosed set on my About page, esp when all those helpful path choices are so easy for the privileged who don't have to make these decisions for themselves so easily have the same bunch of ideas most people who do have to take it seriously have, and need to pass on because of how irresponsible they turn out to be in whatever niche situation we all get to handle in our own special ways, ey?).

Bisy Backson is obsessed with saving time, which time can only be spent, either wisely or foolishly, and BB is so busy trying to save it, he wastes all of it. In contrast to the BB societal norm to destroy youth, Taoism not only respects the old and wise, but also for the Youthful Immortal, which shows itself in the Taoist practitioners by their youthful looks, energy, and outlook on life, and'd defy age norm death rate by living into their 80s and 90s. 1 case in China is in 1933, a man called Li Chung Yun, born in 1677 and looked in his 50s at age 256 years old. When he was a boy, he'd followed traveling herbalists, and practiced Taoism, his favorite way to travel being what he called, "walking lightly".

Li advised those who wanted "strong health to 'sit like a turtle, walk like a pigeon, and sleep like a dog'", his major secret being "inner quiet". "Enjoyment of the process is the secret", which erases the myth of the Great Reward and Saving Time. This could help explain the daily significance of the word, Tao, the Way. The mo right before the Reward, most people label anticipation, but is more, it being awareness of about to become happy and realizing it, and by Enjoying the Process, we stretch out the awareness for longer than a brief moment, and covers all of it getting there, as well.

Then we can have fun, like Pooh. So, when we enjoy the surrounding and appreciate living, it's felt there's no time to be a BB, and also see what a major waste of time it is. Regardless of how Useful we are, sometimes it takes time to gauge our own value. To take control of one's life, 1 needs to Believe in the power inside us, and use it, not imitate others, or compete, things working for us after staying in our own lanes.

As example: In 1854, a boy is taken out of school in Michigan for "causing trouble", only having gone there for 3 months, and is the last of his formal education. Later he works as a lab asst and blows up the lab, his employer declaring he'd never become anything. Eventually he becomes an inventor with over 1300 patents called Thomas Edison. Lao-tse names his "1st treasure" as caring, which comes from courage, and could come from wisdom, and those who don't have compassion have no wisdom, but do have knowledge, and maybe cleverness.

"A clever mind is not a heart", and Knowledge doesn't care, but wisdom does. Next is desc'd the importance of how Nothing is Something, and Chuang-tse gives illustration to this: The Yellow Emperor loses the dark pearl of Tao, sends Knowledge to locate it, but doesn't understand, so sends Distant Vision, which's unable to see, and so sends Eloquence, but can't describe it, so finally sends Empty Mind, which returns with the pearl. Lao-tse writes, "To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day".

"The power of a clear mind is beyond description. But it can be attained by anyone who can appreciate and utilize the value of Nothing". So, if one traces where the origin of a thought comes from, 1 discovers it originates from Nothing, esp with the greater an idea is, and one doesn't have to be asleep in order to get there, for being natural. Being an adult isn't the highest stage of development, the end of the cycle being the "independent, clear-minded, all-seeing Child", the level known as Wisdom, which's why wise books like the Tao Te Ching say, Return to the start, and become child-like, again.

So, the "wise are Children Who Know", minds emptied, "and filled with the wisdom of the Great Nothing, the Way of the Universe". This way to going Nowhere will also help one discover the Forest, since it's where one is, and if one is Friendly With Bears, one can find it. Those who pay attn to the voice within them, and give Knowledge and Cleverness a backseat, are often treated as exceptions to the rule of being able to become "masters of life", and know the Way, but they should be seen as examples to the rule in practice, which anyone can apply.

This was a decent little intro to Taoism. I learned much, and I'm glad I read it before The World of Pooh, which is next on my kill list.