Axe Handles

Axe Handles is the story of father and son; the father wanting to pass his culture on to his son. He wants to shape his son just like you shape an axe handle. The father sees himself as an axe, just like he saw his teachers saw themselves as axes shaping their handles (their sons or students). The son is the handle and this whole process is a life cycle. Every person has to be an handle, who has to learn the culture from an elder, because he can be an axe, who can shape someone else's culture.
I can relate to this poem because my Dad taught me everything about his culture just like his Dad did. I'm even starting to teach my little cousins about Pakistan and I feel that I'm slowly maturing into an axe, who wants to shape handles (my cousins). I know it's a journey rather than a jolt, but I'm ready for it!

Face of Another

Face of Another is a poignant tale about the plight of a man driven to desolation due to a freak accident that left with a severely scarred face. His wife fails, despite her desperate tries, to see her now mummyfied husband as the man she made love to. He locks himself in a lightless room everyday and the only person who seems to have somewhat of a conversation with is his wife. He finally visits a doctor who, for his own experimental research, makes a face for the man taking the tissue of another man. The man seems to enjoy his face when he gets it. He even seems to develop a more deceptive character. He sees the mask as another way for him to hide as he seduces his own wife wearing the mask. This is where the story's turns a little ambiguous. The wife says that she knew that the man behind the mask was her husband once he takes it off, but her facial expressions seem to indicate otherwise. Going with the fact that she knew that it was her husband and the fact that the mad girl at the hotel knew the same fact, one may conclude that the man's mask didn't change his identity just like the bandages didn't. He may have grown bitter because of other people's reactions due to the bandages and happier when they saw him with a new face that looked real, what didn't change was his relationship to the people who knew him best. The people who he was always around, like his wife. His wife seems to know that the man behind the mask is her husband. Her behavior towards him changed when he lost his face, but that was only because of his physical handicap. She still loved him and stood by him everyday feeding him and doing his laundry. The mad girl didn't even seem to care about the face, since she seemed to have an idea about the man's character. It's character, therefore, that shaped the man into what his identity was and not the mask that seemed to cause him all the mental agony that he had faced when he had the bandages on. His identity was always what he wanted it to be. His changing face didn't change his identity. It simply changed what that identity experienced.

Science and the Soul

Glimpses of the Mind is a captivating article that captures the interest of the reader by combining personal experiences with scientific studies in order to answer the one question that seems to baffle humanity to this day: What is the mind? Is it purely a physical organ that functions through scientific means or is there a soul, a spirit behind it? Arguments and theories are abundant on the issue of the mind. Descartes simply saw it as a nonmaterial thing and he summarized his ideas on consciousness by simply stating: “I think, therefore I am.”
What makes this article interesting is the fact that it talks about research that has been done in order to not only elucidate on how the mind functions, but actually use that research to treat destructive illnesses of the mind such as Alzheimer’s, depression, and drug addiction. According to Descartes, these problems are nonmaterial, but science is heading towards proving Descartes wrong and there is something physical behind every ailment of the mind. Physical suffering can cause memory loss and Post-traumatic stress disorder is a prime example of how severe stress can deeply affect the functions of the mind. A physical ailment may affect a part of the brain that causes an individual to lose some of his/her brain’s functions. He may be able to remember everything in the past, but he may not be able to gather new memories. Imagine being lost in the past, not being able to form a future?
The fact that scientific research is proving that there’s a physical explanation to every ailment of the mind doesn’t discount the theory that there might in fact be something behind all the physical implications. There might be a consciousness that affects impulses that are then carried on through physical means. There might be, behind all the physical processes, something called a soul.

Concept of Self

Definining oneself seems to puzzle almost every individual as he or she struggles to be comfortable with a concept that seems to be ever-changing. It's not a matter of defining self because that very concept is a journey rather than a precise definition and any and every attempt that an individual makes to define that self only leads to questions that further bamboozle him rather than answer his questions. Philosophers constantly try to define self, but they can't make the decision for every human being because every person has a different personality and finds contentment in different things. Therefore, putting a common definition to the concept of self only socially and culturally restricts what an individual wants to accomplish in order to discover rather than define himself. Some may find themselves in sports while others may accomplish the same through education. Rather than continuing this never-ending debate on definining the self, therefore, philosophers should accept the fact that what makes this world great and what makes humans different from any other creature is their freedom to do what they want in order to live a journey that promotes rather than blocks their mission to find true happiness in their own skin.

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Both texts (Bhikku's and MN 148) talk out this concept of self and how it leads to suffering. Their argument is based around the idea that the notion of self pushes one to establish a certain identity and this whole process of establishment brings along a good deal of pain and suffering along with it. The most rational solution, therefore, is this concept of "no-self," which allows an individual to let go of this hurtful process of establishing an identity and, hence, end an imperative source of suffering. Another way to look at our subjective experience is in light of the "door" through which sense data reaches the mind: the eye-, ear-, nose-, tongue-, body- and mind-doors. Each of these organs is receptive to different sorts of stimuli, and each combines in an interactive relationship with a corresponding sort of sense object to give rise to different modes of conscious awareness. Each also touches off a cognitive series of processing by which we add perceptions and feelings to the sense data and construct a world, a personality, and a sense of self. According to the analysis of this cognitive process detailed MN 148, the craving that causes all our suffering emerges directly from the feeling tone of this constructed experience. Simply put, therefore, by eliminating this entire experience and the stress that comes along with it, one alleviates a lot of suffering.

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The concept of nature is what I found the most interesting notion in our readings. The fact that they want to leave everything upto nature's own devices and let nature take its course seems so reasonable and pragmatic. The whole concept of inaction and the rationale provided for this "inaction" theory seems to make sense and even though I try doubting it through contradictions, it does seem like the best solution! I think that people in modern world need to accept this approach a little more as a stress reliever. With such beliefs, people would only do what nature expects of them and nothing more and the relief of knowing what to do and not overexert carelessly is the best feeling in the world

The concept of nature is what I found the most interesting notion in our readings. The fact that they want to leave everything upto nature's own devices and let nature take its course seems so reasonable and pragmatic. The whole concept of inaction and the rationale provided for this "inaction" theory seems to make sense and even though I try doubting it through contradictions, it does seem like the best solution! I think that people in modern world need to accept this approach a little more as a stress reliever. With such beliefs, people would only do what nature expects of them and nothing more and the relief of knowing what to do and not overexert carelessly is the best feeling in the world

Question 4

In Chapter 23, Zhuang-zi, remarking on an expert archer from history, says that while skilled, he would have been better off had he simply "made the whole world a cage" so that the sparrows would have had nowhere to fly to. In early chapters, Zhuang-zi gives similar advice about hiding a boat--instead of hiding it where someone might steal it, one should hide the world in the world so that no one can take it. What do you think Zhuang-zi's trying to express here?
Most of us love life but hate death and so we do everything we can to preserve our life and avoid death, like carefully hiding a boat in a small creek off the main river, but however careful we are there is no guarantee we can extend our lives (even the most carefully hidden boat may be stolen during the night). But if we identify ourselves, not with our present conscious, living human form, but with the entire universe, then no one can take that away from us. Similarly, if the archer had "made the whole world a cage," the sparrows would have nowhere to fly to and, hence, as Chuang Tzu mentions in Chapter 4, the archer would be shooting for nothing and when he is shooting for nothing, he has all his skill. If he shoots, however, for a specific target, he cares more about winning than of shooting and his need to win drains him of power even though he has the same skill level. Once the sparrows are in the cage, there's no point in shooting them because they have nowhere to fly to anyway and shooting at the cage, the whole world, wouldn't make any sense because the targets have nowhere to go and there's no use in showing off one's skills. If the whole world's a cage, the archer doesn't need his skills to kill the sparrows because they're already locked up so his skill is of no use to him. Hence, the point that Chuang zu is trying to make is that the skills one values, boasts about, and gets a lot of praise for is nothing if looked at in context of the whole world because it doesn't require a lot of skill to kill something that's already locked up.

Question 3

Lao Tzu deprecates the value of sagacity in Chapter 19 because he views it as a desire that people have rather than a way that should be followed. To Exterminate learning, the sage, benevolence is very hard to accept at first. After all, the sage is highly regarded throughout the scripture. However, in Chapter 81, Lao Tzu mentions that "He who has wide learning does not know." According to the Way, desires should be limited and an individual's desire to gain more knowledge may be because of the fact that he may want to use his wisdom to promote cleverness in order to profit through deceit. Lao Tzu, therefore, illustrates the belief that wisdom can be detrimental if it is used incorrectly, but he holds sages under a positive light in a lot of instances where the sage uses his wisdom to promote the Way. "In governing the people, the Sage empties their minds, fills their bellies, weakens their wills, and strengthens their bones. He keeps them innocent of knowledge and without desire, and where they have knowledge, he keeps them from acting on it (Chap. III)." Lao Tzu, therefore, uses the term sage differently throughout the book to demonstrate the belief that wisdom is only beneficial in the right hands; only those individuals who wish to use their sagacity to promote the Way should attain wisdom, not those who wish to use their knowledge for personal profit. The term sage denotes wisdom, but this wisdom is detrimental when put in the wrong hands. The Sage "empties" the minds of others because these others are the ones who would use their knowledge for their own gain and not for promoting the true essence of what The Way preaches.
The concept of the uncarved block illustrates the idea of purity and purity is what The Way preaches. Without any adornments or modifications, the uncarved block is like the individual who keeps it simple and lives his life by embracing his surroundings rather than questioning them. To be truly pure, a thing would have to be untampered with. This is what LaoTzu tells us we should do with his words. Take them purely, without adding to, or contaminating them with worldly elements.If we're able to do this, then we too become like the uncarved block of wood and revert back to being a natural being. In being a natural being, we then can relate to all things natural and enjoy life as it was meant to be. The Way is to hold to the uncarved block, the universal mystery, without the urge to name and analyse, classify and dissect. It is to embrace time and change and to let go of worldly objectives. That is why the Way is straightforward but intensely difficult. That is why it cannot be reached by an act of reason but is in itself wholly reasonable.