He describes how Tao is the Way, which can be understood but not defined, and illustrates key elements of Tao such as P'u, the uncarved block, and Wu wei, going with the flow. The author explains that Taoists try to appreciate, learn from, and work with whatever happens in life, whereas, in contrast, Confucians seek to impose order on a chaotic world and Buddhists see life's tribulations as obstacles to be overcome before achieving Nirvana. Hoff uses the characters from A A Milne's Winnie the Pooh books to illustrate and explain the basics of Taoist philosophy, showing how Pooh himself is the epitome of the Taoist thinker, enjoying life with simplicity but not stupidity. However, when I settled down to read it, on a sunny beach far from my consulting room, I was struck by its relevance to my work, and The Tao of Pooh has made a greater change to my practice than much of my regular medical reading. I dutifully added it to my collection of books to read while on holiday, intending to have a complete break from books and journals about medicine. My mother in law gave me The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff for Christmas, I suspect because she thought my mentality was suited to the cuddly toy of the title.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |