Watching the Tree: A Chinese Daughter Reflects on Happiness, Spiritual Beliefs and Universal Wisdom. Adeline Mah Yen

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СКАЧАТЬ A few years later, after James was admitted to Cambridge University in England, he sent me a note. ‘According to Einstein’s theory of relativity,’ he wrote, ‘our ancestors were correct all along. Our universe does consist of “space/time” and not space alone. Yu zhou is right on the money, after all.’

      While doing research for this book, I actually came across the words yu zhou in ancient Chinese books. It gave me a thrill to note the similarity between my ancestors’ conception of the universe and that of our greatest contemporary physicists.

      Zhuang Zi says, ‘Tao is real, is faithful, yet does nothing and has no form. Can be handed down, yet cannot be passed from hand to hand. Can be acquired but cannot be seen. Is its own trunk, its own root. Before heaven and earth existed, from the beginning, Tao was there.’

      In Taoism, the goal is spiritual freedom, to be achieved in the realm of Nature. Following Nature means wu wei (taking no action), through which one will gain contentment, enlightenment and peace. Man should see his lifecycle of birth, growth, decay and death as part of Nature and accept change to be the tao of everything in the universe.

      During the Middle Period (221 BC–AD 906) Taoism developed more as a religion than a philosophy. The writings of Taoist philosophers such as Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi were carefully culled by priest-magicians to cultivate and reinforce superstitious practices such as the search for immortality and alchemy. Huai Nan Tzu

(178–122 BC) first started mixing philosophy with mystical concepts such as spirits and distant fairylands. Certain elements were synthesised by religious leaders and interpreted according to their beliefs. Borrowing from the I Ching, they taught that all things were products of cosmic negative and positive forces (yin and yang), which could be harmonised with the vital force ( qi) of the universe and concentrated in the human body to promote health and prolong life. They developed breathing techniques ( qi gong) in an attempt to control the flow of qi, along with special sexual practices which allowed men to regulate and preserve the flow of their semen, thought to be linked to male (yang) qi. Various ‘scriptures’ were written which aimed to provide Taoism with a theory as well as an elaborate system of practice. Ceremonies were formulated and names given to a great number of gods: kitchen; stars; ancestors; famous historical personages; literature; medicine; wealth; immortals; ideals, and countless others. Taoists had their own clergy, temples and images. The head of the clergy was called the Heavenly Father, a title retained by his direct descendants. Taoism became an organised religion as well as a state cult, reaching the zenith of its power and influence during the Tang dynasty (AD 618–960), partly because the Tang emperor had the same surname as Lao Zi (Li).

      Over the years Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism imitated, influenced and intermingled with each other extensively. One of the most popular Taoist gods, Guan Yin

(Goddess of Mercy), was borrowed wholesale from Buddhism. Another was a courageous and red-faced military hero named Guan Yu , who fought and died during the Three Kingdoms War (AD 220–264). However, Taoism was less organised than Buddhism and lacked an intellectually enlightened leadership; it gradually widened its sphere and lost its focus. Primary objectives became earthly blessings such as wealth, happiness, health, children, longevity and the fulfilment of personal desires. These were to be obtained through witchcraft, magic, aphrodisiacs and incantations. Instead of developing a comprehensive philosophy based on the Tao Te Ching, Taoists concentrated on cultivating practices such as breath control (qi gong), periodic vegetarianism, meditation, shadow-boxing ( tai chi – modelled on the movements of animals such as birds and panthers), and attempts to transform mercury into gold. Geomancy (Jeng shui ), fortune-telling, divination and the use of charms were some of the offshoots of religious Taoism. Ritual observances became increasingly ‘practical’. Food was offered to departed ancestors but eaten after the ceremony by living relatives. A westerner summed it all up by saying that in China the intellectuals questioned everything and believed in nothing whereas the uneducated questioned nothing and believed in everything.

      With the coming of Christianity and western missionaries following the Opium War in the nineteenth century, Taoism as an organised religion declined and faded away. However, its influence is deeply etched in the Chinese psyche. Many Taoist temples, gods, legends, fairy-tales, ceremonies, festivals and traditions have not only survived but are still celebrated in China as well as in Chinatowns all over the world. In addition, the teachings of Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi have left to Chinese thought their lasting legacy of agnosticism, scepticism, tolerance and detachment.

       4 Do Not Do to Others What You Do Not Wish Others to Do to You

      

JI SUO BU YU, WU SHI YU REN

      The earliest act of filial piety I ever witnessed involved my father. My grandmother (Nai Nai) was still alive and I must have been about four. A French relative of my stepmother, Niang, had given her a beautiful red and gold tin of expensive imported bonbons. Each chocolate was wrapped in silver foil and studded with bits of crunchy nut. After dinner Niang opened her gift and showed off the tempting sweets. However, she presented a candy to each of the grown-ups only.

      As we five stepchildren salivated, she closed the lid with a final snap of her wrist. ‘I’m afraid there isn’t enough to pass around,’ she announced. ‘These chocolates are very special and came from Belgium. They are made with the best eggs, butter, sugar, chocolate and nuts. My brother-in-law had to stand in line for twenty minutes at Kiessling’s to buy them. Now they’re already sold out. I must reserve the rest for your father’s important guests. You children are not to touch them, do you hear? Otherwise your father and I will be very angry.’

      We nodded but our eyes lingered longingly on the sparkling box. Big Brother (Gregory), who was Nai Nai’s favourite, ran over to her and begged in a whisper to have a tiny little bite of hers. She could never resist him and even though the chocolate was halfway into her mouth, she bit off a piece and gave it to him. Big Brother then picked up the wrapper and licked it clean.

      That night I was awakened from a deep sleep by loud voices from downstairs. I crept out of bed and stood by the banisters to watch. Second Older Brother (Edgar) was cowering between Nai Nai and Father on the landing below and sobbing uncontrollably. He was dressed in pyjamas and his face was covered with blood. From their conversation, I gathered that Second Brother had got up in the middle of the night to help himself to the forbidden sweets. Niang surprised him in the act and summoned Father, who rushed down and caught him trying to escape. In his anger, Father slapped Second Brother so hard that he caused a tear in his scalp with his ring.

      Hearing Second Brother’s cries, Nai Nai had tottered down in her small, bound feet to protect him. ‘Stop it! Stop it!’ I heard Nai Nai shout in her quavering voice. ‘How dare you go on beating him when I ordered you to stop?! Just because he took some candy! Look at all the blood! Are you trying to kill him? Why don’t you kill me first?’

      There was a short silence. Father hung his head.

      ‘Don’t you СКАЧАТЬ