Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk who lived at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky (of all places), was buddies with the Dalai Lama. Yep, picture Christianity and Tibetan Buddhism hanging out side by side and learning from each other – acknowledging and sharing the wisdom that exists in each spiritual discipline. It's a beautiful thing, and not as rare as people think. As often as the world is torn apart by religious dissent, I think it's more important than ever to hold up these examples of harmony and respect between different schools of thought. But inevitably, the peaceful voices get drowned out by the hateful ones.

Chuang Tzu was called the most spiritual of Chinese philosophers; he was the main historical spokesperson for Taoism (whose founder, Lao Tzu, is a legendary character mostly known through Chuang Tzu's own writings). This book collects many of Chuang Tzu's parables and sayings, adapted by Merton from multiple translations. Reading this, I can see exactly why Merton felt so at home with Taoism and Zen. It's reflected everywhere in his writings: his attempts to capture in words things that transcend words (while admitting his failure), to express the undefinable without defining it, to contemplate without self-awareness, etc.

But the fascinating thing about Chuang Tzu is that, despite all his abstractions, he's quite practical at heart. He had plenty to say about social unbalance, the futility of political power, and the inadequacies of government (even when it's benevolent). Much of what he says reveals how little human society has changed in 2500+ years.

For example:

A poor man must swing
For stealing a belt buckle
But if a rich man steals a whole state
He is acclaimed
As statesman of the year.

He also points out the hypocrisy of philosophers and religious people who try so hard to be "virtuous" that they go trampling over others, failing to exist in the present moment, and so failing to connect with Tao (the source of all things) – the very end they were seeking. But Tao can't be an end! It's that age-old divine paradox:

Tao is a name
That indicates
Without defining.
Tao is beyond words
And beyond things.
It is not expressed
Either in word or silence.
Where there is no longer word or silence
Tao is apprehended.

In essence, Taoism is about letting go of the human need to control and define everything. We do this because we want to understand everything, but in trying to define the undefinable, we reduce it to a shell of itself, a thing that can be grasped by the human intellect. In which case we only end up "understanding" in part, never in whole. But we arrogantly claim to understand the whole.

This rejection of pure rationality-as-god makes the "Way" just as countercultural today as I'm sure it was back in Chuang Tzu's time. This is both brain and soul food; I'm so glad I picked it up.