Natural: Turning from an Anthropocentric View

Overview

• The Term for “Natural”
• Turning from an Anthropocentric View
• Dào, Heaven, and Earth are Impartial
• Feeling Natural

Dào is the supreme and complete movement of the cosmos. It is virtue itself because Dào supports and nurtures all life. if we follow Dào, we follow the natural.

We have to be careful with how we speak. In particular, heaven and earth are what we call nature, and nature is what the Dàoists call heaven and earth. If we use “nature” and “heaven and earth” in the same conversation, it can be confusing. It’s better to emphasize natural as an adjective.

The Term for “Natural”

The Chinese term for “natural” is the term, zìrán, 自然. As a noun, it means “nature;” as an adjective, “natural;” and an adverb, “naturally.” Zì, 自, in this case, means “self.” It’s a picture of a nose. Rán, 然, in this case, means “certainly.” It combines the glyph for fire, 灬, with a phonetic symbol, 肰 (happens to mean dog meat). We can see the natural as that which is “self-certain,” or “self-evident.” In short, zìrán means that which happens by itself.

This is congruent with Dào, heaven, and earth, which do not “live for themselves,” but move without plans or goals. All outcomes in the world happen naturally—by themselves.

When we read of “nature,” zìrán, 自然, in translations of Chinese classics, this term refers to heaven and earth. There is no separate realm to define as “nature.” Therefore, especially in the context of the Dàodéjīng, it’s better to see zìrán as an adjective: “natural.”

Turning from an Anthropocentric View

Nothing in classical Dàoism supports ideas of human-like gods administering the world (notwithstanding the existence of religious Dàoism, which is polytheistic). It’s a philosophical error to project human qualities onto heaven, earth, and Dào. We should avoid this mistake as surely as we have abandoned the error of Copernican heliocentrism. Dào preceded human beings, it will continue if human beings die out, and it does not conform to the vagaries of human conception.

We have so many human-centered views that we project them onto Dào. While every view has to be respected, here are a few examples of ideas that are not conducive to knowing Dào.

• Creators No entity created the universe. It happened naturally—by itself. (Note: Chinese culture also has creation myths, so this rejection doesn’t single out any particular culture or religion.)
• Intelligent Design There is no plan. Rather, order emerges spontaneously out of the movement of Dào. Intelligent design requires a mover and objects moved, a consciousness that conceives beforehand, and action that seems to have no other side effects (such as contradiction or entropy).
• The Universe Is Conscious the Way We Are Albert Camus (1913–1960) said: “An intellectual is someone whose mind watches itself.“ Although zìrán has the word “self” in it, this idea is antithetical to Dào, heaven, and earth. Human consciousness requires an observer-object arrangement. Dào, Heaven, and Earth are not outside themselves so they don’t need to be aware of themselves. “The reason why heaven and earth are forever and lasting is because they don’t live for themselves.” (Dàodéjīng, chapter 7)
• The Universe Wants to “Know” Itself This view posits that the evolution of the universe has a plan—for it to evolve until it can contemplate itself. The implication is that human beings are the apex of all things and that we become the tools for the universe to look back on itself, even through instruments such as microscopes and telescopes. The assumption that human consciousness is the apex of the cosmos doesn’t fit with the overall context of heaven and earth. Besides, human consciousness is limited by the need for sensory input and is therefore incapable of knowing anything directly. A mind has to get input, process it, think about it, and then act. All the while, countless events have already happened while this slow process was going on.
• The Whole Universe is Conscious This is humans being incapable of understanding natural development that could occur without a brain. There is no nervous system distributed through the universe, so how could there be a human-like consciousness? Dào works without thought, yet everything is done.
• “I’m natural, so the universe must be like me.” While human beings are part of the universe and Dào, it doesn’t follow that the entirety of the universe is like one big person or that all its features are just like us. First, heaven and earth are eternal. A person is mortal. Second, to say that we can define the universe in human terms is as erroneous as saying “fish swim throughout the oceans, and so we can know everything about the oceans by studying fish.”

Dào, Heaven, and Earth are Impartial

Two chapters in the Dàodéjīng help us understand that Dào is not to be framed in terms of human qualities. Some people are frightened by these ideas because it seems as if Dào is indifferent to people. The truth is that there is so much ample goodness in the world that there isn’t any need for a cosmic agent to favor people. Instead, Dào favors all people equally.

Chapter 5 of the Dàodéjīng states: “Heaven and earth are not benevolent: they treat myriad things as straw dogs.”

When the Dàodéjīng says not “benevolent,” rén, 仁, it implies two concepts. First: benevolence itself is a human quality. Its definitions are: “disposed to doing good” and “organized for the purpose of doing good.” None of this applies to heaven and earth. They are not disposed to do anything; they are inherently good as opposed to deciding to be good; no other agent organizes them, and they have no purpose for doing good. They are good. Second: a rejection of Confucian doctrine is implied. Confucianism has been the theoretical basis of Chinese society for thousands of years and continues to be followed to this day—but Lǎozì is not a part of it.

The two most important Confucian values are rén, 仁, and lǐ, 禮. These words are often translated as “benevolence” and “ceremony.” Briefly, rén means that we should be kind and generous to others. Lǐ means that we should observe strict propriety. These values are so fundamental that they are inscribed on the plaques of grand halls as much as they are used daily to scold children.

“Heaven and earth are not benevolent” declares that the universe does not operate by the doctrine of rén. It doesn’t mean that heaven and earth are cruel and hostile to human beings. Heaven and earth are supreme and work through pure action.

Straw dogs, chúgǒu, 芻狗, were ceremonial objects that were discarded after use. Notice the juxtaposition with the Confucian value of rén, which is tied to lǐ as ceremony (lǐ can also mean “ritual”). By invoking straw dogs, the Dàodéjīng underscores the limits of formalized rén. After a ritual, lǐ is as superfluous as straw dogs.

Heaven and earth do not think, plan, or answer prayers. They don’t intercede on behalf of anyone or any nation. We human beings, on the other hand, choose to separate ourselves from heaven and earth and from each other. Our times are marked by savage divisiveness. This seeps into our very consciousnesses. We have to sense, remember, think, plan, communicate, and cope with problems. We have emotions, drives, conjectures, and theories. Our knowledge is always incomplete and evolving. We have faults. We sicken, we age, we die. None of this characterizes heaven and earth.

The second case to examine is in chapter 79 of the Dàodéjīng. “Heaven’s Dào is impartial” is critical in defining the Dàodéjīng’s philosophy. “Impartial” is wúqīn, 無親: “no relatives,” or, by extension, “no favoritism.”

Dào has a positive effect, not because it’s doing anyone a “favor,” or asking anything in return. Everyone has equal access to Dào. This sentence is a rebuke to all who market Dào as a supernatural advantage over others or who promote it as a means of conquering one’s own personality. It upbraids those who think that Dào can be packaged like any other commodity.

Dào can’t be bought and sold. Instead, Dào is “always with good people.” (Dàodéjīng, chapter 79) Dào does not choose to side with “good people,” shànrén, 善人. (The term also means a philanthropist or a charitable person.) Good people side with the goodness of Dào.

Upon reflection, there’s a truth that is not often discussed: the best in life must be given to you. Kindness, forgiveness, and love are vital to receive. You can’t buy them, bargain, or extort to get them. Someone has to voluntarily extend the generosity that comforts, nurtures, and affirms.

There’s no better example than family and friends. A mother loves and cherishes her child, birthing them from her body, and feeding and holding them in her own warmth for years after. A father carries his child, plays, provides, and protects. Siblings usually remain lifelong protectors and supporters. Friends are drawn to you, will help you, and will be there in times both joyous and sad. When you’re in doubt, afraid, or in deep mourning, a smile or heartfelt words make all the difference. We are part of this system of mutual aid. When we are good to others, we reduce conflict. Dào is always with good people.

Feeling Natural

There’s another curious use of the term zìrán. People say that they “feel zìrán” to mean that they are comfortable, relaxed, and that everything seems to fit together in the right way. For a person to feel natural means that there is an inherent right order and that we feel best when we are a part of it.

Chapter 17 of the Dàodéjīng opens with a description of the rulers who the philosophers considered exemplars of enlightened leadership. As civilization evolved, however, the rulers became so corrupt that “people ridiculed them.” Lǎozì depicts the ideal ruler’s commands as:

Work done, matters complete,
each person in every family says:
“I’m natural.”
—Dàodéjīng, chapter 17

Feeling natural is the best sign that one is with Dào. Heaven, earth, and Dào give us a good world. When we are good people integrated with Dào then we feel the contentment of feeling that everything is right.