| TAO of POOH...TE of PIGLET |
| It is never too late to have a happy childhood! |
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| And that is a Very Useful Thing to Know. |
| Winnie the Pooh has a certain way about him, a way of doing things. And Pooh's way seems strangely close to the ancient Chinese principles of Taoism. The "Tao of Pooh" a powerful, little, book by Benjamin Hoff...explains Taoism by Winnie the Pooh, and explains Winnie the Pooh by Taoism. Reading this book makes you understand what A.A. Milne..the creator of Pooh and his friends...meant when he said he did not write the books for children in the first place! |
| The TAO of POOH |
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| BASIC TAOISM |
| Basic Taoism is simply a particular way of appreciating, learning from, and working with whatever happens in everyday life. From the Taoist point of view, the natural result of this harmonious way of living...simply...is happiness! |
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| THE UNCARVED BLOCK |
| The essence of the uncarved block is that things in their original simplicity contain their own natural power, power that is easily destroyed or lost when that simplicity is changed. This applies not only to things, but to people as well. Or Bears! Which brings us to Pooh...The very Epitome of the Uncarved Block. When you discard arrogance, complexity, and a few other things that get in the way, sooner or later you will discover that simple, childlike, and mysterious secret known to those of the "Uncarved Block"...the secret is... Life can be Fun. Along with that comes the ability to do things spontaneously and have them work, odd as that may appear to others at times. As Piglet says..."Pooh hasn't much brain, but he never comes to any harm. He does the silliest little things and they turn out right. |
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| Owl is the opposite of Pooh. The Knowledge for the sake of Appearing Wise, the one who studies Knowledge...for the sake of Knowledge...and keeps what he learns to himself or his own small group, rather than working for the enlightenment of others. Isn't the Knowledge that comes from experience more valuable than the Knowledge that doesn't ??? And what good is it if we do not willingly share our "experience" with others! |
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| Eeyore's way is Knowledge for the sake of Complaining About Something. The Eeyore Attitude gets in the way of things like real wisdom and happiness...and pretty much prevents any sort of Real Accomplishment in life. Do you know an "Eeyore?"...maybe you are like Eeyore yourself...I have been stuck in my "Eeyore Attitude" much too long...I am now moving on in my life back to the way of Piglet!!!! |
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| The TE of PIGLET |
| " A fish can't whistle and neither can I." Theres nothing wrong with not being able to whistle...especially if you are a fish. But there can be lots of things wrong with blindly trying to do what you aren't designed for. Unfortunately, some people are not so wise...and end up causing big trouble for themselves and others. The wise know their limitations; the foolish do not. To demonstrate what I mean, I can think of no one better than Tigger, who does not know his limitations, and believes he can do everything...regardless of the consequences, which brings him lots of trouble. Piglet instead knows his limitations and thats what makes him sometimes more brave than you would expect from such a small animal. "Te" means Virtue...and in the Way of Piglet...The first thing we need to do is recognize and trust our own Inner Nature, and not lose sight of it. In each of us there is something "Special" and that we need to keep! |
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| Do not forsake the practice of Virtue, Honesty, Compassion, and Kindness...for the sake of trying to be what you really aren't. Living...Simply...through kindness is far more rewarding than losing yourself to a "Large Ego" or powerful career and all the "Social Status" that comes with it! It is not worth the price of destroying others hearts and losing Your Virtue and Your Compassion! Those who have no Compassion have no Wisdom. Knowledge, yes. Cleverness, maybe, Wisdom, no. A clever mind...is not a heart. Knowledge doesn't really care......Wisdom does!!! |
| "Tigger is alright really," said Piglet lazily. "Of course he is," said Christopher Robin. "Everybody is really," said Pooh. "Thats what I think,"said Pooh. "But I don't suppose I am right," he said. "Of course you are," said Christopher Robin. |
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| I recieved this book as a wedding gift from a very dear friend...I have since lost "My Husband" to the "Way of Tigger"...but this "Little Book" has helped me find "MY" own way and is one of the most valuable things I own. And I gave the second book to myself as a gift. |
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| In dedication and remembrance for the friendship and marriage of Neil and Brenda 1997-2004. The relationship it was...and what it could have been...if Complexity and Loss of Virtue... had not gotten in the "Way." I remember ...when I was "Your Piglet" and I will always love "The Pooh" I really believed was in you! |
| Piglet appears to be the least significant of the Pooh characters. Yet he is the only one of them to change, to grow, to become more than what he was in the first place. And in the end he does this not by denying his "smallness" but by applying it, for the good of others. He accomplishes what he does without accumulating a Large Ego; inside, he remains a Very Small Animal...but a different kind of Very Small Animal from what he was before. |
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| Song for Piglet by Pooh |
| Animal so shy and small, Dreaming you were Bold and Tall... You hesitate, all sensitive, Waiting for a chance to Live. Time is swift, it races by; Opportunities born and then they die... Still you wait and will not try... A bird with wings who dares not fly. But that"You" you want to see... Is not you, and will never be. No one else will ever do... The special things that wait inside of You. You can be a guiding star... If you make the most of Who You Are. And the sensitivity that you are ashamed to see Can be developed even more... So you can find the hidden doors, To places no one's been before. And the pride...you'll feel inside Is not the kind that makes you fall.... It's the kind that recognizes The Bigness found in being Small. |
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| Piglet slid up to Pooh from behind, "Pooh," he whispered. "Yes Piglet"? "Oh nothing, said Piglet taking Pooh by his paw, I just wanted to be sure of you! |
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| While Eeyore frets... |
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| While Piglet hesitates... |
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| While Owl pontificates... |
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| While Rabbit calculates... |
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| POOH JUST "IS".... |
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| Trials and Tribulations |
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| Look clearly at our lives and the life around us, and Live...Before we start crying to the Universe to take away our trials and tribulations, we might more closely examine what it has given us. Maybe the "Good" things are tests, possibly rather difficult ones at that, and the "Bad" things are gifts to help us grow: problems to solve, situations to learn to avoid, habits to change, conditions to accept, lessons to learn, things to transform...all opportunities to find Wisdom, Happiness, and Truth. When we see Things As They Are, we find a world of Magic...the world that has been there all along. And we find ourselves wondering how we ever missed it! Through simplicity have Tao...See the light in the darkness, the clear in the cloudy, the speed in the slowness, and the full in the empty. Let's take the time, Let's try to find, What real life has to offer. And maybe then, we'll find again, What we had long forgotten...like a Friend. The sun is high, The road is wide, and it starts where we are standing. No one knows how far it goes...For the road is never-ending. From the "Te of Piglet." |