Just two more sets of questions to go as we read our way through the ancient wisdom of the Tao te Ching! But the next questions will be different a little easier...so enjoy these while you can!
Answer TWO of the following for class:
Q1: In class, I mentioned that fortune cookies often mine the wisdom of the Tao te Ching in an abbreviated form (and often mangle it, too). Find a line or phrase in one of the poems that you think would make great 'fortune cookie wisdom.' Why is this? And why might the line mean something quite different alone, without the context of the entire poem?
Q2: In Buddhism and Hinduism (which we'll look at soon), one of the greatest dangers in life is maya--the lustful attachment to life and the illusions of the flesh. Where do we see the same concern in some of these poems? Why might attachment be the greatest danger for one seeking "the Way"?
Q3: In Verse 47, the poet writes, "Without going outside/one can know the whole world/Without looking out the window/one can see the ways of Heaven/The father one goes/the less one knows." Why does the Tao te Ching seem to frown upon the very things you're supposed to be doing in college--learning and traveling and seeking knowledge? What's wrong with "going further" rather than "staying put"?
Q4: The Tao te Ching is constantly trying to redefine (or challenge) our notions of such key concepts as strength, weakness, good, bad, knowledge, and power. Which poem seems to most successfully challenge our common sense notions of one or more of these terms?
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