7/22 Bohm Dialogue — Morality

 

 

A man of highest virtue Will not display it as his own;
His virtue then is real.
Low virtue makes one miss no chance To show his virtue off;
His virtue then is nought.
High virtue is at rest; It knows no need to act.
Low virtue is a busyness Pretending to accomplishment.

Truly, once the Way is lost, There comes then virtue;
Virtue lost, comes then compassion;
After that morality;
And when that’s lost, there’s etiquette,
The husk of all good faith,
The rising point of anarchy.

— Tao de Ching, Blakley trans., chapter 38

Lao Tzu seems to say that morals are an attempt to codify in rules what should come naturally from within, from the very Way itself. If you have to think about it you are already far gone.

But Lao Tzu thought too, and expressed his thoughts in words. Maybe by thinking together we can rediscover the roots of our own morality, get back to the original essence that all the confusing rules came from.

Jan suggests the following for those who wish to think ahead:

Seven Moral Rules Found All Around the World
evolution-institute.org/the-seven-moral-rules-found-all-around-the-world

In this longer collection.
evolution-institute.org/new.evolution-institute.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/tvol-morality-publication-web2018-7.pdf

Join us to listen to what others think and to share what you think.  The Religious Exploration Salon is a group that meets 3rd Sundays to discuss various topics in the format called Bohm Dialogue which emphasizes respectful listening and balanced, synergistic sharing. For more details about how Dialogue works, please see this intro.

Everyone is welcome. You are welcome to think about the topic beforehand but no preparation is required or expected — come as you are with whatever thoughts/intuitions you have, ready to listen, learn and contribute.  We next meet Sunday July 22 at 7pm in the Brackett Room.

Contact Paul Reising, Tom Yelton or Jan Hardenbergh for more information.