cooperation 
Cooperation
with others.
Perception, experience, tenacity.
Know when to lead and when to
follow.
When
we become involved with a fellowship, we must gradually become an
integral, organic part of that organization. The relationship will be
one of mutual influence: We must carefully influence the collective,
and in turn, we will be shaped by the company we keep.
Influencing
others requires perception. We need to know when to act, when to be
passive, when others are receptive to us, and when they will not
listen. This takes experience, of course, and it is necessary to take
part in a great many relationships—from our families to community
associations—to cultivate the proper sensitivity. In time, there will
be moments of both frustration and success, but in either case, a
certain tenacity is crucial. If we are thwarted in our initiatives,
then we must persevere by either maintaining our position or changing
it if a better one prevails. If we are successful, we must not rely on
charisma alone, but we must also work to fully realize what the group
has resolved to do.
True
leadership is a combination of initiative and humility. The best leader
remains obscure, leading but drawing no personal attention. As long as
the collective has direction, the leader is satisfied. Credit is not to
be taken, it will be awarded when the people realize that it was the
subtle influence of the leader that brought them success.
cooperation
365
Tao
daily
meditations
Deng
Ming-Dao (author)
ISBN
0-06-250223-9
The Dipper Mother (detail)
Qing dynasty, 18th century
Dehua porcelain h. 24.8 cm
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco;
Avery Brundage Collection cat. no. 98
Legend has it that many ages ago, a great queen vowed to give birth to
children who would help to guide the movements of the Tao. One fine
spring day, she disrobed and entered a pool to bathe. Suddenly, she
felt "moved," and nine lotus buds rose from the pond. The lotus, a
symbol borrowed from Buddhism, signifies purity and spiritual
enlightenment since it rises from the mud (representing the physical
impurities of the world) to become a brilliant flower. Each of these
lotus buds opened to reveal a star, including the seven stars of the
Northern Dipper (Big Dipper), one of the most important constellations
in Taoism. Subsequently, this queen was deified, becoming known as the
"Dipper Mother."
This porcelain sculpture of the Dipper Mother depicts her as a heavenly
goddess holding the sun and moon in her upraised hands. Her remaining
16 hands grasp various ritual implements and weapons.
Like the Saintly Mother, Heavenly Immortal of the Eastern Peak, the
Dipper Mother rose to prominence in the Ming dynasty. She is still
worshiped today in special halls devoted to her at Taoist temples like
the White Cloud Monastery, head of the Complete Realization sect in
Beijing.
*
we have seen the dipper mother, as I picked her out for an image before
we began this educational project.
She is, in fact, the main picture
for this month's tao hub, named
"dipper mother tao" month!
the lesson:
Divine Manifestations of Yin:
Goddesses and Female Saints
Introduction
Women have always played an
important role in Taoism—as teachers who have influenced the
development of Taoist teachings and as goddesses, the principal
embodiments of feminine yin energy and the necessary counterparts to
masculine yang energy. The significance of goddesses is most apparent
in the divine mother figures, special protectors of women and
childbirth. Their worship, however, was not limited to women; in fact,
they had an equally strong male following. These mother figures were
especially associated with the Tao itself, which was often described as
an empty, receptive womb that made possible the birth of the world and
the transformation of energy into matter.
The most important divine
embodiment of feminine energy, the Queen Mother of the West4, was worshiped in China
before the rise of religious Taoism. In the Northern and Southern
dynasties5, it was
believed that she had appeared to different emperors to legitimize or
deny the legitimacy of their rule. She eventually came to be seen as
the head of a complex pantheon of different goddesses—the feminine
equivalent of such supreme figures as the Three Purities6 or the Jade Emperor7.
Mortal women have also had a
deep impact on Taoism, both as patrons and teachers. Not only emperors
but also women from the imperial family could be ordained as Taoist
priests. Many other women served as the religious instructors of
high-level officials and scholars. Several movements within Taoism are
attributed to female founders. Both Taoism and Buddhism offered female
followers the possibility of becoming nuns, an accepted option for a
woman who did not wish to become a wife and mother. Although Taoism
inherited many social biases against women, it allowed them to play a
vital role. The influence of women on the growth of religious Taoism is
undeniable.
glossary:
4
Queen Mother of the West the Taoist goddess who
rules over the western paradise and is the head of a pantheon of
goddesses and female immortals. In her garden, she grows the peaches of
immortality.
5
Northern and Southern dynasties (386—589) long
period of political disunity after the fall of the Han dynasty. During
this time, China was divided into a number of smaller kingdoms. The
period is also known as the Six Dynasties.
6
Three Purities (Three Clarities) the highest deities
in Taoism, they reside over the three greatest heavenly realms. Their
names are the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, the Celestial
Worthy of Numinous Treasure, and the Celestial Worthy of the Way and
Its Power.
7
Jade Emperor chief of the pantheon of popular gods
incorporated into Taoism
Five Sacred Peaks five
sacred mountains located along the five directions (north, south, east,
west, and center) that occupy powerful places in Taoist geography. The
sacred mountains are not actually single peaks; rather they are
networks of peaks, cliffs, gorges, hills, ravines, etc. To communicate
with the deities on these mountains, emperors ordered the construction
of important Taoist temples on each peak. Taoists also believe that
immortals inhabit the Five Sacred Peaks. On their slopes grow the
magical mushrooms that bestow immortality.
yin and
yang two opposing types of
energy or contrasting forces. Yin is described as yielding, passive,
negative, dark, and female. Yang is dynamic, assertive, positive,
light, and male. The two energies are opposite and yet mutually
dependent. Yin may become yang and vice versa, just as day becomes
night, cold becomes hot, and the reverse. The behavior of yin and yang
describes the structure of any event or thing. It may be said that
their dynamic relationship describes the operation of the Tao in its
cycles of creation, and that their alternating movement underlies the
structure of everything in the universe. The concept of yin and yang is
conveyed by the tiger and dragon and by the Taiji symbol.
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