Imagine nature as something you can trust—both the external world with its birds, bees, flowers, mountains, and clouds, and the internal world of human nature. While nature isn’t always reliable and may sometimes disappoint, that’s the inherent risk of life. The alternative is to distrust nature entirely, which leads to a society where everyone is constantly monitoring each other. In such a world, you can’t even trust your own thoughts without supervision, leading to a culture obsessed with record-keeping over actual experiences.
In our society, the emphasis on documentation often overshadows the importance of real events. For instance, in universities, maintaining accurate records is prioritized over enriching the library. The grades you earn are considered the most valuable asset, often more so than the knowledge available in the library. Ideally, universities should focus on teaching and research, making faculty the cornerstone of the institution. However, administrative tasks often take precedence, pulling faculty away from their scholarly pursuits.
Do you know what scholarship originally meant? The word “schola” translates to leisure. Historically, a “scholar and a gentleman” was someone who could afford to study without the pressure of earning a living. Today, schools are bustling with activity, pushing students to complete their studies quickly to earn credentials for future employment. This contradicts the essence of scholarship, which is about exploring the charming, seemingly irrelevant aspects of life.
Life loses its vibrancy without room for play. If the only reason to play is to improve work performance, then it’s not genuine play. It’s crucial to develop an attitude towards life where you’re not constantly seeking to gain something. For example, picking up a pebble on the beach and appreciating its beauty without trying to extract a lesson from it is a form of pure enjoyment. This mindset allows you to become a healthier, more loving, and helpful person.
We must learn that while life isn’t mandatory, embracing it with a sense of purposelessness can be fulfilling. The Chinese view nature as purposeless, which they see as a positive attribute. It’s like the endless waves on the shore, moving without a specific goal. A Zen master once remarked that life is filled with “stuff and nonsense,” much like birds singing without a clear purpose. This perspective encourages us to appreciate life for what it is, rather than constantly seeking a deeper meaning.
Consider the beauty of wandering without a specific destination in mind, a concept known as “yugen” in Japanese. When you take a walk without a particular purpose, you embody rationality and have embraced purposelessness. Similarly, music and dance are not about reaching a destination but about the experience itself. Life, too, should be approached in this manner.
Many people believe life has a predetermined purpose, often guided by religious teachings. However, when asked to define this purpose, the answers are often vague. In religious texts, angels are depicted as enjoying the glory of existence without a concrete purpose. This reflects the playful nature of the universe’s creation, which was established with boundaries to maintain balance.
Ultimately, the choice is yours: will you trust the unpredictability of life, accepting the occasional letdown, or will you confine yourself with rigid rules and regulations? To truly live, you must have faith in the unknown and trust in a nature that operates without a boss, as a boss signifies a system built on mistrust.
Take a walk in a natural setting, such as a park or nature reserve, without any specific goal or destination. Observe the environment around you, including the plants, animals, and landscapes. Reflect on the experience of being present in nature without the need for documentation or analysis. Consider how this aligns with the concept of embracing the unpredictability of nature.
Write a short story or poem that explores the theme of purposelessness. Focus on characters or scenarios that embody the idea of living without a defined purpose, much like the waves on the shore or birds singing. Share your work with classmates and discuss how this perspective can lead to a more fulfilling life.
Engage in a group discussion about the importance of play in life. Consider how play can exist without the goal of improving work performance. Share personal experiences where play has led to unexpected joy or insights. Discuss how this concept can be applied to academic and personal pursuits.
Research the Japanese concept of “yugen” and create a visual or multimedia presentation that captures its essence. Consider how this idea of appreciating the mysterious and profound aspects of life without a clear purpose can be integrated into daily living. Present your findings to the class and explore how this perspective can enhance one’s appreciation of life.
Participate in a workshop that encourages you to trust in the unknown. Engage in activities that require letting go of control, such as improvisational theater or spontaneous art creation. Reflect on how these experiences challenge your comfort zone and help you embrace the unpredictability of life.
Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript, removing any potentially sensitive or inappropriate content while maintaining the core ideas:
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So then, here is a conception of nature as something you must trust; outside nature – the birds, the bees, the flowers, the mountains, the clouds, and inside nature, human nature. Now, nature isn’t completely trustworthy. It will sometimes let you down, but that’s the risk you take; that’s the risk of life. What is the alternative? “I do not trust nature at all. It has got to be watched.” You know what that leads to? It leads to a society where everyone is watching everyone else, where you can’t trust your own motivations, where you have to have someone in charge of you all the time to ensure that you do not think dangerous or peculiar thoughts.
And you report all peculiar thoughts to your supervisor, who keeps a record of them. Everybody is busy keeping records of everything. It’s much more important to record what happens than to focus on the actual events. This is already consuming us; it’s much more important that your records are in order than that you conduct your business well. In universities, it is much more important that the registrar’s records be in order than that the library be well-stocked. After all, your grades are protected, and they are considered the most valuable property that the university has; the library can be overlooked.
Furthermore, the main function of a university is, as a sensible person would imagine, to teach students and to conduct research. So, the faculty should be the most important aspect of the university; however, the administration often takes precedence. The people who keep the records and set the rules often obstruct the faculty, forcing them into irrelevant meetings and away from scholarship.
Do you know what scholarship means? The original meaning of “schola” is leisure. We talk of a “scholar and a gentleman” because a gentleman was someone who could afford to be a scholar. He did not have to earn a living and could study the classics and poetry. Today, nothing is busier than a school. They make you work hard because you have to get through on schedule. There are expedited courses, and you go to school to earn credentials that will help you earn a living. So, on the whole, it contradicts the essence of scholarship. Scholarship is about studying everything that is unimportant, not necessary for survival, all the charming irrelevancies of life.
If you do not have room in your life for the playful, life is not worth living. All work and no play makes for a dull existence, but if the only reason Jack plays is to work better afterward, he is not truly playing. You have to cultivate an attitude toward life in which you are not trying to get anything out of it.
You pick up a pebble on the beach: look at it, appreciate its beauty, and don’t try to derive a lesson from it. Just enjoy it! Do not feel that you have to justify your enjoyment by saying it is for the advancement of your understanding. If you do that, you become healthy and able to be a loving, helpful human being. But if you can only do things because you expect something in return, you are missing the point.
We have to learn that you don’t have to go on living, but it is a great idea if you can learn what the Chinese call “purposelessness.” They think nature is purposeless. When we say something is purposeless, it is often seen as a negative. However, when they hear the word purposeless, they think that’s just great. It is like the waves washing against the shore, going on and on, forever, with no meaning. A great Zen master once said, just before he died, “From the bathtub to the bathtub, I have uttered stuff and nonsense.”
Like the birds in the trees singing, what is it all about? People try to explain it as a mating call or a survival mechanism. But why survive? What is that for?
Human beings, like all living creatures, are simply vessels. These vessels take in and release. They develop sensory organs to help them navigate their environment. While doing this, the process wears them out, but they find ways to create new vessels to continue the cycle.
When the Chinese say nature is purposeless, it is a compliment. It reflects the idea of the Japanese word “yugen,” which describes the beauty of nature and the experience of wandering without a specific goal in mind. Haven’t you gone for a walk with no particular purpose? It is at that moment that you are a perfectly rational human being; you have learned purposelessness.
All music is purposeless. If music had a destination, the best conductor would be the one who got there fastest. Dancing is not about arriving at a particular spot; the aim of dancing is to dance. This is the same in our lives.
We often think life has a purpose. I remember hearing preachers talk about following God’s purpose. When I asked them what that purpose was, they never seemed to know! They sang hymns about God working His purpose out, but the meaning was unclear.
In heaven, angels gather around the glory of God, which is often described in vague terms. It means nothing concrete; they are simply enjoying existence.
When the universe was created, it was done so with a sense of playfulness. However, there must be boundaries; that was the first principle established. You must draw the line somewhere.
Now, here is the choice. Are you going to trust it or not? If you do trust it, you may get let down, but if you don’t trust it at all, you will restrict yourself with rules and regulations.
To live, I must have faith. I must trust myself to the unknown, to a nature that does not have a boss. Because a boss represents a system of mistrust.
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This version maintains the essence of the original content while ensuring it is appropriate for a wider audience.
Nature – The inherent or essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized or defined. – In philosophy, understanding the nature of consciousness is crucial to unraveling the mysteries of the human mind.
Scholarship – The academic study or achievement; learning at a high level. – Her scholarship in existential psychology has contributed significantly to the understanding of human freedom and responsibility.
Purposelessness – The state of having no purpose or goal; often discussed in existential philosophy regarding the meaning of life. – The existentialist philosopher argued that confronting the purposelessness of life can lead to authentic living.
Play – An activity engaged in for enjoyment and recreation, especially by children, but also a concept in philosophy and psychology regarding creativity and freedom. – In psychological terms, play is essential for cognitive development and emotional well-being.
Trust – Reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, or surety of a person or thing; confidence. – Building trust is fundamental in therapeutic relationships, as it allows for open communication and healing.
Unpredictability – The quality of being unable to be predicted; a concept often explored in discussions of free will and determinism. – The unpredictability of human behavior challenges the notion of a deterministic universe.
Experience – The knowledge or skill acquired by a period of practical experience of something, especially that gained in a particular profession. – Phenomenology focuses on the subjective experience of individuals to understand the essence of phenomena.
Rationality – The quality of being based on or in accordance with reason or logic. – Rationality is often debated in philosophy as a defining characteristic of human beings, distinguishing them from other animals.
Beauty – A combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight, but also a subject of philosophical inquiry. – Philosophers have long debated whether beauty is an objective quality or a subjective experience.
Society – The aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community, often examined in philosophy and sociology. – The philosopher examined the role of justice in society and its impact on social cohesion and individual rights.
