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Authors: Daniele Bolelli
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The most terrifying emotion that anyone about to go to war has to come to terms with is fear—the sheer terror that the prospect of death, dismemberment, and crippling injuries inevitably produces. Paralyzing fear under these circumstances is natural for anyone who doesn't have a death wish but, paradoxically, it makes the likelihood of getting killed much higher. It is difficult, in fact, to be effective on the battlefield when fear leaves you breathless, with your muscles frozen stiff, and hardly able to move. Entering a sword fight in this physiological state all but ensures that your head will be saying goodbye to the rest of your body rather quickly, since you will not be able to fight to the best of your abilities. The riddle of fear is that it attracts precisely what scares you most. As professional warriors, the samurai knew well how lethal fear could be. But this is where Zen could come to the rescue.
Zen training, after all, is all about quieting the mind, being in the moment with no thoughts of the past or the future, accepting things as they are, mastering one's emotions, and abandoning all attachments. And all these ingredients mixed together offer the perfect antidote to fear. Being able to remain emotionally unmoved when death comes knocking on your door is no easy feat, but can be just as essential for a warrior as mastery of fighting tactics and techniques. Once free from fear, a samurai could fight just as he had trained, without losing precious fractions of seconds due to the excess baggage of tense muscles and shallow breathing.
This is how one of the most peaceful religions in the world ended up being part of the arsenal of the Japanese warrior class. So, bring on a steady diet of Zen meditation! We've got enemies to kill.
02 THE FILTHY LITTLE ATHEIST … FOUNDING FATHERThe story of his life is richer and weirder than any fiction. Among his close friends were visionary poets such as William Blake as well as political icons like Benjamin Franklin. Napoleon slept with his books by his pillow, and told him statues of gold should be erected to him in every city in the universe (but the admiration was not reciprocated). Thomas Edison believed him to
be one of the most brilliant minds in human history. Some of his writings rank among the greatest bestsellers of the 18th century. He participated in the two revolutions (the American and the French) that changed the political face of the modern world. During the American Revolution, George Washington used his writings to inspire his troops to remember what they were fighting for, and even suggested that no other individual had done more for the cause of American independence. John Adams stated that without his pen, Washington's military victories would have been in vain. In France, the revolutionaries invited him to join the National Convention in charge of drafting a new constitution. His unconditional love for freedom, however, made him allergic to “revolutionary” totalitarianism just as much as he was opposed to monarchic totalitarianism. So, Robespierre and his proto-fascist cronies had him arrested and sentenced to death. But the blade of the guillotine missed the date with his neck thanks to a mistake by the jailer in delivering condemned prisoners. Before the mistake was fixed, a future American president, James Monroe, intervened on his behalf and had him rescued. And another president, Thomas Jefferson, personally offered him political asylum.
be one of the most brilliant minds in human history. Some of his writings rank among the greatest bestsellers of the 18th century. He participated in the two revolutions (the American and the French) that changed the political face of the modern world. During the American Revolution, George Washington used his writings to inspire his troops to remember what they were fighting for, and even suggested that no other individual had done more for the cause of American independence. John Adams stated that without his pen, Washington's military victories would have been in vain. In France, the revolutionaries invited him to join the National Convention in charge of drafting a new constitution. His unconditional love for freedom, however, made him allergic to “revolutionary” totalitarianism just as much as he was opposed to monarchic totalitarianism. So, Robespierre and his proto-fascist cronies had him arrested and sentenced to death. But the blade of the guillotine missed the date with his neck thanks to a mistake by the jailer in delivering condemned prisoners. Before the mistake was fixed, a future American president, James Monroe, intervened on his behalf and had him rescued. And another president, Thomas Jefferson, personally offered him political asylum.
The man we are speaking of is Thomas Paine.
Even though his name is relatively well known, it is not nearly as celebrated
as one may imagine given such a wild, intense existence, and such a deep impact on history. Paine was after all the man who came up with the terms “United States of America,” and is credited by many to be the ideological father of modern democracy. So why is his face not on the dollar bills? Why is he not hanging out with Jefferson & co. on Mt. Rushmore? Why is he not given his due among the greatest American heroes?
as one may imagine given such a wild, intense existence, and such a deep impact on history. Paine was after all the man who came up with the terms “United States of America,” and is credited by many to be the ideological father of modern democracy. So why is his face not on the dollar bills? Why is he not hanging out with Jefferson & co. on Mt. Rushmore? Why is he not given his due among the greatest American heroes?
Paine's problem is that he didn't die in 1792. Had he done that, his place among the pantheon of beloved founding fathers would have been assured. But instead he lived, and wrote another book entitled
The Age of Reason
. The result? By the time he actually died in 1809, only six people attended his funeral. The most repeated of his obituaries by the newspapers read, “he had lived long, did some good and much harm.” His supporters found themselves under relentless attacks. Thomas Jefferson's political opponents had a field day using over and over his friendship with Paine against him. Abraham Lincoln's friends burned a booklet he had written, in which he defended Paine's ideas, for fear that this would irreparably ruin his reputation. Over a
hundred years after Paine's death, Theodore Roosevelt still referred to him as a “filthy little atheist.”
The Age of Reason
. The result? By the time he actually died in 1809, only six people attended his funeral. The most repeated of his obituaries by the newspapers read, “he had lived long, did some good and much harm.” His supporters found themselves under relentless attacks. Thomas Jefferson's political opponents had a field day using over and over his friendship with Paine against him. Abraham Lincoln's friends burned a booklet he had written, in which he defended Paine's ideas, for fear that this would irreparably ruin his reputation. Over a
hundred years after Paine's death, Theodore Roosevelt still referred to him as a “filthy little atheist.”
What exactly was it about
The Age of Reason
that transformed Paine into a ghost among the founding fathers? Why did he turn overnight from popular hero into a hated villain? It's because the man took on organized religion with a furor, in an age when doing so was neither fashionable nor conducive to good health.
The Age of Reason
that transformed Paine into a ghost among the founding fathers? Why did he turn overnight from popular hero into a hated villain? It's because the man took on organized religion with a furor, in an age when doing so was neither fashionable nor conducive to good health.
As he wrote, “I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church. All national institutions of churches … appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.”
When he had composed passionate defenses of freedom against political tyranny, the masses had loved him. But now that he had composed a passionate defense of freedom against religious tyranny, they hated him. Paine hadn't changed. It's simply that his audience was much readier to attack political rather than religious institutions. But for Paine tyranny was tyranny regardless which adjective was attached to it. To him, sworn enemies
like the king of England and Robespierre, the pope and Martin Luther were but different faces of the same evil. Whether they called themselves monarchists or revolutionaries, Catholics or Protestants, whether they indulged in inquisitions or guillotines, didn't matter much since they were all equally addicted to totalitarianism.
The Age of Reason
was Paine's declaration of war against the religious dogmatism that had squashed individual liberties over the centuries.
like the king of England and Robespierre, the pope and Martin Luther were but different faces of the same evil. Whether they called themselves monarchists or revolutionaries, Catholics or Protestants, whether they indulged in inquisitions or guillotines, didn't matter much since they were all equally addicted to totalitarianism.
The Age of Reason
was Paine's declaration of war against the religious dogmatism that had squashed individual liberties over the centuries.
The fame of being a godless atheist followed Paine like a shadow forever afterwards. But the punch line in all of this is that Paine was anything but an atheist. It was precisely because he believed in God that he despised organized religions since—in his view—these turned the divine mystery into bad mythology, and projected onto God their own psychotic hopes and fears. In Paine's brand of freedom-loving spirituality, God was something greater than any religion. And this was the belief that cost Paine his place of honor among the founding fathers.
03 THE TAO OF BEING IN JAIL: HOW THETAO TE CHING
WAS CREATED
Being told that a religion's sacred book was composed in jail can easily conjure up in our minds familiar images: persecuted Christians hurrying to write down portions of the New Testament before Roman legionaries knock at their
door and introduce them to hungry lions in the Colosseum. Or perhaps we could picture pious Jewish prophets composing hymns to God after being conquered and oppressed by one of the many, many, many nations that conquered and oppressed Jews throughout history. Well … we can quickly chase these images from our heads because the story we are playing with here is much weirder than that. The hero of our tale is not in jail as a victim of religious persecution. The opposite is actually true. He is in jail because somebody loved his ideas too much.
door and introduce them to hungry lions in the Colosseum. Or perhaps we could picture pious Jewish prophets composing hymns to God after being conquered and oppressed by one of the many, many, many nations that conquered and oppressed Jews throughout history. Well … we can quickly chase these images from our heads because the story we are playing with here is much weirder than that. The hero of our tale is not in jail as a victim of religious persecution. The opposite is actually true. He is in jail because somebody loved his ideas too much.
The setting is ancient China, about 2,500 years ago (give or take a century or two). Our protagonist is Lao Tzu, the mythological creator of Taoism and author of the
Tao Te Ching
(the philosophical foundation of Taoism). At the beginning of our story, Lao Tzu is very old, but he has not written anything yet. Despite having gained great fame for his wisdom among all those who have come in contact with him, he has always refused to commit his ideas to writing. By this point in his life, Lao Tzu has decided he has had enough of living among the noise and the crowds of the city. So, he packs his bags, resigns from his job in the imperial library, and begins to head out of town. By the time he reaches the city gates, ready to enjoy his well-deserved retirement, he is stopped in his tracks by an adoring fan. The fame of Lao Tzu's brilliant teachings, in fact, has reached the ears of one of the guards at the gate. As fate would have it, he had some friends among Lao Tzu's
disciples who had told him wonderful things about how the old man's insights had changed their lives. On a couple of occasions, the gate guard even had a chance to join them and listen spellbound to Lao Tzu's teachings in person. Both times he had walked away amazed by the depth of the man's wisdom, and yet with a feeling that he had barely gotten a small taste of what Lao Tzu had to offer.
Tao Te Ching
(the philosophical foundation of Taoism). At the beginning of our story, Lao Tzu is very old, but he has not written anything yet. Despite having gained great fame for his wisdom among all those who have come in contact with him, he has always refused to commit his ideas to writing. By this point in his life, Lao Tzu has decided he has had enough of living among the noise and the crowds of the city. So, he packs his bags, resigns from his job in the imperial library, and begins to head out of town. By the time he reaches the city gates, ready to enjoy his well-deserved retirement, he is stopped in his tracks by an adoring fan. The fame of Lao Tzu's brilliant teachings, in fact, has reached the ears of one of the guards at the gate. As fate would have it, he had some friends among Lao Tzu's
disciples who had told him wonderful things about how the old man's insights had changed their lives. On a couple of occasions, the gate guard even had a chance to join them and listen spellbound to Lao Tzu's teachings in person. Both times he had walked away amazed by the depth of the man's wisdom, and yet with a feeling that he had barely gotten a small taste of what Lao Tzu had to offer.
But now Lao Tzu was calling it quits. He was getting ready to cash his chips and head off to Florida, or whatever was the ancient Chinese equivalent where old guys went to warm up their achy bones and spend their golden years in the sun. Worse yet, Lao Tzu had so far stubbornly refused to put pen to paper and write down a single word about his unique worldview. And so the old man was about to be gone, vanish forever and be lost to history. The gate guard knew exactly what he had to do.
After several rounds of polite begging only met with Lao Tzu repeatedly turning down his requests, the guard decided to take matters in his own hands: he promptly arrested Lao Tzu, tossed him in jail, gave him all the paper he could need and told him he would only be free when he would finish a book capturing the essence of his teachings. As it turns out, jail is a powerful motivator, so Lao Tzu spent the following three days writing furiously. Eighty-one short poems later Lao Tzu got up, handed his writings to the guard, waved goodbye
and disappeared from the pages of history. According to the story, this is how
Tao Te Ching
, the most important text of Taoism, came into being.
and disappeared from the pages of history. According to the story, this is how
Tao Te Ching
, the most important text of Taoism, came into being.
Just like in the case of most tales about the founding of the various world religions, no reliable data confirming the historical truth of this story exists. But unlike in the case of most religions, Taoists freely admit that this is probably nothing but a legend—one of many versions of an imaginative tale. According to them, it matters little whether things really happened this way. The point of the story is to highlight Lao Tzu's distrust of words. In case the first line of the
Tao Te Ching
wasn't emphatic enough as a warning in this regard (“The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao”), the myth of Lao Tzu's composing the book only under duress makes even plainer a key Taoist concept. Wisdom is something that's alive. On the other hand, words in general, and written words in particular,
are an abstraction—too easy to misinterpret. At best, words can give you a glimpse of somebody's wisdom, but far too often people take them too literally and this leads to the annoying tendency of great theories to shape-shift into sinister dogmas. The jail story is a Taoist inside joke to remind us not to take anybody's words as absolute truths. Not such a bad advice considering how often what begin as benign religions turn dark really fast.
Tao Te Ching
wasn't emphatic enough as a warning in this regard (“The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao”), the myth of Lao Tzu's composing the book only under duress makes even plainer a key Taoist concept. Wisdom is something that's alive. On the other hand, words in general, and written words in particular,
are an abstraction—too easy to misinterpret. At best, words can give you a glimpse of somebody's wisdom, but far too often people take them too literally and this leads to the annoying tendency of great theories to shape-shift into sinister dogmas. The jail story is a Taoist inside joke to remind us not to take anybody's words as absolute truths. Not such a bad advice considering how often what begin as benign religions turn dark really fast.
BOOK: 50 Things You're Not Supposed To Know: Religion
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