Time and Space within Daoism's Holistic Worldview

Abstract

The Dao De Jing offers a complete account of reality, running from an ultimate emptiness, which is called the Dao, to the multitude of everyday things. Central to the Daoist account is the YinYang dynamic, which can exist in a state of either harmony in which case the Dao is realized, or discord, in which case life is defined by a series of hardships. The seamless explanation encompasses consciousness, akin to the Dao, as well as cognition and form, both necessary for the experience of the Dao. This elucidation also intertwines time and space, which too have Yin and Yang characteristics and feature in the harmonious and discordant states. The Yin aspect of time and space manifests as the deep here and now, while the Yang aspect appears as the conventional past and future or near and far. When the central YinYang dynamic is in harmony, consciousness, cognition, and form converge in a state of effortless action. In this state of oneness, the here and now is realized and linear time and space are experienced as but for this deeper truth. In discord, on the other hand, consciousness, cognition, and form struggle among each other so that a person suffers unease and life becomes difficult. Time and space are experienced as a conflict between the need to be present and the need or desire to be some other place and time. The ideal state of harmony with time and space dilation has been well-documented and is characterized by modern positive psychology as the state of “flow.” The disruptive state of discord, on the other hand, is now often misconstrued as the basic human condition. As Daoism elucidates, the harmonious state of effortless action is key to all of life’s endeavors from racing a sports car to butchering an ox and can be cultivated by mindfulness practices like meditation, Tai-chi and Yoga.