Chuang-Tzu for Spiritual Transformation: An Analysis of the Inner Chapters (Suny Series in Philosophy)

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Summary: The Great Chinese Master's Death Blow to Relativism
Review: Any honest philosopher seriously interested in ancient Chinese philosophy or in origins of Ch'an Buddhism will find this work a masterpiece of scholarship and a very interesting read. It presumes the reader is familiar with Lao Tzu's Dao De Jing, and Chunag-Tzu's Inner Chapters. The koan about Chuang-Tzu's having dreamed he was a butterfly is gone into in depth, with Allinson presenting an interesting twist on the translation, if a slight change in the order of the account of the dream is made. Allinson thinks that a person is spiritually uplifted by following his lead as he walks through the mental landscape that Chuang-Tzu has surveyed for us. It is an interesting journey through the mind of a great and revered master of ancient Chinese thought. In Buddhism, a vow is taken to destroy all "-isms", and so the wise are concerned with criticisms that Chinese philosophy is relativistic, or that everything is permitted since all is relative. Allinson goes deep into this problematic view, and shows that Chuang-Tzu is not a relativist. Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu, the Old Master and the Great Master form the Lao-Chuang Philosophy of Taoism (pronounced Dow-ism). Three metaphors for the Dao are flowing like water, receptive like females, and virgin minds, like infants. Anyone making himself out to be a relativist, or any kind of "-ist", is making himself or herself out to be an icecube, by attaching to ideas, and so is not flowing like water. Everyone has his or her own right way of living, and each is a self-legislator. Allinson thinks that there is no one rule which can tell us how to act in every situation, since every situation is different. But he believes that philosophy is a matter of life-and-death and that if we have a choice, we should choose life! Life is right in any case. And that while alive, we should be thoroughly alive. So that we die with no regrets. This is the Zen, or Ch'an, of life and death. Basically, Chuang Tzu is said to be the founder of Ch'an Buddhism. Zen Buddhism is the Japanese version. Buddhism came, originally, from India. Allinson thinks that our minds are like gardens; we get indoctrinated when we are children, in one set of beliefs, one culture, and one language, unless our parents are bi-lingual. We study ancient philosophy in order to see where some of our ideas come from, to overcome the past, and to free ourselves from it. The philosopher shows us how to empty our minds or free our minds of false beliefs which are like weeds in our mental gardens. This gives us room for good ideas to grow. Robert Allinson believes that if we free our minds so that we can develop our original ideas, that then we will be happier. He says that the mind is a wonderful servant, but a terrible master. And, that reason poisons desire and destroys happiness. Happiness is our destiny, and comes from deep within us. If we do what is in our hearts, or try to follow our feelings, intuitions, and affections, we shall be true to our selves. In this way, we shall be true to others, as Shakespeare said. Although the book is long, Allinson agrees with Alexander Pope that a little learning is a dangerous thing, drink deep, or taste not, the Pierian Spring. He presents enough theory to take the reigns from our emotions, and to find ourselves. This book should be read from front to back, and will give the reader many years of enjoyment upon re-reading it. It is a masterpiece that one can return to over and over whenever one needs food for thought. Philosophy is like food for your mind. There is plenty to feast on here! Dr. Allinson was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, before Bill Clinton. He grew up in New Haven, Connecticut where his father taught surgery at Yale Medical School. He earned his undergrad degree Summa Cum Laude at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. He spent a year studying in Kerala, India while working on his PhD in Philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin. He studied Chinese at Columbia University and has been a Graduate Lecturer in Philosophy at The Chinese University in Hong Kong since 1977, where he is now on the Graduate Committee. His many accomplishments and papers would take a long time to list. I recommend this book strongly.