Neuroscientists often describe our brains as categorization or prediction machines. Bart de Langhe and Philip Fernbach write in an article titled The Dangers of Categorical Thinking that categorization comes so naturally to us that we often see categories where none exist. That warps our view of the world and harms our ability to make sound decisions.
What are words exactly?
“Once we slap a label on something,” observed the theologian Anthony de Mello, “our understanding stops.” In his book Awareness, de Mello asked, How can you understand something you disapprove of or approve of, for that matter? We must observe without the desire to change what is.
In the classic Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, Shunryu Suzuki explained the problem of labels and the concept of emptiness. Suzuki wrote,
“We ‘empty’ ideas of big or small, good or bad from our experience, because the measurement that we use is usually based on the self. When we say good or bad, the scale is yourself. Each person has a scale that is different… How we empty that part is to practice zazen and become more accustomed to accepting things as it is without any idea of big or small, good or bad.”
Similarly, the writer Alan Watts stressed that we have forgotten that thoughts and words are conventions and that it is fatal to take conventions too seriously. In his book, The Wisdom of Insecurity, Watts put it this way,
“To look at life without words is not to lose the ability to form words — to think, remember, and plan. To be silent is not to lose your tongue. On the contrary, only through silence can one discover something new to talk about.”
Contemplate this passage from the Tao Te Ching (traditionally attributed to the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu):
“When people see things as beautiful, ugliness is created. When people see things as good, evil is created.
Being and non-being produce each other. Difficult and easy complement each other. Long and short define each other. High and low oppose each other. Fore and aft follow each other.”
Seeing the world beyond words brings us closer to perceiving reality and taking in life's wonder. Suzuki explained that emptying water from a cup does not mean drinking it. “To empty” means to have a direct, pure experience without relying on the form or color of being. So our experience is “empty” of our preconceived ideas, our idea of being, and our idea of big or small.
There’s a famous quote from Lao Tzu that says, “To attain knowledge add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.” One thing we can remove (or at least loosen our grip on) is the attachment to words.
You cannot understand life and its mysteries as long as you try to grasp it, just as you cannot walk off with a river in a bucket. “If you try to capture running water in a bucket,” suggested Watts, “it is clear that you do not understand it and will always be disappointed, for the water does not run in the bucket.”
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Thank you for reading; I hope you found something useful.
Until next time, be wise and be well,
P.S. Feel free to comment or ask questions.
Excellent quotes, thank you