Friday, July 30, 2010

Derivations on a Theme - Naming Names



The nameless is the beginning of heaven and Earth.
The named is the mother of the ten thousand things.
Ever desireless, one can see the mystery.
Ever desiring, one sees the manifestations.





  1. Naming has no spiritual significance, but may have social value, like if you were compiling an herbalist's manual...or giving directions..."you can find the St. John's Wort (see figure 1) in the field behind the tall cedar". Without names we couldn't really communicate.

  2. i once had a coworker who had previously been an avid scuba diver. like many scuba divers, he dreamed of turning his avocation into a vocation. in fact, me did so. he captured and sold exotic fish to aquariums and gift shops. I asked why he had ever given up that "dream job." He said that one day while diving, he realized that the great beauty that had inspired him to scuba dive had been replaced with seeing dollar signs instead of beautiful fish. "oh, there goes $10. wow, there's $20 over there, i hope i can catch it."


  3. The name is useful at a certain level. I'm trying to learn the plants here where I am, because it's a beginning way to getting to know the forest community, to know just who all those lives are.

    On a practical level, as Baroness Radon said, they are useful. But for me the main point is to learn the plant, not the name; the name is just shorthand. But to know what's edible and what can kill you, what can be used for making cordage or baskets, what is good firewood and what isn't... that's what I'm after. The more you know, the more you can stand amazed at it. Finding out it's name is the doorway to that.

    But I quite understand what you're saying. Actually, I think we basically agree.

