THE INNER AND OUTER NATURE IN DAOISM

Abstract

This article elaborates on the philosophical dimensions of the inner field: the sphere of purification, meditation, cultivation, and freedom as they were practised in Daoism.1 The introspective methods of the Daoist nei guan are discussed as the initial step on the path of realization of ‘Voidness’. The ontological dimension of the cessation of all thoughts is taken into consideration. The method of tzuo wang (sitting and forgetting) introduces the problem of mind/body and its relation to the soteric practices of Daoism. Various meditative techniques and the methods of achieving unification with the Dao, the field of inner nature and freedom, must be critically examined with regard to the concept of nature as such. The paper does not aim at giving some solid arguments but follows one of the ways in which the debate on nature has been cultivated in a nonEuropean, namely, the Daoist tradition. Rather, it is a meditation and a self-critical analysis of the state in which we are in developing the tools appropriate for solid dialogues between different cultures, historical and political backgrounds. It takes the Daoist way as a focus on self-reflection about the possibilities of strategies of achieving inner nature and selfawareness in the global context.