On finding the slim man inside of me…

I seek the slim man inside of me and I’ve decided to walk aimlessly every day until I find him.

I see it as a sort of peripatetic Zen; a journey with no tangible destination — the ‘destination’  (a virtual node in the stream of existence) will present itself without conscious effort.

If I walk enough, without a particular purpose in mind, I’m certain to eventually happen upon the man I seek.

I think I’ll practice some Qigong as well; it can’t hurt, will possibly center my being, and will surely increase the density of synchronistic events surrounding me.

But I’m convinced it is the walking that will lead me to the man I seek: “…a man returning home by climbing over a hedge, to the surprise of his walking companion. Oh, how I love to reach home by climbing over the back fence, and to travel on bypaths!” [from the preface of Lin Yutang’s The Importance of Living(p. v – vi)].

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On Walking

“As you walk, cultivate a sense of ease. There’s no hurry to get anywhere, no destination to reach. You’re just walking. This is a good instruction: just walk. As you walk, as you let go of the desire to get somewhere, you begin to sense the joy in simply walking, in being in the present moment. You begin to comprehend the preciousness of each step. It’s an extraordinarily precious experience to walk on this earth.”

Peter Doobinin, from a Tricycle article, Step by Step

The quote above reminded me of a book I know I have, but couldn’t find (I nearly tore my bookshelves apart looking for it: I’m hoping it’s in a box in the storage room): the book is The Magic of Walking (by Aaron Sussman and Ruth Goode), which contains some excellent writings on walking by luminaries such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Vladimir Nabokov, Thomas Mann, Lin Yutang, and others.

As well as literate writings, the book delves into the psychology, science, and art of walking.

I believe the book is out of print, but if you ever see a copy I highly recommend giving it a try.

 

A Lyrical Philosophy

The Importance of Living (1937) was written by Lin Yutang (1895 – 1976); a Harvard scholar, Taoist, Teacher, revolutionary Chinese Journalist, and New York Times bestseller.

I often peruse the table of contents of The Importance of Living and sample whatever seems interesting (e.g.: The Monkey Epic, The Chinese Theory of Leisure, The Epigrams of Chang Ch’ao …): the reading experience thereby echoes the ambling philosophy espoused within the book.

Lin Yutang idealizes the scamp; the affable loafer who meanders through life; learning, living, and loving. His gift to humanity (among others) is this classic manuscript with an ineffable, antique quality.

Highly recommended

 

Philosophy

“Only those who take leisurely what the people of the world are busy about can be busy about what the people of the world take leisurely.”

Chang Ch’ao

An epigraph in Lin Yutang’s The Importance of Living. The book is a fascinating journey through a Chinese Scholar’s mind.