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"To be done with doing", from Ursula K. LeGuin's Earthsea novels, always struck me as such a powerful phrase. An entire state of mind boiled down to 5 words. Bu

"To be done with doing", from Ursula K. LeGuin's Earthsea novels, always struck me as such a powerful phrase. An entire state of mind boiled down to 5 words. But then again I remember her saying eastern philosophy greatly influenced her writing, if I'm not mistaken

jdw64 4mo ago
The 'Le Guin' series actually had similar kinds of stories in Asia before. There's a strong Taoist influence, you see—more specifically, Chinese-style Taoism rather than a Buddhist perspective. From the viewpoint of '不立文字 (Bù lì wén zì): truth is not confined to language; language is merely the finger pointing at the truth' — this is closer to Taoism than to Zen. In fact, the Chinese worldview runs deep throughout her worldbuilding. Le Guin's take on 'magic' reflects a profound understanding of Eastern philosophy. The reason Ged doesn't use magic lightly is precisely a matter of balance, and (without giving away spoilers) the final confrontation between Ged and the Shadow is essentially about embracing one's own dark side — which shows a deep grasp of Taoist thought. Personally, I also love the Earthsea series. The philosophy underlying that world is exactly the kind that resonates especially well with East Asian readers
- isoprophlex 4mo ago
  Ha, wow, thanks for the refinement. Indeed use of language (especially at the end with the dragons) is a very important theme. And I agree, it's more than excellent. The judicious magic, the way she manages to naturally - without it becoming a sermon - describe acts of kindness as the biggest miracles, is great. Highly recommended.
- antonvs 4mo ago
  > The philosophy underlying that world is exactly the kind that resonates especially well with East Asian readers Ah, I guess that helps explain why Studio Ghibli did an Earthsea movie.
andai 4mo ago
To be done with doing, would appear to require passive income?
- jack_pp 4mo ago
  No need for an income at all if you are going to be a monk. This is the problem with modern spirituality, we take teachings meant for ascetics and try to apply it without a teacher to our, very far from acetic life. Mediation s goal isn't to help you be more productive. Prayer isn't for getting a better car or in lieu of life insurance.
  - CamperBob2 4mo ago
    There are some useful lessons to be drawn, though. One of them being that even the monks will kick you out if you just slack off all day.
- bwfan123 4mo ago
  > To be done with doing, would appear to require passive income? who is asking this question ?
  - andai 4mo ago
    It's always better on holiday So much better on holiday! That's why we only work when We need the money! --Franz Ferdinand
- antonvs 4mo ago
  It depends how long one plans to be done with doing. People attend retreats, for example.
Der_Einzige 4mo ago
Man it sucks that she gets the unique distinction of being the only IP that Miyazaki's son totally RUINED. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_from_Earthsea_(film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_from_Earthsea_(film) Easily the worst film ever made to have Miyazaki's name on it. Even Ursula LeGuin couldn't hide her disappointment with it.

jdw64 4mo ago

The 'Le Guin' series actually had similar kinds of stories in Asia before. There's a strong Taoist influence, you see—more specifically, Chinese-style Taoism rather than a Buddhist perspective. From the viewpoint of '不立文字 (Bù lì wén zì): truth is not confined to language; language is merely the finger pointing at the truth' — this is closer to Taoism than to Zen. In fact, the Chinese worldview runs deep throughout her worldbuilding. Le Guin's take on 'magic' reflects a profound understanding of Eastern philosophy. The reason Ged doesn't use magic lightly is precisely a matter of balance, and (without giving away spoilers) the final confrontation between Ged and the Shadow is essentially about embracing one's own dark side — which shows a deep grasp of Taoist thought. Personally, I also love the Earthsea series. The philosophy underlying that world is exactly the kind that resonates especially well with East Asian readers

isoprophlex 4mo ago
Ha, wow, thanks for the refinement. Indeed use of language (especially at the end with the dragons) is a very important theme. And I agree, it's more than excellent. The judicious magic, the way she manages to naturally - without it becoming a sermon - describe acts of kindness as the biggest miracles, is great. Highly recommended.
antonvs 4mo ago
> The philosophy underlying that world is exactly the kind that resonates especially well with East Asian readers Ah, I guess that helps explain why Studio Ghibli did an Earthsea movie.

andai 4mo ago

To be done with doing, would appear to require passive income?

jack_pp 4mo ago
No need for an income at all if you are going to be a monk. This is the problem with modern spirituality, we take teachings meant for ascetics and try to apply it without a teacher to our, very far from acetic life. Mediation s goal isn't to help you be more productive. Prayer isn't for getting a better car or in lieu of life insurance.
- CamperBob2 4mo ago
  There are some useful lessons to be drawn, though. One of them being that even the monks will kick you out if you just slack off all day.
bwfan123 4mo ago
> To be done with doing, would appear to require passive income? who is asking this question ?
- andai 4mo ago
  It's always better on holiday So much better on holiday! That's why we only work when We need the money! --Franz Ferdinand
antonvs 4mo ago
It depends how long one plans to be done with doing. People attend retreats, for example.

Der_Einzige 4mo ago

Man it sucks that she gets the unique distinction of being the only IP that Miyazaki's son totally RUINED. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_from_Earthsea_(film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_from_Earthsea_(film) Easily the worst film ever made to have Miyazaki's name on it. Even Ursula LeGuin couldn't hide her disappointment with it.