The Te of Piglet
Encyclopedia
Ten years after his 1982 work The Tao of Pooh
, Benjamin Hoff
was pressed to write a follow up of his Western inquiry into Taoism
. He did this by writing The Te of Piglet, published in 1992. It is still in print, with a paperback edition issued by Penguin USA in 1993.
Hoff explicitly states in the introduction that this second book is not a sequel to his first book, but rather a companion. The book is based around two topics, the concept of Te
, the Chinese word meaning 'power' or 'virtue', and Piglet
of the Winnie the Pooh books.
In his first book, he brought out the essential tenets and perspectives of Taoism, in terms accessible to Westerners
. In his second book, he elucidates the Taoist concept of 'Virtue — of the small'; though, he also uses it as an opportunity to elaborate on his introduction to Taoism. It is written with many embedded stories from the A. A. Milne
Winnie the Pooh books, both for entertainment and because they serve as tools for explaining Taoism.
In The Te of Piglet, Piglet is shown to possess great power — a common interpretation of the word Te, which more commonly means Virtue — not only because he is small, but also because he has a great heart or, to use a Taoist term, Tz'u. The book goes through the other characters — Tigger
, Owl
, Rabbit
, Eeyore
and Pooh — to show the various aspects of humanity
that Taoism says get in the way of living in harmony with the Tao
.
The Tao of Pooh
The Tao of Pooh is a book written by Benjamin Hoff. The book is intended as an introduction to the eastern belief system of Taoism for westerners. It allegorically employs the fictional characters of A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh stories to explain the basic principles of philosophical Taoism...
, Benjamin Hoff
Benjamin Hoff
Benjamin Hoff is an author based in the United States. Two of his books on Taoism, The Tao of Pooh and The Te of Piglet, were on best seller lists. Hoff grew up in Sylvan, Oregon, where he acquired a fondness of the natural world that has been highly influential in his writing.Hoff obtained a...
was pressed to write a follow up of his Western inquiry into Taoism
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
. He did this by writing The Te of Piglet, published in 1992. It is still in print, with a paperback edition issued by Penguin USA in 1993.
Hoff explicitly states in the introduction that this second book is not a sequel to his first book, but rather a companion. The book is based around two topics, the concept of Te
De (Chinese)
De is a key concept in Chinese philosophy, usually translated "inherent character; inner power; integrity" in Taoism, "moral character; virtue; morality" in Confucianism and other contexts, and "quality; virtue" or "merit; virtuous deeds" in Chinese Buddhism.-The word:Chinese de 德 is an ancient...
, the Chinese word meaning 'power' or 'virtue', and Piglet
Piglet (Winnie the Pooh)
Piglet is a fictional character from A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh books. Piglet is Winnie-the-Pooh's closest friend amongst all the toys/animals featured in the stories...
of the Winnie the Pooh books.
In his first book, he brought out the essential tenets and perspectives of Taoism, in terms accessible to Westerners
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
. In his second book, he elucidates the Taoist concept of 'Virtue — of the small'; though, he also uses it as an opportunity to elaborate on his introduction to Taoism. It is written with many embedded stories from the A. A. Milne
A. A. Milne
Alan Alexander Milne was an English author, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and for various children's poems. Milne was a noted writer, primarily as a playwright, before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work.-Biography:A. A...
Winnie the Pooh books, both for entertainment and because they serve as tools for explaining Taoism.
In The Te of Piglet, Piglet is shown to possess great power — a common interpretation of the word Te, which more commonly means Virtue — not only because he is small, but also because he has a great heart or, to use a Taoist term, Tz'u. The book goes through the other characters — Tigger
Tigger
Tigger is a fictional tiger-like character originally introduced in A. A. Milne's book The House at Pooh Corner. Like other Pooh characters, Tigger is based on one of Christopher Robin Milne's stuffed animals...
, Owl
Owl (Winnie the Pooh)
Owl is a fictional character in A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh books and in Disney's Winnie the Pooh cartoons. Owl's character is based on the archetype of the "wise old owl", although in the books, the quality of Owl's "wisdom" is sometimes questionable....
, Rabbit
Rabbit (Winnie the Pooh)
In the fictional world of the book series and cartoons Winnie-the-Pooh, Rabbit is a responsible rabbit who happens to be a good friend of Winnie-the-Pooh. He is always practical and keeps his friends on their toes, although they sometimes raise his ire unintentionally.-Role in the books:The first...
, Eeyore
Eeyore
Eeyore is a character in the Winnie-the-Pooh books by A. A. Milne. He is generally characterized as a pessimistic, gloomy, depressed, anhedonic, old grey stuffed donkey who is a friend of the title character, Winnie-the-Pooh....
and Pooh — to show the various aspects of humanity
Human nature
Human nature refers to the distinguishing characteristics, including ways of thinking, feeling and acting, that humans tend to have naturally....
that Taoism says get in the way of living in harmony with the Tao
Tao
Dao or Tao is a Chinese word meaning 'way', 'path', 'route', or sometimes more loosely, 'doctrine' or 'principle'...
.