Straw dog
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Straw dogs were used as ceremonial objects in ancient China. Chapter 5 of the Tao Te Ching begins with the lines "Heaven and Earth are heartless / treating creatures like straw dogs". Su Ch'e comments "Heaven and Earth were not partial. They do not kill living things out of cruelty or give them birth out of kindness. We do the same when we make straw dogs to use in sacrifices. We dress them up and put them on the altar, but not because we love them. And when the ceremony is over, we throw them into the street, but not because we hate them."[1]
[edit] Popular Culture
The movie Straw Dogs draws its title from the Tao Te Ching.
The band Something Corporate has a song titled "Straw Dog" on the album Leaving Through the Window.
[edit] References
- ^ Pine, Red (1996). Lao-tzu's Taoteching. San Francisco: Mercury House. ISBN 1562790854.
