Benjamin Hoff •
The Tao of Pooh •

Back in 1982, an Oregon gardener named Benjamin Hoff had the temerity to view the work of Chinese philosopher Lao-tse through the ursine eyes of Winnie-the-Pooh. The resulting book was so disarmingly understated that it became a sleeper hit, scaling the giddy heights of the prestigious New York Times best-seller list (followed in 1992 by The Te of Piglet).

Despite its tongue-in-snout approach, the book succeeds in presenting a lucid, graspable introduction to Taoist principles, as illustrated by the denizens of the Hundred Acre Wood. “The basic Taoism that we are concerned with here is simply a particular way of appreciating, learning from, and working with whatever happens in everyday life.” Its openness and acceptance offered a marked contrast to the more rigid precepts of Confucianism, which had governed much of Chinese thought up until that time. Taoism is all about the inherent wisdom of simplicity, here embodied by a certain Bear of Very Little Brain.

In the course of the book we meet up with luminaries such as the famous Chinese painter Pooh Tao-tse and the Taoist poet Li Pooh, as well as concepts like the How of Pooh, the Now of Pooh, and the Ow! of Pooh (when the author pokes an inquisitive paw with a pencil). And surely it can’t be mere coincidence that the Chinese term for an uncarved block of wood—the Taoist ideal—is P’u.

Pooh-pooh it all you like, but bear in mind that one of the 20th century’s best known philosophers sucked a thumb and carried a blanket.

Somewhere Lao-tse is clapping one hand.