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Dr. Yi Wu practices what he preaches,
or rather, teaches. His approach to his
teaching, and his life, is very much in
alignment with the principles of the Chinese
philosophies he teaches. As head of the
philosophy department at Taiwan University,
Yi Wu had the opportunity to continue teaching
there, and likely become well known in a
country where scholars are accorded a high
status.
Instead, he decided to take on the challenge
of an unknown country and language, and
an uncertain professional life to come to
the U.S. so that he could be exposed to
new ideas. The kinds of questions students
ask require him to look more deeply at teachings
he has studied and practiced for decades.
For example, he said, "In my classes in
China, no one ever asked about the meaning
of the term 'nature' in the study of Lao
Tsu’s work; here, they want to know, exactly
what does 'nature' mean?" The different
cultural context challenges him to examine
ideas and terms that have become second
nature to him from a different perspective,
and he likes that challenge.
Dr. Wu, who came to the Institute in 1980,
has a quick sense of humor: his eyes suddenly
twinkle, and he breaks into contagious laughter
- a true sign that he has integrated the
principle of taking oneself lightly. The
comments of one of his students, Sheri Ritchlin,
are typical of the high praise one hears
when the conversation turns to Yi Wu. She
says, "I think everyone who knows Dr. Wu
loves and respects him. Not only does he
have an astounding knowledge of philosophy,
but also he is a man of true wisdom, sincerity,
and integrity. Several years ago I heard
that he was declared a 'national treasure'
as a distinguished scholar of ancient culture
and a sage."
For many years, a group that included his
students at CIIS met weekly at the home
of Dr. Wu's family (he has five children).
They called the gathering "The Mind of Concerned
Tea," and they discussed aspects of Chinese
thought and culture over traditional meals
prepared by Dr. Wu and his wife. Yi Wu has
written more than seventeen books (in Chinese
and English) and is very well known in China
for his writings on classical Chinese philosophy.
His work includes commentaries on Lao Tzu
and Chuang Tzu, a book on Zen koans, and
a new approach to the I Ching as both a
philosophy and an oracle.
Yi Wu earned an M.A. (1964) and a national
Ph.D. (1970) from the University of Chinese
Culture, Taipei. Dr. Wu was the chairman
of the Department of Philosophy at the University
of Chinese Culture for seven years. In English,
he has published Chinese Philosophical Terms
(1986), The Translation of the Book of Lao
Tzu (1989), The Mind of Chinese Ch'an (Zen)
(1989), and Concerned Mind Tea (The Mind
of Chinese Philosophy) (1992). One of his
books, The Story of Chinese Philosophy,
is also translated in Korean.
Asian
and Comparative Studies Program
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