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Toren Jensen
Mr. Matich
Honors English 1A
4/24/12
The Tao of Pooh
Thousands of years ago, a Chinese Philosopher named Lao Tzu created Taoism, a
philosophical belief that supports life completely comprised of simplicity. Along with
Taoism, he also created a book containing his teachings. This book is known as the Tao
Te Ching, which has been translated into English many different times. The concept of
Taoism can sometimes be hard to understand, but the Tao of Pooh, a novel written by
Benjamin Hoff, describes it in a much easier way. He explains the concept of Taoism
using characters from the popular book and television series Winnie the Pooh. There are
many factors to the idea of Taoism which he outlines very well in the book; yet, out of all
the factors explained, Taoism is best understood through the principles of P’u, Wu Wei,
and Cottleston Pie.
The idea of P’u, or the “Uncarved Block,” is a fairly simple concept to
understand. To help describe this principle, Hoff explains that “The essence of the
principle of the Uncarved Block is that things in their original simplicity contain their
own natural power, power that is easily spoiled and lost when that simplicity is changed”
(Hoff 10). The world is designed to function a certain way. Trying to interfere with the
natural workings of the universe will ruin its simplicity, and can potentially result in
disaster. People who have allowed their personalities to become carved to match those
around them cannot enjoy the simplicity of life as well as those who have remained
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uncarved from society’s trends. In the book, Hoff describes P’u, or the uncarved block,
by using the character Pooh Bear. Pooh Bear is not highly intelligent, yet always manages
to accomplish the tasks that he has with simplicity and enjoyment. This is what truly
makes him the hero of the Winnie the Pooh series.
One of the most important concepts of Taoism is called Wu Wei. In fact, Hoff
describes it as “what could be called the most characteristic element of Taoism-in-action”
(Hoff 67). Wu Wei has not yet been directly translated to the English language; however,
there are definitions that have been made. Wu Wei essentially means “without doing,
causing, or making” (68). Another good way to think of it is to “go with the flow.” Don’t
stress through life, it’s a waste of time. Go through life effortlessly, despite the bad things
that may happen to you. This is the secret to living a happy life, and is one of the key
principles of Taoism.
The last principle is the Cottleston Pie Principle. It received its odd name from a
song called Cottleston Pie that Pooh sang in Winnie the Pooh. The song goes like this:
Cottleston, Cottleston, Cottleston Pie,
A fly can’t bird, but a bird can fly.
Ask me a riddle and I reply:
“Cottleston, Cottleston, Cottleston Pie.”
Cottleston, Cottleston, Cottleston Pie,
A fish can’t whistle and neither can I.
Ask me a riddle and I reply:
“Cottleston, Cottleston, Cottleston Pie.”
Cottleston, Cottleston, Cottleston Pie,
Why does a chicken, I don’t know why.
Ask me a riddle and I reply:
“Cottleston, Cottleston, Cottleston Pie.” (Hoff, 39)
There are three sections to the Cottleston Pie Principle, one for each verse. The
first part comes from the first verse: “A fly can’t bird, but a bird can fly.” This basically
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means that we should know our own limits. We shouldn’t try to accomplish things that
we know we can’t do. The second part of the principle comes from the second verse: “A
fish can’t whistle and neither can I.” We shouldn’t try to do things just to be better than
other people. There are some things that are just impossible, and we don’t need to prove
anyone wrong. The third part comes from the third verse: “Why does a chicken, I don’t
know why.” This means that we shouldn’t judge others for what they want to do.
Everyone is different. It also means that we shouldn’t try to explain things that we don’t
understand. If you replace the words ‘Cottleston Pie’ in the last line of each verse with
the words ‘Inner Nature’, the whole thing makes sense. We don’t need to describe things
that we don’t understand. Sometimes they just happen because they’re supposed to.
Taoism itself is a very interesting thing to study, and a great way to live your life.
There are many pieces that form the concept of Taoism, but the most important parts are
the principles of P’u, Wu Wei, and Cottleston Pie. These concepts form the core for the
entire belief of Taoism, and make it easier to understand.
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Works Cited
Hoff, Benjamin. the Tao of Pooh. New York, New York: Penguin Books, 1983. 10, 39,
67, 68. Print.