Taoism explains the concepts of “夷=I, 奇=Ki, and 微=Bi”, which mean human’s subtle energy to feel, hear, and see. These concepts value human’s ability to see the unseen, to hear the unheard, and to feel the subtle changes, which all of us are supposed to have.
Japanese people inherit “the state of mind” of ancestors even now. Those are expressed in many aspects of our traditional life. For example, we feel the existence of gods by hanging sacred straw ropes around woods, rocks, and rivers. The rope isolates the area from the environment, and creates the atmosphere which feels like something sacred does exists, though it may not be seen.
At local festivals, people carry Mikoshi, a miniature shrine, while calling out “Wassoi wassioi”. By doing so, they feel the existence of gods. The activity itself is important for making someone more human.
The objects which can be seen are supported by the unseen. Realizing this fact makes people to be humble and see the truth. You can see the current of the river, but flows by the bank or at the bottom cannot be seen. In fact, however, the banks or the bottom support the greater flow of the river. That I mean is the truth.
