He's best known as the author
of the Tao Te Ching.
He was also the founder of philosophical Taoism as well as being revered as a deity in religous Taoism and traditional Chinese religions.
Finding these words of his, written nearly three thousand years ago made me realise nothing much has changed. That the stories of the past are the stories of the future.
Better to keep your country small
Your people few
Your devices simple
And even those for infrequent use.
Let people measure life
By the meaning of death
And not go out of their way
To visit far off places
With nowhere to travel
And little care for the display of great ships
And shining weapon become
Mere relics of the past.
Let people recover
The simple life
Reckoning by knotted cords
Delighting in a basic meal
Pleased with humble attire
Happy in their homes
Taking pleasure in their rustic ways.
So content are they
That nearby towns
So close, the sound of dogs and roosters
Forms one chorus.
Folks grown grey with age
May pass away never having strayed
Beyond their village.
Lao Tzu.
It's wonderful how Lao Tzu and the Tao Te Ching have remerged in this crazy age of ours and, yes, the stories of the past are the stories of the future because the message of simplicity and the need to ground ourselves in attending to the basic reality of life is so urgent now. I think John and Yoko found that truth in the midst of their sophisticated lives
ReplyDeleteHis most important (and often overlooked) teachings concerned how often you should bathe and what to smoke in your pipe!
ReplyDeleteMr Swami. My heart is filled with delight that you are familiar with the teachings of the great philosopher...
DeleteAn interesting post with some nice quotes. I like philosophy!
ReplyDeleteThank you. Love love, Andrew. Bye.
One of the greatest Poet Seers of our time and beyond...
ReplyDelete“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”
- Lao Tzu
I have had to adopt this philosophy many times for events in my own life....it has proved to be a great strength.
Such refreshing wisdom after that unwashed loon. Lao Tzu strikes me as one of the greatest philosophers, if not the greatest. Even so, I don't agree with the sentiment that one should not aspire to travel. BTW, has anyone else noticed that the date attributed to that quote doesn't match the timeframe of the master's lifespan? Looks about a century early.
ReplyDeleteOur society is of course doing the diametric opposite of what he advises, which is why it's headed for history's waste bin.
Thanks Kevin,
DeleteI had meant to fix that date anomaly.
I will now...