Lao-tzu's aphorism eight in Tao Te Ching is a simplicity to truth and freedom within a person's life. I agree with Lao-tzu’s writings and hope to adhere to them in my life. To procure a serenity within myself sounds like hard work, but the peace of mind of releasing all that weight off my shoulders could be such a reprieve. I hope, just after reading some of Lao-tzu’s poetry, I am more knowledgeable about the attainment of such a life. And I also hope others will become more aware of his ideas with acceptance and an open mind. I've had experiences with comparing myself to others as long as I can remember. As a woman, I constantly struggle with questions like, “Am I as pretty as her?” or “Why am I so stupid?” and no one's reassurance has have
In Benjamin Hoff’s the Tao of Pooh, he carefully explains through the story of Winnie the Pooh what it means to be a Taoist. The theme of the one’s own happiness appears multiple times throughout the book. Illustrated through Winnie the Pooh and his friends, but explained by Hoff, comes the Taoist idea that happiness can be reached by any person. The idea sounds simple and appealing, but Taoism claims that whether or not a person reaches happiness rests in one’s own power. Consequently, since one has power to reach happiness and bliss, one’s Self creates obstacles that can prevent the Self from accomplishing the goal of happiness such as knowledge and limitations.
‘The way’ is cluttered with constant imagery of contradictory views which are both compelling and insightful, through which we are taken on a journey, our final destination being the true meaning of life. In a world where we are all yearning for the meaning for life, true harmony and real balance it is no surprise that the Tao Te Ching is a very haunting piece of literature that holds the reader in an almost trans like state of mind as it attempts to portray the way to accomplish the above.
“Wisdom, Happiness, and Courage are not waiting somewhere out beyond sight at the end of a straight line; they are part of a continuous cycle that begins right here. They are not only the ending but the beginning as well” (Hoff 137). In Tao of Pooh, Benjamin Hoff explains the fundamentals of Taoism through the cute characters of Winnie the Pooh. Each character’s action helps explains how Taoism works and affects our everyday lives.
This is important, for humans are urged by Taoist thought to place themselves below all else, especially the world, but also other people. The wise person will put another person's needs before their own.
Lao Tzu believed that Tao is a natural thing. He believes that you come by it or you realize its presents and experience it. The best way for me to explain how Lao Tzu perceives the Tao is to take it directly from our reading in Molloy, “The Doa cannot be named because it has no form. But the Dao can be experienced and followed by every individual thing that has a name (213).” Lao Tzu used Tao as a way of being and living in harmony with nature. Lao Tzu believed that Tao came to you by using his teaching of Wu Wei, Simplicity, Gentleness and Relativity (217-218).
Tao-te Ching (in English pronounced “dow deh jing”) is believed to be written by Lao-tzu (6th century B.C). However, it is not for certain that he wrote the book. Lao-tzu is translated as “Old Master”. He was born in the state of Ch’u in China. It’s been said that he worked in the court of the Chou dynasty. The day that he was leaving the court to start his own life, the keeper of the gate urged him to write his thoughts as a book. Lao-tzu’s work mostly illustrates Taoism –a religion founded by Chang Tao-ling A.D. 150. His main purpose in this piece is practicing peace, simplicity, naturalness, and humility. Lao-tzu believes that people are overloaded with temporal objects in this world. He recommends his readers to let go of everything and always keep the balance in anything. In my opinion, Lao-tzu would more likely dislike our government and the way that people live nowadays. The reason is because majority of the people are attached to secular things. To paraphrase the famous, people have materialistic characteristics in today’s world which is completely against Lao-tzu’s view.
Kaltenmark, Max. Lao Tzu and Taoism. Translated by Roger Greaves. Stanford: Stanford University Press. 1969.
The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism capture the ethos of the spirituality and its teachings. By just these four lessons, Buddha preaches the principles of tranquility within meditation, not mere concentration. From these truths he developed a guidance referred to as the Eightfold Path, a series of principles that lead to awakening when practiced and understood. He preaches that inevitable suffering comes from desire, however he concludes with a solution to a life lived in nirvana. The first two of the Four Noble Truths are Dukha and Avidya, focusing on the primitive presence of suffering within day to day life.
I am a humble person and do not like when others are look down upon. Is everyone equal? No, but all shou...
‘’The physician’s high and only mission is to restore the sick to health, to cure, as it is termed’’
He set these rules to help create a peaceful atmosphere for the Buddhist community and to avoid corruption in the Buddhist community. All monks and/or nuns must not only follow these rules, but also many other rules and principles. The Eightfold Path labels all of the rights of monks and helps guide them to peace within themselves. The Eightfold Path guides monks and nuns towards Nirvana through eight simple principles. The first principle, the Right of Understanding, explains the significance of understanding situations the way they occur instead of understanding things from one’s personal experiences.
If you have an inferiority complex then take out your pen and paper and start writing what do you feel inferior to attractive people? Successful or smarter people? People who are making more money than
The images in the media are not going to go away or change, but the way we look at them can. Pointing out the positives in yourself is a great start to having a more positive self-image, and will help you to stop comparing yourself to others. Talking to someone about what is going on is also a big step in the right direction. We are never going to be perfect, but that’s what makes the differences in each of us that much better.
Lao-Tze founded Taoism around 550 BC. The goal in Taoism is achieve Inner harmony, pea...
A reflection of the self is an important tool to use to figure out whether or not your self-concept provides you with a positive self-esteem. First ask yourself, ‘who am I?’ and once you figure that out, determine if your perception of yourself is a positive one. If it’s not positive, you might want to consider making a change very quickly in order to live a fulfilling life. An even more important tool is to compare your own self-concept to the perception others have of you. I interviewed four people and asked them three questions. Those questions were as follows. “How do you perceive me physically? How do you perceive me socially? How do you perceive me psychologically?” Their overall physical perception of me is, I am beautiful,