He describes how Tao is the Way, which can be understood but not defined, and illustrates key elements of Tao such as P'u, the uncarved block, and Wu wei, going with the flow. In case you should think that this book is altogether too simplistic, I should add that Hoff touches on the writings of Lao-Tzu (author of the Tao Te Ching), Chuang-tse, the poet Li Po, and other Taoist philosophers, giving his own interpretations of the passages. Hoff shows how Pooh best explains the Uncarved Block. The principle of the Uncarved Block is that things that are simple contain their own natural power, power that can be spoiled and lost when overcomplicated. Using the characters he shows how our lives can be sabotaged by errors in thinking and how it can be
Following The Way: Perspectives From a Gentleman and a Sage After I read Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching and Confucius’s “The Analects, an observation about the two authors came to mind. Each author follows what they identify as “The Way” and each has similar values, however there exists a significant difference between not only their approaches to living, but also their understanding of The Way. I was at first inclined to compare and emphasize the similarities of both authors since they seemed to have similar ends to their philosophies. Under further examination however, I found that even though these two authors have comparable aims, they are not shooting in the same direction. The differences between the two authors are significant because they illustrate equally valid philosophies of living a decent life, without necessarily negating one
Although the text was supposedly written in the 500s BC, some of the core themes of the Tao te Ching still resonate with today’s readers. One of the major themes of the Tao te Ching is actually one of the words in the title: Tao. There are many different translations for the word “Tao,” but the most relevant translations are “the Way” or “the Heavenly Way” (Stenudd). Lao Tzu uses Tao to answer one of the four major questions of humanism: Where did I come from? Lao Tzu often refers to the Heavenly Way as something nameless because he believes in a concept called “the uncarved block” (Laozi).
They are known to share the ideal of discipline, and introduce several ideas and themes to confront the universe through encompassing way. Therefore, the Tao, wu-wei, and wise person, will be clarified in the following paragraphs.
Tzu Lao. "From the Tao Te Ching. "Reading The World: Ideas That Matter, edited by Michael Austin, Third edition, Norton, 2015, pp 384-394. In From the Tao Te Ching, It talks about how humans can’t decide how life goes but we can try to work with it.
Sometimes if we interfere with issues before we give them a chance to work themselves out, then we can make the issues worse. However, if we do act, we need to do so cautiously. Taoism also teaches that the idea of society is one that accepts the fate of the world. Laozi says, “Whatever happens, happens. Simplicity, patience, compassion.
Born in a transitional period in China’s history, the work of Lao Tzu, called the Tao Te Ching, was a radical work of unconventional wisdom for leaders and working class alike. He envisioned a set of truths advocating a natural way of behavior based on instinct. The philosophical musings are intentionally contradictory, using memorable phrases and hypocritical rhetoric to encourage reflection of ideals. These 81 proverbs have inspired numerous works of both Eastern and Western origin, sparking scholarly debate since its inception. The difference in the Western and Eastern interpretations comes into conflict occasionally because of Western views of honor being a singular code of conduct contrasted with Eastern beliefs of attaining a goal
Confucianism and Taoism are considered the two sizes to the Chinese philosophical coin. (Novak) Lao Tzu believed that avoiding confrontation and going with the flow is the key to the perfect society. For example, this exert from the text. "Life is a series of natural changes. Do not resist.
The teachings of Taoism come from two important books, the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu and the Chuang-tzu that shares its name with the author. The Tao Te Ching is the key book of Taoism and is a collection of life advice, poet descriptions and the nature of the universe. It is considered the essential guide to living a spiritual and ethical life. The Chuang-tzu is also important, and it is also a collection of wisdom and some writings of key Taoist ideals (BBC). This reminds me somewhat on Buddhism since the religion is also based around wisdom on life.
The Doaist’s Dao De Jing and the Confucius’ Analects of Confucius contain almost identical intents. They both touch on discovering the ultimate good in life as well as how to acquire that good. To begin, Lao-Tzu teaches to approach life by striving for self-contentment, whereas Confucius views that in order to possess goodness one must train in knowledge, justice and obedience. Another aspect that Confucius also taught to reach goodness, one must become an teacher, either towards themselves or for others. An area where both of these views differ is how the government’s role acts for a person’s journey of obtaining “jin” or goodness.
Zhong and Shu in Tension: Lessons from Confucius’s Pupil Zigong Confucian philosophy is centered on the idea of cultivating ren, or human-heartedness, throughout all citizens as the best way to ensure societal harmony. This concept of ren is further described as a balance of zhong, or dutifulness, and shu, or sympathetic understanding, but many question whether or not these aspects of ren can exist without tension. This paper presents brief summaries of ren and its relationship to zhong and shu, followed by an argument that zhong and shu are indeed in tension for the sake of cultivating ren as evidenced by Confucius’s pupil Zigong.
The composition of Tao Te Ching is itself an example of dualism, as the book is divided into two sections, “Tao” meaning the way, and “Te”, meaning virtue, hence the name Tao Te Ching. The Tao section is focused on one’s spirit and its harmony with the Tao, while the latter section is focused on tangible virtues applicable to the actions of people, such as rulers or soldiers. In chapter 2 of Tao Te Ching, Laozi emphasizes the importance of dualism in the human mind, stating in line 2, “All can know good as good only because there is evil,”meaning that one cannot understand something without comparing to its opposite. These lines are then followed by the paradoxical statement, “Therefore the wise goes about doing nothing, teaching no-talking.” Although the idea of one doing and teaching nothing can seem nonsensical, the statement actually emphasizes the importance of dualism.
The core concept behind this philosophy is supposed to be promoting peaceful living and letting nature flow naturally without our interference, but what it's actually teaching people is that they don't have to work hard for anything in their life. If they sit around on their couch eating potato chips and behaving peacefully when a crisis has occurred, hypothetically if their daughter had been kidnapped , the natural flow of life will hand them their daughter back. As a CEO, for example, you often lead discussions. Following Wu-Wei, you would explain the expected outcome from the discussion, let it
On the other hand, it leaves a kind of profound thinking about the typical ordinary Chinese ideology and how great is the impact of such a decision on people’s
In life, we all live for different reasons, but not many of us will live according to wisdom. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.” In “Tao Te Ching” by Lao Tzu, Tzu teaches us to incorporate wisdom into our lives. Lao Tzu’s wisdom can help us to cope with the obstacles of today’s society.
