Skip to main content

Lessons from the Book of Chuang Tzu - Part 11

Those who comprehend are spontaneous, seeming not to know but being centred in stillness.

Sages are quiescent, not because of any value in quiescence, they simply are still. Not even the multitude of beings can disturb them, so they are calm.

Empty, still, calm, plain, quiet, silent, non-active, this is the centredness of Heaven and Earth and of the Tao and of Virtue.

Through actionless-action they are very happy. Being very happy they are not afflicted by cares or worries, so their years of life are prolonged.

Actionless action brings honour. The beauty radiated, since it arises from simplicity, outshines the rest of the world.

Be in harmony with all people.

He is generous to multitudes of generations but does not think this benevolent.

He is older than the oldest but does not think himself old.

His heart is one with all living things

Through action rulers cannot even begin to fulfil what the world requires

The ancient wise had no designs; even though they understood the whole of life they did not speak of it; though their skills were great they did nothing. This is Great Peace and perfect government.

[The fate of politicians and the power-hungry] So all I've really been doing is getting worked up and bothered!

If you want people to remain simple shouldn't you look to the ways of Heaven and Earth?

I have freed myself from knowledge, from the spritiual and from being a sage.

You examine everything in too much detail.

His discernment unearths all falsehood.

He gets to the heart of issues and knows how to protect the foundation of truth.

He ignores all life.

The perfect person has set their heart on what is right.

Meaning is constantly seeking to express what cannot be said in words.

We value words and put them into books but what we value is mistaken, because what we value is not really that valuable.

The knowledgeable do not speak, and those who speak are not knowledgeable.


 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lessons from The Book of Chuang Tzu - Part 5

The wise person does not hold onto life, nor do they fear death. They arrive without expectation and leave without resistance. They came calmly, went calmly, and that was that. They are not interested in what becomes of them. Their kindness enriches generations yet they have no great love for people. They do what they want. They are not judgemental. Cheerfully smiling, they are content. When calm, they appear to be one with the world. Their inner nature seems unknowable. They get on well with society. They follow the natural course of events. Death and birth are fixed. They are beyond the control of humanity. This is just how things are. People praise and criticise leaders and thinkers but it would be so much better if they just follow the Tao. To have a human form is a joyful thing but in a universe full of possible forms there are others just as good. The sage rests contented with all things. They take pleasure in early death, old age, in the origin and in the end, and sees them all ...
Post a Comment
Read more

On The Bible Part 1

Introduction So the chances are high that this won't last; a commentary of The Bible as I read it page by page. My ideas usually fizzle out pretty damn quickly, but I'm hoping The bible is sufficiently important to sustain my attention and stimulate my intellect and emotiojnal intelligence and mindfulness to keep me commenting on it until I've done the whole lot... and educated myself enormously in the process. Why do such a thing? Well, it is probably the most important book in human history as it has been the most influential, at least until thesecond half of the twentieth century. Even now, if you consider the influence of evangelical Christians in the USA, and the State of Israel, you can still see how strong an influence The Bible has in today's world. Yet most people, myself included, have probably only heard children's versions of some of the Bible stories, or those carefully chosen extracts read in church or school in our childhood. The vast majority of The ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Conditioned - Part 1

When I was about ten the local Catholic priest started taking me to Celtic football games, and the occasional international featuring Scotland, at the national stadium, Hampden Park. During Scotland games against England the fans would chant "If you hate the fucking English, clap your hands." All the Scottish fans sang it, and all clapped. and "We hate Jimmy Hill, he's a poof, he's a poof." (Jimmy Hill was one of the foremost football pundits at the tine, and English.) At Celtic games the fans sang "Fuck the Queen and the UDA" Later in my life one of my best friend's brother was a Rangers season ticket holder, but sometimes because of his work he would be away when a home match was on. He'd give his other ticket to my friend. One time my friend asked if I wanted to go, so we went together. This was in the late 1980s or early 90s. I don't remember who Rangers were playing. What I do remember is at one point the fans started singing ...
Post a Comment
Read more