Tag Archives: Taoism

ART, FREE ADVICE, LIVES, PICTURE POEMS, POETIC NONSENSE, UNIVERSES

TAOISM

Republished by Blog Post Promoter

tangyin-taoistTaoism is not a religion, nor a philosophy. It is a “Way” of life. It is a River. The Tao is the natural order of things. It is a force that flows through every living and sentient object, as well as through the entire universe. When the Tao is in balance it is possible to find perfect happiness.

The text central to all expressions of the Taoist spirit is the Tao-te Ching (“Classic of the Way and Its Power”), previously known as Lao-tzu after the name of the mysterious master traditionally said to have been its author. The cardinal concept is that of the Tao, the ineffable, eternal, creative reality that is the source and end of all things.

Tao is the Absolute, the “Uncarved Block” experienced only in mystical ecstasy. Te is the manifestation of the Tao within all things. Thus, to possess the fullness of te means to be in perfect harmony with one’s original nature. According to Chuang-tzu (4th century BC), an individual in harmony with the Tao comprehends the course of Nature’s constant change and fears not the rhythm of life and death.

As the Tao operates impartially in the universe, so should mankind disavow assertive, purposive action. The Taoist life is not, however, a life of total inactivity. It is rather a life of nonpurposive action (wu-wei). Stated positively, it is a life expressing the essence of spontaneity (tzu-jan, “self-so”).

Free-from-desireTaoism has been attributed to three sources, the oldest being the legendary ‘Yellow Emperor‘, (2,704 BCE) but the most famous is Lao Tse’s Tao Teh Ching.   (5th century B.C.)   The “Yellow Emperor”,  Huangdi,  third of ancient China’s mythological emperors, is a Chinese culture hero and patron saint of Daoism or Taoism. Huangdi is reputed to have been born about 2,704 BCE.  His legendary reign is credited with the introduction of wooden houses, carts, boats, the bow and arrow, and writing.

Huangdi himself is credited with defeating “barbarians” in a great battle somewhere in what is now Shanxi—the victory winning him the leadership of tribes throughout the Huang He (Yellow River) plain. Some traditions also credit him with the introduction of governmental institutions and the use of coined money. Huangdi’s wife was reputed to have discovered sericulture (silk production) and to have taught women how to breed silkworms and weave fabrics of silk.

Huangdi is held up in some ancient sources as a paragon of wisdom whose reign was a golden age. He is said to have dreamed of an ideal kingdom whose tranquil inhabitants lived in harmonious accord with the natural law and possessed virtues remarkably like those espoused by early Taoism. On waking from his dream, Huangdi sought to inculcate these virtues in his own kingdom, to ensure order and prosperity among the inhabitants. Upon his death he was said to have become an immortal.  (source: Encyclopedia Britannica)

Read more about Taoism at http://www.crystalinks.com/taoism.html

...and other stuff, ART, FREE ADVICE, INSIDE THE BOOK, READING MATTER, THE ORACLE

KNOW YOUR ENEMY AND YOURSELF

Republished by Blog Post Promoter

“It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles. if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperilled in every single battle.”  — Sun TZU, The Art of War  — ca. 600 BCE

Sun Tzu’s Art of War uses language that may be unusual in a Western text on warfare and strategy. For example, the 11th chapter states that a leader must be “serene and inscrutable” and capable of comprehending “unfathomable plans”. They state that the text contains many similar remarks that have long confused Western readers lacking an awareness of the East Asian context. The meaning of such statements are clearer when interpreted in the context of Taoist thought and practice. Sun Tzu viewed the ideal general as an enlightened Taoist master, which has led to The Art of War being considered a prime example of Taoist strategy.

Traditionalists attribute the authorship of The Art of War to the historical figure Sun Wu, who is chronicled in the Records of the Grand Historian and the Spring and Autumn Annals. He was reputedly active in the late 6th century BC, beginning c. 512 BC.

Traditional histories recount that the first emperor of a unified China, Qin Shi Huang, considered the book invaluable in ending the Age of Warring States. The Art of War was introduced in Japan, c. AD 760, and the book quickly became popular among Japanese generals. The work also significantly influenced the unification of Japan. Mastery of its teachings was honored among the samurai, and its teachings were both exhorted and exemplified by influential daimyo and shogun.

Communist Chinese leader Mao Zedong partially credited his victory over Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang in 1949 to The Art of War. The work strongly influenced Mao’s writings about guerrilla warfare, which further influenced communist insurgencies around the world.[16]

General Vo Nguyen Giap, the military mastermind behind victories over French and American forces in Vietnam, was an avid student and practitioner of Sun Tzu’s ideas.  (Wikipedia.org)