#LaoTzu

[aryaraju]

https://youtube.com/shorts/iWNaXhkFiFw?feature=share

[elcitigre2021]

"Só temos consciência do belo, Quando conhecemos o feio. Só temos consciência do bom, Quando conhecemos o mau. Porquanto, o Ser e o Existir, Se engendram mutuamente. O fácil e o difícil se completam. O grande e o pequeno são complementares. O alto e o baixo formam um todo. O som e o silêncio formam a harmonia. O passado e o futuro geram o tempo. Eis porque o sábio age, Pelo não agir. E ensina sem falar. Aceita tudo que lhe acontece. Produz tudo e não fica com nada. O sábio tudo realiza e nada considera seu. Tudo faz e não se apega à sua obra. Não se prende aos frutos da sua atividade. Termina a sua obra, E está sempre no princípio. E por isso a sua obra prospera."

Boa Noite! Bom dia!

[michaelwonders]

Water (truth) is exhausted

[pinkpetalbee]

🌿🌸✨ "When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be." - Lao Tzu 🌟🌺🎀

[daimonclub]

Wise quotes from the Ancients

Wise quotes from the Ancients Wise quotes from the Ancients, the best quotations and aphorisms from the old great Greek, Roman and oriental philosophers and thinkers who formed our culture. Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all. Aristotle Keep silence for the most part, and speak only when you must, and then briefly. Epictetuts Self control makes the man. A man without discipline is a boy full of reactions, rather than a man of good actions. Greek Proverb I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing. Plato Smart people learn from everything and everyone; average people from their experiences; stupid people already have all the answers! Socrates Pleasure in the job, put perfection in the work. Aristotle You can beat 40 scholars with one fact, but you can beat one idiot with 40 facts. Rumi The palest ink is better than the most retentive memory. Chinese proverb You will always have those only riches that you have donated. Marco Valerio Marziale The higher we are placed, the more humbly we should walk. Marcus Tullius Cicero Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something. Plato A multitude of words is no proof of a prudent mind. Thales The high-minded man does not bear grudges, for it is not the mark of a great soul to remember injuries, but to forget them. Aristotle Think as the wise men think, but talk like the simple people do. Aristotle You should not honor men more than the truth. Plato Those who are able to see beyond the shadows and lies of their culture will never be understood, let alone believed, by the masses. Plato The truth triumphs by itself, the lie always needs accomplices. Epictetus The art of being a slave is to rule one’s master. Diogenes The only good is knowledge, and the only evil is ignorance. Herodotus

Ancient Greek philosophers The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled. Plutarch Every action has its pleasures and its price. Socrates The learning and knowledge the we have, is, at the most, but little compared with that of which we are ignorant. Plato If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place. Lao Tzu Happiness resides not oin possessions, and not in gold, happiness dwells in the soul. Democritus It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours. Diogenes Poverty is the schoolmaster of character. Antiphanes Sic lusus animo debent aliquando dari, ad cogitandum melior ut redeat tibi. (Così, di tanto in tanto, devi lasciare svagare la mente, perché torni a te più pronta quando occorre pensare.) Fedro, Favole, 3, 14. Stupidity is better kept a secret than displayed. Heraclitus The greatest wealth is to be content with little. Plato The measurement of a man is what he does with power. Plato The most difficult thing in life is to know yourself. Thales The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the colour of your thoughts. Marcus Aurelius He who has peace of mind disturbs neither himself nor another. Epicurus The first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself; to be conquered by yourself is of all things most shameful and vile. Plato The worst pain a man can suffer: to have insight into much and power over nothing. Herodotus Mastering others requires force; Mastering the self requires strength. Lao Tzu The man enslaved to wealth can never be honest. Democritus Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge. Plato Educate the children and it won’t be necessary to punish the men. Pythagoras

Socrates wise ancient philosopher Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment. Sun Tzu A fool contributes nothing worth hearing and takes offence at everything. Aristotle The measure of a man is what he does with power. Plato The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. Socrates There is nothing in the world so much admired as a man who knows how to bear unhappiness with courage. Seneca Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind. Plato It is not the man who has too little, but ht eman who craves more, that is poor. Seneca Avoid doing what you would blame others for doing. Thales A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials. Seneca All cruelty spring from weakness. Seneca Get busy with life’s purpose, toss aside empty hopes, get active in your own rescue. Marcus Aurelius Fishes live in the sea, as men do on land: the great ones eat up the small one. Pericles People are not disturbed by things, but by the view they take of them. Epictetus Disturbance comes only from within, from our own perceptions. Marcus Aurelius The opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them knows anything about the subject. Marcus Aurelius Never depend on the admiration of others. There is no strength in it. Personal merit cannot be derived from an external source. Epictetus An honest man is always a child. Socrates Open your mind before your mouth. Aristophanes Why should we feel anger at the world? As if the world would notice. Marcus Aurelius He who knows all the answers has not been asked all the questions. Confucius

Aristotle wise ancient quotes When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them. Confucius If you wish another to keep your secret, first keep it to yourself. Seneca the Younger He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at. Epictetus The more we value things outside our control, the less control we have. Marcus Aurelius The greatest victory is that which requires no battle. Sun Tzu Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for. Epicurus Knowing yourself is The best fighterthe beginning of all wisdom. Aristotle To write well, express yourself like the common people, but think like a wise man. Aristotle As iron is eaten away by rust, so the envious are consumed by their own passion. Antisthenes Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence. Aristotle You can also commit injustice, by doing nothing. Marcus Aurelius The nearer a man comes to a calm mind, the closer he is to strength. Marcus Aurelius Better than the strength of men and horses is our wisdom. Xenophanes If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. Marcus Tullius Cicero It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain thought without accepting it. Aristotle Wealth is the slave of a wise man. The master of a fool. Seneca The challenges you face introduce you to your strengths. Epictetus Man is the most intelligent of the animals – and the most silly. Diogenes In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons. Herodotus I know that I am intelligent, because I know that I know nothing. Socrates

Wise quotes and aphorisms Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. Lao Tzu The only true wisdom is knowing that you know nothing. Socrates It doesn’t matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. Confucius Learning is like rowing upstream, not to advance is to drop back. Chinese Proverb The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled. Plutarch There is no great genius without some touch of madness. Aristotle Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something. Plato Everything has beauty, but not everyone can see. Confucius The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person who is doing it. Chinese Proverb A journey of a thousand leagues begins beneath one’s feet. Lao Tzu The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones. Chinese Proverbs Man is the most intelligent of the animals – and the most silly. Diogenes Of what use is a philosopher who doesn’t hurt anybody’s feeling? Diogenes I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion. Alexander the Great Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance. Confucius Laws are like spider’s webs: If some poor weak creature comes up against them, it is caught; but a big one can break through and get away. Solon There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing and be nothing. Aristotle Don’t be overheard complaining; not even to yourself. Marcus Aurelius Nothing forces us to know what we do not want to know, except pain. Aeschylus Educate the children and it won’t be necessary to punish the men. Pythagoras

Rumi wise quotes Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil. Plato Pleasures, when they go beyond a certain limit, are but punishment. Marcus Aurelius A friend to all is a friend to none. Aristotle Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know. Lao Tzu Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner. Lao Tzu A fool is known by his speech, and a wise man by silence. Pythagoras The man enslaved to wealth can never be honest. Democritus The reward of suffering is experience. Aeschylus Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime. Aristotle Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth. Marcus Aurelius It is a profitable thing, if one is wise, to seem foolish. Aeschylus Patience is the best remedy for every trouble. Plautus A wise man doesn’t say every single thing he thinks, but thinks every single thing he says. Rumi A liar will not be believed, even when he speaks the truth. Aesop Run from what’s comfortable. Forget safety. Live where you fear to live. Destroy your reputation. Be notorious. I have tried prudent planning long enough. From now on I’ll be mad. Rumi It is better to be silent than to dispute with the ignorant. Pythagoras Epigrams succeed where epics fail. Persian Proverb The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another’s world. Plato Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body. Seneca A great man is hard on himself, a small man is hard on others. Lao Tzu Give instructions only to those people who seek knowledge after they have discovered their ignorance. Confucius Why should I fear death? If I am, then death is not. If Death is, then I am not. Why should I fear that which can only exist when I do not? Epicurus You can kill a man but you can’t kìll an idea. Sophocles Know how to listen, and you will profit even from those who talk badly. Plutarch Nothing has more strength than dire necessity. Euripides

Wise oriental quotes Lao-Tzu I have been a seeker, and still I am; but I stopped asking the books, and the stars. I started listening the teaching of my soul. Rumi Give them bread and circuses and they will never revolt. Juvenal By desiring little, a poor man makes himself rich. Democritus Knowledge, if it does not determine action, is dead to us. Plotinus The more we value things outside our control, the less control we have. Epictetus There is nothing permanent, except change. Heraclitus The intelligence consists not only in the knowledge but also in the skill to apply the knowledge into practice. Aristotle An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics. Plutarch In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you. Buddha A short saying often contains much wisdom. Sophocles No one is more hated than he who speaks the truth. Plato Any man can make mistakes, but only an idiot persists in his errors. Marcus Tullio Cicero First learn the meaning of what you say and then speak. Epictetus Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws. Plato To study and not think is a waste. To think and not study is dangerous. Confucius Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times. Aeschylus Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself. Rumi You can also commit injustice by doing nothing. Marcus Aurelius The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men. Plato Do not do to others what angers you if done to you by others. Socrates The measure of a man is what he does with power. Plato Self-sufficiency is the greatest of all wealth. Epicurus From the errors of others, a wise man corrects his own. Publilius Syrus Rich people without wisdom and learning are but sheep with golden fleeces. Solon Don’t confuse power with leadership. The wise don’t need power to lead. Tao Te Ching

Confucius ancient wise quotes Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body. Seneca Our life is what our thoughts make it. Marcus Aurelius One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives. Euripides Knowledge is the food of the soul. Plato Those who plot the destruction of others often perish in the attempt. Phaedrus Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful. Lucius Annaeus Seneca It is not death that a man should fear, but rather he should fear never beginning to live. Marcus Aurelius Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. Marcus Aurelius To find yourself, think for yourself. Socrates Associate with people who are likely to improve you. Seneca No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness. Aristotle One cannot step twice in the same river. Heraclitus True wisdom lies in one’s confession about the limits of one’s knowledge. Socrates Wisdom outweighs any wealth. Sophocles You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. Plato The universities do not teach all things… So a doctor must seek old wives, gypsies, sorcerers, wandering tribes, old robbers and such outlaws and take lessons from them. A doctor must be a traveller… Knowledge is experience. Paracelsus You are a little soul carrying about a corpse, as Epictetus used to say. Marcus Aurelius The art of living well and the art of dying well are one. Epicurus Be a free thinker and don’t accept everything you hear as truth. Be critical and evaluate what you believe in. Aristotle When the student is ready the teacher appears. When the student is truly ready, the teacher disappears. Lao Tzu If you allow men to use you for your own purposes, they will use you for theirs. Aesop The intelligence consists not only in the knowledge but also in the skill to apply the knowledge into practice. Aristotle Day by day, what you think and what you do is who you become. Heraclitus No man on earth is truly free, All are slaves of money or necessity. Public opinion or fear of prosecution forces each one, against his conscience, to conform. Euripides Read the full article

[epicforwards]

“What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly.”

-- Lao Tzu

[thebadsocialworker]

Sunburns and Mini-Golf

It’s 1997 and your family is at Blizzard Beach for the day in Disneyworld. You’re 6 in the wave pool. You stand in the back watching the waves roll through the crowds of sun-burnt tourists. You walk further in, accepting the challenge, confident in your ability to resist. The wave comes and it consumes you. You’re pushed backwards, skinning your back on the gritted pool floor. Water fills your nose. When it’s over, you stand up and watch the water retreat, choking. You think, “next year, I’ll be bigger”, and hobble towards your suntanning mom, in defeat, but only-

For now.

“Bend, and you will remain whole.” -Lao Tzu

This one is for the parents with “defiant” children. Let’s get into it.

This quote is of course part of a larger passage in the Tao Te Ching. Remember, a few posts ago we talked about inaction as action within Dao. Choosing to do nothing as a form of action.

When your child is defiant, and you’re going through therapists and prescribers like halloween candy, it’s exhausting. It feels hopeless. You as the parent, feel tremendous guilt and shame, worrying what people think of you when you have such a “troubled” child. Maybe your child did experience a form of trauma, maybe they didn’t. Either way, you have been tasked with raising a tiger. Congratulations.

The first question to ask here, is your child “defiant”? Or are you, too rigid? Do you resist the natural occurrences in childhood? Do you harbor expectations for your child that were once thrust upon you? You say “I turned out fine”. Did you really ?

When you were a kid, were you punished for getting muddy? Being too loud? Crying? Were you not allowed to watch TV, not allowed to have sleepovers, not allowed to have the friends you choose…did you operate in fear of what your parent/s might do to you? Were you baptized and cast into the fire of responsibility? Starved of freedom?

Truly “defiant” children do things volitionally as reaction to an emotional state of their caregiver. They hit their siblings, break property, scream and make threats. When this concept is fully appreciated, this type of child is not “defiant” but mentally ill. “Defiant” would ultimately not be an appropriate term for these children. Although the behavior is volitional, it points more towards a lack of impulse control that’s manifesting in extreme behavior. This is likely a symptom of another mental illness, trauma, or some medical issues.

Having said that, “defiant” is even less appropriate for children that are not afflicted with severe emotional disturbances. If your child doesn’t do the above behaviors, what you truly have is an independent and curious child. Your human is too new to the planet to appreciate the fears you have.

And that’s what it is isn’t it? Fear. All of this stems out of fear. You’re not “rigid” you’re fearful. You have been on the planet long enough to appreciate the dangers of the universe. One of the best things about children is their lack of appreciation for danger. For them, the world is an exciting place, full of possibilities and ideas. This is the most beautiful period of life. 

When reacting out of fear towards your independent child, they cannot appreciate your reaction. To them, it is unwarranted. Especially if nothing nefarious had occurred. Enough of these reactions teaches your child that you are not a reliable source of information because you exhibit an extreme reaction in every situation your child does something that displeases you. Since they have a lack of experience in life, they cannot predict what might upset you. You’re just “mad” all the time. They eventually stop listening to you altogether, and thus you now feel you have a “defiant” child. They continue to do things without your knowledge because they don’t care for a reaction they cannot appreciate.

“So what do I do? Just let my kid do whatever they want?” No, this is not what’s be suggested. What’s being suggested is to shift your perspective so you don’t indirectly make your child feel like a problem for wanting to play outside, making a mess with craft supplies, or getting online to talk with friends. Shift your focus from “my child is doing this TO ME” to “My child doesn’t understand the fears that I have developed over the course of 30+ years”.

I brought up inaction earlier as a form of action as congruent with Dao. How many situations arise with your child that you could actually choose to do nothing about? If your child makes a mess with craft supplies, does this warrant a punishment or could inaction be a better choice? Inaction in this sense of withholding anger and frustration. Whether you decide to clean it up yourself, with your child, your child cleaning it up by themselves, or leaving it, is entirely up to you. The point is to support the creativity and independence while cultivating a fuller explanation to your child then “I told you not to make a mess”. For a child, they don’t care because it can be cleaned up. It’s that simple. Why express the energy being angry when your child won’t even grasp why you are angry ? It’s unproductive.

So how this relates to the quote, “Bend and you will be whole”- Flex with the ebb and flow of childhood. When your child wants to do something reasonable but your fears are preventing them from doing so, this is a situation to flex to a compromise as opposed to setting arbitrary and rigid expectations, “I said no. Because I said no.” Why are you saying no? You have to include this or your “no” gets lost on your little explorer. 

When you accept that you have a curious and independent child, and the complications that come with producing such a bright child, you both will win. The point is not for your children to listen to you. The point is to raise human beings that will be prepared to enter the adult world without you. If you are too fearful, your child will reach adulthood and have no idea what’s going on. At that point, the consequences of ignorance are much more serious. 

It’s now 2002. You remember what happened the last time your son was at Blizzard Beach. He still has scars on his back. He is determined this time, to “beat the wave pool”. You’re in complete fear, “Don’t get hurt”. You follow him to the wave pool where he takes his stance, fists balled, pectorals flexed, every rib, exposed. He screams, the wave is coming. You run into the pool ready to intercept him. The wave hits and he disappears. The chlorine fills your eyes and when you’re done rubbing them, your son pops up from underneath the water. “I did it mom !” He beat the wave pool. “I learned to go with the wave mom ! If you go with the wave, you win !” Incredibly proud he asks,

“Mom…can we swim with the sharks next?”

-thebadsocialworker

[gayatri001]

[digitaldreams04]

This quote by the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu is a timeless reminder to take action, even if the goal seems far away.

[brainyrainy]

At a lofty position, the spring remains small.

The ocean because it positions itself at the lowest level is so mighty.

Clear thinking leads to the realisation of the Self, making one humble like the mighty ocean to finally achieve Nirvana.

[you2human]

"Must I fear what others fear? Should I fear desolation when there is abundance? Should I fear darkness when that light is shining everywhere?"

Tao Te Ching

[bsahely]

Laotzu's Tao and Wu Wei, by Dwight Goddard and Henri Borel, [1919]

Audio: LibriVox Recording Reproduced from: https://archive.org/details/taotehking_1003_librivox LibriVox recording of Laotzu’s Tao and Wu Wei, by Lao Tzu; translation by Dwight Goddard, Henri Borel, and M.E. Reynolds. Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont and Jc Guan. The classic of the Way and of High Virtue is the Tao Teh Ching. Its author is generally held as a contemporary of Confucius, Lao…

[oldblogger]

Further thoughts on my “Final Report”

As I read from the list of books which may be useful in formulating such a report, the slow, distant drumbeat of a wise and familiar saying has come to the forefront of my noggin: From The Way of Life According to Laotzu: 56: Those who know do not tell Those who tell do not know These words have been transliterated and borrowed by many others. In opening the book (linked above) I was at the…

[odelia-i]