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TAO TE CHING “The Ancient Masters were profound and subtle. Their wisdom was
unfathomable. There is no way to describe it; all we can describe is their
appearance.” “The best athlete wants his opponent at his best. The best general
enters the mind of his enemy. The best businessman serves the communal food. The
best leader follows the will of the people .” The teachings from the book, Tao
Te Ching helped influence both the social and moral aspects of the Chinese way
of life. The teachings have provided hope, and inspiration for the Chinese
people.
In ancient China, the people were self-providing farmers who lived
exclusively off the land. They rarely took the time to intermingle with their
neighbors, and the family stood independently. The people had little knowledge
about the outside world and had no desire to learn. Far travel was avoided at
all costs, due to the strong attachment to one’s own home. The people believed
that, “No man could be full grown without his roots in his home .” The people
referred to their homes as “tien, yuan, lu mo”, which meant fields, gardens,
houses, graves. The Chinese thought that the causes of crime were soldiers and
wanderers.
They were considered evil beings for venturing away from they home. The
people believed that all things, living and un-living, had spirits in them. They
felt that the spirits if disturbed, could drastically affect one’s life. They
used amulets, spells, prayers, incantations, and special rites to ward of
misfortune. This is a direction to a later Lao Tzu’s teaching stating, “Practice
not-doing, and everything will fall into place .” The home did not limit its
members to the current living members; the dead and the future were also
considered family. Around 650BC, during the Chou Dynasty, the value of knowledge
changed.
Although communication between towns was still difficult, many Sages were in
desire of knowledge. Some of the most well known sages were; Mencius, Mo Tzu,
Confucius, and Lao Tzu, the author of Tao Te Ching. Confucius wrote about the
problems of man, and proposed many solutions. He also wrote about authority and
respect, and proposed “submissiveness.” His works helped influence the way that
government was run, and Confucius actively participated in government. His
teachings were present in the Chinese government for many years, until the
belief in Tao. A sage named Lao Tzu created the Tao religion. Very little is
known about Lao Tzu. Even the meaning of his name is a mystery; “the Old Master”
or “the Old Boy”?
The only thing we do know about Lao Tzu is that he wrote the book, TAO TE
CHING, and created a thought revolution. His reference to the eternal force he
called Tao, gave people inspiration, and a new method of thinking. Lao Tzu
described Tao as, “The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name
that can be named is not the eternal Name. The unnamable is the eternally real.
Naming is the origin of all particular things. Free from desire, you realize
mystery. Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations. Yet mystery and
manifestations arise from the same source. Darkness within darkness. The gateway
to all understanding. ” and later went on to say, “The Tao is infinite, eternal.
Why is it eternal? It was never born; thus it can never die.
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