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T he sage has the sun and moon by his side. He grasps the universe under the arm. He blends everything into a harmonious whole, casts aside whatever is confused or obscured, and regards the humble as honorable. While the multitude toil, he seems to be stupid and non-discriminative. He blends the disparities of ten thousand years into one complete purity. All things are blended like this and mutually involve each other.

quote 2225 | Tchuang Tzu
Chuang Tzu, chapter II, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 8.

T he perfect man is a spiritual being," said Wang I. "Even if great oceans burned, up, he would not feel hot. Even if the great rivers are frozen, he would not feel cold. And even if terrific thunder were to break up mountains and the wind were to upset the sea, he would not be afraid. Being such, he mounts upon the clouds and forces of heaven, rides on the sun and the moon, and roams beyond the four seas. Neither life nor death affects him How much less can such matters as benefit and harm?"

quote 2224 | Tchuang Tzu
Chuang Tzu, chapter II, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 8.

T he sage does not accumulate for himself.
The more he uses for others, the more he has himself.
The more he gives to others, the more he possesses of his own.
The Way of Heaven is to benefit others and not to injure.
The Way of the sage is to act but not to compete.

quote 2214 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 81, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

T he sage has no fixed (personal) ideas.
He regards the people's ideas as his own.
I treat those who are good with goodness,
And I also treat those who are not good with goodness.
Thus goodness is attained .
I am honest to those who are honest,
And I am also honest to those who are not honest.
Thus honesty is attained.

quote 2204 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 49, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

T he Great Tao flows everywhere.
It may go left or right.
All things depend on it for life,
and it does not turn away from them.
It accomplishes its task,
but does not claim credit for it.
It clothes and feeds all things but does not claim to be master over them.
Always without desires, it may be called The Small.
All things come to it and it does not master them;
it may be called The Great.
Therefore (the sage) never strives himself for the great,
and thereby the great is achieved.

quote 2195 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 34, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7

H e who knows the male (active force) and keeps to the female (the passive force or receptive element)
Becomes the ravine of the world.
Being the ravine of the world,
He will never depart from eternal virtue,
But returns to the state of infancy.
He who knows the white (glory) and yet keeps to the black (humility),
Becomes the model for the world.
Being the model for the world,
He will never deviate from eternal virtue,
But returns to the state of the Ultimate of Non-being.
He who knows glory but keeps to humility,
Becomes the valley of the world.
Being the valley of the world,
He will be proficient in eternal virtue,
And returns to the state of simplicity (uncarved wood).

quote 2192 | Lao Tzu
Laozi, 28, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

T herefore the sage embraces the One
And becomes the model of the world.
He does not show himself; therefore he is luminous.
He does not justify himself; therefore he becomes prominent.
He does not boast of himself; therefore he is given credit.
He does not brag; therefore he can endure for long.
It is precisely because he does not compete that the world cannot compete with him.

quote 2188 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 22, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

T he multitude are merry, as though feasting on a day of sacrifice,
Or like ascending a tower at springtime.
I alone am inert, showing no sign (of desires),
Like an infant that has not yet smiled.
Wearied, indeed, I seem to be without a home.
The multitude all possess more than enough,
I alone seem to have lost all.
Mine is indeed the mind of an ignorant man,
Indiscriminate and dull!
Common folks are indeed brilliant;
I alone seem to be in the dark.

Common folks see differences and are clear-cut;
I alone make no distinctions.
I seem drifting as the sea;
Like the wind blowing about, seemingly without destination.
The multitude all have a purpose;
I alone seem to be stubborn and rustic.
I alone differ from others,
And value drawing sustenance from Mother (Tao).

quote 2186 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 20, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

H e who knows the eternal is all-embracing.
Being all-embracing, he is impartial.
Being impartial, he is kingly (universal) . (1)
Being kingly, he is one with Nature."
Being one with Nature, he is in accord with Tao.
Being in accord with Tao, he is everlasting,
And is free from danger throughout his lifetime.

quote 2182 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 16, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

In the philosophy of Lao Tzu, Tao is revealed most fully through tranquillity. The position of the Neo-Confucianists is just the opposite. They said that only through activity can the mind of Heaven and Earth be seen.

O f old those who were the best ruler (1) were
mysterious and profoundly penetrating;
Too deep to comprehend.
And because they cannot be comprehended,
I can only describe them arbitrarily:
Cautious,like crossing a frozen stream in the winter,
Being at a loss, like one fearing danger on all sides,
Reserved, like one visiting,
Supple and pliant, like ice about to melt,
Genuine, like a piece of uncarved wood (2)
Open and broad, like a valley,
Merged and undifferentiated, like muddy water.

quote 2180 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 15, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

(1) The text has the word shih meaning the ruler instead of "Tao." In the text collacted by Fu I (555-639), Chiao-ting ku-pen Lao Tzu (The Old Text of the Lao Tzu Collated), however, the word is Tao instead. Ma Hsu-lun in his Lao Tzu chiao-ku (Lao Tzu collated and explained) and other scholars have preferred to follow Fu I. But the emendation is quite unnecessary. (2) P’u, literally an uncarved wood, has come to mean in Taoism simplicity, genuineness, etc.

T he best (man) is like water.
Water is good; it benefits all things and does not
compete with them.
It dwells in (lowly) places that all disdain.
This is why it is so near to Tao.
[The best man] in his dwelling loves the earth.
In his heart, he loves what is profound.
In his associations, he loves humanity.
In his words, he loves faithfulness.
In government, he loves order.
In handling affairs, he loves competence.
In his activities, he loves timeliness.
It is because he does not compete that he is without reproach.

quote 2174 | Lao Tzu
Laozi, 8, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

Water, the female, and the infant are Lao Tzu's famous symbols of Tao. The emphasis of the symbolism is ethical rather then metaphysical. It is interesting to note that while early Indians associated water with creation" and the Greeks looked upon it as a natural phenomenon, ancient Chinese philosophers, whether Lao Tzu or Confucius preferred to learn moral lessons from it. Broadly speaking, these different approaches have characterized Indian, Western, and East Asian civilizations, respectively.

H eaven is eternal and Earth everlasting.
They can be eternal and everlasting because they do not exist for themselves,
And for this reason can exist forever,
Therefore the sage places himself in the background,
but finds himself in the foreground,
He puts himself away, and yet he always remains.
Is it not because he has no personal interests?
This is the reason why his personal interests
are fulfilled.

quote 2173 | Lao Tzu
Laozi 7, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 7.

C onfucius said, "At fifteen my mind was set on learning. At thirty my character had been formed. At forty I had no more perplexities. At fifty I knew the Mandate of Heaven (T'ien-ming). At sixty I was at ease with whatever I heard. At seventy I could follow my heart's desire without transgressing moral principles.

candle

quote 2138 | Confucius
Analects of Confucius, 2:4, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 2.

A nd he who has considered all the contrasts on this earth, and is no more disturbed by anything whatever in the world, the peaceful One, freed from rage, from sorrow, and from longing, he has passed beyond birth and decay.

temple_buddhist

quote 2124 | Buddha Sakyamuni
Khuddaka Nikaya, Sutta-Nipaata, 1048

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