Laozi – got to truly love his mind….. (some of his body of works below)
I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man.
I know the joy of fishes in the river through my own joy, as I go walking along the same river.
You will always find an answer in the sound of water.
If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to. If you are not afraid of dying, there is nothing you cannot achieve.
Rewards and punishment is the lowest form of education
Forget the years, forget distinctions.
Leap into the boundless and make it your home
Words are for meaning: when you’ve got the meaning, you can forget the words.
A frog in a well cannot conceive of the ocean.
There is order in chaos, and certainty in doubt. The wise are guided by this order and certainty.
Life comes from the earth and life returns to the earth.
Those who realize their folly are not true fools.
To stop leaving tracks is easy. Not to walk upon the ground is hard.
Happiness is the absence of the striving for happiness.
Great wisdom is generous; petty wisdom is contentious.
Cherish that which is within you, and shut off that which is without; for much knowledge is a curse.
The wise man knows that it is better to sit on the banks of a remote mountain stream than to be emperor of the whole world.
How do I know that enjoying life is not a delusion? How do I know that in hating death we are not like people who got lost in early childhood and do not know the way home?
The wise man looks into space and does not regard the small as too little, nor the great as too big, for he knows that, there is no limit to dimensions.
Flow with whatever may happen, and let your mind be free: Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate.
Men honour what lies within the sphere of their knowledge, but do not realize how dependent they are on what lies beyond it.
Those who seek to satisfy the mind of man by hampering it with ceremonies and music and affecting charity and devotion have lost their original nature.
He whose mind is thus grandly fixed emits a Heavenly light. In him who emits this heavenly light men see the true man.
We cling to our own point of view, as though everything depended on it. Yet our opinions have no permanence; like autumn and winter, they gradually pass away.
If water derives lucidity from stillness, how much more the faculties of the mind! The mind of the sage, being in repose, becomes the mirror of the universe, the speculum of all creation.
During our dreams we do not know we are dreaming. We may even dream of interpreting a dream. Only on waking do we know it was a dream. Only after the great awakening will we realize that this is the great dream.
All existing things are really one. We regard those that are beautiful and rare as valuable, and those that are ugly as foul and rotten The foul and rotten may come to be transformed into what is rare and valuable, and the rare and valuable into what is foul and rotten.
The fish trap exists because of the fish. Once you’ve gotten the fish you can forget the trap. The rabbit snare exists because of the rabbit. Once you’ve gotten the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Words exist because of meaning. Once you’ve gotten the meaning, you can forget the words. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words so I can talk with him?
You and Confucius are both dreaming, and I who say you are a dream am also a dream. Such is my tale. It will probably be called preposterous, but after ten thousand generations there may be a great sage who will be able to explain it, a trivial interval equivalent to the passage from morning to night.
Once upon a time, I, Chuang Chou, dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was Chou. Soon I awaked, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man.
He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened.
I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.
In the world there is nothing more submissive and weak than water. Yet for attacking that which is hard and strong nothing can surpass it.
Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires.
The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness.
The sage does not hoard. The more he helps others, the more he benefits himself, The more he gives to others, the more he gets himself. The Way of Heaven does one good but never does one harm. The Way of the sage is to act but not to compete.
Those who have knowledge, don’t predict. Those who predict, don’t have knowledge.
To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.
When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you.
Watch your thoughts, they become words, watch your words, they become actions, watch your actions, they become habits, watch your habits, they become your character, watch your character, it becomes your destiny.
“Laozi” (Chinese: 老子; pinyin: Lǎozǐ) is an honorific title, also romanized as Lao Tse, Lao Tu, Lao-Tsu, Laotze, Lao Tzu, Laosi, Laocius, Lao Zi, Laocius, Chuang Tzu, Zhuangzi etc. Lao (老) means “venerable” or “old”, such as modern Mandarin laoshi (老师), “teacher”. Zi (子), Wade–Giles transliteration tzu, in this context is typically translated as “master”. Zi was used in ancient China as an honorific suffix, indicating “Master”, or “Sir”. In popular biographies, Laozi’s given name was Er, his surname was Li (forming Li Er, 李耳) and his courtesy name was Boiang. Dan is a posthumous name given to Laozi, and he is sometimes referred to as Li Dan.
Laozi (6th century BCE) was a philosopher of ancient China, best known as the author of the Tao Te Ching (often simply referred to as Laozi). His association with the Tào Té Chīng has led him to be traditionally considered the founder of philosophical Taoism (pronounced as “Daoism”). He is also revered as a deity in most religious forms of Taoist philosophy, which often refers to Laozi as Taishang Laojun, or “One of the Three Pure Ones“.
According to Chinese traditions, Laozi lived in the 6th century BCE. Some historians contend that he actually lived in the 5th–4th century BCE, concurrent with the Hundred Schools of Thought and Warring States period.
A central figure in Chinese culture, both nobility and common people claim Laozi in their lineage. He was honoured as an ancestor of the Tang imperial family, and was granted the title Táishāng xuānyuán huángdì, meaning “Supreme Mysterious and Primordial Emperor”. Throughout history, Laozi’s work has been embraced by various anti-authoritarian movements.
Greg Dodge ~ “Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” 