keaton

quotes and interpretations of the dao de ching and other books 16/ he him (not trying to b pretentious)

[kingpinquot]

“When the potter’s wheel makes a pot,

the use of the pot

is precisely where there is nothing.

When you open doors and windows for a room,

it is where there is nothing

that they are useful to the room.

Therefore being is for benefit

Nonbeing is for usefulness.”

(Page 15, Thirty Spokes, Tao Te Ching, the Taoist Classics - Thomas Cleary)

This one is pretty self explanatory

[kingpinquot]

“When sages do good, it is not as a means of seeking honor, yet honor follows; it is not in hopes of gain, yet gain results.”

(Page 408, The Book of Leadership and Strategy, The Taoist Clasiscs - Thomas Cleary)

A little story about how cool people do things without expecting stuff, written to reflect taoist values.

[kingpinquot]

More about meditation

If you are from the west like me, you probably thought from tv and other types of media that meditation is all about clearing your mind or finding wisdom or something like that. Most people who meditate find it very difficult to “clear their mind,” and nobody can find wisdom through sitting or standing. If you’re meditating in the Way you don’t need to clear your mind.

The most important part about daoist meditation is to simply reconnect with nature and relax yourself. A great place to meditate is outside where it is very calming, like near a river or under a tree or something. But if you meditate in your room, like a lot of people do, daoist meditation is a great way to relax. You can even meditate with your eyes open to look outside a window to see nature if you live in nature.

[kingpinquot]

Meditation and Prayer

Many Taoists, including myself, like to meditate and pray. There is some ambiguity and confusion around how Taoist meditate, so I’m gonna share how I do that stuff. If you have any questions I will do my best to answer them, or you can just ask online if you are shy :)

Meditation: From reading online and watching videos (George Thompson, Reddit) I find that the best way to meditate is to sit crosslegged, with my left hand on top of the right hand, and my left thumb holding my middle finger. Most importantly, I like to say in my head, “Xin Ping Qi He,” which I am not quite sure what means, and sorry for the lack of tones. George Thompson mentions it in his video and it has something to do with clearing the heart/mind.

Prayer: Believe it or not, Taoists can pray! I like to pray usually right after meditating and I like to clasp both my hands together and close my eyes. I don’t have any mala beads so I can’t count my prayers, so usually I just pray for the people in my life. I like to repeat, “Tài shàng cí bēi,” which roughly means “May Master (Lao Zi) show compassion.” I like to picture people in my head who are close to me and repeat that phrase.

[kingpinquot]

A great short story about consumerism that can also be applied to Taoist philosophy. 

“...the industrialist was horrified to find the fisherman lying beside his boat, smoking a pipe.

‘Why aren’t you fishing?’ asked the industrialist.

‘Because I’ve caught enough fish for the day.’

‘Why don’t you catch some more?’

‘What would I do with them?’

‘Earn more money. Then you could have a motor fixed to your boat and go into deeper waters and catch more fish. That would bring you money to buy nylon nets, so more fish, more money. Soon you would have enough to buy two boats, even a fleet of boats, then you could be rich like me.’

‘What would I do then?’

‘Then you could sit back and enjoy life.’

‘What do you think I’m doing now?”

(Timeless Simplicity, John Lane)

[kingpinquot]

One of the hardest parts about Taoism for me, is disconnecting yourself from reality and having no feelings. Lao-Zi and Zhuang-Zi make it a point that having no feelings is like a Buddhist attaining Nirvana. However in one of these stories, Zhuang-Zi elaborates on what having no feelings is.

“Have a human appearance without having human feelings. By having a human appearance, you mix in with others; by not having human feelings, you are inaccessible to judgement of right and wrong. On the one hand, you will be small enough to associate with other people, while on the other hand, you will be great enough to attain the celestial on your own.” (Page 84, Zhuang-Zi, The Taoist Classics - Tom Cleary)

“Hui-Zi asked, ‘If they are human, how can they have no feelings?’ Zhuang-Zi said, Judgments of right and wrong are what I am calling feelings. What I call having no feelings is when people do not harm themselves inwardly by likes and dislikes, but always go by what is natural and not try to add to life... Nature gives them their form. They shouldn’t let likes and dislikes harm them inwardly.” (Page 85, Zhuang-Zi, The Taoist Classics - Tom Cleary)

So those two stories explain that having “no feelings” is where you do not let likes or dislikes harm yourself and try to live naturally. For example, if somebody dislikes chess so much that they harass everybody who plays chess, that is not helping anybody, and is harming the assailant and the person who plays chess. Another example is if a wife likes her husband a lot, but their husband beats them, the wife should start having “no feelings,” and remove her husband from her life. 

[kingpinquot]

Here is another story from Zhuang-Zi about Confucius. In context, a footless man who lost his foot by being careless keeps visiting Confucius. After a while, Confucius gets angry and questions him. In Confucian times, people without limbs or people who lost limbs were seen as failures (I think).

“The reason I am coming here now is that I still have something more valuable than a foot, and therefore I’m trying to keep it intact. Heaven covers all, earth bears all. I considered you like heavens and earth, how could I have known you’d still be like this?”

Confucius said, “I am being narrow-minded. Why don’t you come in and talk about what you’ve learned?”

But the footless one left.

Confucius said to his disciple, “You should work diligently on this. That was a a man who had his foot chopped off, yet still strives to learn in order to compensate for the faults in his previous actions.”

Basically, a man who got his life ruined came to Confucius for help, Confucius bullied him, the man left, and Confucius realized that he was wrong for bullying the man with no future. This story goes back to one of my earlier posts, which was a poem saying that the way to being a Sage was a long and hard one. But the best trait about the man with no future is that he keeps trying to learn from his mistakes and be a better person, not let his past mistakes define him. 

[kingpinquot]

I have come out of the woodwork to quote Confucius! Despite my bitter feelings toward Confucius and his ideologies, I want to share this story because it is a great lesson for life. In context, an ambassador feels nervous about meeting a scary and powerful leader, so he asked Confucius for help. In response, he said:

“The perfection of virtue is to take care of your own mind such a way that emotions can not affect you when you already know nothing can be done, and are at peace with what it is; with the decree of fate. As a public servant, you have no choice in the matter. Carry out the task truthfully, and forget yourself. What leisure time have you to hope for survival and worry about dying? You should go. And let me add something I’ve heard. In relations with those nearby, it is necessary to win each other over by trustworthiness. In relations with those afar, it is necessary to be truthful to them in words.”

(Page 73, Zhuang-Zi, the Taoist Classics - Thomas Cleary)

I think what’s so great about this little story is how it could apply to your life (it applies to my life in a way). Whenever I feel like I did bad on a test or a worksheet at school, I just accept it and not stress because living in The Way is going with the flow. Of course, that’s not apathy, because if I can do something to fix it I do. That’s the beauty of The Way and of Taoism, because despite feeling chained to fate and feeling like you failed, The Way allows for people to try and change their lives as long as they practice Taoism, practice using The Way, and trying to become a great and helpful Sage. Some of the best days of your life might be spent living in The Way throughout the whole day, and sharing your thoughts with friends and family.

[kingpinquot]

Hi guys just to let u know I am still gonna be active I just live in northern california rn so I’m busy w fires

[kingpinquot]

“There is no greater calamity

than acquisitiveness racing out of control.

Only those who know when enough is enough

can ever have enough.”

(46. Enough Is Enough!, Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching - Ralph Alan Dale)

This poem also ties back to another poem that I think I posted on this blog but I’m too lazy to find it. The poem is kinda vague, so what I think it means is that indulging yourself or being greedy and stuff is bad. Kinda like how hoarders life in the past (which is bad) cuz of attatchments and never knowing when to stop. But this poem is up for interpretation.

[kingpinquot]

“True benevolence

acts without intention.

But when rituals go unheeded,

they are enforced with rolled-up sleeves.

Failing the Great Integrity, we resort to virtuousness.

Failing virtuousness, we resort to moralizing.

Failing moralizing, we resort to dogma,

the most superficial form of faith and loyalty,

and the nourishment for confusion.

(Page 76, Distinguishing The Highest From the Lowest Morality, Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching - Ralph Alan Dale)

The first part of this poem is basically about being a good person, like finding and giving someone their wallet back if they dropped it without expecting a reward, stuff like that. The second part is super similar to another poem I think I posted; the poem itself is not saying virtue or morality is bad, the poem is saying that virtue and morality are substitutes for the Way, which is much better in practice.

[kingpinquot]

“In many ways, Piglet may appear the least signifigant of the Pooh characters. Yet he is the only one of them to change, to grow, to become more than what he was in the first place. And in the end, he does this not by denying his smallness, but by applying it, for the good of others. He accomplished what he does without accumulating a Large Ego; inside, he remains a Very Small Animal - but a different kind of Very Small Animal from what he was before.” (Page 50, The Te of Piglet - Benjamin Hoff).

This one is pretty self explanatory, but I highly recommend the first book in this little series of Daoism books by Hoff. The first one, The Dao of Pooh, is an excellent read, so go check it out on amazon. I also heard an audiobook of it just came out, too.

[kingpinquot]

“Once we have taken on a definite form, we do not lose it until death. We oppose things, yet also follow them; we violate things, yet also submit to them: that activity is all like a galloping horse that no one can stop. Isn’t it pitiful? We work all our lives without seeing it accomplish anything. We wearily work to exhaustion, without ever knowing what it all goes back to... as the physical constitution changes, so does the mind; how can this not be considered a great sorrow?” (Page 58, Zhuang-Zi, The Taoist Classics - Thomas Cleary)

This is one of the only short little poems or stories that don’t give an answer at the end (also this one is pretty heavy). Before I give my interpretation, I want to define some things that are super vague in this. I think “definite form” is something like a job, or a personality, or an obligation. I also think “it” is the same thing as the definite form mentioned earlier.

Anyway, I think my answer of, “why doesn’t life suck cuz nothing is really accomplished,” I think the answer is the moments in between the super rough and anxiety inducing moments in life. Stuff like playing games, talking with friends, or taking a walk; simple stuff that falls in line with the Way. If you have any other answers, feel free to comment them. Also, someone asked if smoking weed was allowed in Daoist culture, what do you think?

[caffeinateandeducate]

REBLOG IF

- you are a studyblr

- you are super friendly

- you love when people message you

- you want to support everyone in the community 

one thing i love about this community is that it is one big family and everyone is ready to support eachother. reblog this and follow the people that also reblog and start some super cute supportive friendships because you all deserve the best 

[kingpinquot]

yeah

[kingpinquot]

“The Way of illumination seems dark,

the Way of advancement seems retiring,

the Way of equality seems to categorize;

higher virtue seems empty,

great purity seems ignominious,

broad virtue seems insufficient,

constructive virtue seems careless.

Simple honesty seems changeable,

great range has no boundaries,

great vessels are finished late;

the great sound has a rarefied tone,

the great image has no form,

the Way hides in namelessness.

Only the Way can enhance and perfect.” (Page 29, Tao Te Ching, The Taoist Classics - Thomas Cleary)

This quote is super long but is super motivating. Especially the line that says, “great vessels are finished late...” thats not a nice guy quote, but instead it’s saying that sometimes it’s ok to let things sit in the oven. In short, keep pushing on, because the Way hides in namelessness.

[blog-photoblogger-fan-deactivat]

Sometimes, education can have a certain materialistic aspect too it. Having MORE knowledge doesn’t mean that one can DISCERN the real meaning of this information or understand It!

[kingpinquot]

“Don’t let your morale flag. Be daunted, but not defeated. Remember: the spirit, above all else, counts. If you have the will to live, you will. Good luck! (Life of Pi, page 167)”

In context, this quote is about what to do when stranded in the middle of sea. I’m assuming you aren’t, but if you feel mentally stranded in the sea, hopefully this quote can brighten your day.