The Tao Té Ching: Favorite Poems

Forgive me if this should more appropriately be in Philosophy; I couldn't decide which one to post this in but chose R/S anyways.

As much as I despise Western religion, I find that I have a large degree of respect for Eastern philosophies/quasi-religions such as Buddhism, Confucianism, and the Tao.

I really like this one:

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9. Retire.

Fill a cup to its brim and it is easily spilled;
Temper a sword to its hardest and it is easily broken;
Amass the greatest treasure and it is easily stolen;
Claim credit and honour and you easily fall;
Retire once your purpose is achieved - this is natural.

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That really was very nice. Do you have any others?

It makes me think about greed and how so much would be solved if people were wise enough to only keep enough money to make them happy and gave the rest to helping those who truly need it.

Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practices it will have.

They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom.

It is not possible for one to teach others who cannot teach his own family.

The superior man is modest in his speech but exceeds in his actions.

He who merely knows right principles is not equal to him who loves them.

To be able under all circumstances to practice five things constitutes perfect virtue; these five things are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness and kindness.

We don't know yet about life, how can we know about death?

Mankind differs from the animals only by a little, and most people throw that away.

If you enjoy what you do, you'll never work another day in your life.

The Master said, (the good man) does not grieve that other people do not recognize his merits. His only anxiety is lest he should fail to recognize theirs.

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Originally Posted by MrDoom

Forgive me if this should more appropriately be in Philosophy; I couldn't decide which one to post this in but chose R/S anyways.

As much as I despise Western religion, I find that I have a large degree of respect for Eastern philosophies/quasi-religions such as Buddhism, Confucianism, and the Tao.

I really like this one:

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Good ones.

http://buddhism.kalachakranet.org/re...st_quotes.html < For you Xei.

Nice to know there are Nihilists here.

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Originally Posted by Xei

That really was very nice. Do you have any others?

It makes me think about greed and how so much would be solved if people were wise enough to only keep enough money to make them happy and gave the rest to helping those who truly need it.

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Lao Zi wrote a whole book of 'em! 81 in fact.

I actually have (besides a Signet Classic hard copy I got for cheap) a little e-book that lets you choose a chapter and translation -- I'll try to remember where I got it, but it's pretty handy.

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27. Perfection.

The perfect traveller leaves no trail to be followed;
The perfect speaker leaves no question to be answered;
The perfect accountant leaves no working to be completed;
The perfect container leaves no lock to be closed;
The perfect knot leaves no end to be ravelled.
So the sage nurtures all men
And abandons no one.
He accepts everything
And rejects nothing.
He attends to the smallest details.
So the strong must guide the weak,
For the weak are raw material to the strong.
If the guide is not respected,
Or the material is not cared for,
Confusion will result, no matter how clever one is.
This is the secret of perfection:
When raw wood is carved, it becomes a tool;
When a man is employed, he becomes a tool;
The perfect carpenter leaves no wood to be carved.

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44. Contentment.

Health or reputation: which is held dearer?
Health or possessions: which has more worth?
Profit or loss: which is more troublesome?
Great love incurs great expense,
And great riches incur great fear,
But contentment comes at no cost;
Who knows when to stop
Does not continue into danger,
And so may long endure.

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I recently bought and read a translation provided by Robert Hendricks, that renames the book Te-Tao Ching—A New Translation Based on the Recently Discovered Ma-wang-tui Texts I believe because it's a more accurate translation. It was recommended to me by Richard Carrier, former Taoist, now an atheist contributor to The Secular Web who just earned his Ph.D., and is author of Sense & Goodness Without God: A Defense of Metaphysical Naturalism. The following passage is what first got my interested in reading said book.

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Under heaven nothing is more soft and yielding than water. / Yet for attacking the solid and strong, nothing is better; / It has no equal. / The weak can overcome the strong; / The supple can overcome the stiff. / Under heaven everyone knows this, / Yet no one puts it into practice. / Therefore the sage says: / He who takes upon himself the humiliation of the people / is fit to rule them. / He who takes upon himself the country's disasters deserves / to be king of the universe. / The truth often seems paradoxical.

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I prefer this translation to the one of Mr. Hendricks, though his is probably more accurate.

I never post here but I browse around some to find interesting topics like this....

I'm 20 years old and for the past 4-5 years I've casually studied eastern religion starting with Thich Nhat Hanh's books (can't recall what "type" of Buddhism) and I thought there was great truth in all of it. That type of Buddhism becomes more and more mystical as you get into it, and the mystical stuff is what diverted me from Christianity as my dad was a Baptist preacher for the first 14 years of my life. Next I found Zen/Ch'an Buddhism which I like more than it's Indian counterparts. Zen/Ch'an doesn't address any of the metaphysical questions, which I like, but then it really doesn't make those questions go away....

All that goes to say, upon studying Taoism, I've found that it is the religion for me. A religion with a constant history for nearly 5,000 years! A canon of over 5,000 volumes! It addresses astral projection, different levels of energy (jing, chi, shen), the afterlife, lucid dreaming techniques, moving (T'ai Chi Chu'an) and sitting meditation, quietist philosophy, martial arts, good/evil, cosmology/astrology... I do believe it's the one true religion, given one realizes that tiny bits are not to be taken literally (immortality and summoning dragons). Developed by a very earthy and very utilitarian people, not by a people who obviously wanted something more to fight over (Christianity..)

I recommend it to anyone already interested in Buddhism because it really just adds to the truths of Buddhism.

#8

Shang shan ho shui
Best to be like water,
Which benifits the ten thousand things
And does not contend.
It pools where humans disdain to dwell,
Close to the TAO.

Live in a good place.
Keep your mind deep.
Treat others well.
Stand by your word.
Make fair rules.
Do the right thing.
Work when it's time.

Only do not contend,
And you will not go wrong.