Tao Te Ching
I am lately interested in reading some simple theories of Tao Te Ching. It’s all about Chinese philosophy and moral. It has been translated into 250 Western languages. And….it’s too difficult for me reading it in classical Chinese I feel shame to say. I can only read it in English version on internet. My Chinese literature standard is not even up to secondary school. Dear!! LoL I am just being honest here.
I would like to share my favourite theories here….
Once whose needs are simple can fullfill them easily.
Material wealth does not enrich the spirit.
Victory in war is not glorious and not to be celebrated, but stem from devastation, and is to be mourned.
The harder one tries, the most resistance one creates for oneself.
The more one acts in harmony with the universe, the more one will achieve, with less effort.
Everything is in its own time and place.
The difference of opposite polarities - the difference between male and female, light and dark, strong and weak, helps us understand and appreciate the universe.
Knowing oneself is a virtue.
The more you go in search of an answer, the less you will understand.
Know when it’s time to stop. If you don’t know then stop when you are done.
More mistakes you make more chances you can improve yourself.
There are too many theories to discuss in here but these are very basic related to our daily life. One of these must exist in your life but you probably haven’t taken proper noticed of it. It relates to any subject matters that happened in our life experiences and helps us to tackle it through thinking. It does help. The one about the war, it’s good for Bush. lol
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One thing I feel unfortunate for my American-born children is that they’ve never been exposed to the wisdom of great Chinese thinkers like Laozi and Zhuangzi. In the US, many people are very smart, but not many of them wise. It is by wisdom, not smartness, that one can find peace and happiness.
Whenever I am frustrated and losing my mental balance, I will unfold a piece of paper from my wallet. On the paper are the verses of the Heart Sutra printed in Chinese. Originally known as Prajna Paramita Hridaya, the Heart Sutra was imported to China from India. Although the Chinese translation is very popular because it is poetic and elegant, its meaning is generally misunderstood. I’ve found the English translation much easier to understand (though I still don’t understand it fully). Please allow me to share it here: http://www.sra.co.jp/people/aoki/Buddhism/HannyaShinshu/PrajnaParamitaHrdaya.html
I know those on the web link you gave. Those are also hard to understand, but it does help you to feel “steady” and “quiet” when you are facing difficulties. I think you can teach your kids, can’t you?
Thank you for that link, TT. When you are in the LA area, you may wish to bring your family to the Lake Shrine of Paramansa Yogananda. http://www.yogananda-srf.org/temples/lakeshrine/lakeshrine.html While it’s fun for kids (feeding the swans, roaming the beautiful grounds, etc.) it also offers a great introduction to these philosophies.
Thanks Jumpcut for your recommendation. I sure will visit the Shrine next time when I drive on the most scenic HWY-1 along the coast.
Joyce: I am not wise enough to teach anyone about wisdom. I also believe that wisdom cannot be taught but has to be experienced in a culture. My wife and I intend to send our children to Chinese University of Hong Kong for summer school when they grow up.
TT:
You and your wife are very special as I have never heard that Chinese parents would send their kids for summer school in HK universities. I mean those who live in the western countries.
I guess these days parents would send their kids to city like Beijing for language learning and culture studies.
Many HK parents like their kids studying in Beijing university in the future as they do think their kids must have good prospect of future career.