Professional Documents
Culture Documents
quotes about
Life purpose in
Taoism
Sinan Sencer
Do you want to improve the world?
I don't think it can be done.
Lao Tzu
"f something exists by definition it has purpose.
If you are alive, If you exist you have purpose."
FangFu
Kam Yuen
In harmony with the Tao,
the sky is clear and spacious,
the earth is solid and full,
all creature flourish together,
content with the way they are,
endlessly repeating themselves,
endlessly renewed.
Lao Tzu
A good traveler has no fixed plans
and is not intent upon arriving.
A good artist lets his intuition
lead him wherever it wants.
A good scientist has freed himself of concepts
and keeps his mind open to what is.
Lao Tzu
Empty your mind of all thoughts.
Let your heart be at peace.
Watch the turmoil of beings,
but contemplate their return.
Lao Tzu
Governing a large country
is like frying a small fish.
You spoil it with too much poking.
Lao Tzu
"We shouldnt try to be too special. We should
be natural. Natural means ordinary"
Fang Fu
"There is a saying the greatest art in the world is
like "foolishness" Ignore the bheaviour of Tseng
and Shih, Shut the mouth of yang and mo, purge
benevlence and righteousness and the true virtue
of all under heaven will display its mystic power.
When people have true clear vision, no one in the
world will be duped; if everyone has true
hearing, then no one in the world will be
distracted; if everyone has true wisdom, then no
one will be fooled. If everyone has wisdom then
no one will be debased. Those such as tseng, shih,
Yang, Mo , the musician Kuang, craftsman Chui or
Li Chu showed off their virtue on the outside. The
made the world aflame with admiration and so
confused the world: a way of proceding which
was pointless. Sir, are you the only person who
does not known about the age of perfect virtue?
In times past in the age of Yung chen, Ta ting , Po
Huang Chung Yang, Li Liu, Li Hsu, Hsien Yuan, Ho
Hsu, Tsun LU, Chu Jung, Fu Hsi and Shen Nung the
people followed their ways, knotting string and
using the nets. They enjoyed their food, they took
pleasure in their clothes, they were content in
their lifestyles, they were at ease in the homes.
Even though the states were so close that they
could hear their neighbours cats and chickens,
nevertheless people lived until a good age before
dying and never travelled beyond their borders.
At such age perfect harmony was the norm.
Zhuang Zi
All streams flow to the sea
because it is lower than they are.
Humility gives it its power.
Lao Tzu
The ancient Masters were profound and subtle.
Their wisdom was unfathomable.
There is no way to describe it;
all we can describe is their appearance.
Lao Tzu
The heavy is the root of the light.
The unmoved is the source of all movement.
Lao Tzu
Look, and it can't be seen.
Listen, and it can't be heard.
Reach, and it can't be grasped.
Lao Tzu
Osho you have said that there are no goals in
life no purpose. And yet we are all here with
enlightenment as our main goal. Please speak on
this.
Osho
The Master keeps her mind
always at one with the Tao;
that is what gives her her radiance.
Lao Tzu
Fame or integrity: which is more important?
Money or happiness: which is more valuable?
Success of failure: which is more destructive?
Lao Tzu
He who stands on tiptoe
doesn't stand form.
He who rushes ahead
doesn't go far.
He who tries to shine
dims his own light.
He who defines himself
can't know who he really is.
He who has power over others
can't empower himself.
He who clings to his work
will create nothing that endures.
Lao Tzu
The Tao never does anything,
yet through it all things are done.
Lao Tzu
The ancient Masters
didn't try to educate the people,
but kindly taught them to not-know.
Lao Tzu
The big toe being webbed with the other toes, or an
extra finger, may both be quite natural, but they do
not spring from virtue. Swellings and tumours
certainly arise from the body, but do not spring from
what is natural. there are many acts of kindness and
justice and they are often associated with the five
vital organs. but this is not the correct way
according to the tao (the way) and te (virtue). In fact,
webbed feet are simply useless pieces of extra skin, an
additional finger is useless. so to associate these with
the five vital organs is to confuse the use of kindness
and justice. it places too much emphasis on hearing
and sight. so heightened visual perception will cause
confusion in distinguishing the five colours. one will
be overwhelmed by interesting designs and dazzled by
the bright and luminous shades of of blue and yellow.
As a result it will be like Li chu the keen sighted. And
doesnt an extraordinary faculty for hearing lead to
confusion about the five notes, and excessive use of the
six tones created by metal, stone , silk and bamaboo
together with the huanh chung and ta lu popes. As a
result it will be like the music master Kuang. The result
is that if someone misuses the power of virtue and
destroys his inner self in a quest for fame and fortune,
leading everything under heaven to follow his music
in pursuit of the unobtainable- is this not so. A great
skill in debate leads to the construction of arguments
like a builder using bricks, or a netmaker working with
string. He makes his arguuments circular and his heart
delights to go into pointless nitpicking debate about
similarity and divergence.
ZHuang Zi
Confucius pursued him and said "I thought you
were a ghost, but now i see, Sir, that you are a man. I
wish to enquire. do you have a Tao for swimming
under the water?
Zhuang Zi
Wood carver ching carved a piece of wood to
form a bell support, and those who saw iy were
astonished because it looked as though ghosts or
spirits had done it. the marquis of lu saw it, and
asked "where does you art come from?
Zhuang ZI
Stop thinking, and end your problems.
What difference between yes and no?
What difference between success and failure?
Must you value what others value,
avoid what others avoid?
How ridiculous!
Lao TZu
The Tao is always at ease.
It overcomes without competing,
answers without speaking a word,
arrives without being summoned,
accomplishes without a plan.
Lao TZU
When you work with Wu Wei, you put the round peg in
the round hole and the square peg in the square hole.
No stress, no struggle. Egotistical Desire tries to force
the round peg into the square hole and the square peg
into the round hole. Cleverness tries to devise craftier
ways of making pegs fit where they don’t belong.
Knowledge tries to figure out why round pegs fit into
round holes, but not square holes. Wu Wei doesn’t try.
It doesn’t think about it. It just does it. And when it
does, it doesn’t appear to do much of anything. But
Things Get Done.