Essay Enlightenment from The Tao Te Ching

As the rain began to come down in an awkward fashion, as if it were

This expression can have many benefits. However, if taken literally, can be a detriment to society. What Lao-tzu meant when he said this was that when a government tries to “change the world” they would inevitably drive their constituents to an overly powerful government. When one “stays in the circle of Tao” they are able to let things happen naturally, and the world continues on in a way not affected by human error. However, in order to stay in the circle, one must “practice” being a trustworthy and compassionate person. The people and the government must work hard to build a relationship together that allows for all to be successful.

Unlike the Confucians, who actively tried to change the political system, Taoists pursue wuwei (nonaction) in living. According to the Tao Te Ching, by not acting one is not doing any harm which is the result of surrendering to the Tao. By doing such, one no longer has a corrupt nature and is moral and perfect human. If a person is in harmony with the Tao they are also in harmony with all

I would like to say that I chose the Tao Te Ching, however, it chose me. I was first introduced to this text one Christmas morning, many years ago, and it has been with me (in one way or another) ever since. Due to my lifestyle I was constantly losing my copy, and in my attempts to replace it I had the pleasure of owning a multitude of versions, and differing translations. Today I will be using the 1988 publication of the Tao Te Ching as translated by author Stephen Mitchell (as my primary source). One of the main reasons I chose Mitchell’s translation is because he uses “she” instead of the conventional “he” throughout his text. I found this to be refreshing and Mitchell explains this by in the forward to

In The Heart of Understanding, Thich Nhat Hanh’s uses simple but powerful words and real world examples to illustrate the profound Buddhist philosophy from the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra, an important representative of Mahayana Buddhist literature. The Mahayana school of Buddhist teachings emphasizes the doctrine of Sunyata- emptiness. The doctrine of emptiness, one of the most important Mahayana innovations, focuses on the relational aspect of existence. Thich Nhat Hanh coins and introduces a new word- interbeing to explain the state of emptiness. This idea of interbeing not only illustrates emptiness well but also provides understanding of other fundamental Buddhist ideas such as No-Self, impermanence and non-duality.

Refraining from absolute negativity about Lao-Tzu’s work, the Tao does have many redeemable qualities. The emphasis Lao-Tzu places on the attainment of individual happiness is extremely honorable, however this doesn’t detract from the ineffectiveness Lao-Tzu encounters, as he is unable to come to well-grounded conclusion on the means for effective leadership. His advice to politicians is to only interfere when it is an absolute necessity; yet he takes this to a radical extreme advising leaders to pretty much do nothing. His ideas are taken to an extent where if human nature falters, which it

In the Tao of Pooh the author, Benjamin Hoff, uses the from world-famous children's book/TV show character, Winnie the Pooh in order to explain the basics of Taoism. He observed many of the other various characters before coming to the conclusion that Winnie the Pooh, through his actions, was the character that he felt would be able to best explain the principles of Taoism. One of the most important principles of Taoism is "the Uncarved Block". The main principle behind the Uncarved Block is that things in their original state contain their own natural power, a power that is easily corrupted and lost when simplicity is changed.

Tao Te Ching of Lao-Tzu is a book with many chapters in it showing the two different sides to basically everything. To break it down, Tao means “path” or “way”, Te means “to get”, and Ching means “great book”. So the Tao was the force that controlled the universe and appreciated the way, to find balance between opposites. The book, Tao Te Ching has been said to been written by a Laozi—an old master—and has been said that the true author (or authors’) name has been lost. In the chapters between the book it tells how to live a life of integrity and of greatness per say. It also has contradictions or paradoxes which allows us to see the both perspectives of each side. It shows us that there are always two sides to everything. Tao Te Ching

The main focus of Tao Te Ching is non-action. For example, people do not need regulation and laws. According to Taoism, all human beings are naturally good but the laws and regulations have altered people’s belief

Confucius created a system of thinking called Confucianism. If only one word could be used to summarize the Chinese way of life for the last two thousand years, that word would be Confucian. No other person has had as great an effect on the life and thought of the Chinese people as Confucius. He is the most adored person in Chinese history. Confucius claimed no greatness, instead he looked to a past time that he saw as the golden age. He told one of his disciples, "I transmit but I do not create. I am sincerely fond of the ancient. I would compare myself to Old P'eng who was fond of talking about the good old days." Confucius was a transmitter of the wisdom of the past. From his study of Chinese tradition, he gathered the

"I have forgotten everything. I don't remember a single word"(Masunaga 36). This is the mind of one who seeks the Way. In A Primer of Soto[JS1] Zen Dogen explains the Way of the Buddha and stresses the importance of "sitting in meditation" or zazen as a means of reaching the manifestation of wholeness. The manifestation of wholeness is a state in which one abandons both mind and body and empties oneself of ignorance, delusions, and dualistic modes of thinking. One who is free from dualistic modes of being enters a world in which both subject and object exist. This is a non-objective mode of being where "all self-centeredness has been emptied, where words and concepts are used not to divide but to unite, the

Many people have things that they long to own, but overtime, their aspirations can develop the capability to become much more intense and excessive. If they become a constant fixation, they not only possess the ability to harm the individual, but they begin to negatively affect their entire society. What is more appalling is that many people undergo these unwarranted desires for things that are superficial, nonessential, or harmful. It is not presumptuous to assume that a large majority of society has experienced feelings of greed during their lives. These emotions are often driven by an unwarranted desire for love, money, or physical possessions. Despite the origin of the greed, it commonly causes a person to experience feelings of restlessness, anxiety, and despair. A person’s greed can often be overlooked as insignificant or temporary behavior, however greed has roots in our ancient ancestors, religion, and early childhood development.

History - Taosim (also spelled Daoism) was founded in China during the 6th century B.C. It is based on the teachings of Tao Te Ching, a text written by the philosopher Laozi, the founder of Taoism.

One of the most famous people in ancient China was a wise philosopher named Confucius (circa

According to Posselt & Förstl (2012) previous research has shown that one main contributor to successful implementation of new services is a unique or superior service. Storey and Hull (2010) coincide and further explained that it is not possible to use a “one size fits all” approach when developing personal services. They conducted a study, which investigated the effect of different organizational knowledge management strategies on the process of service development. They stated that for organizations, which rely mainly on personalized information where services involve personal interactions and