Art and the philosophy of life

Archive for the ‘Tao’ Category

TAO…

Cat, Sleepy, Pet, Animal, Feline

Photo: Pixabay

Just something to think about…

When the great Tao is forgotten,
goodness and piety appear.
When the body’s intelligence declines,
cleverness and knowledge step forth.
When there is no peace in the family,
filial piety begins.
When the country falls into chaos,
patriotism is born.

Source:  TAO TE CHING by Stephen Mitchell (best translation ever)
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The TAO stands for peace and harmony and the idea that if we have peace and harmony, all things will fall into place.  There will be no need for rules and laws because things will flow peaceful and all will be fulfilled.  The above verse tells us what happens when we are OUT of balance.  Patriotism is a bad thing.  It can only exits when people are divided.  Piety is a bad thing.  According to the Tao, when things are in balance no rules or labels will be needed and people won’t even know what they are because they are unnecessary.  The more laws, rules and patriots, the more out of balance we are.  The farther away from peace and harmony we are.

Okay, let me say that a different way.  There is NO good or bad in the Tao…things just are.  All this is saying is that when “A” happens “B” will naturally follow.  If “A” does not happen, then there is no need for “B” to appear.

Good or bad are things we made up and have no relevance when it comes to the TAO.

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