Lao Tzu was born in 604 BC. in the ancient Chinese kingdom of Chu, in the Ku county, Li region, in the Quiren village, not far from modern Beijing. Lao Tzu - this name means "wise old man" in translation.

In reality, his name was Li Er. According to legend, he was an older contemporary of Confucius. After receiving a good education, he served for some time as a historian at the court of the Zhou dynasty and curator of the archives of the royal library - the greatest book depository in China. He lived in the capital for a long time, worked a lot on the documents entrusted to him, official and literary texts, thought a lot, talked a lot with people who visited him, representatives of different classes and professions ...

Lao Tzu was the embodiment of the Teacher (Guru) expressing Divinity. This is evident not only from his teachings, but also from his life. He could see only one thing as the Absolute: Tao, or God. He didn't compromise. His attention was pure.

The guru teaches people with tremendous compassion. Lao Tzu loved any seeker because he could see Divinity in him. It was to the one he loved that he intended his teaching. The guru teaches that which is pure. Purity enables us to see the illusions of Divinity, and then we find mastery in joy, contentment in love, and absoluteness in the Spirit.

Was married and his son Seo served in military service, to which Lao-Tzu himself was extremely negative. Then, already in adulthood, observing the weakening of the Zhou dynasty and foreseeing its subsequent fall and collapse, Lao Tzu left government service and settled in a secluded cave in the Zheu province, far from people and civilization.

Lao Tzu lived a long and inconspicuous life. According to the largest Chinese historiographer Sim Qian (145-86 BC), "Lao-Tzu was tall, his complexion was yellow, beautiful eyebrows, long ears, a wide forehead, rare and ugly teeth, a quadrangular mouth with thick and ugly lips. He lived until 160 years of age, thanks to his holy life, consistent with the Tao. "

History has brought to us that Lao Tzu had no intention of expressing his views in writing, but at the age of about 95 he went to die alone in the mountains, but he was stopped by a Chinese border guard. Being an admirer of the Elder's teachings, the border guard asked to present his teachings in writing, threatening, otherwise, not to let Lao Tzu cross the border.

Affected by circumstances, Lao Tzu agreed and within a few days wrote the Tao Te Ching, consisting of 5,000 characters. The title of the book itself can be translated in different ways, one of the translations is as follows: "The path of the highest virtue, leading to purity."

The hieroglyph "Tao" consists of two parts: "show" - the head and "zou" - to walk, therefore the main meaning of this hieroglyph is the road people walk, but now this hieroglyph has acquired a figurative meaning and began to mean regularity, law.

The Tao Te Ching, or Treatise on Tao and Te, speaks of the existence of the absolute Tao. Tao is eternal, endless, inconceivable, without an image, taste or smell, not created by anyone, it is its own trunk, its own root, it impartially embraces and contains everything that exists, like an all-embracing and bottomless sky. According to Lao-Tzu, "when short person hears about Tao, he laughs. If he had not laughed, it would not have been Tao. "To cognize Tao, follow it, merge with it - this is the meaning, purpose and happiness of life. Tao is the highest eternal spiritual being- is the root cause of all that exists, and human souls are emanations (outpourings) of this creature. "Tao gives birth to one. One gives birth to two. Two gives birth to three. Three gives birth to myriads of entities." Lao-Tzu taught that the soul, not tainted by sins, returns to its Divine principle, and sins force it to stay in other bodies of the animal world.

Lao Tzu preached that the best life path consists in inaction, in which a person obediently follows Tao - the natural course of life.

"The implementation of non-action will lead to the fact that there will be nothing left that would not be controlled."

"The constancy of Tao is in the absence of realization. As a result, the unfulfilled is absent" (37th Jan).

"A man of wisdom puts his personality behind, and his personality is in front. He is removed from his personality, and the personality is preserved. It is through the absence of personal aspirations that he is able to fulfill his personal aspirations." (7th jan).

"Consciousness of the heart is perfected by bottomlessness" (8th jan).

"Strive for the limit of emptiness. Try to maintain a state of calm."

"My essence is to behold the return." "Each one returns, coming to its root." "Coming to the root is expressed by peace." "Moving according to Tao, it is able to endlessly last. The body will disappear, but you will not perish." (16th jan).

According to the teachings of Lao Tzu, Tao is what is followed. Tao manifests itself through its Te potency, and if Tao gives rise to everything, then Te nourishes everything.

Tao is the root of heaven and earth, Tao is the mother of all things. Tao is the foundation of the world.
Tao has no form, does not emit sounds, does not have a form, you look at it, but you don’t see, you listen to it, but you don’t hear, you catch it, but you cannot catch it.
Thirty spokes are connected in one wheel hub, and since there is a void in the axle of the hub, it becomes possible to use a chariot. Vessels are made of clay, and since the vessels inside are empty, it becomes possible to use them. Doors and windows are hollowed out to build a house, and since the house is empty inside, it becomes possible to use it. Therefore, the presence of objects is beneficial, and the emptiness in them makes them fit for use. "Tao" is "emptiness".
Tao is constantly in non-action, but there is nothing that it does not do.
Without leaving the yard, the sage learns the world. Without looking out of the window, he sees the natural Tao. The further he goes, the less he learns. Therefore, a wise person does not walk, but cognizes. Not seeing things, he calls them. He creates without acting.
When all people know that the beautiful is beautiful, the ugly also appears. When everyone knows that good is good, evil also arises. Therefore, being and non-being give rise to each other, the difficult and the easy create each other, the long and the short are mutually formed, the high and the low lean towards each other, the sounds, merging, come into harmony, the previous and the next follow each other. Therefore, a wise person prefers non-action and carries out the teaching silently.
That which is being compressed expands. That which is weakened is strengthened. That which is destroyed blooms. Whoever wants to take something away from another will certainly lose his own.
Being and non-being generate each other.
Doesn't the space between heaven and earth look like a blacksmith's fur? Empty inside, it never depletes, and the more it moves, the more wind comes out of it.
The highest good is like water. The good that water has is beneficial to all beings, and it does not fight with them. Water is located in places that people abhor, so it looks like "Tao".
A person easily dies from the fact that he has too much desire for life.
Everything is temporary under the sky.
Striving for little - you gain, striving for much - you fall into error.
One who has strong troops is destroyed.
Strong and strong are the servants of death.
A person at his birth is gentle and weak, and at the onset of death is firm and strong. All creatures and plants are tender and weak at birth, and dry and rotten at death. The firm and strong is what perishes, and the tender and weak is what begins to live. Therefore, a powerful army does not win and a strong tree perishes. The strong and the powerful do not have the advantage that the gentle and the weak have.
About misfortune! It is the mainstay of happiness. About happiness! Misfortune lurked in him.
Great things in the Celestial Empire necessarily start with little things.
The soft and the weak prevail over the hard and the strong. In the Celestial Empire there is nothing softer and weaker than water, but it attacks the strong and strong, and no one can defeat it.
Who knows when to stop, he will not have failure.
One can cognize others by oneself.
He who promises a lot is not trustworthy.
Whoever acts will fail. Whoever owns something will lose. That is why the perfectly wise is inactive and fails.
I have three treasures that I cherish: the first is philanthropy, the second is thrift, and the third is that I dare not be ahead of others. When I am little known, then I am dear. Therefore, the perfectly wise is like one who dresses in coarse fabrics and keeps jasper with him.
A wise person, knowing himself, does not expose himself.
There is no greater misfortune than not knowing one's own boundaries.
The one who neglects his life, thereby values ​​his life.
Be attentive to your thoughts - they are the beginning of actions. Where great sages have power, subjects do not notice their existence. Where little sages rule, the people become attached to them and praise them. Where even lesser sages rule, the people fear them, and where there are even lesser sages, the people despise them.
Great directness is like curvature, great wit is like stupidity.
If you hope for an easy one, then there will certainly be many difficulties.
See it as difficult and it won't be difficult in the end.
True words seem paradoxical, but no other teaching can replace them.

Fedorova Sofia

Lao Tzu

Summary of the myth

Lao-tzu ("old child") - late VII - mid. VI centuries. BC. - Chinese philosopher, legendary founder of philosophical Taoism, almighty sage. He is credited with the authorship of the treatise "Tao Te Ching" ("The Book of the Way and Virtue"). In popular beliefs, he is considered the patron saint of spellcasters, blacksmiths, jewelers, grinders and craftsmen who make bowls and chopsticks. The greatest knowledge given by Lao Tzu to the Taoists is the knowledge of immortality, the path to the practical attainment of immortality.

According to legend, he was conceived from solar energy collected in a five-color pearl, swallowed by his mother Xuan-miao-yunyu. He stayed in her womb for 81 years and came out of the left hypochondrium. Was born under a plum tree (Lee Tree). Pointing to this tree, Lao Tzu said, "This will be my name." After 9 days, his growth reached 9 chi (approx. 3 m), and his appearance had all the signs of a saint. His head was white, his face was yellow, his ears were long, his eyes were large, a thick beard, a wide neck, sparse teeth, a square mouth, and a cross on his palms.

After living for about 200 years, Lao Tzu went west on horseback on a black bull. When he reached the border pass, the caretaker of this mountain pass said to him: "I see, sir, that you are retiring alone, please, write down your thoughts for me in a book." And Lao Tzu wrote a book on the path (Tao) and virtue. And he gave it to the caretaker. During a period of wandering, he arrived in India, miraculously impregnated the sleeping mother of Prince Gautama and thus became the father of Buddha. Then Lao Tzu left, and no one knows where he ended his life.

Another legend tells how the emperor, wanting to see Lao Tzu and not having achieved a meeting with him, went to him himself and, seeing that Lao Tzu did not bow to him, said: "Although you are righteous, but my subject, from me wealth and nobility depends. " Then Lao Tzu, rising a hundred fathoms into the air, said: "Now, when I am above not in the sky, in the middle (in the air) I do not look like a man, below I do not touch the ground - what do your awards, sir, mean" ... The emperor, knowing his wisdom and greatness, got down from the stretcher and bowed to him. So - according to legend - the greatest bearer of the shrine of Chineseism - the Emperor bowed before the wise Lao Tzu.

Images and symbols of myth

Lao Tzu - the legendary founder of Taoism in China -
with the symbol of darkness and light (yin and yang) in hands
Chinese folk painting of the 19th century.

In Taoist legends, Lao Tzu is the embodiment of wisdom and contemplation.

In order for a person's life to be filled with Te (good power, perfection), it is necessary to give up indulging one's desires, from the constant pursuit of things, get rid of self-interest and become oneself, forgetting all the "correct" answers and stereotypes. Only then will man gain wisdom. The sage does everything for people and gives to others.

The entire collective image of the Chinese philosopher is permeated with symbolism. The image is considered collective, since it is assumed that Lao Tzu himself did not exist as a person, but there were people who wrote the Tao Te Ching treatise for many years.

Thus, Lao Tzu's oxymoric nickname, the literal meaning of which is “ Old Child", Is associated both with the legend of his birth as a gray-haired 81-year-old man, and with the text Tao Te Ching, consisting of 81 paragraphs ( zhang).

In the definition of consciousness ("heart" - blue) of such a philosopher-child ( tzu) two pairs of opposites converge: wisdom and stupidity, elitism and nationality. The heart of a perfect sage is equated with the heart of a child, a fool, and the whole nation.

The entire appearance of Lao Tzu is also symbolic. He acquired a form that includes a golden face, elongated lobes (a sign of wisdom) and a bulge on the crown of the head, similar to the Indian ushnisha, a symbol of attained enlightenment.

The most important attributes of his iconography include mantic symbols. Zhou("Zhou Changes", or "Book of Changes" 8-4 centuries BC) and gua(trigrams, hexagrams). In other words, this is the so-called yin-yang symbol, which depicts the universe, consisting of two opposites: masculine and feminine.

Lao Tzu is usually depicted as traveling west on a bull with a large beard. A beard is a sign that the philosopher has already reached the age of 60, since only from this age the Chinese were allowed to wear a beard.

To saddle a bull means to conquer the animal nature of man. The calm power of the domestic bull is associated in China with the contemplative life.
The passage through which Lao Tzu rides on a bull is a passage of contemplation, solitude, silence and austerity. Thus, he decided to leave the Chinese Confucian world, surrounded by a wall “I don’t want to know further”.

Communication tools for creating images and symbols

Mount Laoshan

The first information about Lao Tzu is contained in the texts of 4-3 c. BC.: Chuang Tzu("[Treatise] of Master Zhuang"), Le Tzu("[Treatise] of Teacher Le"), Lü-shih chun qiu("Mr. Liu's Spring and Autumn"), Xun Tzu("[Tract] by Master Xun"), Han Fei-tzu("[Treatise] of Master Han Fei"), Li ji("Notes on Decency"), and already in the 2nd century. BC. his name is combined with the name of the mythical cultural hero Huang-di (Yellow Emperor), forming bin Huang Lao, denoting the founders of Taoism, and from the turn of our era. begins the process of mythologizing and endowing the divine nature of Lao Tzu himself.

In the 20th century. in China, the problem of the historicity of Lao Tzu and the author Tao-Te Ching restored by the philosopher Liang Qichao (1873-1923). Chrysanth, Konissi, Dostoevsky, S. Soloviev, Tolstoy, etc. wrote about Lao-tzu. There are the most conflicting interpretations of the teachings of Lao Tzu. For example, V.S.Soloviev recognized Lao-Tzu as the greatest philosopher of the yellow race, arguing that, according to Lao-Tzu, "the true beginning of everything is absolute indifference," that "absolute emptiness or indifference, as a speculative principle, and the denial of life, knowledge and progress "constitute the very essence of the teachings of Lao Tzu. In contrast to Soloviev, Chrysanthus argued that "the deity of Lao Tzu is a world substance in the pantheistic sense," that Lao Tzu calls for immortality, acquired by wisdom through the assimilation of the divine element in nature. But for all the differences in the understanding of the teachings of Lao Tzu, one thing is absolutely certain: it is a deep difference in the spiritual path of Lao Tzu from the path of all to a single Chinese thinker.

Monument to Lao Tzu in Fushan

In addition to literary sources, there are Lao Tzu memorial sites revered by the Taoists. For example, Louguan Terrace is the most ancient cult complex where Taoism arose. Once upon a time, it was here that Lao Tzu taught classes with his students.

Another sacred site for Taoists is Mount Laoshan... Taoist ancient temples are located on its slopes. At its very foot is the Palace of Great Purity, where the statues of the founder of Taoism Lao Tzu and the Jade Emperor are located.

Monuments:

The famous Lao Tzu monument is located in China in Fusham.

Currently, the construction of sculptural compositions for the greatest Chinese thinker continues. For example, a monument to Lao Tzu was inaugurated in the Kaluga region. The bronze figure of the philosopher of ancient China was installed on the site of the future Center of Chinese Culture.

The social meaning of the myth

Lao Tzu is considered the founder of the Chinese philosophical trend and doctrine - Taoism and, as mentioned above, the creator of the ancient treatise Tao Te Ching. A treatise on morality, dedicated to clarifying the basic concept of "Tao" (path, reason, logos) in Lao Tzu's philosophy. Tao is a single supreme being, the root cause of everything that exists, which is at the same time the ideal of morality in human life, the criterion of good and evil.

Lao Tzu was an opponent of all Chinese religious consciousness and action and strove for asceticism, contemplation and solitude. Taoist systems have cosmology, mythology, astrology, medicine, and practical asceticism. For example, breathing techniques, the practice of contemplation, the improvement of the physical body. In our time, yoga is very popular, involving the implementation of all these techniques. Taoists believe that all this is necessary only in order to master immortality on earth, in order to ascend to heaven "to take up a position in heaven."

The cult of Lao Tzu was formed in the 2nd century. and acquired a special scope during the Tang dynasty (618-907), whose emperors bore the surname Li and considered him their ancestor.

It is known that in the West Lao Tzu is much more popular than Confucius. And in China, on the contrary, Confucianism dominates. This is where the conflict arises between the ideas of the two philosophers. Basically, the Chinese adhere to the opinion of Confucius, but, nevertheless, Lao Tzu is in their reverence.

Nowadays, the teachings of the Chinese philosopher are actively used in management. American psychologist John Hader translated the Tao Te Ching into modern language, and the so-called rules for managers from Lao Tzu help professionals to manage .

Let's pay attention to some of the revised sayings from the Tao Te Ching:

To be youreself

A wise leader does not make a show of merit or knowledge gained in order to look good. Otherwise, it creates a climate of success and failure. This is where competition and jealousy arise. The emphasis on material success leads to the same: those who have a lot become proud, those who have little become thieves.

Dedication

Genuine self-interest teaches selflessness. Heaven and earth are stable not because they are selfishly self-sufficient, but because they exist in the interests of all creation. A wise leader, knowing this, keeps his egocentrism under control and, by doing so, becomes even more effective.

Be quiet

A wise leader speaks rarely and concisely.

The abandonment paradox

When I let go of what I am, I become who I can be. When I release what I have, I get what I need. When I feel most destroyed, I am at the beginning of a growth period. When I desire nothing, much comes to me. When I give up trying to inspire the group, I become very impressive. But when I just try to make myself look good, the band knows it and they don't like it. When I give in to the desires of the person who works, I meet no resistance.

Favorable opportunities

Good leadership art consists of motivating people to reach the highest level by offering them opportunities, not responsibilities. This is how things happen most naturally. Life is an opportunity, not a duty.

21 Mar 2017 | 2491

I don’t know the name.
But I will write on silk: Tao.
I willfully name it - great "...

Lao Tzu. "Tao Te Jing"

TWENTY THREE

Nature is laconic.
A windy morning will be replaced by a quiet afternoon.
It won't rain like a bucket day and night.
This is how the earth and the sky are arranged.
Even the earth and the sky
Can't create lasting
Moreover, a man.
It remains for a person to follow the Tao.
Whoever follows the Tao is equal to the Tao.
Whoever obeys Te is equal to the great Te.
Whoever loses is comparable to the loss.
Who is equal to Tao - acquires Tao.
Who is equal to Te, acquires Te.
Whoever is comparable to the loss gains the loss.
Doubt is the path to delusion.

23 pairs of chromosomes ...

The expression of the highest form of justice is the ascension into the higher spheres of the beauty of being of each person who has formed himself with love and joy for his neighbor, as the highest and to the highest, as to his neighbor ...

Key- the construction of the living substance of human consciousness in the space of the higher spirit ...

The Seventh Siddhi contains the seed of the man of the future - the perfect behavioral archetype that few "normal" people can match ...

The Man - the Thinker of the World needs to understand the Laws of the quantum mechanics of Spirit. The space of the Spirit is truly all-encompassing, all-presentable and limitless ...

Evolutionary programs are the laws of the universe. Among these laws are the law of integral systems, the law of time, the law of the cube and many other laws ...

The ancients said: give in - you will win. Take a detour - you will come first. Innocence is the companion of wisdom. The old is a sign of the new. Small is the path to great, and great is the path to delusion. He who understands hears. He does not boast of vigilance - that is why he sees clearly ...

Look with your heart at the greatness of hearts merged by Ra in a waltz, only unity makes the pattern of Ra flawless and inspirational, the great Breath provides a great Exhalation, decorating with happiness, only the Love of whole couples is capable of carrying the Gift beautiful!

Quiet, soft light. It is millions of years old. The light of the golden lamp, illuminating the essence of time, the fields of perfect thought and beauty are the essence. I am emitting a soft and primal light. Time is written in it, I am billions of years old. This light is my memory.

The sacred meaning of the very symbol of the Flower of Life is 12 strands of DNA, 12 fields, 12 hormonal glands, soul and body ... The structure and structure of the subtle. These are the unity of the spiritual and the material, the matrix of the manifestation of life itself on Earth, namely, the Divine consciousness ...

A person can be really happy, but with one important condition- if he is happy with himself. To be satisfied with oneself, only one condition of two actions is required - this is to set a task for oneself and to fulfill it oneself.

TWENTY FOUR

Whoever stands on tiptoe will not resist.
Whoever strides widely will not keep the step.
Whoever aspires to the crest will not be lifted up,
But a weak-willed sliver will wash up.
Trying to rub it to a shine - you will rub it into powder.
The attacker will be in the tail.
Whoever follows the Tao knows:
It's all useless cargo, heavy food,
they do not bring happiness.
Whoever follows the Tao will escape.

Cosmic balance symbol

Activation of the contours in the conjugation of the light filaments of the field. Revealing the essence of the multidimensionality of the Unified Consciousness of the Life-giving Ray of the Source - the Rainbow Stream of Golden Lights in full acceptance and Beauty of the manifested fields ...

Two happy lovers and a philosopher are looking at the young moon. Looking at the slim young moon emerging at sunset, different people realize that the time has come to move their various endeavors forward.

Adamic beginning. Pillars of Laws. Trinity ray. The Trinity Shell Matrix. Iridescent crystal of magic."The depth of your ocean is more and more important to me than the wavelength ..."

Man is centered in God. But is he in God when he is not concentrated? Let us think in concentration.The kingdom of God is within us ...

Emerald Tablet the principle of correspondence (anology) - as above, so below; as below, so above. With its help, you can even rip (move) the veil of Isis to such a distance that you can throw an instant look at the face of the Goddess ...

The consciousness of a warrior should not take the form of objects that fill the worlds, and streams of thought rushing through the brain. The consciousness of a warrior must be plastic and easily permeable, so,so that nothing could find food or shelter in him ...

Energy of the Sacred Wisdom of the Earth - Emerald Lotus ...

I smile and all the Flowers of the Earth, all the trees and grasses bloom ...

TWENTY FIVE

In the depths of chaos lies the miraculous.
Lift the veil of secrecy -
You who came into being before heaven and earth.
You, silent, fluid,
Indestructible alone.
You live everywhere without the law.
Maybe you are the mother of heaven and earth?
I don’t know the name.
But I will write on silk: Tao.
I will arbitrarily call it great.
Great - moves without end.
Infinite - will not reach the limit.
Infinite - will return to the source.
Here's the proof.
Great Tao.
Great sky.
Great land.
Great sovereign.
There are four quantities in the world,
among them is the sovereign.
Man follows the laws of the earth.
The earth is to the sky.
The sky obeys Tao.
Tao follows Tao.

Chapter 25 of the Gospel of Matthew based on knowledge about the matrix of the Universe ...

All people are manifested in the feelings of the Creator, manifested in the feelings of the Creator, and all of them are the feelings of the Creator. Imaginary forms are witnesses to life; those presented are witnesses of the teachings of the Supreme and the Path of the Inscrutable ...

Chronoshells are the first objects of the integral world, which are the result of unification (integration) of entities separated during differentiation: quarts and energy-time ...

... It is necessary to understand that everything already exists, has always been and will be the future of what is always happening in the eternal unchanging form of the Soul of creation in God ...

In each circle, a person faces a task, only by solving which, he will be able to move further along the paths of the evolution of the spirit, to the last border separating the lower world from the supermundane and distant worlds of the transcendental cosmos.

Everlasting sky. Webbed wings flapping in the ancient wind. Soar above the sun. below the moon to fall. With a quick brush I paint the beginning of the path.

Twenty-four golden keys from the twenty-four gates of the Divine Earth of man of All-Encompassing - the Grail of the All-perfect ...

Existing before the beginning of time, illuminate your face with a friendly smile, bless the creation with the look of your lotus eyes, diminish my creative aspirations, drive out longing from the heart!

Bolon IK is an archetypal symbol of the feminine principle, connecting the energies of the heavens and the energies of the earth. In relation to our three-dimensional world, Bolon IK represents the light of the soul, and is also the one who creates the Rainbow Bridge or Antahkarana

The higher model is an energy field that reorients the six facets of the degenerating "cubic system" of the Earth by creating parallel and integral wavelengths that are in phase through "phase tension".

The Yellow Emperor's Treatise on the Inner ...

Kindness - the ability to see how much Divine consciousness you can develop in your mind, using thought-forms that are available to you in nature, from the center of the earth to the farthest expanses of the milky way that your Eye can contemplate ...

Place the flame of your Soul in the Heart. Move it swiftly to the base of the triangle. Hold for a moment, then move towards the goal ...

If you look and see, listen and feel a person, like a bubbling stream of consciousness of the Universe, then you can hear, see and perceive what is deep inside ourselves, locked behind seven seals ...

Twenty one...
You are not alone...
The Sun Eye looks at Us ...
In the stream of the Moon of Solar Intention -
Divine Blessings ...
With the red seal of the Lunar Earth -
Portal Day - Essence Accept ...
To the opening of the Fifteenth Gene Key -
Time for humility and closeness to simple things and the main truths -
This is the Perfect Beauty ...

There are people who have turned the consciousness not only of their generation, but also influencing those who will live many, many centuries after. They came from nowhere, but did not leave without a trace, but left behind the Path. The narrow path rushes by itself and leads away all who decided to take it, following the common words of the pioneer. This is how the quotes of Lao Tzu once flew like birds and managed to fly around the whole world, giving rise to followers of True Wisdom. Who is Lao Tzu? What is this Wisdom and how does it help you manage your life?

The old man is a legend. Majestic mountains with lonely pines on them, the sky that a dome stretches upward and silence, which is heard with a lingering melody. All this provided opportunities and unhurried, but deep plans. It was here that philosophers were born who helped people see the beauty of life and the true vocation of man.

Where did he come from, and how did the man, the philosopher, who took the name Lao Tzu, appear? There is no single version. Some of his contemporaries insisted that his 81-year-old mother was born, who all this time was carrying a child under her heart. And he appeared already gray-haired and wise.

In another version, this man came from India, but he did not bring any teaching with him, like a blank slate, he went to China to study and learn. And therefore, his statements fully reflect the Eastern philosophy of the worldview.

But, like any other legendary personality, Lao Tzu fights for "life." Some historians even dispute the existence of this philosopher. And all his quotes and aphorisms are distributed between Confucius and his lesser-known contemporaries.

So, did a person really live, whose wisdom formed the basis of one of the most ambitious teachings? Was the one whom Confucius called like the Dragon, and recognized his wisdom unattainable? Let's leave this behind the scenes, focusing on Lao Tzu's simple but wise aphorisms.

He who talks a lot often fails.

Never judge a person until you've come a long way in their shoes.

Be more attentive to your thoughts, they are the beginning of actions!

Whoever takes - fills the palms, who gives - fills the heart.

There is nothing in the world weaker and softer than water, but it can destroy the hardest object!

A pot is made of clay, but only for the sake of the emptiness that is inside ...

He who knows how to control others is strong, who knows how to control himself is powerful.

It is necessary to put things in order when there is still no turmoil.

The path of wisdom. These quotes are almost 14 centuries old, but each of us willingly recognizes their practicality for a modern person. They seem to become even wiser over the years. What is their secret? It's simple. The philosopher did not speak about temporary concepts, not about fashionable trends, he based his teaching on eternal concepts, such as: love, simplicity of thinking, common sense, and harmony with the outside world.

This all became the beginning of the Path. Where does it lead to? To the unity of nature and man. Nature makes people strong and perfect; man, on the other hand, takes care of everything that surrounds him. And he does not for his own benefit, but in fairness, considering everything a part of himself. Is there meaning and wisdom here? Without a doubt! The philosopher's sayings are deep and accurate. And most importantly, they relate to the life of every person.

Overcoming the difficult begins with the easy, the realization of the great begins with the small, for in the world the difficult is formed from the easy, and the great from the small.

There is no greater misfortune than the inability to be content with what you have.

The one who neglects his life does not value his life.

One who forces himself will not succeed. Those who feel sorry for themselves cannot cultivate.

As you climb the mountain, do not hit those whom you will bypass along the way. You will meet them again when you descend.

Smart every day replenishes his knowledge. The wise one erases the excess every day.

Cloudy water, if allowed to settle, becomes transparent.

There are thirty spokes in one wheel, but only the void between them makes movement possible. Vases are made of clay, but they use the void in the vase. They break through windows and doors in the house, but use the void in the house. This is the benefit of being and non-being.

We all want to get so much from life that sometimes we are in a hurry and in a hurry, passing by important and really necessary things. In pursuit of material or pleasure, we forget about the eternal: about love and friendship, about what really matters and brings true joy and meaning to our life.

Lao Tzu's wise words put everything in its place. He, slowly, calmly shows what a person really needs for the completeness and harmony of his existence. Without making a distinction between young and old, noble or simple person who has achieved and strives to achieve something really important, the thinker shows what is around us beautiful life... His phrases help to see and appreciate all the possibilities that we have. And strive no longer towards empty and weak goals, but towards your own happiness.

On our site we have collected a decent collection of the sage's sayings. All these aphorisms can be downloaded for free and shared with your friends.

Watch your words, they become actions.
Watch your actions, they become a habit.
Watch your habits, they become character.
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny

Lao Tzu, life time about VI-V centuries BC. e. Ancient Chinese philosopher, one of the founders of the course of Taoism, the author of the treatise "Tao Te Ching" (Canon of the Way and Virtue).

You cannot deify demons.

He who does not quarrel is not condemned.

The sage avoids all extremes.

If present, the Paths do not stagnate.

The one who is content with himself is a rich man.

When there are no enemies, there is no war.

If you accumulate a lot, then a lot will disappear.

There is no harder trouble than ignorance of satisfaction.

The best thing is to get away with success.

He who talks a lot often fails.

The clever are never learned; scientists are not smart.

Even the best weapon does not bode well.

A truly enlightened person never fights.

The law of the worthy is to do good and not quarrel.

There is no greater trouble than underestimating the enemy.

Whoever thinks that he has comprehended everything, he knows nothing.

An easy agreement is not credible.

If you lack faith, then being does not believe in you.

The one who knows does not speak. The one who speaks does not know.

Be attentive to your thoughts - they are the beginning of actions.

Loss is the beginning of reproduction, multitude is the beginning of loss.

If the people are not afraid of power, then even greater power will come.

He who, knowing nothing, behaves as one who knows a lot, is sick.

For a sage, honor and shame from the mighty of the world are equally strange.

The trouble of the whole world comes from little things, just as a great thing comes from small things.

When laws and orders multiply, the number of thieves and robbers grows.

The one who neglects his life does not value his life.

If a thing is not suitable for one purpose, it can be used for another.

You cannot be precious like jasper, you need to become simple like a stone.

There is no greater crime than indulging in harmful aspirations.

And a loss can turn into a profit, and maybe a profit can turn into a loss.

Confucius and Lao Tzu.

He who, knowing a lot, behaves like one who does not know anything, is a moral husband.

A worthy husband puts on thin clothes, but has a precious stone in him.

Tao is constantly doing non-doing, but there is nothing that it does not do.

Who, knowing the limits of his activities, does not come close to the dangers, he will live a long time.

Man follows the earth. The earth follows the sky. Heaven follows Tao, and Tao follows naturalness.

Abstinence is the first step of virtue, which is the beginning of moral perfection.

People of the highest morality do not consider themselves moral, therefore they have the highest morality.

He who knows when to stop is content with his position. He who knows a lot is silent, but he who speaks a lot does not know anything.

The reason that it is difficult to govern the people is that the people are enlightened and there are many smart people in them.

Unlimited virtue is like its lack; spreading virtue is like plundering it.

He who knows people is intelligent. He who knows himself is enlightened. He who overcomes people is strong. He who conquers himself is powerful.

Although there is no object in the world that is weaker and softer than water, it can destroy the hardest object.

He who is brave, not knowing love for mankind, who is generous, not knowing frugality, who goes forward, not knowing humility, will perish.

Be bent and you stay straight. Be empty and you remain complete. Be worn out and you stay new.

Be able to know the beginning and the path of antiquity, and this knowledge will allow you to see the guiding thread leading to the present day.

The great man holds on to the essential and leaves the insignificant. He does everything in truth, but he will never rely on laws.

One who knows people is prudent. He who knows himself is enlightened. He who overcomes people is strong. He who conquers himself is powerful.

Denial of the Way is: luxurious apartments and weedy fields, rich clothes, satiety with food and completely empty storage facilities.

A worthy husband does a lot, but does not boast about what he has done, does merit, but does not recognize them, because he does not want to reveal his wisdom.

Tao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two give birth to three, and three give birth to all beings. All beings carry yin and yang within themselves, are filled with qi and form harmony.

There are thirty spokes in one wheel, but the chariot is used because of the void between them. Vases are made of clay, but they use the void in the vase. They break through windows and doors in the house, but use the void in the house. This is the benefit of being and non-being.

Everything in the world grows, blooms and returns to its root. Returning to your root means tranquility; in accordance with nature means eternal; therefore, the destruction of the body does not involve any danger.

A wise person does not expose himself to the light, therefore he shines; he does not talk about himself, therefore he is glorious; he does not glorify himself, therefore he is deserved; he does not exalt himself, therefore he is the eldest among others.

The ignorant are the basis for the noble, and the low is the basis for the high. Therefore, the nobility and the sovereigns who uplift themselves do not have a stable position, for they do not consider the ignorant as their basis. This is a false path.

A person at birth is gentle and weak, at death is firm and strong. All things and plants are delicate and weak at birth, and firm and strong at death. Solid and strong is that which perishes. Tender and weak is what begins to live. The strong and powerful do not have the same advantage as the gentle and the weak.

In order to decrease something, of course, you should increase it first. In order to take, one must certainly give first.

If the palace is luxurious, then the fields are covered with weeds and the grain storage facilities are empty. Nobles dress in luxurious fabrics, carry sharp swords, are not satisfied with ordinary food and accumulate surplus wealth. All this is called robbery and waste.

Tao Te Ching. Book of the Way and Grace. Lao Tzu (audiobook)

In the treatise Tao-Te Ching (IV-III centuries BC), the foundations of Taoism and the philosophy of Lao-tzu are set forth.
At the center of the doctrine is the teaching of the great Tao, the universal Law and the Absolute. Tao reigns everywhere and in everything, always and without limits.
Nobody created him, but everything comes from him. Invisible and inaudible, inaccessible to the senses, constant and inexhaustible,
nameless and formless, it gives rise, name and form to everything in the world. Even the great Heaven follows the Tao.
To cognize Tao, follow it, merge with it - this is the meaning, purpose and happiness of life. Tao manifests itself through its emanation - through de, and if Tao generates everything, then de feeds everything.

The treatise insists on the ineffability of the Tao, which is the beginning of all things. Non-action is recommended for the attainment of Tao,
silence, calmness, moderation and dispassion, which bestow merging with Tao.

Meeting of Confucius and Lao Tzu. Taoist parable.

Confucius was very worried about Lao Tzu and his teachings.

One day he went to see him.

He was older than Lao Tzu and expected him to behave with due respect.

But Lao Tzu was sitting when Confucius came to him.

He didn’t even get up to greet, didn’t say: "Sit down".

Lao Tzu and Confucius

He didn't pay much attention at all.

Confucius was furious: "Who is this Teacher ?!"
And asked: - Don't you recognize the rules of good manners?

- If you want to sit down, sit down, - answered Lao Tzu. - If you feel like standing, stop.
Who am I to tell you this? This is your life. I do not interfere.