Zhuangzi
Zhuangzi
dream stupid believe
Yet the stupid believe they are awake, busily and brightly assuming they understand things, calling this man ruler, that one herdsman – how dense! Confucius and you are both dreaming! And when I say you are dreaming, I am dreaming, too. Words like these will be labeled the Supreme Swindle.
mind tragedy persons
The greatest tragedy that can befall a person is the atrophy of his mind.
dream caught insight
Are you and I perchance caught up in a dream from which we have not yet awakened?
wall heart light
Look at this window: it is nothing but a hole in the wall, but because of it the whole room is full of light. So when the faculties are empty, the heart is full of light.
men rivers perfect
If a man is crossing the river and an empty boat collides with his skiff, even though he is a bad tempered man he will not become very angry. But if he sees a man in the other boat he will scream and shout and curse at the man to steer clear. If you can empty your own boat crossing the river of the world, no one will oppose you, no one will seek to harm you. Thus is the perfect man - his boat is empty.
sight use oneself
To examine oneself makes good use of sight.
life joy transition
To have attained to the human form is a source of joy... What an incomparable bliss it is to undergo these countless transitions.
letting-go loss giving
So if loss of what gives happiness causes you distress when it fades, you can now understand that such happiness is worthless. It is said, those who lose themselves in their desire for things also lose their innate nature by being vulgar.
brother parent world
If the Tao could be served up, everyone would serve it up to their lords. If the Tao could be offered, there is no one who would not offer it to their parents. If the Tao could be spoken of, there is no one in the world who would not speak of it to their brothers and sisters. if the Tao could be passed on, there is no one who would not pass it on to their heirs. However, it obviously cannot be so and the reason is as follows. If there is no true centre within to receive it, it cannot remain;if there is no true direction outside to guide it,it cannot be received....
encouragement anxiety mind
Those who follow the Tao are of clear mind. They do not load their mind with anxieties and are flexible in their adjustment to external conditions.
men mirrors perfect
The perfect man employs his mind as a mirror.
waiting listening mind
Listening stops with the ears, the mind stops with recognition, but spirit is empty and waits on all things.
moving creativity expression
Being is thoughtless-beyond and beneath all categories of thought. Expression is the realization of creative thought. Being is still; expression, moving. But then if I do not strive, who will?
horse tao conflict
Either in conflict with others or in harmony with them, we go through life like a runaway horse, unable to stop.