Chuang Tzu

“We are born from a quiet sleep, and we die to a calm awakening”

“Great truths do not take hold of the hearts of the masses. And now, as the world is in error, how shall I, though I know the true path, how shall I guide? If I know that I cannot succeed and yet try to force success, this world would be but another source of error. Better then to desist and strive no more. But if I do not strive, who will?”

“To a mind that is still, the entire universe surrenders.”

“The sound of water says what I think.”

“The time of the autumn floods came and the hundred streams poured into the Yellow River. … Then the Lord of the River was beside himself with Joy, believing that all the beauty in the world belonged to him alone.”

“Men of the world who value the Way all turn to books. But books are nothing more than words. Words have value; what is of value in words is meaning. Meaning has something it is pursuing, but the thing that it is pursuing cannot be put into words and handed down. The world values words and hands down books but, though the world values them, I do not think them worth valuing. What the world takes to be values is not real value.”

“Words are not just wind. Words have something to say. But if what they have to say is not fixed, then do they really say something? Or do they say nothing? People suppose that words are different from the peeps of baby birds, but is there any difference, or isn't there? What does the Way rely upon, that we have true and false? What do words rely upon, that we have right and wrong? How can the Way go away and not exist? How can words exist and not be acceptable? When the Way relies on little accomplishments and words reply on vain show, then we have rights and wrongs of the Confucians and the Mo-ists. What one calls right the other calls wrong; what one calls wrong the other calls right. But if we want to right their wrongs and wrong their rights, then the best to use is clarity.”

“If a man crosses a riverand an empty boat collides with his own skiff,Even though he be bad tempered manHe will not become very angry. But if he sees a man in the boat,He will shout at him to steer clear.If the shout is not heard, he will shout again, and yet again, and begin cursing.And all because someone is in the boat.Yet if the boat were empty,He would not be shouting, and not angry.If you can empty your own boatCrossing the river of the world,No one will oppose you, No one will seek to harm you”

“Rewards and punishment is the lowest form of education.”

“Forget the years, forget distinctions. Leap into the boundless and make it your home!”

“If you have insight, you use your inner eye, your inner ear, to pierce to the heart of things, and have no need of intellectual knowledge.”

“And how do I know that the hate of death is not like a man who has lost his home when young and does not know where his home is to return to?”

“Happiness is the abscence of the striving for happiness.”

“The purpose of a fish trap is to catch fish, and when the fish are caught, the trap is forgotten. The purpose of words is to convey ideas. When the ideas are grasped, the words are forgotten. Where can I find a man who has forgotten the words, so that I can talk to him?”

“Where can I find a man who has forgotten words? He is the one I would like to talk to.”

“I cannot tell if what the world considers ‘happiness’ is happiness or not. All I know is that when I consider the way they go about attaining it, I see them carried away headlong, grim and obsessed, in the general onrush of the human herd, unable to stop themselves or to change their direction. All the while they claim to be just on the point of attaining happiness.”

“The baby looks at things all day without winking; that is because his eyes are not focused on any particular object. He goes without knowing where he is going, and stops without knowing what he is doing. He merges himself within the surroundings and moves along with it. These are the principles of mental hygiene.”

“When affirmation and negation came into being, Tao faded. After Tao faded, then came one-sided attachments. ”

“Cherish that which is in you and shut out that which is without, for much knowledge is a curse.”

“A path is made by walking on it.”

“To be truly ignorant, be content with your own knowledge.”

“There is the globe,The foundation of my bodily existence.It wears me out with work and duties,It gives me rest in old age,It gives me peace in death.For the on who supplied me with what I needed in lifeWill also give me what I need in death.”

“Let your heart be at peace.Watch the turmoil of beingsbut contemplate their return.If you don't realize the source,you stumble in confusion and sorrow.When you realize where you come from,you naturally become tolerant,disinterested, amused,kindhearted as a grandmother,dignified as a king.Immersed in the wonder of the Tao,you can deal with whatever life brings you,And when death comes, you are ready.”