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I've been thinking for a while about starting a thread for occasional musings and ideas about life the universe and everything. So here it is.
Some of what may be posted here may fall within the conventional definition of philosophy. But other stuff may be more psychological or even spiritual in nature. It is of no consequence. These labels are merely convenient constructs. In reality (now there's a word), there are no such hard and fast distinctions.
You are welcome to contribute if the urge moves you. There are no rules.
Some of what may be posted here may fall within the conventional definition of philosophy. But other stuff may be more psychological or even spiritual in nature. It is of no consequence. These labels are merely convenient constructs. In reality (now there's a word), there are no such hard and fast distinctions.
You are welcome to contribute if the urge moves you. There are no rules.
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Hell, we play all the roles at funerals eventually - including the final one. Pick your music now.
Drink now, because you wont then.
Drink now, because you wont then.
Not really the answer though i it Bodil ?
"Drink now,because you won't then"
"Drink now,because you won't then"
Feelings are feelings,don't matter what you do.Heart rules head!
The white tunnel of light phenomenon,that countless people experience on the edge of death is a strange thing,scientists dismiss it as endorcrines flooding the brain,but the constant similarity of peoples feelings of instant enlightenment is thought provoking
I think the white light is a result of those pen light things doctors shine into the patients eyes, I sometimes get it when I switch my bedside lamp on.
ROCKIN HORSE 17 Oct 00:06
You are what you were prior to your birth, simple as
That must be fun.
Swimming about in somebody b0ll0cks waiting to come out again.
You are what you were prior to your birth, simple as
That must be fun.
Swimming about in somebody b0ll0cks waiting to come out again.
Did they not do a test at some hospitals, where some patients had claimed to "see the light, lol", by putting some words on the top of the surgical unit?
Strangely enough, all these people who had floated above and had out of body experiences, couldn't say what was there, lol.
Strangely enough, all these people who had floated above and had out of body experiences, couldn't say what was there, lol.
You nearly got it there. What they did was put some children's toys on top of a cabinet. More than 60% noticed that one of the teddy bears had two heads.
Munich in the late 60s, I think.
Munich in the late 60s, I think.
I was in a car crash once, but thought I was dead. I saw a bright light and started to walk towards it in a daze. 8 seconds later I got run over by a Kawasaki.
As I've said before my worrysome slant on the whole thing is,we are merely self replicating chemical robots,created by a higher force ,starting as an ameoba and evolving in Darwinian laws of selection
Actually the recent advances in neuroscience explain many things - I sometimes idly think about publishing them on here so you can absorb them. But I don't. But I will eventually - because I love you.
If I thought I saw a teddy bear with two heads I wouldn't tell anyone.
For all you know the whole of our universe could be existing in one drop of water in somebody elses universe.
As long as I can get a cigar every day I don't let it bother me.
As long as I can get a cigar every day I don't let it bother me.
Then Im dying at the bottom of a pit in the blazing sun
Torn and twisted at the foot of a burning bike
And I think somebody somewhere must be tolling a bell
And the last thing I see is my heart
Still beating
Still beating
Breaking out of my body and flying away
Like a bat out of hell
Like a bat out of hell
Torn and twisted at the foot of a burning bike
And I think somebody somewhere must be tolling a bell
And the last thing I see is my heart
Still beating
Still beating
Breaking out of my body and flying away
Like a bat out of hell
Like a bat out of hell
To be honest I'm not sure how seriously an experiment conducted by German teddy bears can be taken.
If you can't trust German teddy bears, you can't trust anyone.
BillKiller 17 Oct 01:56
You nearly got it there. What they did was put some children's toys on top of a cabinet. More than 60% noticed that one of the teddy bears had two heads.
Munich in the late 60s, I think.
source, please.
You nearly got it there. What they did was put some children's toys on top of a cabinet. More than 60% noticed that one of the teddy bears had two heads.
Munich in the late 60s, I think.
source, please.
Ok, i will discuss it.
People watch tv programmes, see**about floating above operating theatres, imagine it's happening to them.
People watch tv programmes, see**about floating above operating theatres, imagine it's happening to them.
Random musing:
Language is fundamentally dualistic and self-referential; everything is defined by reference to what it is not. What is black without white? What is day without night? What is life without death? As concepts, they are meaningless without the other. These apparently different things are actually aspects of a larger, unspoken unity. So it is with all words/concepts/ideas/things.
Language is fundamentally dualistic and self-referential; everything is defined by reference to what it is not. What is black without white? What is day without night? What is life without death? As concepts, they are meaningless without the other. These apparently different things are actually aspects of a larger, unspoken unity. So it is with all words/concepts/ideas/things.
Without naming names, I'm pretty sure several on here have Wernicke's aphasia
slarty
Which philosoper said that? Was it Chomsky?
Which philosoper said that? Was it Chomsky?
Those are my words, Des. Though I'm sure similar ideas have been expressed by others.
It may seem an obscure and technical point but I think it is fundamental for any deep understanding of "reality".
Universe means "one way". It doesn't consist of "space", "atoms", "gas clouds", "planets", "rocks", "life" or any other of the numerous labels we have created in order to be able to refer to our perceptions of it.
It may seem an obscure and technical point but I think it is fundamental for any deep understanding of "reality".
Universe means "one way". It doesn't consist of "space", "atoms", "gas clouds", "planets", "rocks", "life" or any other of the numerous labels we have created in order to be able to refer to our perceptions of it.
"The world is like a sheet of paper on which something is typed. The
reading and the meaning will vary with the reader, but the paper is
the common factor, always present, rarely perceived. When the ribbon
is removed, typing leaves no trace on the paper. So is my mind - the
impressions keep on coming, but no trace is left."
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
reading and the meaning will vary with the reader, but the paper is
the common factor, always present, rarely perceived. When the ribbon
is removed, typing leaves no trace on the paper. So is my mind - the
impressions keep on coming, but no trace is left."
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
"The cells of our body are dying, the neurons in our brain are decaying, even the expressions on our face are always changing, depending on our mood. What we call our basic character is only a
Death is not an event in life: we do not live to experience death. If we take eternity to mean not infinite temporal duration but timelessness, then eternal life belongs to those who live in the present.
dannyho12 18 Oct 08:42
no such thing as time
its always here and now
An old american stand up comedian whose name escapes me did a routine on what is 'now' and what is past.
The name Sid rings a bell, but can't get a surname.
no such thing as time
its always here and now
An old american stand up comedian whose name escapes me did a routine on what is 'now' and what is past.
The name Sid rings a bell, but can't get a surname.
That's him.
Can't find it on youtube, too much of his stuff to sift through.
Can't find it on youtube, too much of his stuff to sift through.
"The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth."
- Niels Bohr (Nobel prize-winning physicist [1922] and member of the Manhattan Project)
- Niels Bohr (Nobel prize-winning physicist [1922] and member of the Manhattan Project)
Article in the Times yesterday two respected scientists think the hadron collider has worked in the future but is abhorrent to nature and time ripples back to keep it breaking down and apparently they have written the maths to back their theory up.
I would like to talk about nature -
I hear the word a lot, it isnt natural for human's to do this or that, well what is nature? Surely it is a word which has no meaning. Mankind is in constant evolution, it was "natural" for us to live in caves thousands of years ago, now that would be considered "unnatural" so what is nature? Can it only be applied to us at this exact moment in time? Is all relation to the past redundant?
Or possibly are there some facets of mankind's being that will always come under nature, some things that will never change. Cant think of any right now, murder, rape and paedophilia have been accepted as natural in the past and perhaps they will be in the future.
I hear the word a lot, it isnt natural for human's to do this or that, well what is nature? Surely it is a word which has no meaning. Mankind is in constant evolution, it was "natural" for us to live in caves thousands of years ago, now that would be considered "unnatural" so what is nature? Can it only be applied to us at this exact moment in time? Is all relation to the past redundant?
Or possibly are there some facets of mankind's being that will always come under nature, some things that will never change. Cant think of any right now, murder, rape and paedophilia have been accepted as natural in the past and perhaps they will be in the future.
JBHA - you may be confusing 'nature' with 'adaptation. Completely different.
JBHA,
A very wise person once said: "All debates come down to arguments over definitions."
Is space travel natural? Is suicide natural? Are test tube babies natural?
A very wise person once said: "All debates come down to arguments over definitions."
Is space travel natural? Is suicide natural? Are test tube babies natural?
jackdanny - that is the feeblest excuse for being unable to**a machine I've yet heard.
Would you take that off a garage mechanic?
"Sir, your car is abhorrent to nature. That'll be £200, please have it towed away."
Would you take that off a garage mechanic?
"Sir, your car is abhorrent to nature. That'll be £200, please have it towed away."
I love this qoute from Tao Te Ching..........
If one wishes to shrink it
One must first expand it
If one wishes to weaken it
One must first strengthen it
If one wishes to discard it
One must first promote it
If one wishes to sieze it
One must first give it
Thiis is called subtle clarity.
The soft and weak overcome the tough and strong
Fish cannnot leave the depths
The sharp instruments of the state
Cannot be shown to the people.
If one wishes to shrink it
One must first expand it
If one wishes to weaken it
One must first strengthen it
If one wishes to discard it
One must first promote it
If one wishes to sieze it
One must first give it
Thiis is called subtle clarity.
The soft and weak overcome the tough and strong
Fish cannnot leave the depths
The sharp instruments of the state
Cannot be shown to the people.
It is a great book, Dan, with many wise words.
One interpretation of the first line is:
"The way (Tao) that can be written is not the true way (Tao)"
which can be seen as meaning many things: "the map is not the territory", words are not the things they describe, Truth can never be known or described, the Tao is ineffable, etc.
One interpretation of the first line is:
"The way (Tao) that can be written is not the true way (Tao)"
which can be seen as meaning many things: "the map is not the territory", words are not the things they describe, Truth can never be known or described, the Tao is ineffable, etc.
Yet they couldn't get a knife and fork together.
Timewasters.
Timewasters.
Yeah, what have the Chinese ever done for us, O?! :D
Exactly, Slarty! Kites, fireworks and salt and pepper ribs don't save the idle shower.
Nice wall, though.
Nice wall, though.
Slarty, you got a copy of Derek Lin's annoted and explained version? If not, then get it!!!
His take on the 1st line ('The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao') is...
'..we can never understand the Tao through the intellect alone. We must feel it. Talking about it can be useful but will never replace the actual experience of living it.'
His addy is
http://www.taoism.net/enter.htm
which is well worth a look.
His take on the 1st line ('The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao') is...
'..we can never understand the Tao through the intellect alone. We must feel it. Talking about it can be useful but will never replace the actual experience of living it.'
His addy is
http://www.taoism.net/enter.htm
which is well worth a look.
thx, Dan, just checked out his site
are you familiar with the idea of nonduality?
are you familiar with the idea of nonduality?
Only in principle lol. Find it hard in the real life :)
What is your understanding of it (tricky one, I know!)?
Have you read any nondual writings from any other traditions (such as the Zen buddhists or Hindu Advaita Vedanta)? They all same pretty much the same thing imo (as do the various nondual elements within Christianity, Sufi Islam and other religious traditions).
Have you read any nondual writings from any other traditions (such as the Zen buddhists or Hindu Advaita Vedanta)? They all same pretty much the same thing imo (as do the various nondual elements within Christianity, Sufi Islam and other religious traditions).
Won't even begin to make an attempt at non-duality :)
My reading material is Buddhism (Zen and otherwise), Tao, Tibetan Bon. I practice Karate, Tai Chi and love everything that comes from the ancient East - the richness of it all overwhelms me and, as Johnny Nash once crooned, the more I find out, the less I know.
My reading material is Buddhism (Zen and otherwise), Tao, Tibetan Bon. I practice Karate, Tai Chi and love everything that comes from the ancient East - the richness of it all overwhelms me and, as Johnny Nash once crooned, the more I find out, the less I know.
Johnny Nash once crooned, the more I find out, the less I know.
more questions than answers
:
so is suicide classed as self murder
does this make you a murderer as you have murdered yourself
shock horror
more questions than answers
:
so is suicide classed as self murder
does this make you a murderer as you have murdered yourself
shock horror
Doesn't matter how it's classified (man made) - what is tragic is the state of mind that leads anyone to kill themself.
Correct
I mean i knew a couple of people myself who have.
But i dont mean that in a bad way.
I meant people who believe in god.
Its apparently the wrong thing to do in gods eyes.
Depends i suppose what we believe god actually is.
Energy to me :)
I mean i knew a couple of people myself who have.
But i dont mean that in a bad way.
I meant people who believe in god.
Its apparently the wrong thing to do in gods eyes.
Depends i suppose what we believe god actually is.
Energy to me :)
Buddhists/Taoists don't believe in God or any creator. If you want answers to things start looking inwards - towards yourself - rather than outwards for the solution.
Most people are p1ssed off for the simple reason that the world doesn't comply to the way they think it should be.
Most people are p1ssed off for the simple reason that the world doesn't comply to the way they think it should be.
"He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed."
- Albert Einstein
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
- Albert Einstein
"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."
- Albert Einstein
"My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind."
- Albert Einstein
"No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it."
- Albert Einstein
"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science."
- Albert Einstein
"The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible."
- Albert Einstein
"There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle."
- Albert Einstein
"When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's relativity."
- Albert Einstein
- Albert Einstein
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
- Albert Einstein
"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."
- Albert Einstein
"My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind."
- Albert Einstein
"No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it."
- Albert Einstein
"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science."
- Albert Einstein
"The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible."
- Albert Einstein
"There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle."
- Albert Einstein
"When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's relativity."
- Albert Einstein
The most personal one for me was....
If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism.
If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism.
"When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's relativity."
- Albert Einstein
Einstein was famous for courting his relatives. Married his cousin on both his father's and mother's side.
- Albert Einstein
Einstein was famous for courting his relatives. Married his cousin on both his father's and mother's side.
Yeah, but he did it simultaneously. Just showing off, imo
Two of my favourite quotes from the bard:
"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts." - Shakespeare (As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII).
"Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."
- Shakespeare (Macbeth, Act V, Scene V).
"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts." - Shakespeare (As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII).
"Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."
- Shakespeare (Macbeth, Act V, Scene V).
Gotta confess that I've never been a great fan of Shaky. Think it has something to do with the way he treated his animals.
MacBeth Act V, Scene I
Out, damned spot! out, I say!
MacBeth Act V, Scene I
Out, damned spot! out, I say!
Tao Te Ching verse 3: (trans Addiss & Lombardo, Hackett Publishing Co
Don't glorify heroes
And people will not contend.
Don't treasure rare objects
And no-one will steal.
Don't display what people desire
And their hearts will not be disturbed.
Therefore
The Sage rules
By emptying heartsand filling bellies
By weakening ambitions and strengthening bones;
Leads people
Away from knowing and wanting;
Deters those who know too much
From going too far;
Practises non-action
And the natural order is not disrupted.
Don't glorify heroes
And people will not contend.
Don't treasure rare objects
And no-one will steal.
Don't display what people desire
And their hearts will not be disturbed.
Therefore
The Sage rules
By emptying heartsand filling bellies
By weakening ambitions and strengthening bones;
Leads people
Away from knowing and wanting;
Deters those who know too much
From going too far;
Practises non-action
And the natural order is not disrupted.
Life's a b1tch and then you're dead --- Aristotle
Life's a b1tch that sucks, wife's a b!tch that doesn't --- my mate
Life's a b1tch that sucks, wife's a b!tch that doesn't --- my mate
Tao Te Ching, verse 8 (as above)
Best to be like water,
Which benefits the ten thousand things
And does not contend.
It pools where humans disdain to dwell,
Close to the Way.
Live in a good place,
Keep your mind deep.
Treat others well.
Stand by your word.
Make fair rules.
Do the right thing.
Work when it's time.
Only do not contend,
And you will not go wrong.
Best to be like water,
Which benefits the ten thousand things
And does not contend.
It pools where humans disdain to dwell,
Close to the Way.
Live in a good place,
Keep your mind deep.
Treat others well.
Stand by your word.
Make fair rules.
Do the right thing.
Work when it's time.
Only do not contend,
And you will not go wrong.
We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special.
Let us be lovely
And let us be kind
Let us be silly and free
It won't make us famous
It won't make us rich
But dammit how HAPPY we'll be! :)
The COW of WISDOM
Whenever you're uncertain
And you don't know what to do
The Cow of Wisdom always answers
"Just chill out.. and MOO"
Monkton! :x
And let us be kind
Let us be silly and free
It won't make us famous
It won't make us rich
But dammit how HAPPY we'll be! :)
The COW of WISDOM
Whenever you're uncertain
And you don't know what to do
The Cow of Wisdom always answers
"Just chill out.. and MOO"
Monkton! :x
The sun has got his hat on, hip-hip-hip-hooray
The sun has got his hat on and hes coming out today
Now well all be happy, hip-hip-hip-hooray
The sun has got his hat on and hes coming out today
I can't post the rest of it on here because of a certain word in the next verse but here's a link for those interested:
http://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/songs/t/thesunhasgothishaton.shtml
The sun has got his hat on and hes coming out today
Now well all be happy, hip-hip-hip-hooray
The sun has got his hat on and hes coming out today
I can't post the rest of it on here because of a certain word in the next verse but here's a link for those interested:
http://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/songs/t/thesunhasgothishaton.shtml
Awareness and the content of awareness are not the same. One is the "container" in which the other arises. Most people fail to see this. They think the content of awareness is all of "reality", ignoring the very awareness in which the content arises.
sequence from John Fowles' "The Magus"
Nicholas Urfe: I came to return this.
Maurice Conchis: You came here to meet me. Please, life is short. My name is Conchis.
Nicholas Urfe: My name is Urfe. From the school. I find life long.
Nicholas Urfe: I came to return this.
Maurice Conchis: You came here to meet me. Please, life is short. My name is Conchis.
Nicholas Urfe: My name is Urfe. From the school. I find life long.
Tao Te Ching verse 24
On tiptoe: no way to stand.
Clambering: no way to walk.
Self-display: no way to shine.
Self-assertion: no way to succeed.
Self-praise: no way to flourish.
Complacency: no way to endure.
According to the Way,
Excessive food,
Extraneous activity,
Inspire disgust.
Therefore, the follower of the Way
Moves on.
On tiptoe: no way to stand.
Clambering: no way to walk.
Self-display: no way to shine.
Self-assertion: no way to succeed.
Self-praise: no way to flourish.
Complacency: no way to endure.
According to the Way,
Excessive food,
Extraneous activity,
Inspire disgust.
Therefore, the follower of the Way
Moves on.
from "The Tao of Pooh"
"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"
"What's for breakfast? said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"
"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully.
"It's the same thing," he said.
"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"
"What's for breakfast? said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"
"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully.
"It's the same thing," he said.
Flea, it sounds like Pooh is on the sam wavelength as Lao-Tzu:
The Sage rules
By emptying hearts and filling bellies
By weakening ambitions and strengthening bones;
So the eternal verities are eternally rediscovered, even by a teddy bear.
The Sage rules
By emptying hearts and filling bellies
By weakening ambitions and strengthening bones;
So the eternal verities are eternally rediscovered, even by a teddy bear.
here is the second verse of the sun has got its hat on.....i must point out that these lyrics are not mine and do not personally represent my views,, any offence caused by these lyrics should be taken up with the author of the song.
Hes been tanning **s out in Timbuktu
Now hes coming back to do the same to you
So jump into your sunbath, hip-hip-hip-hooray
The sun has got his hat on and hes coming out today
All the little birds are singing
All the little gnats are stinging
All the little bees in twos and threes
Buzzing in the sun all day
Hes been tanning **s out in Timbuktu
Now hes coming back to do the same to you
So jump into your sunbath, hip-hip-hip-hooray
The sun has got his hat on and hes coming out today
All the little birds are singing
All the little gnats are stinging
All the little bees in twos and threes
Buzzing in the sun all day
the deleted word rhymes with triggers and diggers ..........and begins with n......and used to be used to describe a shade of brown
i will not be banned for that...i can promise you!.....i have merely quoted an already published article....another poster linked to the said article.....i will most definitely not be banned for that!......i would bet my last pound on that one!
"There is nothing to practise. To know yourself, be yourself. To be yourself, stop imagining yourself to be this or that. Just be. Let your true nature emerge. Don't disturb your mind with seeking."
~ Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Some of you may enjoy Tony Parsons (no, not the novelist). Pointless pointers to that which cannot be pointed to:
http://video.google.co.uk/videosearch?q=tony+parsons+youtube&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=yDviSuTrMI-C4Qby1byQAg&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBEQqwQwAA#
"That which permeates all, which nothing transcends and which, like the universal space around us, fills everything completely from within and without, that Supreme non-dual Brahman--that thou are."
- Shankara
~ Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Some of you may enjoy Tony Parsons (no, not the novelist). Pointless pointers to that which cannot be pointed to:
http://video.google.co.uk/videosearch?q=tony+parsons+youtube&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=yDviSuTrMI-C4Qby1byQAg&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBEQqwQwAA#
"That which permeates all, which nothing transcends and which, like the universal space around us, fills everything completely from within and without, that Supreme non-dual Brahman--that thou are."
- Shankara
you might come back as a siamese twin
just hope the hell your brother aint gay :^0
just hope the hell your brother aint gay :^0
We never describe anything as it is, only as it appears to our minds.
Son, if you really want something in this life, you have to work for it. Now quiet! They're about to announce the lottery numbers. - Homer Simpson
Another quick blast of the Tao Te Ching, verse 25:
Something unformed and complete
Before heaven and earth were born,
Solitary and silent,
Stands alone and unchanging,
Pervading all things without limit.
It is like the mother of all under heaven,
But I don't know it's name-
Better call it Tao,
Better call it great.
Great means passing on.
Passing on means going far.
Going far means returning.
Therefore,
Tao is great,
and heaven,
and earth,
and humans.
Four great things in the world.
Aren't humans one of them?
Humans follow earth,
Earth follows heaven,
Heaven follows Tao.
Tao follows its own nature.
Something unformed and complete
Before heaven and earth were born,
Solitary and silent,
Stands alone and unchanging,
Pervading all things without limit.
It is like the mother of all under heaven,
But I don't know it's name-
Better call it Tao,
Better call it great.
Great means passing on.
Passing on means going far.
Going far means returning.
Therefore,
Tao is great,
and heaven,
and earth,
and humans.
Four great things in the world.
Aren't humans one of them?
Humans follow earth,
Earth follows heaven,
Heaven follows Tao.
Tao follows its own nature.
I think this best sums up my view of the search for truth ...
Brian: I'm not the Messiah!
Arthur: I say you are, Lord, and I should know... I've followed a few.
Brian: I'm not the Messiah!
Arthur: I say you are, Lord, and I should know... I've followed a few.
Tao de Ching, Verse 9:
Hold and fill it-
Not as good as stopping in time.
Measure and pound it-
It will not long survive.
When gold and jade fill the hall,
They cannot be guarded.
Riches and pride,
Bequeath error.
Withdrawing when work is done:
Heaven's Way.
A rather odd verse. Here's a different rendering, by Kate Wilhelm:
Brim-fill the bowl,
It'll spill over.
Keep sharpening the blade,
You'll soon blunt it.
Nobody can protect
A house full of gold and jade.
Wealth, status, pride,
Are their own ruin.
To do good, work well, and lie low
Is the way of the blessing.
Hold and fill it-
Not as good as stopping in time.
Measure and pound it-
It will not long survive.
When gold and jade fill the hall,
They cannot be guarded.
Riches and pride,
Bequeath error.
Withdrawing when work is done:
Heaven's Way.
A rather odd verse. Here's a different rendering, by Kate Wilhelm:
Brim-fill the bowl,
It'll spill over.
Keep sharpening the blade,
You'll soon blunt it.
Nobody can protect
A house full of gold and jade.
Wealth, status, pride,
Are their own ruin.
To do good, work well, and lie low
Is the way of the blessing.
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