When many people first become introduced to the philosophy of Taoism, they want to know how they can learn more. Apart from such practices as meditation and being more conscious in everyday day, people want to know if they should delve into the ancient writings of Taoist sages. Doing just that is certainly a good place to start, but Taoist-like wisdom doesn't originate in the minds of men and women dependent on a particular geographic area.
Examples of Taoist-congruent thought have appeared throughout the ages on every continent civilized by human beings. While the Chinese turned such thought into an art form which has influenced their worldview, there are just as many people from other locales who have hit upon the same themes.
In essence, my advice to those of you who are studying and learning about Taoism for the first time is not to allow yourselves to get caught up in the label, Taoism. To do so misses the point entirely! What you need to be on the lookout for are the thoughts of people who see the connection of all things and who stress the essence of being in the world around us. Wherever you find such ideas, you will find Taoist thought.
Here are some examples:
Examples of Taoist-congruent thought have appeared throughout the ages on every continent civilized by human beings. While the Chinese turned such thought into an art form which has influenced their worldview, there are just as many people from other locales who have hit upon the same themes.
In essence, my advice to those of you who are studying and learning about Taoism for the first time is not to allow yourselves to get caught up in the label, Taoism. To do so misses the point entirely! What you need to be on the lookout for are the thoughts of people who see the connection of all things and who stress the essence of being in the world around us. Wherever you find such ideas, you will find Taoist thought.
Here are some examples:
NOT I -- NOT ANYONE else, can travel that road for you. You must travel it yourself.To find more tasty tidbits of thought from east and west, check out Zen Soup by Laurence G. Boldt.
~ Walt Whitman ~
I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake.
~ George Bernard Shaw ~
The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know.
~ Albert Einstein ~
He who would arrive at the appointed end must follow a single road and not wander through many ways.
~ Seneca ~
Is there anyone so wise as to learn by the experience of others?
~ François-Marie Arouet de Voltaire ~
Every man takes the limits of his field of vision for the limits of the world.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer ~
All human evil comes from a single cause, man's inability to sit still in a room.
~ Blaise Pascal ~
Simplify!
~ Henry David Thoreau ~
True indeed - I also see quotes from all over that are quite in tune with Tao. There are more Einstein ones but for now I can't remember one of them.
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