Flipped Cat/The Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins With One Step
Dear Friends & Neighbors,
Pet of Week 7/13/2019, (Presented at: WindermereSun.com)
Quote of 7/13/2019, “The Journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” (Quote of Lao Tzu, Photo of Susan Sun Nunamaker, Presented at: WindermereSun.com)
(Please click on red links & note magenta)
Pet of the Week, 7/13/2019, below:
Pet of Week 7/13/2019, (Presented at: WindermereSun.com)
I did my flip. It’s now your turn to scratch my tummy.
Quote of the Week, 7/13/2019, below:
Quote of 7/13/2019, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” (Quote of Lao Tzu, Photo of Susan Sun Nunamaker, Presented at: WindermereSun.com)
Lao Tzu once said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”
For more about Tao Tzu or Laozi, please refer to the excerpt from wikipedia, in italics, below:
Laozi (UK: /ˈlaʊˈzɪə/;[1] US: /ˈlaʊˈtsiː/; Chinese: 老子 Mandarin pronunciation: [làu̯.tsɨ]; literally “Old Master”), also rendered as Lao Tzu and Lao-Tze , was an ancient Chinese philosopher and writer.[5] He is the reputed author of the Tao Te Ching,[6] the founder of philosophical Taoism, and a deity in religious Taoism and traditional Chinese religions.
A semi-legendary figure, Laozi was usually portrayed as a 6th-century BC contemporary of Confucius, but some modern historians consider him to have lived during the Warring States period of the 4th century BC.[7] A central figure in Chinese culture, Laozi is claimed by both the emperors of the Tang dynasty and modern people of the Li surname as a founder of their lineage. Laozi’s work has been embraced by both various anti-authoritarian movements[8] and Chinese Legalism.[9]
Laozi is traditionally regarded as the author of the Tao Te Ching (Daodejing), though the identity of its author(s) or compiler(s) has been debated throughout history.[43][44] It is one of the most significant treatises in Chinese cosmogony. As with most other ancient Chinese philosophers, Laozi often explains his ideas by way of paradox, analogy, appropriation of ancient sayings, repetition, symmetry, rhyme, and rhythm. In fact, the whole book can be read as an analogy – the ruler is the awareness, or self, in meditation and the myriad creatures or empire is the experience of the body, senses and desires.
The Tao Te Ching, often called simply Laozi after its reputed author, describes the Dao (or Tao) as the source and ideal of all existence: it is unseen, but not transcendent, immensely powerful yet supremely humble, being the root of all things. People have desires and free will (and thus are able to alter their own nature). Many act “unnaturally”, upsetting the natural balance of the Tao. The Tao Te Ching intends to lead students to a “return” to their natural state, in harmony with Tao.[45]Language and conventional wisdom are critically assessed. Taoism views them as inherently biased and artificial, widely using paradoxes to sharpen the point.[46]
Livia Kohn provides an example of how Laozi encouraged a change in approach, or return to “nature”, rather than action. Technology may bring about a false sense of progress. The answer provided by Laozi is not the rejection of technology, but instead seeking the calm state of wu wei, free from desires. This relates to many statements by Laozi encouraging rulers to keep their people in “ignorance“, or “simple-minded”. Some scholars insist this explanation ignores the religious context, and others question it as an apologetic of the philosophical coherence of the text. It would not be unusual political advice if Laozi literally intended to tell rulers to keep their people ignorant. However, some terms in the text, such as “valley spirit” (gushen) and “soul” (po), bear a metaphysical context and cannot be easily reconciled with a purely ethical reading of the work.[46]
Wu wei (無爲), literally “non-action” or “not acting”, is a central concept of the Tao Te Ching. The concept of wu wei is multifaceted, and reflected in the words’ multiple meanings, even in English translation; it can mean “not doing anything”, “not forcing”, “not acting” in the theatrical sense, “creating nothingness”, “acting spontaneously”, and “flowing with the moment”.[47]
It is a concept used to explain ziran (自然), or harmony with the Tao. It includes the concepts that value distinctions are ideological and seeing ambition of all sorts as originating from the same source. Laozi used the term broadly with simplicity and humility as key virtues, often in contrast to selfish action. On a political level, it means avoiding such circumstances as war, harsh laws and heavy taxes. Some Taoists see a connection between wu wei and esoteric practices, such as zuowang “sitting in oblivion” (emptying the mind of bodily awareness and thought) found in the Zhuangzi.[46]
Laozi is traditionally regarded as the founder of Taoism, intimately connected with the Tao Te Ching and “primordial” (or “original”) Taoism. Popular (“religious”) Taoism typically presents the Jade Emperor as the official head deity. Intellectual (“elite”) Taoists, such as the Celestial Masters sect, usually present Laozi (Laojun, “Lord Lao”) and the Three Pure Ones at the top of the pantheon of deities.[48][49]
Photographed, gathered, written, and posted by Windermere Sun-Susan Sun Nunamaker More about the community at www.WindermereSun.com
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