Wisdom
is an important aspect of living because we need it not so much to make a
success of living as to live well. In order to live well, understanding the
ancient Tao wisdom plays a pivotal role, especially in its application in
contemporary living. Understanding the ancient Tao wisdom is to live well.
What is
Tao wisdom? It seems its too profound for human understanding. As a matter of
fact, over the centuries, many people have found it intriquing and
controversial, to say the least.
The
ancient Tao wisdom is expressed in the book Tao Te Ching, an ancient Chinese classic ."Tao"
means "The Way" to understanding the human wisdom in living;
"Te" means "virtuosity" and "Ching" means
"classic." The book, written by Lao Tzu (meaning "old
master"), contains 81 short chapters (only 5,000 Chinese characters),
expressing succinctly the wisdom of the great Chinese philosopher. According to
the legend, Lao Tzu, who was born with gray hair (a sign of wisdom related with
age and experience), was stopped at the city gate when he was riding backwards
on an ox; he was just about to leave the ancient capital of China
Tao Te
Ching, written around the 6th century B.C., has become one of the
most translated works in world literature because it is regarded by many
scholars as one of the wisest books in the world.
Why is
it difficult to understand Tao wisdom?
Tao
wisdom in simple but profound; it is paradoxical but illuminating. It is
all-embracing in that it is applicable to every aspect of life and living. Tao
wisdom is universal and timeless wisdom. To fully understand and internalize
Tao wisdom in living, you must, first and foremost, have an open mind or an
empty mind that would be receptive to unconventional thinking. In fact, you
must not only think out of the box but, more importantly, to create your own
box of thinking. Your mind must not have any preconditioned ideas about
anything. That is to say, you must have an empty mind for reverse thinking
before you can intuit the true wisdom of Tao.
"Ever
desireless, one can see the mystery.
Every
desiring, one sees only the manifestations.
And the
mystery itself is the doorway to all understanding."
(Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching," Chapter One)
To
fully understand the wisdom of Tao, with an empty mind ready for reverse
thinking, you must be "ever desireless" because your desires, once
conceived, will "dictate" how you "would" like to live,
rather than "knowing" the true wisdom of how you "should"
live your life. In other words, if you have set your goals in life, you are in
fact shaping your own life according to your goals; however, this may not be
the true life that God has intended for you. Therefore, "ever
desiring" will let you see only the manifestations of your life, not the
"mystery" which holds the key to unlocking your understanding of true
wisdom. In real life, if you are too preoccupied with what you want, you will
miss the essence of life and the true meaning of living.
The Book of
Life and Living is a 190-page book on wisdom in living,
based on the integration of conventional wisdom, the ancient wisdom of Tao from
China
Also,
visit my website: Wisdom in
Living.
Stephen
Lau
Copyright©
by Stephen Lau
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