From time immemorial, news about China has always been news about changes in people's lifestyles. Civil wars, world wars, revolutions, political innovations - such changes have always left an imprint on the entire life of people. In China, as elsewhere, religions have changed. Many of the ancient traditions and rituals are no longer followed and many ideas are not understood by modern Chinese.
The ancient land of China was relatively little affected by the latest advances in science and education until the early twentieth century.
However, centuries ago, there was a Chinese sage Lao Tzu, who believed and taught that the world develops in accordance with divine design, which is reflected in the repetitive and ordered phenomena of nature. The essence of wisdom and happiness, according to Lao Tzu, is that a person adapts to this order and recreates in himself the path along which the world moves.
The life and thought of Lao Tzu had a profound impact on the life and development of China. The world would be poorer without him. His teachings, together with the teachings of his followers, formed the philosophical basis of Taoism. But when we look closely at the past of China - about 600 BC - we see only the faint and obscure outlines of this sage, humorist, philosopher and prophet. Lao Tzu's image is more like a legendary one. However, many scientists claim that this person really lived. There are stories that Confucius visited him and that the two philosophers had conversations. The name Lao Tzu is mentioned in books written by people of the next generation. Lao Tzu is traditionally credited with the authorship of a small and fascinating book "Tao De Ching", which formed the basis of Taoism.
Lao Tzu saw many people around him, puzzling over unsolvable questions, and this prompted him to speak out. These questions were not very different from those that we ask you even today. And they are repeated from generation to generation. "Who am I?" "What is my life?" "Am I living as well as possible?" "Who could I be?" "How can I live better?" "What are the results of trying to live better?" The Chinese were optimistic about the world, and when they asked, they did it with confidence and hope. Nature does not act by whim. And the Chinese believe that they are part of nature. Even Lao Tzu, looking at the people around him, saw that some of them were fighting for happiness, not remembering what the traditions taught. He saw people trying to change what life offers them, instead of accepting it. And he said:“You are looking for wisdom, kindness and satisfaction. But in choosing the ways in which you strive to achieve this, you are stupid and blind. Can't you understand that wisdom is faith, kindness is acceptance, and satisfaction is simplicity? This is how the world works."
Long before Lao Tzu, the path along which the world develops was called Tao, which simply means "the path" or "the path to follow." Until now, this has been translated as "nature" or "nature's way." This is the way the universe moves. Man is part of the universe. When people are most natural, they live in accordance with the laws of interaction between different parts of the universe. If Tao were given the freedom to act among people, then everything would go in the best way, because Tao is the path of perfection: perfect development, perfect harmony.
Tao is the source of all that exists. He is the cause of everything, even the Chinese gods. However, Tao was never considered a god. Tao is reality. It existed before the universe began. He created everything that exists and continues to maintain its existence through the release of his energy. The ups and downs, the ebb and flow, creation and decay - these opposites of Tao energy gave rise to an existence that will continue. And yet, Tao never forces a person to act in a certain way. Tao only guides.
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Taoism was so named because Lao Tzu and his followers insisted that Tao is a way of life. Their motto was "back to nature", "nature" was to be understood in the sense of the natural and proper order of things. The early Taoists believed in this so unconditionally that they called for an end to rituals and customs and even to civilization itself, for all this is a consequence of interference with nature.
The first Taoists often spoke about the bygone "Golden Age", when people lived in peace and harmony, because they were natural, free and simple, in short, people of Tao. The blessings to which all people strive were lost when this century passed. People will acquire them only when they return to the simplicity and complete naturalness that were characteristic of the "Golden Age". "Nature" is the key to all the yes-ossists' answers to the questions life forces us to ask. The highest good of man, his real happiness, can be found in harmony with nature, Tao. Only when someone is natural is he internally calm and able to accept what life has to offer. When someone is ambitious or aggressive, he is contrary to his true nature. By waging a war with himself, he strikes a mortal blow to his possible happiness.
While Lao Tzu impartially stated that people should calm down and accept the world as it is, instead of trying to change it, there were many others who loudly expressed their disagreement. Some philosophers, among whom was Confucius, walked the world convincing everyone who listened to them that the only way people can regain happiness and prosperity is to become virtuous. When each person learns to fulfill his duty and fulfill his duties, then all people living on earth will become happy. They also referred to the bygone Golden Age, when happiness was the rule rather than the exception. However, they argued that the values of the "Golden Age" can be revived if people learn to communicate with each other.
"Not so, not so!" - proclaimed the first Taoists. Virtue and duty were achieved by those who allowed themselves to go and do what came naturally. Why should a person strive for the good? The good comes of itself when all the rules are forgotten and attempts are stopped. The one who seeks virtue will never find it. A duty is fulfilled only when you do not try to fulfill it. Lao Tzu had no sympathy for the typical reformer who strove to introduce rule after rule to improve life. He noted that after the people went astray, the reformer cries out: “Be clean, be righteous! I'll tell you how to achieve this. " After discord arises in the family, parents begin to urge their children to respect and obey. This is also true for peoples, because only in times of general upheaval do people remember about patriotism.
Nature never argues the way people do. Nature just stays natural. And what argument can change the way the world moves? Gravity does not argue with us or insist, it just works. Lao Tzu pointed out that Tao also never uses force, yet there is nothing that he does not achieve. The power of Tao lies precisely in the fact that it acts tirelessly, without effort and tension. A person who professes the Tao will not use force, because force destroys his high goals. A person who tries to make the world the way he wants to see it harms both himself and others. Anyone who persists or strives to achieve something plunges into their own efforts and simply loses the value of what they are looking for. Thus, he destroys his ideal, destroys the goal and suffers a complete collapse.
Take a dirty water pond, for example. No matter how much you mix water in it, it will not become cleaner. But if you leave him alone, he will be purified by itself. The same is with people and nations. This should be especially understood by the rulers. Lao Tzu once said that people should be managed in the same way as cooking small fish: that is, carefully. If you fry it for too long or stir it too much, then it will either crumble or become tasteless. As for people who prefer to teach others, they should internalize this idea. Anyone who thinks he knows a lot about others may consider himself wise. But only he who knows himself owns the truth and greatness.
Lao Tzu and the most famous later Tao follower Chuang Tzu (about 350-275 BC) were reluctant to speak, because the real Tao cannot be expressed in words. Language cannot describe the person of Tao. However, definitions were required from both sages. And then Lao Tzu put into words the following: He is careful, like the one who crosses the river in winter. He is indecisive, like one who fears his neighbors. He is humble, like one who came to visit. It is malleable, like ice that is about to begin to melt. Taoists feel that such a description of a balanced and calm person is true not because Lao Tzu or someone else gave it to us, but because it reflects the nature of things, Tao.
Chuang Tzu was once fishing when several high-ranking officials from the provincial government paid him a visit. While he continued to sit with the fishing rod, they flattered him by talking about his wisdom and offering him a high government position that would bring him recognition and respect from many people. Without stopping his occupation, Chang Tzu asked these people if they knew about the sacred turtle, which died more than three thousand years ago and which the prince carefully keeps in a casket on the altar of his ancestors. Then he asked: "What do you think this turtle would prefer: to be dead, to be in awe of its remains, or to be alive and wag its tail in the mud of its native pond?" “She would rather be alive and wag her tail in the mud,” they replied. “You can go,” Chuang Tzu said."I, too, prefer to wag my tail in the mud of my own pond."
So what is the real value? What should a person spend his strength on? He can't just sit back and wait. Since he lives among people, he must think of the rest. The early Taoists fearlessly faced the difficulties of everyday life in this world. They knew that they must adhere to the same philosophy in life as in their thoughts. They decided that there are three things - three treasures, as they called them - that are the supreme guides of the man of Tao. It is love, moderation and humility. How did these three qualities help the followers of Tao to live in this world? “In love, one can be brave; being moderate, one can be provided; without trying to stand out in this world, you can manage all the bosses."
The one who sees the Tao within himself sees it in others and in the whole world. This is exactly the person who sees that his well-being is good for all people. And the good for everyone is also his good. This is what Lao Tzu meant by "being in a state of love." The man of Tao will do good to all people: both good and bad, paying with love even for strong hatred. If this is not done, then no matter how fairly a person responds to hatred, some part of it or its result will remain. In a state of love, a person can be courageous. The Tao man treats the world with trust, and the world can trust him.
The Tao Man is restrained in his thoughts and actions. Excess in any area hinders satisfaction. A Tao follower will not decide in advance exactly what action he will take in any given situation. He also will not decide in advance that he will not behave in a certain way. He always remembers that in his thoughts and actions one must follow what seems to be the simplest and most natural. In this case, his actions are always expedient and always correct. "He who is moderate can be provided."
Lao Tzu and his followers never aspired to high government posts, as this was contrary to their beliefs. It is impossible to help people by trying to guide their actions. And they showed how a person can quickly achieve their goals, taking a modest place. In our world there is no place for the superiority of some over others. It is important that all people live naturally, in an atmosphere of mutual assistance. Let no one strive for personal enrichment or success.
Heaven is eternal, earth is constant. How did they get like this? This was because they did not care about their own lives. This is why they live so long. Therefore, the Sage puts himself in the background, but he is always ahead. Remains aloof, but always present. Is it because he does not achieve some personal goal, because all his personal goals have already been satisfied.
The treasures that represent these qualities are not buried so deep that they cannot be unearthed without a teacher, friend, or philosopher. They show up when we become aware of what is deeply hidden in our nature and that we usually ignore. We discover these treasures by peeling away layer after layer of our fears, habits and superficial aspirations. The absence of these qualities makes us depressed, unnatural and unhappy.
If you think about it, says the Taoist, how can one claim to offer rules for a righteous life? How can you feel so confident in your knowledge to do this? A self-confident person who pretends to know so much is probably doing it for his own ego. A truly wise person does not know that he is wise. Confidence in one's knowledge, while it is not, is a specific disease inherent in all people. And only when we are embarrassed by such arrogance and self-deception can we be cured of this disease.
In an effort to help people do this, Chuang Tzu often spoke about it with light humor. He told how once in a dream he was a butterfly, happily fluttering here and there. He no longer felt like a man at all. Then he suddenly woke up to find that he was still human and lying in bed. However, then Chuang Tzu was forced to ask himself: "Was I then a man who dreamed that he was a butterfly, or now I am a butterfly who dreams that she is a man?"
What is Truth? How do I know what I know? These are questions that a truly wise person cannot answer with certainty, while many imaginary sages will offer answers. All answers depend on time, place and circumstances. The man of Tao forgets lists of answers, ignores the rules of conduct, rises above morality and ethics. The Tao Man does not obey any external authorities. He is just listening carefully to his own deep nature. In doing so, he not only finds the truth, but also lives in accordance with it. Because in its deepest nature there is Tao, which rules clearly and decisively. A man of Tao can cognize the whole world without leaving his home.
These were the words of the early Taoists, who would have preferred not to say anything at all. They knew that their ideas about life could not be best expressed in words. Their views could only be understood by those who shared them as a result of their own experience. Each of us at one time or another has failed in trying to express our deepest feelings and insights. At such moments, we can express ourselves in poetry, music and other art forms. This is also true for Taoists. If we intend to understand them, then we should be aware that we are dealing with the poetry of their ideas. Words should not be taken literally as they fail to convey ideas. However, the words of Taoism should be taken seriously.
The Taoism of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu continues its life mainly in the ideas that he proposed to other, stronger and more durable religions. Confucianism has incorporated the Taoist belief that man is basically good. Buddhism in China, with its initial recognition of the importance of knowing its deep essence, was strengthened and in some way changed by this local religion. As a religious philosophy, Taoism fell into decay, but it led many to the understanding that the inner life of a person is precisely the life that is important.