The effect of life in society is to complicate and confuse our existence, making us forget who we really are by causing us to become obsessed with what we are not.
Do not struggle. Go with the flow of things, and you will find yourself at one with the mysterious unity of the Universe.
The perfect man uses his mind as a mirror. It grasps nothing. It regrets nothing. It receives but does not keep.
When people do not ignore what they should ignore, but ignore what they should not ignore, this is known as ignorance.
Perfect happiness is the absence of striving for happiness.
A path is made by walking on it.
We cling to our own point of view, as though everything depended on it. Yet our opinions have no permanence; like autumn and winter, they gradually pass away.
Do not seek fame. Do not make plans. Do not be absorbed by activities. Do not think that you know. Be aware of all that is and dwell in the infinite. Wander where there is no path. Be all that heaven gave you, but act as though you have received nothing. Be empty, that is all.
Your preciousness lies in your essence; it cannot be lost by anything that happens.
Once upon a time, I dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was myself. Soon I awaked, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man.
The wise man knows that it is better to sit on the banks of a remote mountain stream than to be emperor of the whole world.
Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free. Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate.
The right way to go easy is to forget the right way.
When an archer shoots for enjoyment, he has all his skill; when he shoots for a brass buckle, he gets nervous; when he shoots for a prize of gold, he begins to see two targets.
A petty thief is put in jail. A great brigand becomes a ruler of a Nation.
When he tries to extend his power over objects, those objects gain control of him. He who is controlled by objects loses possession of his inner self… Prisoners in the world of object, they have no choice but to submit to the demands of matter! They are pressed down and crushed by external forces: fashion, the market, events, public opinion. Never in a whole lifetime do they recover their right mind!… What a pity!
Great knowledge sees all in one. Small knowledge breaks down into the many.
The greatest tragedy that can befall a person is the atrophy of his mind.
Silence, and non action are the root of all things.
In a river mist, if another boat knocks against yours, you might yell at the other fellow to stay clear. But if you notice then, that it’s an empty boat, adrift with nobody aboard, you stop yelling. When you discover that all the others are drifting boats, there’s no one to yell at. And when you find out you are an empty boat, there’s no one to yell.
Never admire a man by his strength; judge him in how he uses it- A way is made by walking it
Rewards and punishments are the lowest form of education.
If the Way is made clear, it is not the Way.
My opinion is that you never find happiness until you stop looking for it.
Look at this window: it is nothing but a hole in the wall, but because of it the whole room is full of light. So when the faculties are empty, the heart is full of light.
