Knowing yourself is true wisdom
Powerful lessons from Lao Tzu
It’s great to ponder on the Tao, trying to decipher all the wisdom in it, only to find out your discovering your own wisdom
Lao Tzu is a Chinese word that means ‘Old Sage’ or ‘Old Master’ and that is also the name of a Chinese philosopher and thinker who probably lived from 614–517 BC. It is mostly assumed he would have written the ‘Tao Te Ching’ (short: Tao).
The Tao reflects on the force of the universe and even the universe itself. ‘It denotes the principle that is the source, pattern and substance of everything that exists. It emphasizes wu wei, which means action without intention, naturalness, simplicity, spontaneity, and the Three Treasures: 慈 compassion, 儉 frugality, and 不敢為天下先 humility.’ — Wikipedia
The writer of the Tao is (officially) unknown — although typically attributed to the Chinese prophet and alleged founder of Taoism, Lao Tzu — yet, when reading in the Tao it becomes obvious that the Tao is a collection of wisdom passed on for centuries and at some point written down.
Lao Tzu is a figure surrounded by mystery. Many people even doubt whether he really existed. What we know with certainty is that to this day there is an intellectual heritage with the name ‘Lao Tzu’.
What is important is that this legacy has passed (on) lessons that are still relevant thousands of years later.
Great acts are made up of small deeds. — Lao Tzu
We must honor Lao Tzu for the wisdom he left us. His thoughts reflect many essential fundamentals of Eastern culture. They appeal to a good way of judging, for simplicity and serenity. They glorify intelligence and temperance.
I like to share some of my favorite lessons I learned from Lao Tzu.
With good words one can negotiate, but to magnify oneself, good works are required. — Lao Tzu
Powerful lessons from Lao Tzu
Happiness through the eyes of Lao Tzu
Lao Tzu has been pondering about happiness. Out of his vision, many centuries before the era of constant consumption, Eastern philosophy has separated happiness and possessions. In a timeless quote about this subject, Lao Tzu says:
He who is not happy with a little will not be happy with a lot — Lao Tzu
The framework in which happiness is described here says that it is not important what someone has. Having little is not the same as being unhappy. Having much is also not equal to happiness. We achieve a sense of well-being through things that have nothing to do with possessions. Happiness and misfortune can simply be found in being, not in what is around us.
Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.― Lao Tzu
When you let go of who you are, you become who you might be
When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. — Lao Tzu
I really like this quote. It talks about that the past has shaped you, what you are now is based on what has gone before. But if you stay where you are, you will find it difficult to reach your full potential.
This quote is all about taking action, and about growth. It also mentions that you have to let go of what is no longer you or does no longer serve you if you want to continue to grow.
When you let go, you have to let go of the things that hold you in your current status quo, dwelling in the past, like old beliefs, values, places, people. You have to allow yourself to accept the changes in life. Sometimes, moving to the next level is as much about what you gain as what you leave behind.
Like a caterpillar, you have to let go of what you are if you are to become a beautiful butterfly.
If you want to be given everything, give everything up.
If you want to become whole, let yourself be partial. If you want to become straight, let yourself be crooked. If you want to become full, let yourself be empty. If you want to be reborn, let yourself die. If you want to be given everything, give everything up.— Lao Tzu
Seeing or being seen
Long before the humanist doctrine came into being and became popular, Lao Tzu gave his vision on love. Love is a powerful force according to Lao Tzu. He stressed the profound difference between deeply seeing and being seen in one of his wise sayings:
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. — Lao Tzu
There is a subtle but important difference between strength and courage. We can describe strength as the physical or subjective ability to do something. On the other hand, courage refers to bravery and the choice to do it.
Strength is being able to do something, courage is willing to do it. Between the one and the other concept, there is a complete emotional series of difference. Wanting something leads to being able to do it, but the reverse is not necessarily true.
About desires and frustrations
In Buddhism, desire is seen as the root cause of unnecessary suffering. Taoism focuses more on the ability to let go of your possessions, before starting the quest to find out what your desires are. Committed to his philosophy Lao Tzu gave us the following wise words:
He who does not desire does not become frustrated. And he does not become frustrated does not become corrupted. A truly wise man waits in the stillness while everything happens. Desire does not dictate anything. In this way, peace and harmony have their place and the world follows its natural course. — Lao Tzu
For Western people, this idea will probably sound almost absurd. In Western societies, ambition and desires are a source of growth and progress. Yet our current reality shows that desire can be a bottomless pit. Because it will never be satisfied nor enough.
Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom
Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power. — Lao Tzu
Married couples really know each other. A good parent knows her/his child. This is powerful knowledge. For thoroughly knowing the other provides one with an empathic ability to please, meet needs, help with heartaches, to be able to give emotional support and above all, being able to feel a kind of compassionate love for the other.
Hasn’t it occur to you that it is easier to (get to) know the people we love than to get to know yourself. We are able to anticipate and fulfill the needs and desires of someone else, even before they realize they are even having those needs or desires. But understanding and addressing our own needs is a different ballgame.
It is important that you get to know yourself. Not just for you, but also for others.
The best thing you can do for others is to get to know yourself, who the real you is and allow that to be the foundation for all of your interactions. Because you can only interact with others based on the authentic you, based on who you really are deep inside and not who they want you to be.
You can let them get acquainted to the real authentic you and show them how to love and cherish you. Getting to know yourself begins and ends with profound introspection.
Understanding what moves you, what makes you happy or sad, identifying and learning how to deal with your fears and finding out and discover how you truly feel about yourself is a well worth life journey requiring time, perseverance and courage.
Getting to know yourself means you have to dive into the depths of your soul, in an honest and accepting way. It is about learning from your past experiences, letting them go through forgiving yourself and others, acceptance of your weaknesses and then learning how to love all of it.
The best thing you can do for yourself is to get to know yourself, your true wisdom, and accept and love who you truly are — the good, the bad and the ugly
