"No civilization is monchrome. In China the classical tones of Confucianism have been balanced not only by the spiritual shades of Buddhism but also by the romantic hues of Taoism. -- Huston Smith
Wrapping up our 'quick-and'dirty' study of Taoism, check out this brief essay by a Chinese scholar. It was created November 26, 2009 by Tekson Teo
Lao Tzu and Confucius are considered the greatest philosophers in Chinese history. An interesting question is: "What’s the difference between them?"
The styles of the two philosophers are apparently different. If Confucius is an engineer, then Lao Tzu is a romantic. Confucius was obsessed with rites and justice; Lao Tzu, on the other hand, emphasized spontaneity. Confucius talked specifically about how human relationships should be managed, while Lao Tzu wandered beyond the constraints of bondage through non-doing (
wuwei) to achieve inner equilibrium .
They are as if the yin and yang of the Chinese culture, and your appreciation of the tradition would not be complete, if you know only one of them.
Confucius was highly impressed by Lao Tzu. This was what he said after their rare meeting:
“I know how birds can fly, fishes swim, and animals run. The runner may be snared, the swimmer hooked, and the flyer shot by the arrow. But there is the dragon: I cannot tell how he mounts on the wind through the clouds and rises to heaven. Today I have seen Lao-tzu, and can only compare him to the dragon.”
There are no comments for this entry.
[Add Comment]