I Ching

I let go of religion, and people become serene. I let go of all desire for the common good, and the good becomes as common as grass. (211) This section of the Tao-te Ching reflects on the ideas that Lao-tzu believes to be most detrimental to a Master’s successful society. In contrast, however, Machiavelli believes that a prince should…

influential. Entering the meditations, I was unsure of where my inner thoughts would take me. Reflecting now, it seems that I have actually traveled quite far. After ten days of meditating for ten uninterrupted minutes, I have begun to anticipate my departure from the rest of the world, finding solace in my own monologue. This retreat for ten minutes was not so much lonely isolation from the world as it was refreshing sanctuary from my own sources of tension; I have become my own place of…

compare or compete, everyone will respect you.” (Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching.) This quote about Taoism not only describes how I feel about Taoism but about life in general. The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff has helped me better understand the principles of Taoism. I enjoy reading this book because it helps to further understand why it is important to just be yourself and not try to conform to what society wants or expects you to be. The two topics I found the most interesting in Benjamin Hoff's The Tao…

He believes that peace can be achieved when nothing is desired. Machiavelli will do anything to stay in power and to be feared, wanting the prince to acknowledge the art of war. Lao-tzu's writings offered a basis for Taoism. The Tao-Te-Ching is a philosophical document about good government and moral behavior. The teachings of Lao-tzu are the opposite of the materialist quest for power, dominance, authority, and…

The religion of Daoism began around 300 BCE in China by a writer named Laozi, though there has yet to be any real proof that a person named Laozi even existed in that time period (Lee). According to Jacob Lee he states that Daoism is, “A religious philosophy that emphasizes the Dao (“the Way”), or the unity of all things in the universe that cannot be resisted” (Lee). Basically the believe is that you have a force that is in the universe, that you cannot help but follow or going with what “the…

Ultimately, then, I think the true nature of things in the external world are not revealed fully. How do I really know what is for certain? Descartes uses the analogy of wax in which deals with how we perceive objects and their characteristics and he uses wax because of it 's ability to change these qualities quite easily. Descartes heats up the wax and it melts until it has changed…

Throughout the course, there were significant amounts of arts that we observed and the fact we have to choose a top four is just inconceivable. Even though it was difficult finding my four choices, I was able to narrow them down in terms of significance and purpose. My four works of art that I will be discussing about are Mona Lisa (painting), The Colosseum (architecture), Everyman (theater), and Dao De Jing (philosophy). The Mona Lisa, obviously, was created by Leonardo Da Vinci between the…

Reading the works of Machiavelli and Lao-Tzu in succession highlight how truly at opposition the messages are. Though both pieces express the desired way to govern a people, the “Tao-te Ching” speaks of peace, simplicity, and letting the universe work its will, while “The Qualities of the Prince” emphasizes the necessity for war, and the natural wickedness of men. There are no particular reasons that these two ways of thought should be in harmony, one written in the 6th century, and the other…

The Taijitu symbol, more commonly known as “yin and yang” represents more than meets the eye. The symbol was partially derived from an ancient manual known as the I-Ching, or Book of Changes (Issitt and Main 251). Like many other symbols, this one was created by combining other symbols together to make a more present and relatable symbol. This symbol represents opposite forces and how they work together in the world. The “Yin and Yang” are a way for citizens to explain nature and how it balances…

When I was younger, I felt like the answer to being happy was living by my own accord in a way that satisfied my desires and my relationships and satisfied God’s will all the while. I went to a very liberal and open college and I pitied those who could not be honest with themselves, whether it be through sexuality, interests, passions, or opinions. I thought that to lie to yourself is the worst thing you could do, as doing so is lying to God and avoiding questioning your own morality- and…