"Once upon a time, I, Zhuang Zhou, 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 Zhou. Soon I awakened, 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." - #Zhuangzi, Ch 2 tr Burton Watson
Great straightness seems twisted. Great intelligence seems stupid. Great eloquence seems awkward.
— Gia-Fu Feng, #daodejing, Verse 45
"Last summer, on a trip to the mountains of Wudang, one of the birthplaces of Taoism, I saw temples teeming with young Chinese eagerly studying tai chi and yangsheng, the art of bodily wellbeing. The pandemic seemed to have awoken many Chinese to the realisation that, for several years now, they had been living a sort of lie: a life of scarcity in an age of abundance. Now was the time for self-correction. The search has just begun."
#ChangChe, 2025
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Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt. Chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench. Care about people’s approval and you will be their prisoner. Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity.
— Stephen Mitchell, Tao Te Ching, Verse 9
#daodejing #taoteching #Daoism #Daoist #Taoism #taoist zi #LaoTzu
