Tao Te Ching

The Power of Goodness, the Wisdom Beyond Words
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The Way of Chuang Tzu

By Thomas Merton

A translation and commentary on the writings of one of Taoism's most famous forefathers by one of Christianity's most famous monks. Reflecting a deep appreciation and respect for the relevance of Taoist wisdom, Thomas Merton spent 5 years compiling, reading, studying, and contemplating these teachings. The result became a vivid channeling of ancient, non-sectarian wisdom into the modern consciousness. An introduction by the Dalai Lama furthers Merton's larger view of a more pluralistic approach to a spiritual path.

Themes

Themes: Taoism

Quotes from The Way of Chuang Tzu

“Chuang Tzu dreamed that he was a butterfly. When he woke up he wondered if was Chuang Tzu dreaming he was a butterfly or now a butterfly dreaming it was Chuang Tzu.”

Chapters: 49. No Set Mind

Themes: Dream Butterfly

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“I like Chuang Tzu because he is what he is, not concerned with words and formulas about reality, but with the direct existential grasp of reality in itself. Immediately going to the heart of things, his philosophy is profoundly original and sane. I think i may be pardoned for consorting with this Chinese recluse who shares the climate and peace of my own kind of solitude, who is my own kind of person.”

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“In this world that our technological skill has made rigid, artificial, and spiritually void; we have a desperate need to recover spontaneity and depth.”

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“It is when we insist most firmly on everyone else being 'reasonable' that we become ourselves, unreasonable.”

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“The book of the Bible that most obviously resembles the Taoist classics is Ecclesiastes.”

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“There is a monastic outlook common to all who question the value of a life submitted entirely to arbitrary, secular presupposition dictated by social convention and dedication to the pursuit of temporal, mirage-like satisfactions; and instead, find something they vastly prefer in solitude.”

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Related Lineages (1 lineages)

Taoist

Quotes about The Way of Chuang Tzu (1 quotes)

“Composed over 2000 years ago, the Tao Te Ching and Chuang-tzu are among the world's most ancient and honored books of practical wisdom... Few of the world's great books have achieved the perennial currency of these writings... virtually all literate people in China have read [them]”

Thomas Cleary 1949 CE –

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