His purpose in teaching these perceptions was for them to be applied to suffering and its cause as a way of fostering dispassion for the objects of clinging and craving, and for the acts of clinging and craving themselves.
///////////////////SUFFRNG TO GRTH
There is a famous Chinese painting called "The Vinegar Tasters". It usually shows three people: a Confucian scholar, a Buddhist monk, and, a Daoshi (an initiated Daoist.) They surround a vat of vinegar, which all three are tasting. The scholar scowls---the sour is something to be endured. The monk has an empty expression---the sour is something to be transcended. The Daoishi smiles---he has found something to savour. Personally, I don't really know how accurate this is---wisdom is wisdom be it Confucian, Buddhist, or, Daoist. But I have found that by approaching life in a certain way that I have learned that growth occurs from suffering
//////////////////// had a professor at university who used to say "I like the mess". I think that that was a very Daoist thing to say.
/////////////////////IME much suffering comes from being attached to stuff: money, love, controlling outcomes. When I left off trying to control sh!t, my life got better, sweet things started happening more regularly, and not only was I overall more content, but it was easier to achieve.
///////////////////SUFFRNG TO GRTH
There is a famous Chinese painting called "The Vinegar Tasters". It usually shows three people: a Confucian scholar, a Buddhist monk, and, a Daoshi (an initiated Daoist.) They surround a vat of vinegar, which all three are tasting. The scholar scowls---the sour is something to be endured. The monk has an empty expression---the sour is something to be transcended. The Daoishi smiles---he has found something to savour. Personally, I don't really know how accurate this is---wisdom is wisdom be it Confucian, Buddhist, or, Daoist. But I have found that by approaching life in a certain way that I have learned that growth occurs from suffering
//////////////////// had a professor at university who used to say "I like the mess". I think that that was a very Daoist thing to say.
/////////////////////IME much suffering comes from being attached to stuff: money, love, controlling outcomes. When I left off trying to control sh!t, my life got better, sweet things started happening more regularly, and not only was I overall more content, but it was easier to achieve.
I told a client the other day: "stop bitching about how you can't control the shape of the wave, and instead surf it magnificently..."
Also (and this is a biggie): come into some sort of respectful and realistic relationship with your mortality. Once you accept it, and (to whatever degree) get cool with it, your life will get tastier. I promise...
/////////////////////////What causes your suffering? You will always be in control of your reactions. You can choose to react negatively, positively, or you can choose to react not at all.
////////////////////According to Buddhism, life is suffering but we can find a way to manage and still live a happy life. I'm still pretty new to Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism in which there's a lot of overlap. I would think that life is suffering, in varying degrees for different people. You may be able to live and be fortunate enough to not deal with the loss of a loved one until you're in your 30's. Others may tragically lose their parents at a young age. Failing a test. Being late to work. From minor to major things, it's all suffering. However, learning about ourselves and our place in the world through Taoism can help us simply be and go with the flow.
When emotions have not yet emerged, that is called balance; when they are active yet all in proportion, that is called harmony.
/////////////////////////The Buddhists believe that suffering is born from desire, and one most renounce desire in order to relieve suffering.
Taoists regard suffering as a choice, and a rather stupid one at that. The world moves and changes around you, and it's your choice whether you want to hate it, fight it and whine that you don't like the changes. The suffering only exists in your mind, and only because you put it there to begin with.
- Buddhists: I am sad that I don't have a cookie. If I stop wanting cookies, I will no longer be sad.
- Taoists: I don't have a cookie, but it's a nice day and I have potato chips. If I get a cookie tomorrow that'd be awesome, but I'm not going to pin my well being on a frEAking cookie.
///////////////////////////////If life is suffering, we shouldn’t procreate.- MAYBE 1 CHLD
//////////////////////////////Life is life, you are placing labels on things, "MY life sucks because ______" "things are happening to ME, why ME?" That is your ego speaking, not the real you. Your ego is made up by what society taught you (you must get married, by a nice house, buy a nice car, be famous and well-liked, this is right and that is wrong, etc.). Do not get attached to anything: your thoughts, your personal beliefs, money, fame, relationships, etc... if you are attached to nothing, you cannot be unhappy because how is that possible if you're attached to nothing? People who have nothing sometimes are more happier, material things and the act of chasing something makes people sad... What happens in life is neutral, you have to let it just be naturally and stop trying to control it. People don't realize that they are rich on the inside, you do not need anything to be happy, you generate your own happiness and it's unlimited. How did Buddah or Jesus become enlightened? By chasing money, fame, or relationships? No, Buddha went into the forest alone, Jesus went to the desert alone, Lao Tzu spent time all alone. Were they depressed? No. Were they happy? No. They just are. Basically, there is no suffering if you take out "I" or "me" (AKA your ego) and just look at life the way it is and let it grow naturally.. can you force a flower to grow? Can you force a flower to become the color you like? No, you have to leave it alone, be patient, be still, and enjoy its beauty.
/////////////////////REDDIT PSYCHORX
///////////////////////WISDOM OF THE MASSES
////////////////////////You don't have to overcome it. Just observe, watch it flow and accept the fact that it's life. Stress, suffering and hard time are always there. You may feel bad now but that won't last forever so remember to come back, just as the bamboo comes back after it has been pressed by the wind.
///////////////////////say the world is yin and yang. For every dark time there is an equal light. Life teaches us what too much of one thing leads to. It's up to us to learn how to move on. Do we stay and dwell on stresses or learn to let them pass around us like a stream of water?
If life is but a stream of water then why stand in the middle of the stream? Why not just cross over to the other side of dry land?
/////////////////////////////Don't now if I'd consider myself a Taoist, but I do think I understand the key to enlightenment, which spans across most ancient figures like Jesus, Lao Tzu, Buddha and others.
While it is possible one individual gets the lower end of suffering in the world, in total, the universe is in balance and if someone endures great suffering, someone should be getting the other end, or great pleasures. Of course neither lives will ever be completely of one or the other, but the total result is complete balance.
In any case, if life does bring more suffering than pleasure, you will see that a new standard of the normal between the two will be equalized, and in a sense, is brought back to balance. It's a bit hard to explain if you get what I mean. It's like a drug inducing dopamine, and if you get enough of it, your body normalizes that amount and balance is retained.
If you happen to get the short end, I'm sorry. Part of the teaching of the Tao, and all enlightenment altogether is about overcoming the short end, or any worldly matter, in that they are like waves that come and go, whereas enlightenment is about the infinite and thus not subject to the changing nature of the universe
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