The Sayings of Laozi
የቻናል ዝርዝሮች
The Sayings of Laozi
Exploring the profound teachings of one of China’s most important philosophers.
የቅርብ ጊዜ ክፍሎች
82 ክፍሎች
EP81 The end of the road
Mankind strives, explores and conflicts. These all bring destruction, according to Laozi. Follow the ways of Dao, and all shall be well, he has consis...
EP80 Welcome to paradise
In Laozi's dream life, we would all have a nice modest house, enough food, be peaceful, delight in simple pleasures, keep to ourselves, keep our minds...
EP79 Game theory
True resolution of conflict allows both sides to win. There's no reason for there to be a winner and a loser, as this could create further conflict do...
EP78 Water power
We know that Laozi has a love affair with water. In its manner it comes close to Dao in his thinking. The secret of water's strength is its very softn...
EP77 Take from the rich and give to the poor
Laozi believes that it's important – it's the way of Dao – to adjust the inequalities in society. The rich should use some of their wealth to help the...
EP76 Bend in the wind
For hard and stiff, read impervious and intransigent. For soft and weak, read yielding and vulnerable. Life is full of movement and freshness. Trees c...
EP75 Watch your back
Laozi's message – If you are a king, watch your back. If you are a subject, hold the king to account.
EP74 Here comes the chopper to chop off your head
Here, Laozi is saying, if you push people to the limits of their tolerance, then they no longer fear death. Your so called weapon of last resort, deat...
EP73 The net of heaven spreads far and wide
The net of Heaven spreads far and wide. In English we sometimes say ‘the long arm of the law,’ meaning punishment is inescapable.
EP72 Beware the lord of misrule
Laozi implores rulers to follow the ways of the Dao. Don't get too comfortable in the hot seat, he chides ... nothing is forever. You ignore the live...
EP71 Into the unknown
True wisdom is knowing that there is so much that you do not know, so much more to learn. Anyone who claims otherwise is self-defeating or misguided,...
EP70 The sage in coarse linen
Whilst he is revered now as a great sage, there may have been few people in his day and age who actually understood enough about him to carry on the m...
EP69 There are no winners in war
For Laozi, war and conflict is failure. To get to that point shows that both sides have moved very far away from the principal of Dao, and so there wi...
EP68 Fight the good fight
On the surface it may seem as though Laozi is giving advice to warriors, but his words are just as applicable to rulers, leaders, and those in charge...
EP67 Examine your motives
The key part of this verse is Laozi's focus on Compassion, Frugality and lack of Ambition – what he describes as his three treasures.
EP66 Lead from behind
Laozi wants to make the analogy with a sage wishing to show leadership. Not from above or in front, but below and behind… like water weaving its way t...
EP65 The perils of knowledge
Laozi mentioned that if you overregulated the people then they would use their ingenuity to find ways to subvert your rule. So - in the spirit of Non-...
EP64 A journey of a thousand miles…
This verse contains one of the best known sayings, if not THE best known saying of Laozi, which most people in the West know as ‘A journey of a thousa...
EP63 Fools rush in
In this verse, Laozi is warning against complacency. He would have made a pretty good project manager or life coach in the 21st century.
EP62 Dao – the sanctuary for all things
Let's remind ourselves that Dao is the ultimate. It is all forgiving and values everything equally – the good and the not so good. It is a sanctuary f...
EP61 Win-win scenarios
In this verse, Laozi is dipping into foreign affairs. He is playing with the concept of No-Win, Zero Sum and Win-Win scenarios. This is Game Theory –...
EP60 Cook your fish carefully
Just as you can't be heavy handed in cooking a small fish, so too a light touch is the best way to govern a large state. Laozi invokes Dao to make the...
EP59 Everything in moderation
This verse is about knowing how to act and when to act, also how much to act.
Lead in this way, and the people will follow.
EP58 You can lead a horse to water, but cannot make him drink
Our philosopher has advice for anyone who would become a sage. Be sharp, but don't cut. Be pointed but don't pierce. Be outspoken, but don't offend. L...
EP57 The curse of desire
In this verse our philosopher has what seems to be advice to rulers. Keep things nicely down the middle – ‘the proper norm.’
EP56 Nothing to shout about
Here Laozi is saying, live a simple life, and turn your back on personal gain, personal relations and social status. Be content with your progress on...
EP55 Guard your precious Qi
Laozi warns against squandering Qi. It's almost as though he is saying that there is a limited amount in our bodies. Use it up, and you will grow old...
EP54 Search for the answer within
Laozi is saying that you don't need to look far to understand the actions of others, family, villages, states and even the way of the universe. Start...
EP53 Ditch the bling
Who needs all these fancy things, when you have the most wonderous thing of all – Dao.
EP52 There is nothing new under the Sun
There is nothing to be gained from the outside world. Do the opposite and you will be troubled by strife for all your days. Back to the essential mess...
EP51 The tree of life
For Laozi, everything is simply in some form of process, still part of the lifecycle. See it as a vast family tree that leads all the way back from th...
EP50 Don't worry, be happy
Laozi's advice is not dissimilar to contemporary views that sometimes you make you yourself so busy that you don’t have time to enjoy yourself, to tru...
EP49 Teach by example
It's the exact same process of setting aside your own needs and desires in favour of others. And if they do wrong then you forgive them. You turn the...
EP48 Close the book, open the mind
For Laozi there is danger in too much knowledge. It can fill up the mind, and trap you into certain beliefs and actions.
EP47 Travel narrows the mind
Don't confuse your mind with things that don't matter. Seek the tranquility of inner peace and knowledge. Hence – the farther you travel, the less you...
EP46 Enough is enough
Laozi is returning to the concept of the triumph of need over want. It's vitally important to know when enough is enough.
EP45 Appearances aren't everything
Laozi says that we often have a flawed view of what we see, maybe because we choose to see things that way.
EP44 More is less
If you have more than you truly need, then you have more to lose. Humility and restraint are the key.
EP43 Teaching without words
Here Laozi is suggesting that sometimes the best course of action is to do nothing.
EP42 One for all, and all for one
All things stem from Dao. And everything created is connected and interdependent.