Analysis Of Heart Fasting By Chuang Tzu

Many people would argue that knowledge is power, but can too much knowledge be dangerous? How much is too much? Throughout history, the human race has had struggles with “too much knowledge” or going to extreme lengths to gain such knowledge. Is the everlasting quest to know something really worth it? In today’s generation, there is constantly new inventions of technology and theories of science. But maybe knowledge is starting to ruin people’s life and it shouldn’t be sought after. Very similar in the novel Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein deals with the deadly pursuit of knowledge. He is constantly intrigued into

Confucius (551–479 B.C.E.) and Laozi are some of the most renowned Chinese philosophers of all times. Laozi is considered by many scholars as a contemporary of Confucius. Indeed, the philosophies of the two scholars share a lot in common one of them being that they are critical of the world they live in because of disorder, which they attribute to deviation from the “way” of the golden period. Also, both their philosophies see the state of “nonaction” as the perfect spiritual state of man as characterized by harmony between his inclinations and those of the “way”. However, despite these similarities, Confucius and Laozi significantly differ in the sense that while the former advocates for

I understand this passage to mean that by embracing the mystery (and not fearing it) one can learn to live a life not controlled by fear and to enjoy every confusion. Lao Tzu writes within another chapter about how to live with fear, “They were careful as someone crossing an iced-over stream. Alert as a warrior in enemy territory. Fluid as melting ice. Shapable as a block of wood. Receptive as a valley. Clear as a glass of water” (Chapter 15, Mitchell). This chapter helps to explain the balance of both fear and curiosity that is needed to reach ones true potential. If one is centered on the Tao, then one doesn’t need

This quote comes from the story of Ying ying St. Clair’s Waiting Between the Trees. Seeing her daughter Lena in a stressful, and obviously troubled marriage, Ying-ying hates her daughter’s stubborn refusal to learn from her the Chinese ways of thinking, which Ying-ying sees as wiser than the American way. Yet, she also acknowledges how her own passivity has led to her daughter’s lack of a “spine”, with no way for stand up for herself in a dysfunctional marriage. She knows that the only way to save her daughter is to tell the story of how when she gave into fate and other people’s wills, it led to discontent and even agony.

Thus, possessing overloads of knowledge can in fact lead

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand” (Confucius) this quote

Teachers cannot do their job and actually teach the students if they do not care or want to learn from them. Lao-tzu is trying to tell his readers that we have much to learn from others around us, in that we should not be so closed minded and believe that we have the

Actions dictate the experiences in humans' lives, and Confucius and Laozi disagreed in their view of whether individuals should take action to achieve the Way. Confucius believed it was necessary and prevalent in society to act, since he lived during the period of the Warring States. He wanted to fix the leaders' problems, and he felt he could only achieve this through action, he who behaves with honor, and being sent on a mission to the four corners of the world does not bring disgrace to his lord, deserves to be called a gentleman. He felt a person had the best chance at acquiring the Way by being a gentleman. Laozi, however, trusted in nonaction, in things taking their pre-established course in life, with Daoism. He felt that it is better to live your life closer to the stillness of the Way, when not acting then there is nothing not done // . Only by shutting off from the world

     Confucius’s complimentary behavior not motivated his disciples but also set forth the example of decency and citizenship within society. “I can try a lawsuit as well as other men, but surely the great thing is to bring about that there be no going to law.” (Confucius p. 70) Confucius stresses not only the importance of bearing down society with avoidable lawsuits, but also that the relationships between neighbors should be above petty differences and disputes. He continues to encourage the importance neighbors by counseling his followers about the perspective in which we view others. “The man of noble mind seeks to achieve the good in others and not their evil. The little-minded man is the reverse of this.” (Confucius p. 70) The goodwill of which Confucius wishes to implant in his followers is evident in his statements as he encourages optimism and

Confucius taught us to love others from the within the family to everyone else in the society. A man’s

Monkey who is the central character of Wu Cheng is lead on a passage where he comes across a lot of difficulties. While on this journey, he acquires new friendships, but still faces countless nemeses. He meets different people along the way and all of them strive to be a true Buddhist, but all lack some of the must have characteristics to be a true Buddhist. I choose to write about this because it pertains to our everyday lives. We strive to be perfect and strive to have all qualities needed to be a decent person. But the fact of the matter is that it is simply something we can always strive for but will always need to work on. There is never enough that a person can do because there is always room for improvement. I relate this life matter to the story because even if one thinks they have all the characteristics to be anything there is always something that can be improved on no matter how perfect you portray yourself to be. I will portray the characters on what they are faced with and what each of them represents. They all have common assets that are a part of human nature, but none has all of what it takes to be a true Buddhist.

Having a surplus amount of knowledge is often seen as something that is desired. But, sometimes having knowledge that

Confucius, the most influential philosophers of Chinese religions has stated many upon many quotes in his time of living. As a Christian many quotes by Confucius can be used to grow in one’s belief as well as enhancing our interactions with the Chinese society. The quote such as “The essence of knowledge is, having it, to apply it; not having it, to confess your ignorance”. Christians can use this quote with a scripture that can back it up with James 4:17, Therefore to him that know to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin (KJV). Both Christians and Chinese believers now knows that as we grow spiritually, we are to live spiritually correct. For if we fail to do so the chances are we may influence our brothers and sisters it is okay

Even amidst the excruciating pain and grief, Yinghong Qiao was able to realize that her life did not end there. She kept calm and thought about the ways out and the ways to keep on living. During the interview, she said: “If I stuck in the negative emotions created by the difficulties, I will never be able to get out. I should face the difficulty and deal with them with a positive attitude. I should be strong, to conquer it for myself and my family” (Qiao). This shows how her clear mind, optimistic mindset, and determination helped her extricated herself from the predicament. On the other hand, Qian Wang was pessimistic and saw death the only way. She did not think clearly and ended up making impulsive decisions without thinking about the alternatives. She was not determined to find a way in the first place. By contrasting the two, I learned that whether people can find their way to be back on track depends on their perspectives on the situation, their calmness, as well as their

As the great Socrates ones said, that by admiting that you dont know anything, so you can learn something that is how I discover the things that I want to know. The only way of knowing things is the way of becoming conscious of our unknowing, so we can learn. Awareness of the unknowing is the beginning of knowledge. Thus, we can always look for the truth, but the best is if never said that we found it. We may just think of the truth. We may think of what is the truth different in mathematics, the arts and ethics, but let’s never be sure. That is the only way how we are going to become bigger and better people.