“What’s that?” the Unbeliever asked. “Wisdom from the Western Taoist,” I said. “It sounds like something from Winnie-the-Pooh,” he said. “It is,” I said. “That’s not about Taoism,” he said. “Oh, yes it is,” I said.
BENJAMIN HOFFI think, therefore I am confused.
More Benjamin Hoff Quotes
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To Buddha, the second figure in the painting, life on earth was bitter, filled with attachments and desires that led to suffering.
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Knowledge and Experience do not necessarily speak the same language.
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Through working in harmony with life’s circumstances, Taoist understanding changes what others may percieve as negative into something positive.
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Life itself, when understood and utilized for what it is, is sweet.
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Well, it takes all kinds to make a mess.
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No matter how useful we may be, sometimes it takes us a while to recognize our own value.
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You’d be surprised how many people violate this simple principle every day of their lives and try to fit square pegs into round holes, ignoring the clear reality that Things Are As They Are.
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Reality is what one makes it. And the more negative reality one nurtures and creates, the more of it one has.
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When you discard arrogance, complexity, and a few other things that get in the way, sooner or later you will discover that simple, childlike, and mysterious secret known to those of the Uncarved Block: Life is Fun.
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The Infinite Universal Power is more than just a narrow-minded gatekeeper to a spiritual County Club.
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Treat gain and loss the same.’ Don’t be Intimidated. Don’t make a Big Deal of anything – just accept things as they come to you.
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It means that Tao doesn’t force or interfere with things, but lets them work in their own way, to produce results naturally. Then whatever needs to be done is done.
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Enjoy the simple, the natural and the plain. Along with that comes the ability to do things spontaneously and have them work.
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When we give up our images of self-importance and our ideas of what should be, we can help things become what they need to be.
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Things just happen in the right way, at the right time. At least when you let them, when you work with circumstances instead of saying, ‘This isn’t supposed to be happening this way,’ and trying harder to make it happen some other way.
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One sometimes gets the impression that those intimidating words are there to keep us from understanding. That way, the scholars can appear Superior, and will not likely be suspected of Not Knowing Something.
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Without difficulties, life would be like a stream without rocks and curves – about as interesting as concrete. Without problems, there can be no personal growth, no group achievement, no progress of humanity. But what mattes about problems is what one does with them.
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Whether many people realize it yet or not, man, the Inferior Animal, has by now proved himself incapable of keeping his own species – and others – alive for very much longer. So the earth has begun its own plan to set things right.
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A well-frog cannot imagine the ocean, nor can a summer insect conceive of ice. How then can a scholar understand the Tao? He is restricted by his own learning.
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A clever mind is not a heart. Knowledge doesn’t really care, wisdom does.
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From the Taoist point of view, the natural result of this harmonious way of living is happiness.
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We simply need to believe in the power that’s within us, and use it.
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When you know and respect your Inner Nature, you know where you belong. You also know where you don’t belong.
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Pooh is able to accomplish what he does because he is simpleminded.
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As any old Taoist walking out of the woods can tell you, simple-minded does not necessarily mean stupid.
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There is more to knowing than just being correct
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