How is a thing right? It is right because it is right. How is a thing wrong? It is wrong because it is wrong. How is a thing possible? It is possible because it is so. How is a thing not possible? It is not possible because it is not possible. Things have within…
Of my assertions,9 out of 10 are metaphorical;7 in 10 are from existing writings. Words flow on every day clarified bythe heavenly elementin our nature. The 9 assertions in 10 which are metaphoricalare borrowed from external sources to expound my arguments. It is said,“A father does not act as the matchmakerfor his own son.”This…
A comparison of two quotations is a riddle. Language is a pivot, a fulcrum to rouse understanding in the mind. Zhuangzi, the taoist sage and Ludwig Wittgenstein, a very influential intellectual of the 20th century, “play” in the same sandbox. Jump in the box with them! There’s enough toys for everyone. (A riddle naturally…
Virtue dissolves into fame; fame dissolves into excess; schemes arise from a crisis; cleverness from disputes; strife is fueled by obstinate adherence to one’s views. The work of government should be distributed in accordance with the approval of all. In spring, when the rains fall and the sun shines, the grass and trees burst…
All things which have a consciousness depend on their breath. If the breath is not ample, it is not the fault of heaven. Heaven provides breath day and night without ceasing but [humankind] closes up their passages. The womb encloses an empty space; but the mind finds delight in its natural movements. If the…
Huizi said to Zhuangzi, “You speak of what is useless!” Zhuangzi replied, “You have to know what is useless beforeyou can speak about what is useful… Zhuangzi said, “if a man has the capacity to wander freely,can he be stopped? If a man lacks the capacity, then whatcan induce him? There are those who…
The 2nd Sunday of March, you lose an hour of rest due to the ‘click forward’ of daylight savings time. I’d wager most despise the imposition, and there’s no mechanism to stop the obsolete ritual. Saving energy and encouraging commerce… A globalized economy heavily encumbered by tariffs is roiled by the President of the…
When wood is rubbed against woodit begins to burn;when metal is heatedit melts. When yin and yang are out of balance, heaven and earthare perturbed. Then comes the crash of thunder, and from the rain,lightning sets the locust trees on fire. With men, it is still worse. They stand distraughtbetween two pitfalls of gain…
A few of us met last night to talk about consciousness. We ambled about. Taking a turn to speak, the speaker struggled to clarify what it was that he/she intended to say. That’s the upshot when there’s no agreed upon definition of consciousness. There’s a tinge of magic to the term. Consciousness has traditionally…
…”Cocks crow and dogs bark— this is what all men know. But even the men of greatest wisdom do not know how to explain in words how they are formed, nor can they speculate in their minds how they might develop in the future. “When we examine the nature of things, we can arrive…
