Chuang Tzu
ancient Chinese sage

If I out-argued you and you out-argued me, does that mean that I'm really right and you're wrong?

You won't see happiness until you stop seeking it.

The person who knows that he is a fool is not a fool.

The only way to fight is to stop fighting.

Don't be a slave to fame. Don't be a graveyard of plans. Do not covet anything, do not envy anything, do not keep anything. Be empty - that's the secret.

One day Zhou dreamed that he was a butterfly, a butterfly fluttering merrily. He enjoyed it wholeheartedly and did not realize that he was Zhou. But suddenly he woke up...
Waking up, Zhou could not understand: whether Zhou dreamed that he was a butterfly, or whether the butterfly dreamed that she was Zhou.

Only man considers Mao-qiang beautiful, and the fish, seeing her, goes into the depths.

Is there highest happiness in the Celestial World? Is it possible to live your life to the fullest? What should you do, what should you hope for? What to avoid, what to do? What to strive for, what to give up? What to love and what to hate?

In the Celestial Empire, they value wealth, nobility, longevity and good fame; they love peace, exquisite dishes, luxurious clothes, beautiful flowers and soothing sounds. They hate poverty and humiliation, premature death and disrepute, and suffer when there is no peace, no exquisite dishes, no luxurious clothes, no beautiful flowers, no soothing sounds. If people are deprived of all this, they become despondent and sad. But there is nothing more stupid than to please only the whims of the flesh!

The rich, exhausting themselves with hard work, accumulate so many treasures that they do not have time to use them, and these riches do not add anything to the joys of the flesh. Noble men worry about their virtue day and night, but their virtue does not add anything to the joys of the body. A person is sad from his very birth, and after living a long life, he falls into darkness. How bitter it is to suffer for so long without dying! And everything that a person does in life is so alien to him!

In the Celestial Empire, the valor of heroes is highly valued, but their valor did not help them protect themselves. And I don’t know if this is true valor, or if it is actually untrue? If you consider this valor, then it is not enough to save your life. And if you don’t consider it valor, then it is enough to save the lives of others. That’s why they say: “When people don’t listen to sincere instructions, sit quietly and don’t argue.” So Wu Zixu began to argue and ruined himself. But if he had not competed, he would not have deserved fame. So does valor really exist?

I don’t know whether what people nowadays consider happiness is actually happiness. I see that happiness in the world is what everyone dreams of, what everyone strives for and what they cannot live without. And I don’t know if this is happiness, but I also don’t know if this is misfortune. So does happiness exist in the world? For me, real happiness is inaction, and the crowd considers this torment. Therefore it is said: “The highest happiness is the absence of happiness. The highest glory is no glory."

Although in the world it is ultimately impossible to determine what is true and what is false, in non-action it is possible to determine what is true and what is false. The highest happiness is life itself, and only non-action allows you to achieve it. I'll try to talk about this. The sky, thanks to Inaction, becomes clear; Thanks to Inaction, the Earth becomes calm. When the Inaction of Heaven is in harmony with the Inaction of Earth, the transformation of all things is accomplished. Indistinguishable, vague - it comes from no one knows where! Vague, boundless - devoid of image! All that exists in its great abundance grows from Non-Doing. Therefore it is said: “Heaven and Earth do nothing, but nothing remains undone.” Who among people is capable of realizing Inaction?

He who has comprehended the essence of life does not bother himself with worthless matters. He who has comprehended the essence of fate does not bother himself with deeds not sent down by fate. To maintain life in the body, you need to rely on different things, but it happens that things are in abundance, but it is impossible to maintain life in the body. In order to save your life, you must first not lose your body, but it happens that bodies are not lost, but life turns out to be ruined. The coming of life cannot be denied, its departure cannot be stopped. How unfortunate! People in the world believe that feeding the body is enough to maintain life, but no matter how much you eat, in the end you cannot save your life. However, in the world they think that this is enough, and they don’t even know how to live differently.

For anyone who wants to get rid of worries about his body, it is best to leave the light. Whoever leaves the light will get rid of hardships. And whoever is freed from hardships is straight and equal in soul. Those who are straight and equal in soul know how to live by daily renewal. And whoever lives by daily renewal is already close to the truth. Do earthly affairs deserve to be discarded, and life deserve to be abandoned? He who has given up on things does not bother himself. He left life with an unfading spirit. Whoever is whole in body and has returned to the fullness of spirit will become one with Heaven. Heaven and Earth are the father and mother of all things. When they unite, they create a body. By separating, they begin a new life. When both body and spirit live forever, this is called "the ability to transfer oneself." In the spiritual, acquire even more spiritual things - and then you will become the support of Heaven.

Teacher Le Tzu asked Guan Yin: “The highest man walks under water and does not choke, steps on fire and does not get burned, soars above the whole world and is not afraid. Let me ask you how to achieve this?

“This is achieved not by knowledge and dexterity, but by maintaining the purity of life force,” answered Guan Yin. - Sit down, I'll tell you. Everything that has form and image, sound and color are things. How do things differ from each other and how are they superior to each other? Shape and color - that's all! After all, things are born in the Formless and return to the Unchangeable. What obstacles could there be for someone who has achieved this? Such a person dwells in the Inexhaustible and buries himself in the Infinite, wanders at the end and beginning of all things. He protects the integrity of his nature, nurtures his spirit and brings his vital forces into harmony in order to be at one with the creation of all things. The heavenly in him is preserved intact, the spiritual in him does not suffer damage. How can external things affect him?

Even a drunk who falls from a cart can hit himself hard, but he won’t die. His body is the same as others, but he will hurt himself in a special way - after all, his spirit is intact. He did not know that he was riding in a cart, and he did not know that he had fallen from it, dreams of life and the fear of death did not nest in his chest, and now he, having collided with any object, knows no fear. If a person can become so whole from wine, then how much more whole can he become thanks to Heaven? The wise man buries himself in the heavenly, and therefore nothing can harm him.
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Copyright: ancient aphorisms and wise quotes

They are often quoted on social networks, used as an epigraph at various trainings, and used in the media and books. But similar to the popular expression “behind every great man there is a great woman,” each such statement has its own author, although history does not always preserve his name. After the release of the cult cartoon "Kung Fu Panda", the saying "accidents are not accidental" became very popular. Who said this phrase and who is credited with its authorship, read about it below.

Version one: cartoon "Kung Fu Panda"

If you ask the question who said “coincidences are not accidental,” the overwhelming majority of respondents will answer: one of the characters in the cartoon “Kung Fu Panda,” which was released in 2008. However, in reality, the cartoon only uses a famous saying. Who is the author of the quote “accidents are not accidental”?

Fans of the animated story about the panda warrior not only believe that this phrase was said in the cartoon, but also confuse who said “coincidences are not accidental.” For some reason, many people believe that these words were spoken by Master Shifu, the mentor of the main character, although this is not entirely true. According to the plot of the cartoon, in response to Shifu's words about the appearance of the panda, it was the one who said "coincidences are not accidental." In fact, it appeared much earlier than the cartoon "Kung Fu Panda" was released.

Version two: great European thinkers

At different times, many great people discussed randomness, for example, the Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, the physicist Albert Einstein, Blaise Pascal, or the 19th-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. In fact, everyone had their own version of the catchphrase about accidents with a similar meaning, but none of them was the one who said “accidents are not accidents.”

There is also a version that this idea belongs to the Chinese philosopher Confucius. It is already closer to the truth - the proverb was actually born in China. However, Confucius has nothing to do with it; he lived a couple of centuries earlier than the author of the famous saying.

“Accidents are not accidental” - who actually said this phrase?

The remarkable thing about the history is that we cannot recreate events with absolute certainty. We cannot say for sure who said “accidents are not accidental.” Finding the author of this aphorism is complicated by the fact that at different times these words were spoken by many great minds in one form or another. However, historical evidence indicates that the author of the quote “accidents are not accidental” is Zhuang Tzu, the great Chinese thinker who lived in the 4th century BC. And although very little information about this philosopher has survived, these are rather subjective sources (memoirs and biographies), and there are practically no reliable materials with data about him, some of Chuang Tzu’s sayings have still survived to our time. This also applies to the question of who said “coincidences are not accidental.” This phrase has a deep meaning, which we will discuss later.

What else is the author of the quote “accidents are not accidental” famous for?

In addition to this aphorism, Zhuang Tzu is the author of many others. These include stories about a master who dreamed that he became a butterfly, as well as a dialogue between Zhuang Tzu and the ruler’s envoys who brought an order to recruit the philosopher to public service. An aphorism that if you steal a hook from a belt, you will be executed, and if you steal a kingdom, you will be crowned. It was first expressed by this Chinese thinker.

Analogues of the famous aphorism

Ideas about randomness appeared when people made their first attempts to understand the nature of ongoing events and their impact on human destiny. It is not surprising that almost every great mind (not only philosophers, but also scientists and artists) of all times and peoples will definitely have a statement about this concept.

There are many aphorisms on the topic of chance. Some authors are famous, while others remain in the shadows. Let us recall the popular expressions about accidents, which are close in meaning to the phrase “accidents are not accidental.”

The ancient Greek philosopher Democritus wrote: “Events whose causes we do not know seem random.” These words reflect basic philosophical concepts: chance and necessity, where chance is considered an unknown necessity.

A similar thought was expressed by one of the greatest French philosophers of the 18th century, Voltaire, saying that a case is usually called any action for which we do not see the root cause or do not understand it.

Franz Kafka had a similar opinion, who called chance only a reflection of the boundaries of knowledge.

The French mathematician Blaise Pascal said that only prepared minds make accidental discoveries.

The famous Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud wrote that nothing is accidental, everything has a root cause.

Leo Tolstoy was sure that there are no coincidences; rather, a person creates his own destiny rather than meeting it.

An aphorism about this philosophical concept, belonging to an unknown mathematician, was heard in the Soviet film “The Most Charming and Attractive”: “Chance is a special case of a pattern.”

Each of the above aphorisms has a similar semantic meaning to the words of the Chinese thinker Zhuang Tzu, so it is not surprising that his statement is also attributed to other philosophers, writers and scientists.

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The Taoist treatise Zhuang Tzu was created in the third century BC. Both contemporaries and subsequent generations revered the author of this text as an absolutely wise teacher.

Little is known about the life of Chuang Tzu [Tzu – (Chinese) Teacher]. Estimated dates of life 369 BC. e. – 286 BC e., this time in the history of China is called the era of the Warring States. The country was divided into rival regions, and battles took place not only on military battlefields, but also among thinkers and sages.

His name was Zhou. Zhuang Zhou was from the city of Meng in the Principality of Song. For some time he held a government position, then resigned and returned to the village. He was of a cheerful disposition and was friends with robbers. He became widely known as a mentor and teacher. Laughed at Confucius. Zhuang Tzu is considered the most prominent follower of the teachings of Lao Tzu.

There is a well-known story when, when asked by the ruler to serve as his highest adviser, Zhuang Zhou laughed and replied that it was better for him to be in the dirt, being in serenity, than to be in the reins of the prince. Before his death, he asked not to bury himself, but to leave his body in an open field, because the whole world would become his grave. The name Zhuang Zhou can be translated as Circle of Power.

It's hard to tell what this book is about. Many transformations take their course, but everything constantly returns to the beginning. The great becomes small, the small becomes great, ugliness is equated with beauty, and beauty only burdens. There is no absolute beauty, no absolute happiness, no absolute values.

The texts, which at first glance seem like mysterious parables, are an accurate description of the work of consciousness. This is a text about the transformation of values, about the transformation of values ​​in consciousness, about the transformation of consciousness.

The irony originally inherent in this text is embedded in every sign. Consciousness can exist fully only in the space of hidden laughter, because laughter is a constant nullification of existing values. Consciousness is like a wild cat and is capable of amazing transformations, but from its desire to become this or that it falls into traps and traps.

Penetration into the text is like a magical journey along shimmering waves of transformations, in which you can find yourself in both muddy waters and lands of clear vision. Therefore, let us wish to carefully catch the flows of power, filling the sail of the ship of our mind with the wonderful wind of the wisdom of Zhuang Tzu.

Respectfully, Bronislaw Vinogrodsky

* * *

In the Impenetrable Abyss of the North there is a fish called the Ancestor. Such a healthy fish that you don’t even know how many thousands of miles there are in it. She will turn into a bird, which will be called a Pair. And the back of this bird is unknown how many thousands of miles away. He will get angry and fly. Wings like clouds hanging in the sky. The sea begins to move, and the bird flies into the impenetrable abyss of the south.

The cicada and the bird are chatting, laughing at the huge bird: “When I decide to fly, I rise into the air to move from the elm to the maple. I don’t always make it, sometimes I drop to the ground and take a break. But for some reason this one needs to climb 90 thousand miles when it flies south.”

Small knowledge cannot comprehend great knowledge.

You cannot comprehend great times by experience of a short period of time.

How do these two little guys know about this?

Can they understand great knowledge?

* * *

You comprehend the highest when you understand what is from Heaven and what is from man.

The action of Heaven is the life given by Heaven. Human action is the knowledge within oneself of the laws of knowledge in order to grow in oneself the knowledge of what cannot be known.

This is the only way to live out the years allotted to you by Heaven, and not disappear in the middle of the path. Such is the completeness of knowledge, but even in complete knowledge there is deficiency.

The great mind is revealed limitlessly,

and the small mind is only boundaries and divisions.

A great speech is a flash of insight,

and small speech is fussy idle talk.

A true man of wisdom appears fair, but does not seek like-minded people. Feels like he's missing something, but doesn't take anything.

Always independent in communication, but you don’t feel firmness.

When opened, you see only emptiness, and no decorations on the outside.

Light and warm - like joy itself. All his movements seem to be forced.

Collected - as if the light is coming on you.

He gives - as if he stops you with his fortitude.

Severe - like the outside world.

Great - as if there are no boundaries for him.

Homogeneous - as if it wants to close down.

Serene - as if he doesn’t remember what he said.

Sees punishments like flesh. Therefore, he is generous if he is forced to suffer death.

The ritual is its wings. This is how he moves in the world.

Knowledge is his time. There is no need to strive to be in business.

The strength of the spirit is its obedience. With speeches he encourages everyone with legs to move up together to reach heights. And true intention in people manifests itself as diligence in actions.

What he liked was the same for him.

What he didn’t like was the same to him.

Both of these were one for him.

And not just one thing - he was also one.

In his unities he was obedient to Heaven.

In his non-unities he followed people.

And there was no struggle between Heaven and man.

This is how a true person is defined.

* * *

Hunters are attracted to the patterns on the skin of tigers. A monkey is chained because it is smart and cunning, and a dog is chained for its ability to learn and catch animals. Mountain trees themselves attract robbers. Fire in oil burns itself. The cinnamon tree is edible, that's why it's cut down. Lacquer wood is useful, that’s why it’s cut. All people know how to use usefulness in things, no one knows how to use uselessness in them.

For a person who has comprehended everything, there is no personality.

For a person who has realized himself, there are no feats.

For the highest wisdom there is no fame and glory.

Mentor Kindly told Mentor Strength: “There is a big tree, people call it elm. The huge trunk is completely covered with growths, so you can’t make a log out of it. Small branches are very twisted; neither a ruler nor a compass can be used. It’s right on the road, but the carpenter won’t even look at it. You keep talking about great things, but there is no benefit in them. So people don’t believe such speeches.”

Mentor Sil answered him: “It seems that you have never seen a wild cat. He crawls, spread out, hiding, lying in wait for the victim. And then as soon as he jumps, he darts to the side for fun. He doesn't care whether it's high or low, up or down. He seems invulnerable to himself, but often falls into traps to his death.

And for example, the yak, it is huge, like a cloud in the sky. This one can be called great. But he doesn’t catch mice.

You have a huge tree, and you are upset that there is no use for it. So plant it where there is nothing, in the vastness of the boundless expanse. Wander around without anything to do or worry about. Wander in infinity, sleep in serenity, resting under this tree. It will not end its life prematurely under the axes of the carpenters. Nothing will destroy it. Because there is no benefit from it, therefore no harm can come from it.”

* * *

A person is drowning in a sea of ​​affairs with which he has inextricably linked himself. He cannot return to his original self when he has not yet plunged into business with passion. He gradually closes himself and sews up the openings of communication with the world with the threads of his affairs, and then in his old age he repents that he lived his life in vain.

Just like morning and evening

life comes into you,

that's why you live.

A round dance of feelings: disposition and irritation, sadness and joy, seduction and grief, variability and anxiety, frivolity and intemperance, promiscuity and depravity - like the sounds of songs that arise from the void, like mold emerging from dampness. All this stretches on in a continuous change of days and nights, and how can you understand where the endless chain of transformations begins?

In the darkness of sleep, souls cling to each other, and in awakening you are freed from bodily shackles. All the time in communication, stuck together with each other, you fight in your mind all day long, but the connections are so inextricable, deep, strong.

When there is no other, there is no me. If I don’t exist, there’s nothing to perceive it with. All this is so close and inseparable from me. But there is no way to understand how it is directed.

Here are a hundred bones, nine holes, six giblets, and you exist in all of this. What is this I so tightly fused with? Is this what everyone is tied to here?

Do you see servants and wives everywhere in the world? Can't you restore order among the servants and wives? Maybe everyone is always changing in the position of master and servant? Maybe there is a real owner in all this?

You can try to understand its true essence, or you don’t have to try. No harm, no benefit to you.

One day they gave you everything that the body creates. It's better not to ruin it while waiting for the end. You can, of course, compete in everything, fight and argue with others like you. But this will only speed up the approach of the end. Who is able to stop this movement here?

All people in life are in the darkness of delusions. You should not think that everyone is mistaken and you are the only one who is not in darkness. Do you think that everything operates according to rules based on the movements of your mind?

There must be someone who really rules it all.

You just can’t feel it.

In the world, in every object there is always both this and that. If you look at the world from there, you don’t see something. And if you look from here, you can see. Therefore they say, this follows from this, and this is determined by this.

Usually you take your finger to show something that is not a finger in your finger. It is better to take what is not a finger in order to show what is not a finger in the finger.

Only with life does death appear, and in death there is life. Only from the assumption of possibility does the impossibility of the rest follow, and you can only affirm by denying something else. From affirmation comes negation, and from negation comes affirmation. Therefore, a wise person does not look for causes and consequences, but looks at everything with the light of Heaven. That's how it's managed.

And the truth cannot be comprehended, and untruth cannot be comprehended. That's why they say that clarity of mind is most important.

Where does the possible come from? The possible is from the possible.

Where does the impossible come from? The impossible comes from the impossible.

The path passes through everything and unites opposites into one.

In these differences there is integrity, and from integrity comes destruction.

There are no items that are completely intact or completely damaged.

They all come back to the same thing.

* * *

He who has comprehended knows that everything is connected with each other, being one. That is why he does not use images to indicate the normality of immutability. Only use the usual one. Benefits are gained through connections. Making connections is establishing a message.

When you comprehend the establishment of a message, you approach the essence of knowledge. Moving further, you reach the end and comprehend your essence. If you have comprehended your essence without knowing what is or is not so in it, then this can be called the Path.

What is possible is possible.

And what is impossible is impossible.

When you follow the path, then it is there.

When you try to achieve the unity of universal clarity, not realizing that you are already one with everything, this can be described by a parable: “The owner gave acorns to the monkeys. He said that in the morning he would give three parts, and in the evening four. The whole troop of monkeys became angry. Then the owner said that in the morning he would give four parts, and in the evening three. The whole flock was happy."

Nothing was lost either in words or in essence. And it worked on manifestations of joy and anger.

Therefore, a wise person seeks harmony in the interaction of affirmations and negations, removing the contradiction through balance with Heaven.

* * *

There is a beginning and there is something that has not yet begun to be in the beginning. There is also that which has not yet begun to be that which has not yet begun to be in the beginning.

There is what is available, and there is what is missing. There is also something that has not yet begun to be absence. There is also something in this that has not yet begun to be that which has not yet begun to be the absence of what exists.

Suddenly there is an absence. But you don’t know whether the existing absence is actually present or absent?

Now I already have a name. I just don’t know whether what is present is called named, or whether its absence is actually called that?

For fish, the creation of the common is water; for people, the creation of the common is the Path. In the general creation of water, reservoirs are dug, which are a source of food. In the general creation of the Path, without getting involved in business, they gain stability in life. That’s why they say that, living in rivers and lakes, fish forget about each other. And people forget about each other, having comprehended the art of the Path.

* * *

When the Path has not yet begun in the existing one, there are boundaries.

When the conversation does not yet begin about what exists, there is constancy.

So you assert, and there is a limit. We express these boundaries.

If you have a left, you also have a right.

You have relationships, you have levels.

If you have division, you also have discrimination.

If you have rivalry, you also have struggle.

This is called the eight powers of the spirit.

The Great Path in the absence of names.

Great controversy in the absence of speech.

In great love there is no preference.

In great humility there is no humiliation.

Great courage lacks intimidation.

The Path contains both feelings and faith.

The Path has no manifestations, no flesh.

It can only be carried out, but cannot be contained.

It can be comprehended, but cannot be seen with the eyes.

In itself there is both the basis and the root.

There was neither Earth nor Sky yet, but in this ancient times he definitely already existed.

It contains gods, spirits, and supreme rulers.

He gives birth to Heaven and gives birth to Earth.

He is before the great brink - and not high.

It is below six boundaries - not deep.

Even though it was born before Heaven and Earth, it doesn’t last long.

He is older than the most ancient antiquity - but not old.

The path, passing through all things, directs nothing, hinders nothing, destroys nothing, creates nothing. This realization is called the calming of worries. Having calmed your worries, you come from worries to perfection.

* * *

If a person sleeps in damp conditions, his lower back will hurt, and he can even be paralyzed to death. Will this do anything to the eel? If you force a person to live in a high tree, he will go crazy with fear. What is it like for a monkey in this place? Which of the three of them knows more about the truth of life?

Man eats game meat and domestic animals. Deer eat grass. Centipedes love worms. Owls prefer mice. Which of the four of them knows more about proper food?

A monkey is looking for a monkey as a friend. The deer mates with the doe. An eel swims after another fish. People think that the Court Maiden and the Western Beauty are beauties. And when fish see them, they hide in the depths. Birds fly away from them. Deer rush into the forest. Which of these four under Heaven understands beauty more? Look at it from my point of view and you will see how confused and unclear are reasonable assessments of love and justice, the ways of right and wrong. How do I know how to judge correctly here?

He who comprehends everything lives in spirit. Even if nearby lakes are boiling with heat, he will not feel the heat. Even if large rivers are frozen by frost, it will not freeze. Even if mountains collapse from powerful thunderclaps and a hurricane swells the seas, he is not bothered. If this happens, he will sit on a cloud, harness the moon and the sun, and go beyond the four seas. Death and birth will not change anything in him, so why talk about benefits and harm to him?

* * *

The people of the crowd are busy with their own affairs, and the wise man is stupid and dense. He sees the confused diversity of ten thousand years, but comes to perfection in an instant. Ten thousand objects, every one of them, are always in the world, since they are all contained in each of them.

How do you know that enjoying life is not a delusion? How do you know that the fear of death is not weakness of spirit and a manifestation of ignorance? After all, you simply return to where you came from.

Wicks burn in candles when fire passes through them.

I don’t know if the fire ends with them?

The Western beauty was the child of a border guard from the Polynaya region. They gave her as a wife to the kingdom of the Sunrise. At first she was so overcome with grief that the hem of her dress was wet from her tears. She arrived in the kingdom of the Sunrise, settled in the royal palace, began to sleep on the royal bed, and began to eat game dishes. I later regretted that I cried bitterly at first. How can one know that the deceased does not later regret that at first he clung to life so much?

* * *

“I once had a dream in which I, the Power Circle, was a moth. A joyful moth. He flew of his own free will, without being aware of himself as a Circle. Suddenly I woke up, came to my senses and realized that I was the Circle. I don’t know if Krug had a dream that he was a moth, or if the moth had a dream that he was Krug. Circle and butterfly. There is definitely a difference. This is what I call the transformation of objects.”

In a dream, you don’t understand that it’s a dream. While you sleep, you wonder what you are dreaming about. And when you wake up, you realize that it was just a dream.

There will be a great awakening and you will realize that it was a great dream. Out of ignorance you believe that you are awake. It seems to you that you clearly understand who is the king here, who is the shepherd, I’m sure for sure.

Both you and the Teacher are just seeing a dream. I say that you see a dream, so it is also a dream.

* * *

Let us argue with you. You convinced me, but I failed. So, are you really right and I'm wrong?

If I convinced you, but you failed to convince. So, I'm really right and you're wrong? Perhaps some of us are right and some of us are wrong. Perhaps we are both right and we are both wrong. You and I, we can't figure it out by arguing with each other. And others will not be able to figure out who is right in this dispute.

You can only get along by balancing the sky, by following natural changes.

This is how we will live to see the end of our allotted years.

If you find someone who agrees with your truth, he will agree with you and will not be able to judge the truth. If I find someone who agrees with my truth, he will agree with me and will not be able to judge the truth. If you find someone who does not agree with either your truth or my truth, then he does not agree with either you or me. Will he be able to judge the truth? If you agree with both you and me, then you agree with both my and your truth. Will he be able to judge correctly?

It turns out that neither I, nor you, nor the third can come to an agreement. Shall we wait for someone else? In the noise of arguing voices, we will wait for someone to come and judge. So this is the same as not waiting for anyone.

What is called “getting along in the balance of Heaven”? There is truth and untruth, there is agreement and disagreement. If the rightist is truly right, then truth is different from untruth, and there is nothing to argue about. If the agreeer truly agrees, then agreement is different from disagreement and there is nothing to argue about.

* * *

There are two great commandments in the world. One is fate, the other is conscience. Children love their parents - this is fate. You can't tear love out of your heart. Serving the sovereign is conscience. It never happens that there is no service to the sovereign. There is no place between Heaven and Earth where you can escape from this.

Is there anything that is not covered by Heaven, or anything that is not carried by Earth?

When serving parents, they do not choose their circumstances, but take care of them. In serving the sovereign, without any choice of circumstances, they take care of his cause. This is the completeness of devotion. In following the commandments of your own heart, grief and seduction do not change anything in the actions that need to be performed.

Being a servant of the sovereign, of course, you receive assignments that you cannot cope with. When doing them, he must completely devote himself to the circumstances of the case, forgetting about himself. Where then will there be leisure to hold on to life and fear death?

When you know that nothing can be done and calmly accept your fate, this is the highest expression of the power of the spirit.

Life has boundaries, but knowledge has no boundaries. When you pursue the limitless with the limited, you destroy yourself. Such knowledge of the world will lead you to death.

You cling too much in your head to what you have learned. It's too complicated, even though it sounds beautiful. It's just a shame it won't work.

The limit of knowledge is the knowledge of how to stop where there is no knowledge.

When you put your will together, you listen not with your ears, but with your mind. But you need to listen not with your mind, but with the power of your breath. Let your hearing freeze in your ears, and let your mind stop in your thoughts. With the power of empty breathing you perceive what enters you. In the void, only the Path is visible. Emptiness clears the mind.

It's easy to stop following the trail, it's hard not to set foot on the ground at all. It is easy to pretend when people order you, but when Heaven it is difficult. I've heard that you can fly with wings, but I haven't heard how you can fly without wings. I have heard how one learns with knowledge, but I have not heard how one learns without knowledge.

Zhuang Tzu (Zhuang Zhou) was born around 369 BC. e. in the city of Meng, Song State (Shangqu, Henan Province). Famous Chinese philosopher, one of the Scientists of the Hundred Schools. Died around 286 BC. e.

Quotes, aphorisms, sayings, phrases - Zhuang Tzu.

• Birth is not the beginning; death is not the end.

• When they are looking for benefits, they forget about sincerity.

• You should not look for benefits in things and values.

• Both in the crooked and in the straight you will see the highest in nature.

• Without a day there is no year, without the internal there is no external.

• With little knowledge one cannot comprehend great knowledge.

• Our sensory perceptions are extremely variable.

• Linguistic meanings are unstable and depend on context.

• The best thing is to trust fate, but this is also the most difficult thing.

• Human nature cannot be remade, fate cannot be changed.

• Our perception of the environment depends on our ideas.

• The sage keeps his mouth closed, he knows that even a candle burns out with his tongue.

• The highest love of humanity does not take into account family ties.

• What made my life beautiful will make my death beautiful.

• Anyone who managed to take this path can be called an ideal person.

• Where can I find a person who has forgotten about the words so that I can talk to him?

• Death is a natural part of life, one of the many transformations of the living.

• The one who steals the hook from the belt is executed, and the one who steals the kingdom becomes the ruler.

• All things, regardless of the degree of their creation and destruction, are again united into a single whole.

• A real person is simple and generous, devoid of emotions, and remains in a state of calm and inaction.

• Learn to see where everything is dark and hear where everything is quiet. In darkness you will see light, in silence you will hear harmony.

• Philosophical debates are generally fruitless in the sense of revealing the truth, although sometimes they are useful in a creative sense.

• Punishment is the flesh of power, rituals are its wings, knowledge is its support, virtue is a means of attracting people to itself.

• A person's life between heaven and earth is like a swift leap of a white horse through a chasm; a moment - and it has flown by.

• Lonely he goes, lonely he comes, and therefore is called “living alone.” There is nothing more valuable in the world than a person living alone.

• The wise man finds peace in what gives him peace, and does not seek peace where there is none. The average person seeks peace in that which does not give peace, and has no peace.

• On the ground I will get the crows and kites, underground I will go to feed the ants. They will take it away from some, and give it to others. Why do ants have such preference?

• We should be careful about all sorts of dogmatic statements or assessments based on our limited experience - they lead to errors and distortions.

• There is no thing in the world that is not this, and there is no thing that is not that; Through this it is impossible to know, through this everything is knowable. Therefore it is said: “This arises from this, and this is based on that.”

• A trap is needed to catch hares. Having caught a hare, they forget about the trap. Words are needed to catch a thought: when the thought is caught, the words are forgotten; How can I find a person who has forgotten about words - and talk to him!

• Heaven and earth will be my inner and outer coffin, the sun and moon will be a pair of jade disks, the stars will be pearls, and all the darkness of things will be posthumous offerings. Is there something missing for my funeral? What can we add to this?

• Experienced perception will be objective only when we free ourselves from the conventions and paradigms imposed on us; Then we will be able to perceive our surroundings clearly and correctly (min) and will be able to act spontaneously and easily (wuwei).

• Chuang Tzu— Ancient Chinese philosopher, one of the founders and most prominent representative of Taoism. Born into a noble family that had lost its high social status. The main work, the treatise “Zhuang Tzu,” is written in the form of parables, short stories and dialogues and is directed against Confucianism and Mohism. Along with Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching, this book is the main philosophical monument of Taoism. Zhuang Tzu strengthened the idealistic interpretation of some of the categories that Lao Tzu described in his treatise. His teaching on knowledge contains many elements of relativism, as well as mysticism. Here are some quotes from Chuang Tzu:

• When they are looking for benefits, they forget about sincerity.
• Birth is not the beginning, death is not the end.
• The highest love of humanity does not take into account family ties.
• Punishment is the flesh of power, rituals are its wings, knowledge is its support, virtue is a means of attracting people to itself.
• You should not look for benefits in things and values.
• Human nature cannot be remade, fate cannot be changed.
• The one who steals the hook from the belt is executed, and the one who steals the kingdom becomes the ruler.
• A person who has perfect moral qualities gains nothing; the big man is deprived of himself.
• Our perception of the environment depends on our ideas.
• Our sensory perceptions are extremely variable.
• We should be careful about all sorts of dogmatic statements or assessments based on our limited experience - they lead to errors and distortions.
• Experienced perception will be objective only when we free ourselves from the conventions and paradigms imposed on us; then we will be able to perceive our surroundings clearly and correctly and will be able to act spontaneously and easily.
• Anyone who managed to take this path can be called an ideal person.
• Linguistic meanings are unstable and depend on context.
• Philosophical debates are generally fruitless in the sense of revealing the truth, although sometimes they are useful in a creative sense.
• Death is a natural part of life, one of the many transformations of the living.
• The whole darkness of things differs in principles.
• Integrity of the bodily form means integrity of the spirit.
• The sage keeps his mouth closed, he knows that even a candle burns out with his tongue.
• The purpose of a fish spoon is to catch a fish, and when the fish is caught, the spoon is forgotten. The purpose of words is to communicate ideas. Once the ideas are accepted, the words are forgotten. Where can I find a person who has forgotten words? He's the one I'd like to talk to.
• A trap is needed to catch hares. Having caught a hare, they forget about the trap. Words are needed to catch a thought: when the thought is caught, the words are forgotten; How can I find a person who has forgotten about words - and talk to him!
• What made my life beautiful will make my death beautiful.
• Punishment is the flesh of power, rituals are its wings, knowledge is its support, virtue is a means of attracting people to itself.
• The main thing in our actions is to be timely, the main thing in our feelings is to be in harmony. True, both create their own difficulties. When you act in a timely manner, you still do not want to be drawn into worldly affairs, and when you are in harmony, you do not want the peace in your heart to slip out. If you find yourself involved in worldly affairs, you will be overwhelmed by discord and destructive passions. If you allow spiritual harmony to slip out, it will turn into vulgar glory and deceit.
• The Great Path does not tolerate confusion, for when our minds are seized with confusion, the truth is fragmented, and when the truth is fragmented, people are gripped by anxiety, but if you cannot overcome anxiety in your soul, you will never become free. The perfect people of antiquity taught others only what they themselves found strong support in.
• We don’t call it the Great Path. The great proof is wordless. Great humanity is inhuman. Great honesty does not respect decorum. Great courage does not burn with courage.
• The Path that has manifested itself ceases to be the Path. Speech that has become a word does not express the truth. Humanity, which is always good, will not do good. Ostensible honesty does not inspire confidence. Uncontrolled courage does not bring victory.
• If you can’t overcome yourself, then live as you live and don’t force the spirit,” said Zhang Tzu. — Not being able to overcome oneself and, moreover, forcibly restrain oneself means “being wounded twice.” And the one who is “wounded twice” will not live long.
• The four evils are: loving to be in charge of important matters, but easily changing your attitude towards them out of a desire for honor and glory is called “abuse”; considering yourself the best expert in a matter and forcing others to do it your way is called “tyranny”; refusing to correct one’s own mistake and aggravating it despite good advice is called “stubbornness”; to praise others if they approve of you, but to blame them if they do not approve of you, no matter how virtuous they may be, is called “meanness.”

To be continued…