Many Taoists Seem To Distort The Tao Te Ching's Philosophy (Jesus, ritual)

[Truthtraveler]

Originally Posted by Master Vigil

Lao Tzu's way is not righteous or evil. It just is. When a stream flows, the water is not being righteous or evil. It just flows.

Do you agree with everything Lao Tzu wrote? If not, I’d be curious to know what you do not agree with.

[Master Vigil]

I do not agree that kings are closer to Tao than servants.

[john313]

Originally Posted by Master Vigil

I believe we have different definitions of righteous. Lao Tzu's way is not righteous or evil. It just is. When a stream flows, the water is not being righteous or evil. It just flows.

Peace,
this is basically what i was going for:
acting in accord with divine or moral law

meaning that i believe he was a prophet and his teachings were in accord with divine law, from a divine "source", the "source" of everything.
sorry for the confusion.

[Halcyon]

Originally Posted by Master Vigil

I do not agree that kings are closer to Tao than servants.

Not having read the book, or having any knowledge on the subject at all, doesn't really give me the right to comment. But , is it possible that it was a metaphor? Maybe it means people who are like kings - confident, powerful, often wise - are more likely to be closer to the Tao than people like servants - who don't really think for themselves.

Or, maybe it is literal in that kings and emperors of old lived in luxury and didn't have to worry about growing food to survive or anything. So they would have had the time to meditate and contemplate their existance thus, allowing them to become more spritual - compared to the servants who had not time to lead spiritual lives as they had to work pretty much all day, everyday.

Just some thoughts

[Master Vigil]

Originally Posted by Halcyon

Not having read the book, or having any knowledge on the subject at all, doesn't really give me the right to comment. But , is it possible that it was a metaphor? Maybe it means people who are like kings - confident, powerful, often wise - are more likely to be closer to the Tao than people like servants - who don't really think for themselves.

Just some thoughts

I think you're right on here!! I also believe he uses them as metaphors, but you must understand the difference between the concept of ancient chinese kings, and the kings in europe. Ancient chinese kings were thought of as very aloof, the people barely knew they existed. They were called "the little ones," or something of the like. So they were like the Tao because they are humble, and lowly. But of course, that was Lao Tzu's idea of what a king should be. We all know kings aren't like that, even the chinese ones.

I said that, only because kings aren't that way. I feel the servants are more like Tao than the kings were (realistically speaking). But I don't believe he was speaking realistically.

[ch'ang]

yeh i know what you mean no matter what you try to teach people there will always be those who warp it

[Truthtraveler]

hello,

has this thread been deleted?

i couldn't find it on the taoism section