Daily Wisdom Saying

[Vajradhara]

Chuang Tzu and Hui Tzu were strolling along the dam of the Hao River when Chuang Tzu said, "See how the minnows come out and dart around where they please! That's what fish really enjoy!"

Hui Tzu said, "You're not a fish - how do you know what fish enjoy?"

Chuang Tzu said, "You're not I, so how do you know I don't know what fish enjoy?"

Hui Tzu said, "I'm not you, so I certainly don't know what you know. On the other hand, you're certainly not a fish - so that still proves you don't know what fish enjoy!"

Chuang Tzu said, "Let's go back to your original question, please. You asked me how I know what fish enjoy - so you already knew I knew it when you asked the question. I know it by standing here beside the Hao."

-- Zhuangzi

[Susma Rio Sep]

Chuang Tzu and Hui Tzu were strolling along the dam of the Hao River when Chuang Tzu said, "See how the minnows come out and dart around where they please! That's what fish really enjoy!"

Hui Tzu said, "You're not a fish - how do you know what fish enjoy?"

Chuang Tzu said, "You're not I, so how do you know I don't know what fish enjoy?"

Hui Tzu said, "I'm not you, so I certainly don't know what you know. On the other hand, you're certainly not a fish - so that still proves you don't know what fish enjoy!"

Chuang Tzu said, "Let's go back to your original question, please. You asked me how I know what fish enjoy - so you already knew I knew it when you asked the question. I know it by standing here beside the Hao."

-- Zhuangzi

We cannot know directly how the minnows feel; but by comparing their behavior with ours consequential to our feeling, we draw the conclusion that they feel the same. Thus if they do not flee, are not jerking wildly, do not show violent injurious gestures and postures, then they must be feeling swell, like us when we do not.

How do we know how others feel when we are not they? By comparison also with our own external manifestations consequential to our inner feelings: because others are human like us, so they must have the same feelings if they exhibit the same outward comportment.


On the other hand, I must confess that anecdote is interesting and the author must be saying what I understand. Or am I so dumb that I miss completely the whole point of his wisdom message?


Susma Rio Sep

[Vajradhara]

The true way goes over a rope which is not stretched at any great height but just above the ground. It seems more designed to make people stumble than to be walked upon.

-Franz Kafka

[Susma Rio Sep]

The true way goes over a rope which is not stretched at any great height but just above the ground. It seems more designed to make people stumble than to be walked upon.

-Franz Kafka

That's very good.

But remember also:

The fool claims to know the true way.

-Su smaR iosep

General comments from Dr. Susma:

Some very devout Biblical Christians would open the Bible with closed eyes, and blindly point with a finger to any passage on the opened pages; from that text they would seek the guidance of God.

Indeed, unbiased reading of both ancient and contemporary wisdom sayings is a better approach.

My general counsel is to seek the opinions of people who are more learned, more intelligent, more experienced in life and in the area you are seeking counsel on, who are non-partisan and love humanity and fellowmen, as regards the what, the why, the how, and the should of a decision you have to make. Don’t neglect the learning and wisdom of your contemporaries.

"Seek counsel, and you will not regret." Not as very likely as otherwise.

About ancient writings in regard to wisdom for living life, they are interesting literature; but we must not imagine and proceed as though they have something to tell us that is really new and useful which we do not ourselves today know and know better.

Beware of spending time and effort deciphering, decrypting, unpuzzling apocalyptic arcane recondite esoteric, for initiates only texts of the ancients, to seek some useful truth or guidance; if they write in that manner, they don’t know what they are talking about because they are not clear about what they want to tell us; and we don’t owe them any reading attention – except as a challenge of archeological textual mastery and as a hobby for pastime.

Missing the present dwelling in the past.

Su smaR iosep

Susma Rio Sep

PS: A grain of humor speaks volumes. (Susma Rio Sep)

[sjr]

Love is the guardian deity of everything.Nothing can exist without it.Aikido is the realization of love.

Morihei Ushiba
(Shinto?I assume)

[Vajradhara]

This magnificent butterfly finds a little heap of dirt and sits still on it; but man will never on his heap of mud keep still.....

-Joseph Conrad

[Susma Rio Sep]

Originally Posted by Vajradhara

Namaste all,

this thread will be an ongoing update of pithy wisdom sayings from various traditions... my contributions will be mainly from the Buddhist and Taoist schools of thought. i would encourage any poster to contribute to this list if they would like.


without further ado...



Zen in its essence is the art of seeing into the nature of one's being, and it points the way from bondage to freedom.

D.T. Suzuki

Namaste Vaj and all:

I have two contributions, from an anonymous source.

The first one:

If you have wealth to build a mansion, go live in a hotel.

Anonymous


The second one is from the same source , but the thought is of no connection with the first:

In college I had a classmate in one subject on Southeast Asian politics. He was a naughty fellow and told me about the national anthem of Siam. He recommended to me to sing the first line several times everyday, which I do up to the present:

“Oh-what-an-ass-Siam, Oh-what-an-ass-Siam

Anonymous (No offense intended to our Thai brothers, though)


Susma Rio Sep

[Susma Rio Sep]

Originally Posted by sjr

Love is the guardian deity of everything.Nothing can exist without it.Aikido is the realization of love.

Morihei Ushiba
(Shinto?I assume)

I don't know about Aikido, except that it's some kind of martial art.

Anyway, if I may: please be reminded, Aikido masters and enthusiasts, that all love is analogous to a mother's love for her child.

Call up your mommy now and say "I love you, mommy."

Susma Rio Sep

[Susma Rio Sep]

Originally Posted by Vajradhara

This magnificent butterfly finds a little heap of dirt and sits still on it; but man will never on his heap of mud keep still.....

-Joseph Conrad

If I may, Vaj, I would like to make a comment:

"That's why man has landed on the moon and now will land on Mars."

I wonder if Conrad would be excited were he around today.

Susma Rio Sep

[sjr]

Originally Posted by Susma Rio Sep

I don't know about Aikido, except that it's some kind of martial art.

Anyway, if I may: please be reminded, Aikido masters and enthusiasts, that all love is analogous to a mother's love for her child.

Call up your mommy now and say "I love you, mommy."

Susma Rio Sep

I dont need to she lives with me and Parkinsons/dementia/Lewy Body but I will tell her I love you mommy

[Vajradhara]

A page from a journal of modern experimental physics will be as mysterious to the uninitiated as a Tibetan mandala. Both are records of inquiries into the nature of the universe.

-Fritjof Capra

[Vajradhara]

I believe a blade of grass is no less
than the journey-work of the stars.

-Walt Whitman

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

How old would you be if you didn't know how old you was? - Leroy Satchell Paige (I'm guessing at this)

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

[zenmonk_genryu]

Originally Posted by Susma Rio Sep

To all Buddhist and Zen enthusiasts here:

I am of the impression that whatever of wisdom for life Buddhism and its various schools have thought up, and their social, dietary, disciplinary, and physical and mental health prescriptions: they have been thought up and said by wise men from other realms and other times from the dawn of human society and language to the present.

Of course being Buddhist or Zen-ist gives the enhusiasts a label for which they can claim distinction and some sense of superior differentiation.

Susma Rio Sep

LOL, incorrect, simplistic and shallow but nonetheless amusing.

[Susma Rio Sep]

Originally Posted by zenmonk_genryu

LOL, incorrect, simplistic and shallow but nonetheless amusing.

Thanks, Zenmonk.

If I may, and dispense praise:

You and Vaj are two authentic Buddhists.

If there is one just man..., here we have two.

Susma Rio Sep

PS I assure you I still have a lot of amusing posts coming, which I hope will not exhaust your Buddhist calm and composure for being [i]incorrect, simplistic and shallow.{/i]