The Tao that can be spoken is not the
…..true Tao.
Any name which can be given to it
…..is not its true name.
That which was before Heaven and
…..Earth is Tao.
Tao is the mother of all things.
The wise seek its mystery,
…..and find it made of opposites.
Opposites arise from the same source
…..and are identical in all but name.
The mystery of opposites is so profound,
…..to understand it
is to open the door of Tao.Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching
Eh?……..
Have you heard of this…
Emptiness is fullness, fullness is emptiness?
No LC I have not heard of that one before…
Eh?…….
(Huh – Stupid Wordpress would not allow me to say that, as it told me “It appears you have already said that”. Yes I have, but in response to a different person and a different issue, first time in response to Lao Tsu, 2nd time in response to London Caller. It would be difficult to communicate if having used a comment once we were never allowed to use it again… Stupid Wordpress. Eh?)
In future I may have to say “I could comment on that but unfortunately it would require a comment that I have already used, and so I have none of that comment left.”
So, let’s see if it will allow me now, to say, in response to London Caller’s words:
Eh?
It won’t let me type duplicate comments in the same the same post either
This is a wonderful thought of the day Cherrie.. i love your flowers….peter:)
Thank you I am glad you like both the quote and the flowers.
Yes, subtle lies in the oh so reasonable sounding, simplistic equal and opposite. This is what the world is up against.
I think that phrase refers, perfectly legitimately, to the magnitude of equal forces operating in opposite directions, or… electric charges of equal magnitude but opposite sign, or the positive and negative amplitudes of different parts of a waveform, etc.. etc…. context is everything in distinguishing what is valid from what is not.
I took that part of the quote to be referring to yin-yang The following is a quote by a friend of mine although they use the Japanese word for the same thing.
“Onmyō is the older Japanese character reading of inyō, more commonly referred to in the West by the Chinese expression “yin-yang”. Meaning ‘shade’ and ‘light’, the concept of Onmyō expands to include female-male, positive-negative, inner-outer and life-death. In fact, it encompasses all of the opposites that are both hidden and seen in the universe and it is cyclical in nature. At a deeper level, it embodies harmony. ”
So equal and opposite forces would seem to be part of that.
But the concepts of Yin and Yang are very far from being “identical in all but name”. I was actually following it and finding some sense in it, especially in relation to fundamental science, until I reached “identical in all but name” – ie identical but just given different names.
That may be down to the translation. I got this excerpt as a quote in a book. I have two copies of the Tao Te Ching and both translations are very different. I will see if I can find the relevant passage in them, to see how it compares.
I will place two different translations in a new thread at the bottom of these comments.
There’s truth in that, I’m sure, Cherry. We often say opposites are two sides of the same coin! Always intriguing to think about it….
Yes it is all about balance.
When the stones are swimming the leaves will sink.
That is another one I have not heard before!
the language of the spirit is so vivid
it can’t be contained by words, can it.
i love this idea and the lovely
blossoms you share…thank you:)
-Jennifer
Rather like the essence of the universe. Thank you
Splendid photo. It’s so alive…
Thank you Claude I am glad you like it
Can’t think of Tao without thinking of Pooh.
Or poo? …..
I remember enjoying that book when I read it.
wonderful shot. i like the colour of the flower and the greenery makes for a nice background
Thanks Ayush
Curiouser an curiouser said Alice!!