Those who speak do not know, those who know do not speak
Jun 23, 2024 2:31:04 GMT
Post by Stella on Jun 23, 2024 2:31:04 GMT
"Those who speak do not know, those who know do not speak." --Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher
I'm going to start with the best known quote from Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, also known as Laozi, who is the author of the Tao Te Ching and one of the founders - together with Zhengzhou, author of the Chang Tzu - of Taoism. Taoism arose out of the simplified Yin Yang School of the I-Ching. Unlike other religions and philosophies Taoism essentially arose out of eastern shamanism and the above quote is one of the greatest ever mystical teachings.
I'm making a lot of this quotation to lead into what I feel is a common topic for many people though we don't discuss it - karma and reincarnation. I'm sure you've thought about or speculated on the mysteries of death, and perhaps how you came to be in this world. What is going to happen to you when you die? What is death? What happens when we die. is there life after death, or some form of existence? What exactly is the soul?
I've got to be honest, coming from my own individual perspective I don't actually recognise the existence of a soul at all. I also don't see the point of investigating past life regression or trying to figure out who we once were in a previous incarnation. I feel it's a comfort blanket for the Ego and a form of escapism. Your life is here and now, it's happening in the present moment, and you have everything you need for your life right here, if you're conscious enough to pay attention and gain enough understanding of the meta-physical.
This is where I like to play Devil's Advocate. How do you know that the way you are living now is any different to the way you have lived previously? For all you know the way your life turned out so far in this incarnation might not be any different to any of the previous 1,000 or 10,000 times you've been alive in the past. Have you ever thought about that? What if your experience of life in your next incarnation, i.e. after death, is not going to be any different to the life you're living now?
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