The original teaching of Taoism is contained in the book "Tao Te Ching". It consists of two aspects: political and philosophical. In terms of politics, Lao Tzu taught that the less the government interferes in people's lives, the better. This is also told by the legend about the life of Lao Tzu himself. The main thing in the existence of man, Lao Tzu considered the philosophical side of his being.
The philosophy of Lao Tzu accepts the ideas of Tao, Yin and Yang as reliable and, proceeding from them, builds a philosophy of human life. Tao is an incomprehensible, all-encompassing and invincible force, on the basis of which everything in the world exists and moves, and a person must coordinate his life with it. If every creature, including birds, fish and animals, lives according to the Tao, then there is no reason for a person not to live in harmony with this “way of all things” and to allow the natural principles of yin and yang to freely operate his life.
Lao Tzu called this approach wuwei(inactivity or inactive life) and saw the cause of a person's troubles in neglecting the power of the Tao, or in trying to improve it, or in actively resisting it. Everything Taoism says must happen naturally. Nothing to click on and nothing to manage.
According to this theory, the difficulties of the government arise because it often resorts to dictatorial methods, forcing people to act in a way that is unnatural for them. In life, you need to be harmonious and calm, like Tao. Even if it suddenly seems to a person that he has achieved success, despite the fact that he went against the establishment of the Tao, it must be remembered that this is only an apparent, temporary well-being. In the end, he will suffer from his self-will, because Tao is invincible. Only a person who lives in harmony with the power of Tao will achieve success - and not only in relationships with people, but even predatory animals and poisonous creatures will not harm him.
If all people follow the Tao and give up the desire to improve the natural course of development with the help of the laws they create, there will be harmony in human relations in the world. So, if property is not considered valuable, then there will be no theft;
if there are no marriage laws, there will be no adultery. In other words, a person who follows the Tao is humble and unselfish: he knows the path of heaven and follows only it. Thus, he is moral without observing the laws and virtuous without being recognized as virtuous.
In this regard, we should also pay attention to the following explanation contained in the teachings of Lao Tzu. If the positive force lies in a calm, inactive existence from the position of wu wei (in people's lives this is expressed by the manifestation of signs of kindness, sincerity and humility), if no one interferes in the affairs of others, human relationships will naturally and simply enter into the channel where the Tao leads them. And then there will be a spontaneous birth true love, real goodness and simplicity in the relationship between people, there will be a feeling of satisfaction with life. The power of good (de), being a component of wuwei, prevents the birth of anger and ambition, does not allow uninvited interference in someone else's life. Violent abstention from the manifestation of human aspirations cannot but entail negative consequences.
In the monistic system of Lao Tzu there is no place for a Creator God incarnated in person to be prayed to and from whom a response can be expected. A person must solve his own problems and save himself from troubles. The original Taoism differs little from pantheism; atheism is not alien to it. Death, according to this teaching, is as natural a phenomenon as birth. In death, a person passes only into another form of the existence of Tao. In the end, the same Tao that created harmony out of chaos can again bring the Universe into a state of chaos. There is nothing strange about this, and it should not be taken as unwelcome. The path of Tao, according to Lao Tzu, is the only correct path open to man.
Already in early Taoism, Laozi becomes a legendary figure and the process of his deification begins. Legends tell of him miraculous birth. His first name was Li Er. The words "Lao Tzu" meaning "old philosopher" or " old child", his mother first said when she gave birth to a son under a plum tree. The mother carried him in the womb for several decades (according to legend, 81 years), and he was born from her thigh. The newborn had gray hair, which made him look like an old man. Seeing such a miracle, the mother was very surprised.
Many modern researchers question the very existence of Lao Tzu. Some suggest that he may have been an older contemporary of Confucius, about whom—unlike Confucius—there is no reliable historical or biographical information in the sources. There is even a version that Lao Tzu and Confucius are the same person. There are suggestions that Lao Tzu could be the author of the Tao Te Ching if he lived in the 4th-3rd centuries. BC e.
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The most famous version of the biography of Laozi is described by the Chinese historian Sima Qian in his work “ historical narratives". According to him, Laozi was born in the village of Quren, Li parish, Hu county, in the kingdom of Chu in southern China. For most of his life, he served as keeper of the imperial archives and librarian in state library during the Zhou Dynasty. A fact that speaks of his high education. In 517, a famous meeting with Confucius took place. Lao Tzu then said to him: - “Abandon, O friend, your arrogance, various aspirations and mythical plans: all this has no value for your own self. I have nothing more to say to you!" Confucius walked away and said to his disciples: “I know how birds can fly, fish can swim, game can run… But how a dragon rushes through the wind and clouds and rises to the sky, I don’t comprehend. Now I have seen Lao Tzu and I think that he is like a dragon. IN old age he went out of the country to the west. When he reached the border outpost, its chief, Yin Xi, asked Lao Tzu to tell him about his teachings. Lao Tzu complied with his request by writing the text of the Dao Te Ching (The Canon of the Way and its Good Power). After which he left, and it is not known how and where he died.
According to another legend, Master Laozi came to China from India, discarding his history, he appeared before the Chinese completely clean, without his past, as if reborn.
Laozi's journey to the West was a concept developed in the treatise Huahujing for the purpose of anti-Buddhist controversy.
Dao Te Ching
... All people hold on to their "I",
I alone chose to refuse it.
My heart is like a heart stupid person, -
so dark, so obscure!
The everyday world of people is clear and obvious,
I alone live in a vague world,
like evening twilight.
The everyday world of people is painted to the smallest detail,
I alone live in an incomprehensible and mysterious world.
Like a lake, I am calm and quiet.
Unstoppable like the breath of the wind!
People always have something to do
I alone live like an ignorant savage.
Only I alone differ from others in that,
that above all I value the root of life, the mother of all living things.
Philosophy
Lao Tzu on Truth
- “The truth spoken out loud ceases to be such, for it has already lost its primary connection with the moment of truth.”
- "He who knows does not speak; he who speaks does not know."
Available written sources it is clear that Lao Tzu was a mystic and a quietist in modern understanding who taught a completely unofficial doctrine that relied solely on internal contemplation. A person acquires the truth by liberation from everything false in himself. The mystical experience completes the search for reality. Lao Tzu wrote: “There is an Infinite Being who was before Heaven and Earth. How serene, how calm! It lives alone and does not change. It moves everything, but does not worry. We may consider him the universal Mother. I don't know his name. I call it Tao."
Dialectics
The philosophy of Lao Tzu is also permeated with a peculiar dialectic:
- “From being and non-being everything came; from the impossible and possible - execution; from long and short - form. The high subjugates the low; the higher voices, together with the lower ones, produce harmony, the former subjugates the subsequent.
However, Lao Tzu understood it not as a struggle of opposites, but as their reconciliation. And from here practical conclusions were drawn:
- “When a person comes to not-doing, then there is nothing that has not been done.”
- "He who loves the people and governs them must be inactive."
From these thoughts one can see the main idea of Lao Tzu's philosophy or ethics: it is the principle of non-doing, inaction. Anything violent the desire to do something, to change something in nature or in people's lives is condemned.
- “Many mountain rivers flow into the deep sea. The reason is that the seas are located below the mountains. Therefore, they are able to rule over all streams. So the sage, wanting to be above people, he becomes lower than them, wanting to be in front, he becomes behind. Therefore, although his place is above the people, they do not feel his weight, although his place is in front of them, they do not consider this an injustice.
- “The “holy man,” who rules the country, tries to prevent the wise from daring to do anything. When everyone becomes inactive, then (on earth) there will be complete calm.
- "He who is free from all kinds of knowledge will never get sick."
- “There is no knowledge; that's why I don't know anything."
The power of the king among the people Lao Tzu put very high, but he understood it as a purely patriarchal power. In the understanding of Lao Tzu, the king is a sacred and inactive leader. Lao Tzu had a negative attitude towards contemporary state power.
- “The people are starving because the state taxes are too high and heavy. This is precisely the cause of the misery of the people.”
- Sima Qian combines the biographies of Laozi and Han Fei, a late Warring States era Legalist philosopher who opposed Confucianism. The treatise Han Fei Tzu, which contains the latter's teachings, devotes two full chapters to the interpretation of Lao Tzu.
Cult of Laozi
The process of deification of Laozi begins to take shape in Taoism, apparently, as early as the end of the 3rd - beginning of the 2nd century BC. e. , but it fully took shape only in the era of the Han Dynasty to the 2nd century AD. e. In 165, Emperor Huan-di ordered a sacrifice to be made to him in the homeland of Laozi in the county of Ku, and a year later he ordered to perform it in his palace. Zhang Daoling, the creator of the leading Taoist school of celestial mentors, reported the appearance of the divine Lao-tzu in the world in 142, passing on his miraculous abilities to him. The leaders of this school compiled their own commentary on the Tao Te Ching treatise, called the Xiang Er Zhu, and established the worship of Laozi in the BC they created at the end of the 2nd - beginning of the 3rd century. a theocratic state in Sichuan. During the era of the Six Dynasties (220-589), Lao Tzu was revered as one of the Three Pure (English)Russian(san qing) - the highest deities of the Taoist pantheon. Worship of Laozi acquired a special scope during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the emperors of this dynasty revered him as their ancestor, erected shrines to him and bestowed high ranks and titles.
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Notes
Literature
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An excerpt characterizing Lao Tzu
This simple, modest and therefore truly majestic figure could not fit into that deceitful form of a European hero, supposedly controlling people, which history invented.For a lackey there can be no great person, because the lackey has his own idea of greatness.
November 5 was the first day of the so-called Krasnensky battle. Before evening, when, after many disputes and mistakes of the generals, who went to the wrong place; after sending out adjutants with counter-orders, when it had already become clear that the enemy was fleeing everywhere and that there could not be and would not be a battle, Kutuzov left Krasnoye and went to Dobroe, where the main apartment had been transferred that day.
The day was clear and frosty. Kutuzov, with a huge retinue of generals who were dissatisfied with him, whispering after him, rode on his fat white horse to Good. All along the road crowded, warming themselves by the fires, lots of French prisoners taken this day (there were seven thousand of them taken that day). Not far from Dobry, a huge crowd of ragged, bandaged and wrapped with whatever prisoners buzzed in conversation, standing on the road near a long line of unharnessed French guns. At the approach of the commander-in-chief, the conversation fell silent, and all eyes stared at Kutuzov, who, in his white cap with a red band and a wadded overcoat, sitting with a hump on his stooped shoulders, slowly moved along the road. One of the generals reported to Kutuzov where the guns and prisoners were taken.
Kutuzov seemed to be preoccupied with something and did not hear the words of the general. He screwed up his eyes in displeasure and peered attentively and intently into those figures of prisoners who presented a particularly pitiful appearance. Most of persons French soldiers were disfigured by frostbitten noses and cheeks, and nearly all had red, swollen, and festering eyes.
One group of Frenchmen stood close by the road, and two soldiers - the face of one of them was covered with sores - were tearing a piece of raw meat. There was something terrible and animal in that cursory glance that they threw at the passers-by, and in that vicious expression with which the soldier with sores, glancing at Kutuzov, immediately turned away and continued his work.
Kutuzov looked at these two soldiers for a long time; Wrinkling even more, he narrowed his eyes and shook his head thoughtfully. In another place, he noticed a Russian soldier, who, laughing and patting the Frenchman on the shoulder, said something affectionately to him. Kutuzov again shook his head with the same expression.
- What are you saying? What? he asked the general, who continued to report and drew the attention of the commander-in-chief to the French taken banners that stood in front of the front of the Preobrazhensky regiment.
- Ah, banners! - said Kutuzov, apparently with difficulty breaking away from the subject that occupied his thoughts. He looked around absently. Thousands of eyes from all sides, waiting for his word, looked at him.
In front of the Preobrazhensky Regiment he stopped, sighed heavily and closed his eyes. Someone from the retinue waved for the soldiers holding the banners to come up and place them around the commander-in-chief with flagpoles. Kutuzov was silent for several seconds and, apparently reluctantly, obeying the necessity of his position, raised his head and began to speak. Crowds of officers surrounded him. He scanned the circle of officers with a keen eye, recognizing some of them.
– Thank you all! he said, addressing the soldiers and again to the officers. In the silence that reigned around him, his slowly spoken words were clearly audible. “Thank you all for your hard and faithful service. The victory is perfect, and Russia will not forget you. Glory to you forever! He paused, looking around.
“Bend down, bend down his head,” he said to the soldier who held the French eagle and accidentally lowered it in front of the banner of the Transfiguration. “Lower, lower, that’s it. Hooray! guys, - with a quick movement of your chin, turn to the soldiers, he said.
- Hooray ra ra! roared thousands of voices. While the soldiers were shouting, Kutuzov, bent over in his saddle, bowed his head, and his eye lit up with a meek, as if mocking, gleam.
“That’s what, brothers,” he said when the voices fell silent ...
And suddenly his voice and facial expression changed: the commander-in-chief stopped talking, and a simple, old man spoke up, obviously wanting to tell his comrades something very necessary now.
There was a movement in the crowd of officers and in the ranks of the soldiers in order to hear more clearly what he would say now.
“Here’s the thing, brethren. I know it's hard for you, but what can you do! Be patient; not long left. We'll send the guests out, then we'll have a rest. For your service, the king will not forget you. It is difficult for you, but you are still at home; and they - see what they have come to, ”he said, pointing to the prisoners. - Worse than the last beggars. While they were strong, we did not feel sorry for ourselves, but now you can feel sorry for them. They are also people. So guys?
He looked around him, and in the stubborn, respectfully bewildered glances fixed on him, he read sympathy for his words: his face became brighter and brighter from the senile meek smile, puckering up in stars at the corners of his lips and eyes. He paused and lowered his head as if in bewilderment.
- And then say, who called them to us? Serves them right, m ... and ... in g .... he suddenly said, raising his head. And, waving his whip, he galloped, for the first time in the whole campaign, away from the joyfully laughing and roaring cheers, upsetting the ranks of the soldiers.
The words spoken by Kutuzov were hardly understood by the troops. No one would have been able to convey the contents of the first solemn and at the end of the ingenuously old man's speech of the field marshal; but the heartfelt meaning of this speech was not only understood, but that same, that same feeling of majestic triumph, combined with pity for the enemies and the consciousness of one’s rightness, expressed by this, precisely this old man’s, good-natured curse, is the very (feeling lay in the soul of every soldier and was expressed in a joyful, long-lasting cry.When after that one of the generals turned to him with the question of whether the commander-in-chief would order the carriage to arrive, Kutuzov, answering, suddenly sobbed, apparently being in great agitation.
November 8 is the last day of the Krasnensky battles; it was already getting dark when the troops arrived at the place of lodging for the night. The whole day was quiet, frosty, with light, rare snow falling; By evening it became clear. A black-purple starry sky was visible through the snowflakes, and the frost began to intensify.
The musketeer regiment, which had left Tarutino at the number of three thousand, now, at the number of nine hundred men, was one of the first to arrive at the appointed place of lodging for the night, in the village on high road. The quartermasters, who met the regiment, announced that all the huts were occupied by sick and dead Frenchmen, cavalrymen and headquarters. There was only one hut for the regimental commander.
The regimental commander drove up to his hut. The regiment passed through the village and at the outermost huts on the road put the guns in the goats.
Like a huge, multi-membered animal, the regiment set to work arranging its lair and food. One part of the soldiers dispersed, knee-deep in snow, into the birch forest, which was to the right of the village, and immediately the sound of axes, cleavers, the crack of breaking branches and cheerful voices was heard in the forest; another part busied about the center of the regimental carts and horses, put in a pile, taking out boilers, crackers and giving food to the horses; the third part scattered in the village, arranging quarters for headquarters, picking out the dead bodies of the French that lay in the huts, and taking away boards, dry firewood and straw from the roofs for fires and wattle for protection.
About fifteen soldiers behind the huts, from the edge of the village, with a cheerful cry, were swinging the high wattle fence of the shed, from which the roof had already been removed.
- Well, well, at once, lean on! shouted voices, and in the darkness of the night a huge wattle fence covered with snow swayed with a frosty crack. The lower stakes cracked more and more often, and finally the wattle fence collapsed along with the soldiers pressing on it. There was a loud rudely joyful cry and laughter.
- Take two! give the rocha here! like this. Where are you going then?
- Well, at once ... Yes, stop, guys! .. With a shout!
All fell silent, and quiet, velvety a pleasant voice sang a song. At the end of the third stanza, right at the end of the last sound, twenty voices cried out in unison: “Uuuu! Goes! Together! Come on, kids!..” But, despite the united efforts, the wattle fence did not move much, and heavy panting was heard in the established silence.
- Hey you, the sixth company! Damn, devils! Help ... we will also come in handy.
The sixth company of about twenty, walking to the village, joined the dragging; and the wattle fence, five sazhens long and a sazhen wide, bent, pressing and cutting the shoulders of the puffing soldiers, moved forward along the village street.
- Go, or something ... Fall, eka ... What have you become? That's it ... Cheerful, ugly curses did not stop.
- What's wrong? - suddenly I heard the commanding voice of a soldier who ran into the carriers.
- The Lord is here; in the hut the anaral himself, and you, devils, devils, swindlers. I'll! - shouted the sergeant major and with a swing hit the first soldier who turned up in the back. - Can't it be quiet?
The soldiers fell silent. The soldier, who had been hit by the sergeant-major, began, groaning, to wipe his face, which he had torn into blood when he stumbled upon the wattle fence.
“Look, damn it, how he fights!” I’ve already bloodied my whole face, ”he said in a timid whisper, when the sergeant-major walked away.
- You don't like Ali? said a laughing voice; and, moderating the sounds of the voices, the soldiers went on. Having got out of the village, they again spoke just as loudly, sprinkling the conversation with the same aimless curses.
In the hut, past which the soldiers were passing, the highest authorities gathered, and over tea there was a lively conversation about the past day and the proposed maneuvers of the future. It was supposed to make a flank march to the left, cut off the Viceroy and capture him.
When the soldiers dragged the wattle fence, already with different parties kitchen fires were lit. Firewood crackled, snow melted, and the black shadows of the soldiers scurried back and forth across the entire occupied, trampled in the snow space.
Axes, cleavers worked from all sides. Everything was done without any order. Firewood was dragged in reserve for the night, huts for the authorities were fenced in, pots were boiled, guns and ammunition were handled.
The wattle fence brought by the eighth company was placed in a semicircle from the north side, supported by bipods, and a fire was laid out in front of it. They struck the dawn, made a calculation, had dinner and settled down for the night by the fires - some repairing shoes, some smoking a pipe, some naked, evaporating lice.
It would seem that in those almost unimaginably difficult conditions of existence in which Russian soldiers were at that time - without warm boots, without sheepskin coats, without a roof over their heads, in snow at 18 ° below zero, without even a full amount of provisions, not always keeping up with the army - it seemed that the soldiers should have presented the saddest and most depressing sight.
On the contrary, never, in the best material conditions, did the army present a more cheerful, lively spectacle. This was due to the fact that every day everything that began to lose heart or weaken was thrown out of the army. Everything that was physically and morally weak has long been left behind: there was only one color of the army - according to the strength of spirit and body.
The eighth company, which was blocking the wattle fence, gathered most of the people. Two sergeant majors sat down beside them, and their fire burned brighter than the others. They demanded an offering of firewood for the right to sit under the wattle fence.
- Hey, Makeev, what are you .... disappeared or wolves ate you? Bring some wood, - shouted one red-haired red-haired soldier, squinting and blinking from the smoke, but not moving away from the fire. “Come at least you, crow, carry firewood,” this soldier turned to another. The redhead was not a non-commissioned officer and not a corporal, but was a healthy soldier, and therefore commanded those who were weaker than him. A thin, small, pointed-nosed soldier, who was called a crow, obediently got up and went to carry out the order, but at that moment a thin woman stepped into the firelight. beautiful figure a young soldier carrying firewood.
- Come here. That's important!
Firewood was broken, pressed, blown with mouths and the floors of overcoats, and the flame hissed and crackled. The soldiers moved closer and lit their pipes. A young, handsome soldier, who had brought firewood, leaned his hands on his hips and began to quickly and deftly stomp his chilled feet in place.
“Ah, mother, cold dew, yes good, but in a musketeer ...” he sang, as if hiccuping on every syllable of the song.
- Hey, the soles will fly off! shouted the redhead, noticing that the dancer's sole was dangling. - What a poison to dance!
The dancer stopped, tore off the dangling skin and threw it into the fire.
“And that, brother,” he said; and, sitting down, he took from his knapsack a piece of blue French cloth and began to wrap it around his leg. “A couple of them went in,” he added, stretching his legs towards the fire.
“The new ones will be released soon. They say we'll kill to the end, then everyone will get double goods.
- And you see, the son of a bitch Petrov, lagged behind, - said the sergeant major.
“I've been noticing it for a long time,” said another.
Yes, soldier...
- And in the third company, they said, nine people were missing yesterday.
- Yes, just judge how you chill your legs, where will you go?
- Oh, empty talk! - said the sergeant major.
- Ali and you want the same? - said the old soldier, reproachfully addressing the one who said that his legs were shivering.
– What do you think? - suddenly rising from behind the fire, a sharp-nosed soldier, who was called a crow, spoke in a squeaky and trembling voice. - He who is smooth will lose weight, and death to the thin. At least here I am. I have no urine,” he said suddenly decisively, turning to the sergeant-major, “they were sent to the hospital, the aches had overcome; and then you stay behind...
“Well, you will, you will,” the sergeant-major said calmly. The soldier fell silent, and the conversation continued.
- Today, you never know these Frenchmen were taken; and, frankly, there are no real boots, so, one name, - one of the soldiers began a new conversation.
- All the Cossacks were amazed. They cleaned the hut for the colonel, carried them out. It's a pity to watch, guys, - said the dancer. - They tore them apart: so alive alone, do you believe it, mutters something in its own way.
“A pure people, guys,” said the first. - White, like a white birch, and there are brave ones, say, noble ones.
– How do you think? He has been recruited from all ranks.
“But they don’t know anything in our language,” the dancer said with a smile of bewilderment. - I tell him: “Whose crown?”, And he mumbles his own. Wonderful people!
“After all, it’s tricky, my brothers,” continued the one who was surprised at their whiteness, “the peasants near Mozhaisk said how they began to clean up the beaten ones, where there were guards, so what, he says, their dead lay there for a month. Well, he says, he lies, he says, theirs is how the paper is white, clean, it doesn’t smell like gunpowder blue.
- Well, from the cold, or what? one asked.
- Eka you're smart! By cold! It was hot. If it were from the cold, ours would not be rotten either. And then, he says, you will come to ours, all, he says, is rotten in worms. So, he says, we will tie ourselves with scarves, yes, turning our faces away, and dragging; no urine. And theirs, he says, is white as paper; does not smell of gunpowder blue.
Everyone was silent.
- It must be from food, - said the sergeant major, - they ate the master's food.
Nobody objected.
- Said this man, near Mozhaisk, where there were guards, they were driven from ten villages, they drove twenty days, they didn’t take everyone, then the dead. These wolves that, he says ...
“That guard was real,” said the old soldier. - There was only something to remember; and then everything after that ... So, only torment for the people.
- And that, uncle. The day before yesterday we ran, so where they do not allow themselves. They left the guns alive. On your knees. Sorry, he says. So, just one example. They said that Platov took Polion himself twice. Doesn't know the word. He will take it: he will pretend to be a bird in his hands, fly away, and fly away. And there's no way to kill either.
- Eka lie, you're healthy, Kiselev, I'll look at you.
- What a lie, the truth is true.
- And if it were my custom, if I caught him, I would bury him in the ground. Yes, with an aspen stake. And what ruined the people.
“We’ll do everything in one end, he won’t walk,” the old soldier said, yawning.
The conversation fell silent, the soldiers began to pack.
- Look, the stars, passion, are burning like that! Say, the women laid out the canvases, - said the soldier, admiring the Milky Way.
- This, guys, is for the harvest year.
- Drovets will still be needed.
“You’ll warm your back, but your belly will freeze.” Here is a miracle.
- Oh my God!
- Why are you pushing - about you alone fire, or what? You see... collapsed.
From behind the silence that was being established, the snoring of some of the sleepers was heard; the rest turned and warmed themselves, occasionally speaking. A friendly, cheerful laughter was heard from a distant, about a hundred paces, fire.
“Look, they’re rattling in the fifth company,” said one soldier. - And the people that - passion!
One soldier got up and went to the fifth company.
“That’s laughter,” he said, returning. “Two keepers have landed. One is frozen at all, and the other is so courageous, byada! Songs are playing.
- Oh oh? go see…” Several soldiers moved towards the fifth company.
The fifth company stood near the forest itself. A huge fire burned brightly in the middle of the snow, illuminating the branches of trees weighed down with frost.
In the middle of the night, the soldiers of the fifth company heard footsteps in the forest in the snow and the squawking of branches.
“Guys, witch,” said one soldier. Everyone raised their heads, listened, and from the forest, into bright light bonfire, two strangely dressed human figures, holding each other, stepped forward.
They were two Frenchmen hiding in the forest. Hoarsely saying something in a language incomprehensible to the soldiers, they approached the fire. One was taller, wearing an officer's hat, and seemed quite weak. Approaching the fire, he wanted to sit down, but fell to the ground. Another, small, stocky, soldier tied with a handkerchief around his cheeks, was stronger. He raised his comrade and, pointing to his mouth, said something. The soldiers surrounded the French, laid out an overcoat for the sick man, and brought both porridge and vodka.
The weakened French officer was Rambal; tied with a handkerchief was his batman Morel.
When Morel drank vodka and finished the bowl of porridge, he suddenly became painfully amused and began to say something to the soldiers who did not understand him. Rambal refused to eat and silently lay on his elbow by the fire, looking with meaningless red eyes at the Russian soldiers. From time to time he let out a long groan and fell silent again. Morel, pointing to his shoulders, inspired the soldiers that it was an officer and that he needed to be warmed up. A Russian officer, approaching the fire, sent to ask the colonel if he would take a French officer to warm him up; and when they returned and said that the colonel had ordered the officer to be brought in, Rambal was told to go. He got up and wanted to go, but staggered and would have fallen if a soldier standing nearby had not supported him.
- What? You will not? one soldier said with a mocking wink, addressing Rambal.
- Hey, fool! What a lie! That is a peasant, really, a peasant, - reproaches were heard from different sides to the joking soldier. They surrounded Rambal, lifted the two in their arms, intercepted by them, and carried them to the hut. Rambal hugged the necks of the soldiers and, when they carried him, spoke plaintively:
– Oh, nies braves, oh, mes bons, mes bons amis! Voila des hommes! oh, mes braves, mes bons amis! [Oh well done! O my good, good friends! Here are the people! O my good friends!] - and, like a child, he bowed his head on the shoulder of one soldier.
Meanwhile Morel was sitting on the best place surrounded by soldiers.
Morel, a small stocky Frenchman, with inflamed, watery eyes, tied around with a woman's handkerchief over his cap, was dressed in a woman's fur coat. He, apparently drunk, put his arm around the soldier who was sitting beside him, and sang a French song in a hoarse, broken voice. The soldiers held their sides, looking at him.
- Come on, come on, teach me how? I will pass quickly. How? .. - said the joker songwriter, whom Morel was embracing.
Vive Henri Quatre,
Vive ce roi vaillanti -
[Long live Henry the Fourth!
Long live this brave king!
etc. (French song)]
sang Morel, winking his eye.
Ce diable a quatre…
Laozi (Old Child, Wise Old Man; Chinese exercise 老子, pinyin: Lǎo Zǐ, VI century BC), ancient Chinese philosopher of the VI-V centuries BC. BC, to whom the authorship of the classic Taoist philosophical treatise "Tao Te Ching" is attributed. Within the framework of modern historical science, the historicity of Laozi is questioned, nevertheless, in the scientific literature, he is often still identified as the founder of Taoism. In the religious and philosophical teachings of most Taoist schools, Laozi is traditionally revered as a deity - one of the Three Pure Ones.
Treatise Tao Te Ching written in ancient Chinese, which is difficult to understand today's Chinese. At the same time, its author deliberately used ambiguous words. In addition, some key concepts do not have exact matches either in English or in Russian. James Leger, in his preface to the translation of the treatise, writes: "The written signs of the Chinese language represent not words, but ideas, and the sequence of these signs represents not what the author wants to say, but what he thinks." . According to tradition, the author of the book is Lao Tzu, so sometimes the book is called by his name. However, some historians question his authorship; it is assumed that the author of the book could be another contemporary of Confucius - Lao Lai-tzu. One argument for this view is the words in the Tao Te Ching written in the first person.
...All people hold on to their "I", only I chose to give it up. My heart is like the heart of a foolish man - so dark, so obscure! The everyday world of people is clear and obvious, only I live in a vague world, like evening twilight. The everyday world of people is painted to the smallest detail, only I live in an incomprehensible and mysterious world. Like a lake, I am calm and quiet. Unstoppable like the breath of the wind! People always have something to do, only I live like an ignorant savage. I alone differ from others in that above all I value the root of life, the mother of all living things.
THE TEACHING OF LAO TZI
Around the 6th century BC e. there was a doctrine of semi-legendary
philosopher Lao Tzu, whose name literally means "old
philosopher." The teachings of Lao Tzu were expounded from his words and
edited after as a small but interesting
philosophical work - "Tao-te-ching" ("The Book of Tao"), before
which is a collection of aphorisms, wise, but sometimes
strange and mysterious sayings. The central idea of philosophy
Lao Tzu was the idea of the Tao. The word "dao" in Chinese
literally means the way; but in this philosophical system it
received a much broader metaphysical, religious
method, principle. The very concept of "dao" can be interpreted and
materialistically: Tao is nature, the objective world.
The philosophy of Lao Tzu is also permeated with a peculiar dialectic.
"From being and non-being everything came; from the impossible and
possible - execution; from long and short - form.
produce harmony with the lower, the former subjugates
the next." "Out of the imperfect comes the whole. From
curved - straight. From deep - smooth. From the old
new.” “What shrinks expands; what
weakens, - increases; that which is destroyed
recovering." However, Lao Tzu understood it not as a struggle
opposites, but as their reconciliation. And from here they made
practical conclusions: "when a person comes to non-doing, then
there is nothing that has not been done"; "Who loves the people and
governs him, he must be inactive." From these thoughts
the main idea of philosophy, or ethics, Lao Tzu is visible: this
the principle of non-doing, inaction, quietism. Every aspiration
do something, change something in nature or in life
people are condemned. Evil considers Lao Tzu and all knowledge:
The "holy man" who rules the country tries to prevent the wise from
dare to do something. When everything is done
inactive, then (on earth) there will be complete calm.
"He who is free from all kinds of knowledge will never be
sick." "Who knows the depth of his enlightenment and remains in
ignorance, he will become an example to the whole world.” “There is no knowledge;
that's why I don't know anything." "When I do nothing,
the people are getting better; when I am calm, then the people are done
fair; when I'm not doing anything new, then
people get rich...
The power of the king among the people Lao Tzu put very high, but
understood it as a purely patriarchal power: "Tao is great,
the sky is great, the earth is great, and finally the king is great. So in
there are four greatnesses in the world, one of which is
king". In the understanding of Lao Tzu, the king is sacred and
inactive leader. To the modern state
authorities Lao Tzu was negative: "That's why the people
starves that the state is too big and heavy
taxes. This is the cause of the misery of the people."
The main virtue is temperance. "In order to
to serve heaven and govern the people, it is best to observe
bngdepf`mhe. Temperance is the first step of virtue,
which is the beginning of moral perfection."
The teachings of Lao Tzu served as the basis on which the
the so-called Taoist religion, one of the three dominant
now in China.
Main ideas:
One should not strive for excessive education, increased erudition or sophistication - on the contrary, one should return to the state of "raw wood", or to the state of "baby". All opposites are inseparable, complementary, interact with each other. This also applies to such opposites as life and death. Life is "soft" and "flexible". Death is "hard" and "solid". The best principle of solving problems according to the Tao is renunciation of aggression, concession. This should not be understood as a call for surrender and submission - one should strive to master the situation without making too much effort. The presence in society of rigid normative ethical systems - for example, Confucianism - indicates that there are problems in it, which such a system only exacerbates, being unable to solve them.
The central idea of Lao Tzu's philosophy was the idea of two principles - Dao And De.
The word "Dao" in Chinese literally means "the way"; one of the most important categories of Chinese philosophy. However, in the Taoist philosophical system, it received a much broader metaphysical content. Lao Tzu uses the word "Tao" with particular care, for "Tao" is wordless, nameless, formless and immovable. No one, not even Lao Tzu, can define Tao. He cannot define "Tao" because to know that you do not know (everything) is greatness. Not knowing that you don't know (everything) is a disease. The word "Tao" is just a sound from Lao Tzu's lips. He didn't make it up - he just said it at random. But when understanding arises, words will disappear - they will no longer be needed. . "Tao" means not only the way, but also the essence of things and the total being of the universe. "Tao" is the universal Law and Absolute. The very concept of "Tao" can also be interpreted materialistically: "Tao" is nature, the objective world.
One of the most difficult in the Chinese tradition is the concept of "Te". On the one hand, “De” is what feeds “Tao”, makes it possible ( option from the opposite: "Tao" feeds "De", "Tao" - unlimited, "De" - defined). This is a kind of universal force, the principle by which the "Tao" - as the way of things, can take place. It is also the method by which one can practice and conform to the Tao. “De” is a principle, a way of being. This is the possibility of the correct accumulation of "vital energy" - Qi. "De" - the art of properly disposing of "vital energy", correct behavior. But "De" is not morality in the narrow sense. "De" goes beyond common sense, prompting a person to release the life force from the fetters of everyday life. The Taoist doctrine of Wu-wei, inaction, is close to the concept of "De".
The incomprehensible Te is that what fills the form of things, but it comes from the Tao. Tao is what drives things, its path is mysterious and incomprehensible. ... He who follows the Tao in his deeds, ... purifying his spirit, enters into an alliance with the power of Te
Lao Tzu on Truth
“The truth spoken out loud ceases to be such, for it has already lost its primary connection with the moment of truth.”
"He who knows does not speak; he who speaks does not know."
It is clear from the available written sources that Lao Tzu was a mystic and quietist in the modern sense, teaching a completely unofficial doctrine that relied solely on inner contemplation. Man acquires the truth by liberation from everything false in himself. The mystical experience completes the search for reality. Lao Tzu wrote: “There is an Infinite Being who was before Heaven and Earth. How serene, how calm! It lives alone and does not change. It moves everything, but does not worry. We may consider him the universal Mother. I don't know his name. I call it Tao."
Religious Taoism
Religious Taoism at the beginning of the Middle Ages is divided into a philosophical and religious direction, which is associated with the collapse of the Qino and Han empires, wars and civil strife. Ancient deities penetrate into Taoism, and their hierarchy is formed; the practice of prayers and meditation leading to immortality (xian) is being revived. big development received and alchemy (the creation of the "golden pill of immortality"), improved the practice of yoga and meditation. This new Taoism was called religious Taoism (dao chiao) to distinguish it from the teachings of Laozi and Zhuangzi, who only strive for longevity. The Chinese value longevity as a sign that a person follows the "Tao - the path of heaven and earth", obeys the natural order of things, taking all joys and hardships for granted. Ancient thinkers such as Lezi and the author of the eclectic work Huainanzi, as well as the Way of True Unity school and later schools, Higher Purity and the Way of Perfect Truth, also played a significant role in the formation of Taoism. In modern China, purely religious Taoism is fading away, and of the once major schools, only two have survived: "The Way of Perfect Truth" and "The Way of True One." Religious Taoism (Dao chiao) emphasized the search for immortality. They went to immortality through meditation, ritual practice, alchemy and philosophy. The direction of Taoism (Dao Jiao) was formed from the activities of numerous sects, groups and schools. So in the 12th century, the canon of Taoist texts "Tao Zang" was basically formed. In some schools, the focus is on achieving harmony in the cosmic flows of yin and yang through ritual action; others focus more on meditation practice, breathing exercises, and experiments in mind control over the body. Among the Chinese, who remain faithful to traditions, religious Taoism still plays an organizing role in many folk festivals, and clergymen still practice healing and exorcism: they perform the rite of expelling evil spirits, they seek to establish control over a dangerous excess of Yang power in order to maintain harmony in this way. at the cosmic, social and individual levels. However, the control of energy flows and the attainment of immortality are available only to a few adepts and teachers. Immortality is practiced literally - the acquisition of an incorruptible body, consisting of a certain substance, or symbolically - as an achievement of inner freedom and emancipation of the spirit.
spiritual renewal
In addition to holidays in honor of countless saints, immortals and heroes, the Taoist religion draws great attention for sending the main
rites life cycle(birth of children, and first of all sons, weddings, funerals), as well as observance of fasts: tutan-zhai (post of dirt and coal), huanglu-zhai (post of the yellow talisman). An important role is given to the celebration of the New Year (according to the lunar calendar). The holiday of He qi ("fusion of the spirit") is secretly celebrated, during which Taoist believers consider themselves free from any sexual restrictions, let alone prohibitions. Taoism pays special attention to the maintenance and preservation of male and female energies. Taoists, like Buddhists, attach great importance to the ritual reading of the canon. They believe that in this way moral perfection and spiritual renewal are achieved not only of the religious community, but of society as a whole. In addition, the participants of the ceremony practice meditation and contemplation of religious symbols. Car rental, new conditions. The ritual helps to focus on the main thing in Taoism - on establishing a balance between the forces of yin and yang and on achieving harmony with nature. Taoism "stands" on the fusion of man with nature. The reading of the canon also plays a huge role, since it is believed that all its participants and patrons are guaranteed recognition of merits in spiritual world. The sense of beauty and the desire to merge with the Tao continues to fuel this religion today. Taoism has had a strong influence on literature, art, and other areas of Chinese culture and science; it still pervades the whole of Chinese society. The once closed mystical teaching moved to the level of everyday consciousness. For example, all Chinese medicine - acupuncture, breathing exercises, and so on - came out of Taoist practice. Taoism gave life to many directions traditional medicine in China. Taoism still has its adherents in China, as well as in Vietnam and Taiwan, but it is impossible to establish their exact number, because participating in Taoist magical rites a Chinese person can be a devoted Buddhist. According to a very rough estimate, by the end of the 20th century, the most zealous Taoists numbered about 20 million people.
qi energy
Taoism considers the human body as the sum of the energy flows of the organized substance qi, which is similar to blood or " vitality". The flow of qi energy in the body correlates with the flow of qi energy in the environment and is subject to change. In a concentrated form, qi energy is a kind of seed called jing. This term is sometimes used to refer to sex hormones, but can refer to a much more subtle sphere sexual energy, manifested in the form of emotional and mental reactions. Qi is the inhaled air, later the spirit of pneuma) and even some subtle substance of the spirit, mind or consciousness - shen. Taoism indicates a close connection between the body, mind and environment. Many principles of Chinese medicine and various psychophysical practices follow from this postulate. The management of qi energy has received a direction in breathing exercises. Concentrating, a person had to connect his qi energy with the natural qi energy. Gymnastics allowed me to improve my internal energy qi, to achieve longevity and increase human capabilities. Tai Chi Chuan exercises embody the principles formulated in the Tao Te Ching, the most important text of Taoism. It is designed to provide concentrations of jing energy in order to resist the enemy, relying on the power of the earth and the energy of sky qi. Medicine, also using qi energy, restoring the body with the help of acupuncture. Manuscripts (atlases) were created in which meridians were shown - invisible lines along which blood and qi energy flow. Through these channels, the vital organs are nourished, and the balance of yin and yang forces is maintained. These atlases were considered relics and kept away from prying eyes.
Rituals and ceremonies
The religion of Taoism is characterized by colorful festivities, the cult of ancestors, belief in the world of spirits and magical rituals associated with all areas of life - from buying a house to treating ailments. In this religion, there are various kinds of rituals, holidays and meetings. Belonging to a certain clan or family here symbolizes the rituals of the life cycle and sacrifices to ancestors, and the connection of a person with society - the celebration of the New Year, renewal rituals and numerous cults that are dedicated to the most important deities. rental best cars. The meaning of numerous religious rites and rituals is the desire to achieve harmony of fundamental forces - yin and yang in nature, man and society. In houses, to protect against evil spirits, amulets depicting yin and yang symbols surrounded by eight trigrams were hung out (trigrams are eight combinations of interrupted yin and solid yang lines.) They were especially popular before the celebration of the Chinese New Year, when people tried to clean their homes from the influence of the yin force and ensure the patronage of the yang force for the entire coming year. In late January - early February, the Chinese begin preparations for the New Year. They do a general cleaning in the houses, hang red decorations everywhere (it is believed that they bring happiness), give children new clothes and toys. The celebration of the New Year lasts for several days. Shops and various enterprises do not work, people walk on the street, fireworks are arranged. The symbol of the power of heaven and the highest manifestation of the power of yang is a dragon flying across the sky. Generally, according to folk beliefs, dragons were the lords of the rain and could take on a variety of forms, for example, they turned into clouds, a beautiful woman or a source. One of the important practical elements related to everyday religious life people is feng shui (or geomancy). Feng Shui is the ability to determine habitats favorable for the living and the dead, where the flows of vital qi energy move freely. Geomancers, who are very popular, give advice on choosing the most favorable places. Houses and settlements must be built according to these rules, the interaction of which gives rise to the world in all its diversity of forms and ensures the harmony of the forces of yin and yang. The most famous and popular deities in Taoism are Zao-wang and Shouxing. Zao-wang is the deity of the hearth, he and his wife constantly look after the life of family members. According to legend, they report the results of their annual observations on New Year's Eve to the heavenly sovereign Yudi. In folk religion, Yudi is the supreme ruler, to whom the whole universe is subordinate: earth, sky, underworld as well as all spirits and gods. The deity Shoushin is the deity of longevity. He was depicted as an old man holding a staff in one hand, to which a gourd (a symbol of the prosperity of offspring) and a paper scroll (a symbol of longevity) are tied, and in the other hand a peach, which is also a symbol of long life, inside which sits a hatched chick.
Lao Tzu, (ca. 6th century BC), Chinese philosopher, founder of Taoism
An excellent warrior never gets angry.
Where the great sages have power, the subjects do not notice their existence. Where small sages rule, the people are attached to them and praise them. Where even lesser wise men rule, the people fear them, and where even lesser ones, the people despise them.
Whoever loves the people and governs them must be inactive.
He who is free from all kinds of knowledge will never be ill.
When a person reaches the point of not doing, there is nothing that has not been done.
When virtue is lost, good nature appears; when good nature is lost, justice appears; when justice is lost, decency appears. The rules of decency are only a semblance of truth and the beginning of all confusion.
To know much and not to present oneself as knowing is a moral high ground. Knowing little and presenting oneself as knowing is a disease. Only by understanding this disease can we get rid of it.
He whose faith is weak cannot arouse faith in others.
A person who stands on tiptoe cannot stand for long. A man who exposes himself cannot shine. He who is pleased with himself cannot be glorified. He who boasts cannot have merit.
He who knows people is intelligent, and he who knows himself is perspicacious.
The best knowledge is not knowing that you know something.
To lead people, follow them.
The misfortune of the whole world comes from small things, just as great things come from small things.
Boundless virtue is like its vice, spreading virtue is like plundering it.
Be able to know the beginning and the path of antiquity, and this knowledge will allow you to see the guiding thread leading to the present day.
Be attentive to your thoughts - they are the beginning of actions.
There are thirty spokes in one wheel, but they use the chariot because of the emptiness between them. Vases are made of clay, but they take advantage of the void in the vase. Windows and doors are pierced in the house, but they take advantage of the emptiness in the house. This is the benefit of being and non-being.
Great straightness is like crookedness, great wit is like stupidity.
Great things in the Middle Kingdom always start small.
Soft and weak wins over hard and strong.
There is nothing softer and weaker than water in the Celestial Empire, but it falls on the strong and strong, and no one can defeat it.
A great man clings to the essential and leaves the insignificant. He does everything in truth, but he will never rely on laws.
Temperance is the first step of virtue, which is the beginning of moral perfection.
Everything in the world grows, blooms and returns to its root. Returning to one's root means tranquility; consonant with nature means eternal; therefore, the destruction of the body does not involve any danger.
Even the best weapons do not bode well.
For the sage honor and disgrace from the mighty of the world equally weird.
Satisfied with himself - a rich man.
A worthy husband always tries to be impartial, not to attach value to hard-to-get things and not to listen to fruitless teaching.
A worthy husband does a lot, but does not boast of what he has done, acquires merit, but does not recognize them, because he does not want to reveal his wisdom.
A worthy husband puts on thin clothes, but has a precious stone in himself.
If a thing is not fit for one purpose, it can be used for another.
If you lack faith, then existence does not believe in you.
If the palace is luxurious, then the fields are covered with weeds and the granaries are empty.
The nobility dress in luxurious fabrics, carry sharp swords, are not satisfied with ordinary food and accumulate excessive wealth. All this is called robbery and waste.
If the people are not afraid of power, then even greater power will come. If the people are not afraid of death, then why frighten them with death?
There are four great spheres: the Way, Heaven, Earth, Man, and Man occupies the first place among the spheres.
The law of the worthy is to do good and not quarrel.
He who knows the measure is satisfied with his position.
He who knows much is silent, and he who speaks much knows nothing.
And a loss can turn into a profit, or a profit can turn into a loss.
A truly enlightened person never fights.
When you are prosperous, then think about what you need to do in time of trouble, since great trouble begins with a small one.
When laws and orders multiply, the number of thieves and robbers grows.
When there are no enemies, there is no war.
If you accumulate a lot, then a lot will disappear.
Who wages war for the sake of philanthropy will defeat his enemies.
Whoever pretends to know a lot and is capable of everything knows nothing and is incapable of anything.
Whoever thinks he has comprehended everything knows nothing.
He who talks a lot often fails.
Whoever is brave without knowing philanthropy, who is generous without knowing thrift, who goes forward without knowing humility, will perish.
Who, knowing the limits of his activity, does not approach the dangers, he will live a long time.
Who, knowing a lot, behaves as if he knows nothing, he is a moral man.
Who, not knowing anything, behaves as if he knows a lot, he is sick.
Whoever, undertaking a business, hurries to quickly achieve a result, will do nothing. He who carefully finishes his work as he began will not fail.
Easily reached agreement is not credible.
People of higher morality do not consider themselves moral, therefore they have higher morality.
The wise man avoids all extremes.
A wise man ... does not expose himself to the light, therefore he shines; he does not talk about himself, therefore he is glorious; he does not glorify himself, therefore he is deserved; he does not exalt himself, therefore he is senior among others.
The best thing is, having achieved success, eliminated.
The people, doing things, approaching their completion, constantly spoil them, and if you are as careful at the end of the matter as at the beginning, then you will not spoil it.
Not knowing constancy, you fuss, creating failures, and the awareness of constancy makes a person receptive. Receptivity leads to the ability to be just.
He who quarrels is not condemned.
The lowly are the foundation of the noble, and the base is the foundation of the high. Therefore, the nobility and the sovereigns, who exalt themselves, do not have a strong position, because they do not consider the ignorant as their basis. This is a false path.
You can't be as precious as jasper, you have to be as simple as a stone. You can't deify demons.
There is no misfortune heavier than ignorance of satisfaction.
There is no greater crime than to indulge in harmful aspirations.
There is no greater misfortune than to underestimate the enemy.
There is no sin heavier than passions.
The denial of the Way is luxurious halls and fields overgrown with weeds, rich clothes, satiation with food and completely empty storehouses.
Loss is the beginning of reproduction, multitude is the beginning of loss.
If present, Paths do not stagnate.
The reason why it is difficult to govern the people is that the people are enlightened and there are many smart people in them.
Show the simplicity of an unpainted canvas, contain the artlessness of an unfinished piece of wood, reduce self-interest and limit desires.
The perfection of a warrior is in vigilance, constant combat readiness, in severity, in sincerity, in impenetrable calmness.
He who knows people is prudent. He who knows himself is enlightened.
He who conquers people is strong. He who conquers himself is mighty.
The one who neglects his life, thereby does not value his life.
Smart people are not learned; scientists are not smart.
Although there is no object in the world that is weaker and softer than water, it can destroy the hardest object.
Although war may aim at peace, it is an undeniable evil.
A man at birth is tender and weak, at death he is hard and strong. All things and plants are tender and weak at birth, but hard and strong at death. Hard and strong is that which perishes. Tender and weak is what begins to live ... The strong and powerful do not have the advantage that the gentle and weak have.
Man follows the earth. The earth follows the sky. Heaven follows Tao, and Tao follows naturalness.
