Laozi's ideological proposition is "inaction", and Laozi's ideal political realm is "neighboring countries look at each other, chickens and dogs hear each other, and people don't talk to each other until they die."
Laozi used Tao to explain the evolution of all things in the universe, thinking that "Tao gives birth to one, two, two, three and three things" and "Tao" is "the fate of a husband is natural", so "man should be in the earth, the earth should be in the sky, the sky should be in the Tao, and the Tao should be natural". "Tao" is an objective natural law, and at the same time it has the eternal significance of "being independent and unchanging, walking without danger" The book Laozi contains many simple dialectical views, such as that everything has two sides, and the "movement of Tao" can be transformed from opposition, "the right is strange, the good is evil" and "the disaster is a blessing, and the disaster is hidden". He also believes that everything in the world is the unity of "being" and "nothing", and "being and nothing" are the foundation, and "everything in the world is born of something and born of nothing". "The way of heaven, the loss is more than enough, but the way of man is not, and the loss is not enough"; "People's hunger is as much as food tax"; "People die lightly, but they live on it"; "People are not afraid of death. Why are you afraid of death?" . His theory has a far-reaching influence on the development of China's philosophy, and its contents are mainly found in Laozi. His philosophical thoughts and the Taoist school he founded not only made important contributions to the development of China's ancient ideology and culture, but also had a far-reaching impact on the development of China's ideology and culture for more than two thousand years.
When I say Lao Tzu, I mean Tai Shiyun or Lao Laizi. Whether Laozi was written by Laozi has always been controversial.
Laozi (Tao Te Ching)
Laozi is also called Tao Te Ching.
Tao Te Ching was later named. At first, Lao Zi's book was called Lao Zi, but there was no such name as Tao Te Ching. Its completion date was controversial in the past, but it is still uncertain. However, according to the date of "Laozi" on Guodian bamboo slips unearthed in 1993, it was written at least in the middle and early Warring States period.
Laozi used Tao to explain the evolution of all things in the universe, thinking that "Tao gives birth to one, two, two, three and three things" and "Tao" is "the fate of a husband is natural", so "man should be in the earth, the earth should be in the sky, the sky should be in the Tao, and the Tao should be natural". "Tao" is an objective natural law, and at the same time it has the eternal significance of "being independent and unchanging, walking without danger" The book Laozi contains many simple dialectical views, such as that everything has two sides, and the "movement of Tao" can be transformed from opposition, "the right is strange, the good is evil" and "the disaster is a blessing, and the disaster is hidden". He also believes that everything in the world is the unity of "being" and "nothing", and "being and nothing" are the foundation, and "everything in the world is born of something and born of nothing". "The way of heaven, the loss is more than enough, but the way of man is not, and the loss is not enough"; "People's hunger is as much as food tax"; "People die lightly, but they live on it"; "People are not afraid of death. Why are you afraid of death?" . His theory had a far-reaching impact on the development of China's philosophy.
Philosophical point of view
"History of Han Dynasty, Art and Literature" says: "The Taoist flows because of historians, and records the luck of success or failure, the ancient and modern way, and then knows its origin, clearing its emptiness to self-sustaining, humble and weak to self-sustaining. This gentleman is also skilled in the south. Sima Tan, a historian of the Western Han Dynasty, said in The Six Classics: "Taoism makes people single-minded, dynamic and intangible, and supports everything. It is also a skill. Because of the harmony between Yin and Yang, we should adopt the goodness of Confucianism and Mohism, sum up the essence of the law, keep pace with the times, conform to the changes of things, establish customs, and do everything inappropriate. It is easy to operate with reference to the agreement and get twice the result with half the effort. " "Its technique is based on nothingness and uses conformity. Nothing is impermanent, so we can study the feelings of everything. Not for things first, not for things later, you can become the master of everything. 」
1, world view
"Tao gives birth to one, one, two, three and three things." "Things are mixed and born. Lonely! If you don't change your independence, you can become the mother of the world. I don't know its name, the strong word is Tao, and the strong name is Da. Name is death, death in the distance, return to the distance. Big, big, big, big. Of the four largest in China, only Wang Chuyi. Man, earth, heaven, heaven and Tao are natural. " "Nothing, nothing." Yes, the mother of all things. Therefore, there is often nothing and I want to see its wonders; Often, I want to see it. They are the same, but with different names and the same metaphysics. Mysterious and mysterious, the gate of Wan Qi. ""Everything in the world is born of something, and it is born of nothing. " "Whether there is a correlation, it is difficult to complement each other. Compared with the length, the height is oblique, the sound is harmonious, and it grows with each other. "
2. Values
Inaction, Tao and Morality
Laozi's values are composed of nothingness, Taoism and morality.
Laozi said "nothing" and tasted: "Everything in the world is born, and everything is born without it. When the universe has not yet formed, everything will not exist, so it is called "nothing". "The universe was formed at the beginning of heaven and earth, so it is called' you'. Everything comes from something, and something comes from nothing. Everything in the world begins with something and ends with nothing.
Laozi said "Tao" and tasted: "Things are mixed, born naturally, lonely and lonely, independent and unchanged, and can be the mother of the world. I don't know its name, but the word "Tao" is stronger than its name. Lao Tzu thinks that Tao is the noumenon of the universe and the foundation of all things, so he says, "Tao gives birth to one, one, two, three and three things." "Tao" came into being before all things in the world, existed independently outside all things, and operated repeatedly, spreading all over all things in the world and never ending. Lao Tzu also thinks that Tao can't be touched or traced, so it is called "invisible, the fountain of nothing." "It can only be represented by Tao, or it can be called" big "reluctantly. Therefore, "Tao can be Tao, extraordinary Tao, famous name, extraordinary name." Nothing, the beginning of the world; Yes, the mother of all things. It means that Tao is mysterious and profound, and it is difficult for ordinary people to understand and describe it. If Tao can be described in words, it is not a real Tao. When everything in the universe is formed, human beings will name everything, but it is not the real name of things, because everything in heaven and earth originated from Tao. Man is a natural thing and must obey the laws of nature. Therefore, it is said: "People practice the earth, practice the sky slowly, practice the Tao in the sky, and practice the Tao naturally." Tao gives life to all things and makes them have their own lives, so I think Tao is the ancestor of all things.
Laozi said "virtue" and thought that "virtue" was the embodiment of "Tao" and that "virtue" should be subordinate to "Tao", so he said: "Comte is tolerant and Tao is obedient. Taoism emphasizes that people should do good deeds in order to help themselves cultivate and avoid making mistakes.
lean meat
Laozi said "nurturing softness" and tasted: "The softest person in the world is the strongest in the world. The reason why "Tao" can circulate endlessly is because "Tao" has the characteristics of the weak, so it is said that "the weak use Tao. Laozi used the metaphor of "water": "There is nothing weaker than water in the world, and it is impossible to defeat the winner. He also said: "Weak is better than strong, and soft is better than strong. The world knows everything and says everything. Lao Tzu emphasized that "a strong beam will never die" in order to teach people humility and make progress by retreating. If people do this, they can stay sane, so they say, "knowing their men and keeping their women is a clear world;" For this world, Changde will not leave, it will return to the baby. People can be ambitious, but don't try to be brave and beat others. They should keep a weak and modest attitude and keep their simple nature. Laozi emphasized "nurturing softness" because he believed that everything in the world would decline one day, except Tao. So: "the wind will not end in the morning, and the shower will not last all day." Lao Tzu also thinks that things are unpredictable, so he said, "Happiness lies in misfortune, and disaster lies in happiness. "Lao Tzu emphasized' being soft' and asked people to be sober and not aggressive, otherwise there would be no good end.
In the last place.
Laozi believes that people should have the heart of "staying behind and not arguing". He tasted: "I have three treasures, I hold them and protect them; One is kindness, the other is thrift, and the third is not daring to be the first in the world. Kindness can be brave, thrift can be broad, and dare to be the first in the world, so it can last forever. Only people who are kind, thrifty and self-effacing have moral courage, and then give others, get respect and support, and become great. Laozi once said: "The sage exists outside the body after the body is first. It is not because of its selflessness that it can be selfish. As long as people can give up the heart of winning, they know that "it is better to stick to it than to be themselves." If you are sharp, you can't keep it for long. Happiness from now on, can't stay. Being rich and arrogant is to blame. "Don't rely on your own cleverness, but take the attitude of retreating for progress, so as to achieve the state of' the husband is independent and the world can't compete with him'. "
Have little desire
Laozi said that people should "want less", so he said: "Crime is greater than desire, disaster is greater than dissatisfaction, and blame is greater than desire. Therefore, the content is always enough. If people have the heart of "wanting" and "unsatisfying", then greed is self-sufficient. Only the satisfaction brought by "contentment" is the real satisfaction. Laozi pointed out: "Five colors make people blind, five tones make people deaf, and five flavors make people cool. Addicted to sensual pleasures, dogs, horses and appetites will confuse people and damage the senses and spirituality of the body. Therefore, Lao Tzu asked people to "have no desire" and "get rid of desire", so he said: "It is the saints who go to extremes and are extravagant. He also said, "Those who are good at being scholars are not martial. A good soldier won't get angry. He who is good at defeating the enemy does not dispute. Those who make good use of people do it. In daily life and communication with people, we should be "simple, less selfish, less desire" and achieve the realm of "being content with enough and not humiliating, being content with risks and lasting".
3. Political views
Do nothing
"Don't be smart, make people indisputable; Expensive and rare goods, so that people do not steal; If you don't see what you want, you won't be confused. Sage rule: hollow your heart, strengthen your stomach, weaken your will and strengthen your bones. If you often make people ignorant and have no desire, you will die if you know it. "
"Inaction" cannot be understood as inaction. "Huai Nan Zi's Original Tao Xun": "Doing nothing". Taoism's "inaction" means quietness and self-control, which is the ideal realm of Taoism's self-cultivation. If you can reach this ideal state, you can do anything.
Do good for the next one.
"The virtue of the ancient times, a good man does not use force, does not get angry when he is good at fighting, does not dispute when he is good at fighting, and makes good use of his benevolence. It is an indisputable virtue and is based on the strength of employing people. " "There is a saying in war:" Don't dare to take the lead, don't dare to make a guest appearance, and don't dare to retreat. "It means no lines, no arms, no invincibility, no soldiers. Disaster!
4. Epistemology
"He who knows others is wise, and he who knows himself is wise. Those who win are strong, those who are satisfied are rich, and those who are forced are ambitious. Those who have not lost their position for a long time will live a long life. " "Saint unintentionally, good is good, bad is good. I believe those who believe, and I believe those who don't. Sages are on earth. For the world, muddy its heart. People value their eyes and ears, and saints are children. " "See, go up; I don't know. I'm sick. Because saints don't get sick. It is because they are sick that they are not sick. "