Talks on Fragments from Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, Originally the “Three Treasures” series was published as two volumes, later republished as four volumes.
Talks given from 11/08/75 am to 20/08/75 am English Discourse series
1 Pursuit of Knowledge2 Don't do Nothing!3 Conquering the World by Inaction4 Boy! Did we Shake that Thing!5 Beyond Honour and Disgrace6 I will never Leave You7 Difficult and Easy8 This is the Queen; Cleopatra9 Beginning and End10 What next?
< Previous | Contents | Next > CHAPTER 1 Pursuit of Knowledge 11 August 1975 am in Buddha Hall LAO TZU SAYS: WITHOUT STEPPING OUTSIDE ONE’S DOORS ONE CAN KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE WORLD. WITHOUT LOOKING OUT OF ONE’S WINDOWS ONE CAN SEE THE TAO OF HEAVEN. THE FURTHER ONE PURSUES KNOWLEDGE THE LESS ONE KNOWS. THEREFORE THE SAGE KNOWS WITHOUT RUNNING ABOUT UNDERSTANDS WITHOUT SEEING, ACCOMPLISHES WITHOUT DOING....
< Previous | Contents CHAPTER 10 What next? 20 August 1975 am in Buddha Hall Question 1 YOU HAVE SAID THAT THERE ARE NO GOALS IN LIFE, NO PURPOSE. AND YET WE ARE ALL HERE WITH ENLIGHTENMENT AS OUR GOAL. PLEASE SPEAK ON THIS. If you are here with enlightenment as your goal you cannot be here. Physically you may appear to be here but you cannot be with me. The goal is in the future, I am here!...
< Previous | Contents | Next > CHAPTER 2 Don’t do Nothing! 12 August 1975 am in Buddha Hall Question 1 IS NOT THE SEARCH FOR ENLIGHTENMENT A SELFISH SEARCH? Yes, it is. And the most selfish. There is nothing like it, it is incomparably selfish. And one has to be selfish, there is no other way to be. And all the teachings that go on telling you not to be selfish have not helped; rather, they have distracted your being, they have made you unnatural....
< Previous | Contents | Next > CHAPTER 3 Conquering the World by Inaction 13 August 1975 am in Buddha Hall LAO TZU SAYS: THE STUDENT OF KNOWLEDGE AIMS AT LEARNING DAY BY DAY, THE STUDENT OF TAO AIMS AT LOSING DAY BY DAY. BY CONTINUAL LOSING ONE REACHES DOING NOTHING. BY DOING NOTHING EVERYTHING IS DONE. HE WHO CONQUERS THE WORLD OFTEN DOES SO BY DOING NOTHING. WHEN ONE IS COMPELLED TO DO SOMETHING, THE WORLD IS ALREADY BEYOND HIS CONQUERING....
< Previous | Contents | Next > CHAPTER 4 Boy! Did we Shake that Thing! 14 August 1975 am in Buddha Hall Question 1 IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU SEE INNOCENCE AS THE OPPOSITE OF KNOWLEDGE – BUT WHAT ABOUT IGNORANCE? PEOPLE WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE ARE SO OFTEN MISUSED BY THE ONES WITH THE KNOWLEDGE. PLEASE SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. Ignorance is the state which exists before knowledge, innocence is the state which exists after knowledge....
< Previous | Contents | Next > CHAPTER 5 Beyond Honour and Disgrace 15 August 1975 am in Buddha Hall LAO TZU SAYS: HE WHO KNOWS DOES NOT SPEAK; HE WHO SPEAKS DOES NOT KNOW. FILL UP ITS APERTURES, CLOSE ITS DOORS, DULL ITS EDGES, UNTIE ITS TANGLES, SOFTEN ITS LIGHT, SUBMERGE ITS TURMOIL, – THIS IS THE MYSTIC UNITY. THEN LOVE AND HATRED CANNOT TOUCH HIM. PROFIT AND LOSS CANNOT REACH HIM....
< Previous | Contents | Next > CHAPTER 6 I will never Leave You 16 August 1975 am in Buddha Hall Question 1 WHY DON’T YOU EVER ANSWER MY QUESTIONS! This is from Anand Sariputta. If I don’t answer, then that is the answer. Try to understand it. There are reasons. If your questions are just asked for the sake of asking, I don’t answer them, but that is the answer!...
< Previous | Contents | Next > CHAPTER 7 Difficult and Easy 17 August 1975 am in Buddha Hall LAO TZU SAYS: ACCOMPLISH DO-NOTHING. ATTEND TO NO-AFFAIRS. TASTE THE FLAVOURLESS. WHETHER IT IS BIG OR SMALL, MANY OR FEW, REQUITE HATRED WITH VIRTUE. DEAL WITH THE DIFFICULT WHILE YET IT IS EASY; DEAL WITH THE BIG WHILE YET IT IS SMALL. THE DIFFICULT PROBLEMS OF THE WORLD MUST BE DEALT WITH WHILE THEY ARE YET EASY; THE GREAT PROBLEMS OF THE WORLD MUST BE DEALT WITH WHILE THEY ARE YET SMALL; THEREFORE THE SAGE BY NEVER DEALING WITH GREAT PROBLEMS ACCOMPLISHES GREATNESS....
< Previous | Contents | Next > CHAPTER 8 This is the Queen; Cleopatra 18 August 1975 am in Buddha Hall Question 1 I FEEL SO MUCH SELF-CONFIDENCE THAT I WILL BE ENLIGHTENED VERY SOON; BUT THEN I FEEL THAT I WILL BE NICE IF MY ENLIGHTENMENT IS A LITTLE DELAYED BECAUSE THERE SEEMS TO BE GREATER JOY IN DELAYING ENLIGHTENMENT THAN IN BEING ENLIGHTENED... WHY? Don’t feel so much confidence, otherwise it will be delayed for ever....
< Previous | Contents | Next > CHAPTER 9 Beginning and End 19 August 1975 am in Buddha Hall LAO TZU SAYS: THAT WHICH LIES STILL IS EASY TO HOLD; THAT WHICH IS NOT YET MANIFEST IS EASY TO FORESTALL; THAT WHICH IS BRITTLE (LIKE ICE) EASILY MELTS; THAT WHICH IS MINUTE EASILY SCATTERS. DEAL WITH A THING BEFORE IT IS THERE; CHECK DISORDER BEFORE IT IS RIFE. A TREE WITH A FULL SPAN’S GIRTH BEGINS FROM A TINY SPROUT....