Easter Religions

Laozi developed eighty chapters of passages and texts from a number of sources that explain the values and principles of Daoism. These passages were later called “ The Daodejing”. It was developed during a time of turmoil and hardships due to constant war and disputing. People were in search of a way to instill peace back in this era. And have a set of guidelines that would bring forth new ideas and concepts because clearly the current ways were not working. This text does not glorify war and belittles dishonesty in politics. This text basically promotes humbleness and denounces excess. It makes us understand that personal desires should rule our lives or our way of thinking.

Desiring things in excess eventually leads to self destruction. This time period was full of individuals who needed guidance and had to reshape there ways. Many were alienating themselves from other in search of personal needs. People began to be more self conscious and forgot about the old Way that helped built their civilization. They wanted to return to an earlier golden age where creativity thrived and people were not self consumed. Ideas were shared and society developed during this period. Laozi explains to us that dao is the center or the source, where everything comes from. The dao cannot be seen but it lives in everything that we do.

The term hsu Emptiness is incorporated into the teachings to represent a void that creativity and individuality will develop from. In Chapter Four Laozi states, “The Way is like an empty vessel, No use could ever fill it up, Vast and deep”. This quotes means that the search for the Way is everlasting. You will not achieve the way un the end of life. It is vast the and deep it will go one forever. The way of life that you set you must be like that until death. The emptiness must be cultivated into something that is sufficient and productive. Without emptiness then there will be no quest for improvement or progress. Without emptiness you become stagnant and docile. You feel that you have no more accomplish. Emptiness allows one to have the utmost potential in achieving the Way.

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