The hearing that is only in the ears is one thing. The hearing of the understanding is another. But the hearing of the spirit is not limited to any one faculty to the ear, or to the mind.
ZhuangziRead
When affirmation and negation came into being, Tao faded. After Tao faded, then came one-sided attachments.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the emergence of duality in thoughts and creations, suggesting that true essence fades when it is categorized.
Zhuangzi's quote emphasizes the idea that the fundamental truth or 'Tao' diminishes when we impose binary distinctions such as affirmation and negation. This shift leads to a narrow-mindedness or attachment to one perspective, illustrating the complexity of human understanding and the pitfalls of rigid dichotomies.
Themes
TaoDualityAttachmentsPhilosophicalWisdom
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about personal growth, one might say, 'When affirmation and negation came into being, Tao faded' to highlight the importance of embracing complexity.
More from Zhuangzi
All quotes βEither in conflict with others or in harmony with them, we go through life like a runaway horse, unable to stop.
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When people do not ignore what they should ignore, but ignore what they should not ignore, this is known as ignorance.
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The true man of the past waited upon Heaven when dealing with people and did not wait upon people when dealing with Heaven.
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The mind remains undetermined in the great Void. Here the highest knowledge is unbounded. That which gives things their thusness cannot be delimited by things. So when we speak of 'limits', we remain confined to limited things. The limit of the unlimited is called 'fullness.' The limitlessness of the limited is called 'emptiness.' Tao is the source of both. But it is itself neither fullness nor emptiness
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All the fish needs is to get lost in the water. All man needs is to get lost in Tao.
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