Readings in Eastern Philosophy: An Open Source Text | ||
---|---|---|
Prev | Chapter 7. Selections from The Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu | Next |
Compare and contrast the Western doctrine of polar opposites with the Eastern doctrine of yin—yang. Are these doctrines metaphysical or logical or both?
Clarify the doctine of wu-wei or non-action. The The Tao Te Ching emphasizes "there is no expectation (of a reward for the results). The work is accomplished and there is no resting in it (as an achievement)." Contrast this idea with that of the Bhagavad Gita, to do "all work as an offering to God abandoning attachment to the results."
The The Tao Te Ching states "The law of the Tao is its being what it is." In what ways is this remark profound and not an empty tautology? Is the Tao considered in this manner analogous to the Western notion of the laws of nature?
Contrast the political advice for the strategy of winning in the The Tao Te Ching with Miyamoto Musashi's The Book of Five Rings and Sun Tzu's The Art of War.