The Confucius Institute at Vilnius University presents the project "The World of Daoist Ideas in Laozi Texts" and invites you to get acquainted with the teachings of one of the most famous Chinese sages Laozi (老子，Lǎozǐ), whose wisdom has not only been a major influence in shaping the Chinese worldview and culture, but also has influenced the whole region of East Asia, and has gained interest in other parts of the world. We have selected 20 of the sage's most famous quotes to be featured on posters and will share one of them with you every week on Facebook.
Laozi's texts were translated from ancient Chinese by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dalia Švambarytė; the posters were designed by Prof. Robertas Jucaitis.
Although Laozi is said to have lived around the 6th century BC, it is not clear whether Laozi actually existed - his personality is shrouded in myth and legend. One such legend is that the sage was travelling when he stopped at the Siangu Pass on the border with the State of Qin and met a guard who was impressed by Laozi's wisdom and asked him to write down his teachings in a book. Thus the Daodejing (道德经；Dàodéjīng), also known as Laozi's own name, was born - a small canon, but full of the deepest wisdom, and the foundation of Taoist teaching.
The work stresses that people's constant pursuit of their desires causes suffering and distances them from a harmonious life and from the dao (道; dào) itself, often translated as the way, or the natural principle from which the world is born and by which it exists. Laozi therefore urges us to know ourselves, not to be selfish, not to be blindly driven by our own desires, to help others, and even to treat unkind people well, and above all to learn to live according to the natural principle of dao.
And this can be helped by inaction (无为；wúwéi), which paradoxically refers to the principle of self-action corresponding to the Tao. Often, especially for a Westerner, it is natural to try to control everything, but according to Laozi, control is pointless because it causes suffering and distances one from the Tao. Therefore, the sage suggests relying on spontaneous action, which is free from the often troublesome and distressing desires for honour, power and other vanities and attachments of life. This allows one to learn to live in the moment, to achieve inner peace, to coexist with the people and nature around us, and to gain the deepest wisdom.
Laozi's teachings are universal across cultures and epochs, and allow us not only to learn the eternal truths about man and the world, but also to bring more wisdom into our lives.