The meaning of life

Words of Lao zi - Chapter 16 : (my interpretation) 

    Empty your heart. Calmly observe the things that happen in your life. You will recognize that things happen in a sequence but it eventually passes by and disappears. In this dimension, so many lives are born one after another and they all eventually return to the root. Returning to the root is called “silence or stillness.” It means all life returns to the great mothery root. The returning process is called “life, living.”  And understanding the “life or living” is called “wisdom, knowledge.”  Without the wisdom, we will be totally lost. When you have the wisdom, you are able to live in the right way and enjoy life. Those who live a life in the right way is called Kojin (公人) and he/she will naturally dedicates his/her life to the society. Those who could dedicate their lives to the society are true kings. The kings are equivalent to the heavenly sun. The sun is always giving. One’s life is the same as the sun. You are born like the sunrise, reaches it’s peak and sets, fade away. At the end, you return to the life of eternity.


Original words: 
致虚極、守靜篤。萬物並作、吾以觀復。
夫物芸芸、各復歸其根。歸根曰靜、是謂復命。
復命曰常、知常曰明、不知常、妄作凶。
知常容。容乃公。公乃王。王乃天。天乃道。道乃久。沒身不殆。

    My thoughts: 

As I translate the meaning, my consciousness was connecting with Buddha. Buddha had also talked about the importance of attaining the right knowledge. 
It is said that Lao zi was last seen riding a water ox. The fact that he was riding an ox signifies that he was going somewhere very far away. 
My vision tells me that Lao zi had gone to India after this. And he went to meet the young prince (Buddha) and taught him all the wisdom he knew. Lao zi who is rooted to the North Star passed on his wisdom to Buddha who is rooted to the Sun. The North Star periodically changes to different stars. Like the North Star, Lao zi dynamically moved around all his life. I sense that he left all his wisdom to Buddha and went to the Himalayas where his life was ended.

     Lao zi worked for the government and his position was a middle-level manager. He never tried to be famous. He is a true saint.




     Let me repeat the important phrases of Lao zi’s words from today’s chapter.

1)     It’s important for us humans to attain knowledge/wisdom. In order to do so, it’s important not to be flustered and observe your situation in a calm manner. We are a student of life until the day we die. The content that you are reading now is also an important knowledge about life.

2)      Know that all types of sufferings will eventually pass. Those who are suffering often mistakenly think that the suffering would last forever. The universal law of this dimension tells us that nothing lasts forever. Good deeds and bad deeds, both are momentary matters.

3)     No matter what, we will eventually all return to the great mothery root. Know that we will be in peace when we return to that ultimate home. Lao zi is saying that if you are flustered and worried you might go to hell that means you don’t have the wisdom and don’t have the heart to care for others. Therefore, he is saying that we need to be humble and learn until the time of death and attain wisdom. And to observe life in a calm manner and help others. When you are able to do this, you are a true winner. The financially rich people are not the successor. The true successors are the ones who dedicated his/her life to others or the society. That is because we all die at the end.




Ikashite-itadaite arigato-gozaimasu

Thank you for letting us live