contributes to the world without regard for gain or loss.Remaining low,level and tranquil,water embraces and reflects everything under heaven.The way of water is completely different from the way of people with avid desires. But the philosophy of Laozi is by no means weak.On the contrary.it is full of strength.According to Laozi,water accumulates great strength in its weakness and quietude.Its strength can break down all barriers in the world.He said. "Nothing in the world is weaker than water.Yet nothing is stronger than water when it comes to breaking something strong."Water is a typical example of the weak winning over the strong.Water is invincible because it desires nothing and contends for nothing A corner of Geyuan Garden in Yangzhou. Jiangsu Province.The landscape embodies the naturalness in
Laozi said,"Aware of the strong,one should remain weak."This does not mean that Laozi promoted failure.To become strong,however,one must not oppress the weak.Instead,one should start with one's own weak points,accumulating strength by keeping low,just as water does.Giving up the desire to flaunt one's superiority is the basic way to prosperity. Remaining weak is not only the way to prosperity,but also the way to preserving life.Laozi regarded fragility as the symbol of life.He explained this with a comparison between life and death:when a person is alive,his body is fragile;when he dies,his body becomes hard and rigid.The same is true with plants:living plants have supple leaves and lovely flowers,while dead plants become dry and hard.Laozi uses these examples to show that the way of the weak is the way to preserving life.The way of the weak is the best way to avoid conflict. Returning to a Newborn State Laozi saw the world as a madding crowd of vanity.He chose to live a simple quiet life,and to keep his mind undisturbed in the face of temptation.He said he would rather remain a"newborn baby." This does not mean Laozi wanted to remain childishly ignorant.He believed that sages-people with the highest virtue-all resembled newborns.The highest level of one's cultivation was to return to the state of a newborn baby. The state of the newborn is free of any knowledge,desire,impurity or falsehood. Laozi's state of the newborn refers to "complete innocence."The first cry of a baby when it leaves the mother's womb is pure and clear,which,according to Laozi,is the call of genuine life. When human beings come into the world,they gradually acquire external knowledge and accept social norms,along with the growth of their bodies Step by step,their originally pure minds become tainted with chaotic colors 16Insights into Chinese Culure
As humans mature,they become more and more hypocritical.The process of acculturation is the process of losing one's true self. To Laozi.civilization is to a certain degree a departure from the "true self."The development of human culture is a process of "decoration": clothing as decoration of the body,houses as decoration of the way of living,language as decoration of communication,and state politics as decoration of human organization. Such "decorations"often turn into bloated desires.Desire-driven,human beings fight and deceive one another,leading to war.Laozi made a comparison between the laws of nature and the laws of the human world.Nature takes from the surplus to make up the deficit,such as the wind leveling sand dunes and the water washing away earth and stones.The human world is just the opposite,i.e. robbing the poor and oppressing the weak. Bloated desire has damaged the external world as well as poisoned the human mind.Laozi said,"Beautiful colors blind the eyes,complex music harms the ears,rich flavors numb taste,while riding and hunting madden the mind." Desire disturbs peace of mind.If immersed in a sea of desire,in the end humans would be submerged. Insights into Chinese Culture17
18 Inighte into Chinese Culuere
3.Sunzi's Art of ar: Source for All 乃ooks on0ar Sunzi's Art of War(Sunzi bingfa),is an ancient classic on war.It consists of 13 chapters in about 6.000 characters.Sun Wu,respectfully called Sunzi,was born sometime between 550 and 540 BC,or toward the end of the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC).He was a native of the State of Qi but later moved to the State of Wu,where he became the king's trusted strategist.As many of the book's contents bear features of the Warring States Period(475-221BC).some scholars believe the book was probably written in the middle of that period.It represents the theories of war of the Sunzi School originated by Sun Wu. Of the more than 3,000 books on war from the pre-Qin(before 221 BC)period to the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911).Sunzi's Art of War stands out as the greatest classic.It excels over the other books in terms of strategy design,philosophical grounding and in tactical application.Over the centuries it has been respected as the source for all books on war." Insights into Chinese Culure 19