老子

《装腔指南》P215

Lao TzuP215

Be cool. That, in a nutshell, is the philosophy of the Ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu as summarised in his book theTao Te Ching, though there’s a bit more to it than that. The Tao or ‘Way’ is a benign force that governs the universe, and the key to happiness is to live in accordance with it. In practice, this involves a combination of quietness, kindness, humility, humanity, not caring what other people think (whether good or ill), and making no distinction between success and failure. All of which prompts the response: nice work if you can get it.

Yet it has to be said that you’re much more likely to get it if you take the trouble to read the book (preferably in the translation by Stephen Mitchell), which is a remarkable blend of poetry and practical advice. Its most intriguing concept is that ofwei wu wei, literally ‘doing not doing’. It’s such a vague phrase that it’s open to a wide range of interpretations. At its least controversial, it refers to a method for carrying out a task with such focus you cease to notice the effort involved or the time passing. When you finish, the result seems to have been effortless and immediate. Most of us have had this experience. The goal of the Tao master, however, is to make it his or her default gear, from when they wake up in the morning to when they go to bed at night.

Like Homer*, Lao Tzu may never have existed. His book may be the work of several authors. Yet the stories that have come down to us about his life are instructive. He’s said to have been an archive keeper in one of the petty kingdoms of 6th-century BC China, and to have passed his life quietly.

until, in old age, he decided to set out on a water buffalo (a suitably lowly, slow-moving mode of transport) to cross the vast expanses of the country, before heading west into lands unknown. When he duly reached the border, the customs officer, on learning who he was, asked him first to write down his wisdom so it wouldn’t be lost. This was a bold request. One of Lao Tzu’s best-known maxims was the classic conversation-stopper, ‘Those who know don’t talk. Those who talk don’t know.’ We can only be grateful that he chose to make an exception on this occasion. Having handed over the first-ever copy of theTao Te Ching, Lao Tzu wandered off and spent his remaining years impressing anyone who met him with how incredibly relaxed he was. The Buddha, some say, became his pupil.

P217 老子

酷可酷，非常酷。简而言之，这就是中国古代哲学家老子在他的《道德经》一书中总结的哲学，尽管不止于此。道或“道”是一种良性的力量，统治着宇宙，幸福的关键是按照它生活。在实践中，这包括安静、善良、谦逊、人性，不关心别人的想法(好或坏)，不区分成功和失败。所有这些都会促发回应:如果你能领悟它，那就太好了。但不得不说的是，如果你不辞辛苦地读这本书(最好是斯蒂芬·米切尔的译本)，你更有可能理解它的奥妙，这本书是诗歌和实用建议的绝妙结合。

它最有趣的概念是“无为而治”，字面意思是“不做”。这是一个很模糊的短语，可以有很多种解释。最不容易引起争议的是，它指的是一种专注完成一项任务的方法，让你感觉不到付出的努力或时间的流逝。当你完成时，其结果似乎毫不费力一趋而就，我们大多数人都有过这样的经历。然而，掌握道德人让它成为他或她的从早上起床到晚上睡觉的内在动力。像荷马一样，老子可能从来就不存在。他的书可能是几个作家的作品。然而，流传下来的关于他的生平故事是有启发性的。据说他曾是公元前6世纪中国一个小王国的档案管理员，并平静地度过了自己的一生。

直到年老的时候，他决定骑着牛(一种移动缓慢的交通工具)穿越广袤的国土，然后向西进入未知的土地。当他到达边境时，海关官员得知他是谁，让他先把他的智慧写下来，这样就不会失传了。这是一个大胆的要求。老子最著名的格言之一就是那句经典的“知者不言，言者不知”。我们只能对他这次破例表示感激。在交出了只此一本的《道德经》之后，老子就云游四海度过余生，他悠闲自在样子给所有见过他的人都留下了印象。有人说，佛陀成了他的弟子。