Confucio e Lao Tse

«Confucius went to see Lao Tsu, and he asked Lao Tsu, What is good? What ought one to do? What is bad? Define it clearly. Lao Tsu said, Definitions create a mess, because defining means dividing: this is this, and that is that. You divide and say A is A and B is B... you have divided. You say A cannot be B; then you have created a division, a dichotomy, and the existence is one. A is always becoming B, A is always moving into B. Life is always becoming death, life is always moving into death, so how canyou define? Childhood is moving into youth and youth is moving into old age; health is moving intodisease and disease is moving into health. So where can you demark them as separate?Life is one movement, and the moment you define you create a mess, because definitions will bedead and life is an alive movement. So definitions are always false. Lao Tsu said, Defining createsnon-truth, so do not define. Do not say what is good and what is bad. So Confucius said, What are you saying? Then how can people be led and guided? Then how canthey be taught? How can they be made moral and good? Lao Tsu said, When someone tries to make someone else good, that is a sin in my eyes. Who are you to lead? Who are you to guide? And the more guides there are, the more confusion. Leave everyone to himself. Who are you?This type of attitude seems dangerous. It is! Society cannot be founded on such attitudes. Confucius goes on asking, and the whole point is that Lao Tsu says, Nature is enough, no morality is needed. Nature is spontaneous. Nature is enough, no imposed laws and disciplines are needed. Innocence is enough; no morality is needed. Nature is spontaneous, nature is enough. No imposed laws and disciplines are needed. Innocence is enough. Knowledge is not needed. Confucius came back very much disturbed. He could not sleep for nights. And his disciples asked,Tell us something about the meeting. What happened? Confucius answered, He is not a man, heis a danger, a dragon. He is not a man. Never go to that place where he is. Whenever you hearabout Lao Tsu, just escape from that place. He will disturb your mind completely. Confucius could not understand Lao Tsu. When Confucius left, Lao Tsu was laughing and laughing and so his disciples asked, Why are you laughing so much? What has happened?

Lao Tsu is reported to have said, The mind is such a barrier to understanding. Even the mind of a Confucius is a barrier. He could not understand me at all, and whatsoever he will say about me will be a misunderstanding. He thinks he is going to create order in the world. You CANNOT createorder in the world. Order is inherent in it; it is always there. When you try to create order you create disorder. Lao Tsu said, He will think that I am creating disorder, and really, he is the one who is creating disorder. I am against all imposed orders because I believe in a spontaneous discipline which comes and grows automatically. You need not impose it.”

p.s. peço desculpa pela não tradução.