Always look inside
yourself: that is, self-introspection.
Ancient wisdom makes us
look inside ourselves, while contemporary wisdom
often makes us look outside. Carl Jung, the
famous Swiss psychiatrist, once said: "who looks outside, dreams; who
looks inside, awakes." It is important to look inside in order to discover
the ultimate truth of all things, which is the essence of true human wisdom.
Looking inside is
self-awakening. As we look inside ourselves, we begin to ask questions that
demand answers that in turn lead to asking more questions. Self-intuition makes
you think; without thinking, there is no wisdom, just as Albert
Einstein once said: "Thinking is hard; that's why so few people
do it." Therefore, put on your thinking cap and get wisdom!
Looking inside may help
us understand the wisdom of "all-one" and "not-two." This
ancient Chinese wisdom came from Lao Tzu, the ancient sage from
China more than two thousand years ago, who was the author of the immortal
classic Tao Te Ching (The Book of the Way),
which has been translated into multiple languages worldwide due to its profound
wisdom in living.
What does it mean by
"all-one" and "not-two"?
This is similar to what
the famous poet John Donne said "no man is an
island." That is, we are all inter-connected with one another somehow and
somewhat. The capability to see this subtle connection further enhances the
awareness to perceive the inter-relationship of all things, which holds the key
to understanding the ultimate truth of all things.
“A beggar has been
sitting by the side of a road for over thirty years. One day a stranger walked
by. ‘Spare some change?’ mumbled the beggar, mechanically holding out his old
baseball cap. ‘I have nothing to give you,’ said the stranger. Then he asked:
‘What’s that you are sitting on?’ ‘Nothing,’ replied the beggar. ‘Just an old
box. I have been sitting on it for as long as I can remember.’ ‘Ever looked
inside?’ asked the stranger. ‘No,’ said the beggar. ‘What’s the point? There’s
nothing in there.’ ‘Have a look inside,’ insisted the stranger. The beggar
managed to prey open the lid. With astonishment, disbelief, and elation, he saw
that the box was filled with gold.”
The story above is taken
from the beginning of the book The Power of Now by Eckhart
Tolle.
Look inside! The wisdom
is inside you, but you just have to look!
Yes, looking
inside is the key to understanding and embracing the ancient wisdom in
living. When you look within, you begin to see the reality of all things; and
this is the beginning of your understanding of TAO (道), the ancient Chinese wisdom in living.
Yes, like the beggar,
you have to look inside yourself to find the riches of life,
or to attain your individual enlightenment, which is the ultimate true human
wisdom.
“From knowing to not
knowing,
This is superior.
From not knowing to
knowing,
This is sickness.
It is by being sick of
sickness
That one is not sick.
The sage is not sick.
Because he is sick of
sickness,
Therefore he is not
sick.”
(Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching,
Chapter 71)
So, look inside
yourself, be sick of sickness, and you will not be sick!
Copyright© by
Stephen Lau
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