Pearls of wisdom on leading an enlightened life from Huanchu Daoren, who wrote this in China around the year 1600. While these are Taoist reflections, I can’t help but be reminded of Stoic philosopher and Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, who wrote “Meditations” over 1400 years earlier. A couple of examples to illustrate:

On opinions, Daoren says:
“Desires do not hurt the mind as much as opinions do. The senses do not hinder enlightenment as much as the intellect does.”

Compare this to Marcus Aurelius:
"Treat with respect the power you have to form an opinion. By it alone can the helmsman within you avoid forming opinions that are at variance with nature and with the constitution of a reasonable being."

And on transience, Daoren:
“The universe may exist indefinitely, but this body is not obtained a second time; human life only lasts a hundred years at most, and these days slip by easily. Those who would live happily know the joy of having life and remember the sorrow of wasting life.”

Marcus:
"Observe, in short, how transient and trivial is all mortal life; yesterday a drop of semen, tomorrow a handful of spice or ashes. Spend, therefore, these fleeting moments on earth as Nature would have you spend them, and then go to your rest with good grace, as an olive falls in its season, with a blessing for the earth that bore it and a thanksgiving to the tree that gave it life."

There are truths that wise men reach which transcend time and culture, and certainly Daoren reached some of them. His expression of these truths is not the most poetic or eloquent in one sense, but as I reflect on that it could be accounted for by the simplicity of the Chinese language, as well as the inherent Taoist aim for simplicity. Regardless, it’s worth reading, though of course the advice is certainly easier to read than it is to practice.

Quotes:
On detachment:
“To develop strength of character and cultivate enlightenment requires a degree of aloofness. Once there is fascination, you pursue objects of desire. To help the world or run a state requires a sense of detachment. Once there is attachment, you fall into danger.”

And this one, which I summarize as “be cool”:
“Observe people with cool eyes, listen to their words with cool ears. Confront feelings with cool emotions, reflect on principles with a cool mind.”

On letting go:
“Do not criticize people for minor faults; do not reveal people’s secrets; do not remember people’s past wrongs. These three things can build character and prevent harm.”

Also this one:
“When the mind comes to sparse bamboo, the bamboo doesn’t keep the sound after the wind has passed. When geese cross a cold pond, the pond doesn’t retain their reflection after geese have gone. Similarly, the minds of enlightened people become manifest when events occur and then become empty when the events are over.”

And on being natural:
“Personality at its best has nothing unusual, just what is natural.”

On being “nice”:
“When you meet dishonest people, move them with sincerity. When you meet violent people, affect them with gentility. When you meet warped people, inspire them with justice. Then the whole world enters your forge.”

And:
“There is a true Buddha in family life; there is a real Tao in everyday activities. If people can be sincere and harmonious, promoting communication with a cheerful demeanor and friendly words, that is much better than formal meditation practice.”

On serenity:
“It doesn’t take much for some atmosphere – a bit of haze and mist over a little pond and a few rocks, and that’s enough. One needn’t go far for scenery – the breeze and the moon at a rustic window are naturally serene.”

On simplicity:
“The mind should be emptied, for when it is emptied, truth comes to it. The mind should be fulfilled, for when it is fulfilled, desire for things doesn’t enter it.”

On sincerity:
“Those who trust others will find that not everyone is necessarily sincere, but they will be sincere themselves. Those who suspect others will find that not everyone is necessarily deceiving them, but they have already become deceivers themselves.”

On solitude, and oneness:
“Those who like tranquility and dislike clamor tend to avoid people to seek quietude. They do not know that when one wishes there was no one around, that is egotism; and when the mind is attached to quietude, that is the root of disturbance. How can they reach the state where others and oneself are seen as one, where disturbance and quietude are both forgotten?”

On transience, and brotherhood:
“Life passes by in a flash, yet people vie and compete with each other. How much time do we have? There is very little room, yet people contest and debate with each other. How big is the world?”

On being understanding:
“People’s circumstances may be settled or unsettled; how can you guarantee that you alone are settled? Your own feelings may be reasonable or unreasonable; how can you expect others to always be reasonable? It is useful to see things in this light and thereby correct the contradictions in your expectations for yourself and others.”

“When you are in positions of wealth and status, you should know the miseries of those who are poor and lowly. When you are young and strong, you should remember the pains of the old and feeble.” ( )