I love you. Merry X'mas

 Mary's boy child Jesus Christ was born on Christmas Day.

It's the most wonderful time of the year. 

One can't help but to celebrate the holidays, nicely planned towards the end of the year leading to the start of a brand New Year. Signifying it's time to let go of the past and prepare to start anew. 

On this Merry and Happy note, I would like to share a Verse from the Tao Te Ching that compliments the season and coincides with the message of Christianity. 

It seems that Lao Tzu and Jesus share and preach the same gospel.

Photo by Gareth Harper on Unsplash

Tao Te Ching v.81

Faithful words may not be beautiful,

Beautiful words may not be faithful,

Those who love do not quarrel,

Those who quarrel do not love.

Those who know are not learned,

Those who are learned do not know.

The riches of the self-controlled person are in the Inner Life.

When one spends for others, one has more for oneself.

When one gives to others, one has much more for oneself.

Heavenly Tao blesses all and hurts no one.

The way of the self-controlled person is to act and not to fight.

*Translated by Isabella Mears

Merry Christmas One and All...

I love you. Tang Dynasty #2

 Religions & Philosophies.

Confucius- Getty Images

Laozi

Buddha

Jesus

During the era of great trade and exchange of cultures with the world, China became a hub for all religions. Many types of religions were observed and practiced. With the common practice of indigenous Taoism, along came Islam, Christianity and Buddhism. 

There was also the generally accepted and widely practiced philosophy of Confucianism. Instead of resisting the pursuit of knowledge of religions, Confucian scholars embraced Buddhism and Taoism to revise some aspects of Confucianism. 

Unlike modern day situations where beliefs and religions clashed, China underwent dynamic transformation in religious and philosophical pursuits mixing and matching different practices. A typical believer could visit a Buddhist temple, make sacrifices to Taoist deities and hang a cross on the wall. It was a mixture of Mahayana Buddhism and Taoism that gave birth to Zen buddhism in Japan.

This policy of inclusiveness and flexibility of religious beliefs and practices further contributed to better understanding and great prosperity among the people local or the international community. It is no wonder the Tang Dynasty was unrivalled at that time.