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The Tao of Wu

The Tao of Wu

by Parker · 85 things on Twos

The Rza
You are the monastery—always, wherever you are
Life is beautiful
More Chi! Train harder!
Be honest with yourself and be honest with others
Respect yourself, respect others
100% express your beautiful life
In the Divine mathematics, knowledge is 1: the foundation of all things. Wisdom is 2: the manifestation of knowledge. It is knowledge in action. Manifestation = man fest = speak action is action
Wisdom is the word. It is the way to make knowledge known
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” - Lao Tzu
Your allies can arrive as enemies, blessings as a curse
Some things are invisible until you are truly ready to see them
Truth is within us all, all the time—a seed waiting for light to help it grow. Wisdom is the light
Wisdoms is what shows those in darkness the light, what reveals the path or the way
A real teacher is also a student, someone who never stops learning
The call can come to anyone at anytime
Find an island in this life. Find a place where this culture can’t take energy from you, sap your will and originality
Find an island; turn inward; discover your true strength
A man thinks seven times before he speaks. It’s harder to make the glass than break the glass
He who works like a slave, eats like a king
The 12 jewels: knowledge, wisdom, understanding, freedom, justice, equality, food, clothing, shelter, love, peace, and happiness
First a man gets knowledge, which is knowledge of self. Then he gets wisdom, which is the reflection of that knowledge. Then he gets understanding, which is the power to act on wisdom. With understanding he sees that he has freedom—that he has freed his dome from ignorance—which means he has free will. But freedom operates under a law: the law of justice. That means that I’m free to smack you in the face, but justice applies: there will be a reward or penalty for my actions. Therefore, I must deal with equality, because all men are created equal. These all build a man's character
After building your character, you are able to strive for food, clothing, and shelter. Food is nourishment, shelter is a home, and clothing is protection. But mental food is food from the tree of life—wisdom, science, history, food from your mind Mental clothing is how you carry yourself—the way you walk, the way you move and speak. If you’ve clothed yourself in righteousness, even the bumpiest clothing has dignity. And mental shelter is the mind's protection from the evil atmosphere—the lies and corruption of the outside world. If you have these three jewels, your home is like a kings even if you’re living in a shack
Most people let their body lead their mind
When someone has a drug addiction, his body is addicted to the drug. Heroin is a physical addiction: if you don't get it, you get sick. But even though your body is addicted, your mind chastises you every time you use it
Love is the highest elevation of understanding—either between two people or between all members of mankind
Happiness is total and complete satisfaction with yourself
Happiness is something you get from yourself. If you're completely satisfied with yourself, nobody can take it away from you
"God is not a spirit. God is you; he's inside you." - GZA
"Truth out of season bears no fruit." There's a time and a place for every kind of knowledge to flourish. The personal characteristics of great messengers are usually irrelevant
To find Knowledge, you first have to find Knowledge of Self. Knowledge of Self is not something you seek. It is something you have to let happen to you—through meditation, sitting quiet and alone, in contemplation
A ghost is something you create yourself—a man's mind makes it happen. You manifest ghosts through fear
"Fear is a state of nervousness only fit for children. Men should not fear. The only thing man should fear is God. To fear anything other than God is to offend God." - Marcus Garvey
"They say wisdom is the wise words spoken by a brother attempting to open the graves of these mentally dead slaves." - RZA
Life comes when you have knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, when you can see for real, touch and feel for real, know for real. Then you are truly living
Find order in chaos. Be in the middle of a bunch of things happening at the same time, but find focus
Similar to the sun or to the nucleus of an atom, all the confusing things going on around you are okay as long as you are staying focused on what you're doing as long as you are being yourself
The best tactic you can have in life: Never give up. Never let them count you out. That's how the greats play, right down to the last move. It's to the death. You should play it that way, like you should live your life, as a game with mortal stakes. A game you play right now to the last move
"Knowing others is wisdom. Knowing yourself is Enlightenment." - Lao-Tzu
Sometimes you have to submit to someone to learn
Faith is a pillar of life that many confuse with hope. It is beyond hope, for hope can be applied without knowing; faith is the heart-projected action of knowing. It's wisdom before it reaches understanding
The five percent is anyone dedicated to freedom, justice, and equality. They are part of that 5 percent of any given society who know the truth and will speak it freely without personal gain
The laymen, the people who don't know much and are easily misled—they're the 85 percent
Those who know the truth but use it to deceive and exploit—they're the 10 percent. You see the 10 percent everywhere today, in every news broadcast, on the front page of every paper
Our culture is programming its children to join the 85 percent, to be robots, to have no knowledge of self
Money gives you economic freedom, but it doesn't free your dome from the lies and ignorance that make you dumb
The first person you have to resurrect is yourself
Forces in the world will tell you you're a victim—of your family, your race, your past, your history. Don't believe them. They don't know you. Look inside and find your true self. It's there. Give it a name
You aren't the you your family, society, or history created. You're beneath that, the one that's always there with you
Take time. This country fills up every second of your day with noise. That's why they call this place Babylon—the Great Harlot, the Great Deceiver. Because it keeps us away from our true selves. So do the one thing that culture tires hard not to let you do: Look inside yourself
Don't pray for a thing. Pray to put yourself in harmony with nature
"What we learn to do we learn by doing." - Aristotle
Meditation just means you are aware of your inner self as well as your outer self
Watch yourself, because nobody else is gonna watch you but you
Knowledge is knowing, wisdom is doing
The best leader is somebody who's able to serve. If you're truly able to serve, you're able to lead
"When planning for a year, plant corn. When planning for a decade, plant trees. When planning for life, train and educate people."
Trust chaos and confusion—not judging it, not fearing it, not reaching for an immediate solution. That's a secret to life
Those times when you feel most desperate for a solution, sit. Wait. The information will become clear. The confusion is there to guide you. Seek detachment and become the producer of your life
Peace—it's the absence of confusion. Peace—it's the prevention of conflict. Peace—it establishes both parties on a ground of mutual respect no matter who they are. Peace—it's universal
Come in peace, but prepare for war
“For what does it profit a man to gain the world and lose his soul.” - Jesus
In a group of nine, beware of the number 4. If 4 members are not with you on course, the vessel will not reach its destination
Taoism says that to remember the great way means to remember your connection with all of creation. It teaches you to harmonize your personal will with the natural harmony of the way
If you live through defeat, you’re not defeated. If you are beaten but acquire wisdom, you have won. Lose yourself to improve yourself. Only when we shed all self-definition do we find who we really are
All things manifest in due time. In order for thought to materialize into our three-dimensional world, it takes time. Be patient
When a man recognizes himself, he recognized his true jewel, and his body expresses that wisdom
Your worst enemy can’t harm you as much as your own wicked thoughts
“Not everyone is meant to make a difference. But for me, the choice to lead an ordinary life is no longer an option.” - Peter Parker
When you enter the path of wisdom, of knowledge, of life—don’t turn off that road
Don’t ever not stop me if I’m fucking up. If I’m being a dickhead, let me know, please
Maturity: the ability to change what must be changed, to accept what can’t be changed, and to know the difference between the two
A mans thought process can defeat the mathematical calculations of a giant computer—because the randomness of a mans mind is incomputable
Cultivate the novice inside you
It’s important to try new things, things you don’t know how to do
Too many people coast through life, doing only what they know how to do
“It is my fervent hope that my whole life on this earth will ever be tears and laughter.” - Khalil Gibran
Wisdom is fluid. It brings flexibility and adaptation. It frees you from slavery to your past and your passions
I experience emotions like anger the way I experience sex—I let it in and let it out. It’s like a thunderstorm; it will pass
Don’t stay with me to help me. Stay because you want to
Sometimes you lose your strength, and it seems like it’s gone forever. But if you let it, that strength will regenerate
“You will be judged by what you build more than what you destroy.” - Barrack Obama
Set yourself in heaven at once
The key is true consciousness in the present, in this moment, right now, where you’re at
The Tao of Wu summary