[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$ffHQnL1vB3Nh9XiUfyUwpyWRdVmQfvQ-C1m8lCfM_fuY":3,"$fh5bdKTbEp3M2DUd-vFWLHIPsbMQ2UZowJ6gYVyUHXwk":20},{"author":4,"tags":11},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":9,"slug":10,"image_url":9},17267,"Liezi","L",22,null,"liezi",[12,16],{"tag_id":13,"tag_name":14,"tag_count":15},2527,"taoism",11,{"tag_id":17,"tag_name":18,"tag_count":19},119,"death",6,{"quotes":21,"pagination":230},[22,30,36,42,65,84,118,142,159,188],{"id":23,"quote_text":24,"author_id":5,"source_id":19,"has_image":25,"author":26,"source":27,"quote_tag":28,"commentary":29},3226276,"The ancients said that for persons who cultivated body and mind, and who are virtuous and honorable, death is an experience of liberation, a long-awaited rest from a lifetime of labors. Death helps the unscrupulous person to put an end to the misery of desire. Death, then, for everyone is a kind of homecoming. That is why the ancient sages speak of a dying person as a person who is ’going home.",false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\n\nThis poignant reflection on death is attributed to Liezi, a Chinese philosopher and alchemist from the Eastern Zhou period (771-256 BCE). During this time, China was plagued by war, famine, and social unrest, leading many to seek solace in spiritual and philosophical pursuits. As a wandering scholar and mystic, Liezi likely drew inspiration from his own experiences with self-cultivation, meditation, and introspection.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nAt first glance, the quote seems to offer a comforting view of death as liberation from life's struggles. However, upon closer examination, it reveals a more complex truth: that for both virtuous individuals and unscrupulous ones, death serves as a kind of equalizer, bringing an end to the burdens of desire. This paradox highlights the idea that our experiences with desire – whether driven by virtue or vice – are ultimately what define us in life, and it is only through death's release from these desires that we can find true liberation.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nIn applying this mindset today, a modern professional or creative might benefit from recognizing how their own attachments and desires shape their experiences. Rather than fearing death as an endpoint, they could instead cultivate a sense of detachment from their goals and ambitions, embracing the idea that true fulfillment lies not in achieving them but in transcending them. By letting go of attachment to specific outcomes, one can tap into a deeper sense of purpose and meaning that is less susceptible to the vicissitudes of life.",{"id":31,"quote_text":32,"author_id":5,"source_id":19,"has_image":25,"author":33,"source":34,"quote_tag":35,"commentary":9},3226266,"He likes to use his wit and verbal finesse to confuse others and win arguments. Although he can argue successfully that white is black and straight is crooked, you walk away with the feeling that he’s won the argument not because he is correct but because you can’t outwit him.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":37,"quote_text":38,"author_id":5,"source_id":19,"has_image":25,"author":39,"source":40,"quote_tag":41,"commentary":9},3226199,"If you play a game where scrap pieces of glass are at stake, you will play skillfully. If your expensive belt buckle is at stake, you’ll start to get clumsy. If it’s your money that’s at stake, you’ll fumble. It’s not that you’ve lost your skill. It’s because you are so flustered by things happening outside that you’ve lost your calmness inside. Lose your stillness and you will fail in everything you do.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":43,"quote_text":44,"author_id":5,"source_id":45,"has_image":25,"author":46,"source":47,"quote_tag":48,"commentary":9},528993,"There was a man whose only son died of a sudden illness. He did not mourn for his son, nor was he sad about it. His friends were curious about his behavior, so they asked him, \"Your only son is dead. You should be heartbroken. Why do you act as if nothing had happened?\"The man replied, \"Before my son came, I had no son. I was certainly not heartbroken back then. Now I have no son. Why should I be heartbroken now?",2,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[49,52,57,62],{"id":50,"tag":51},2905429,{"id":17,"tag_name":18},{"id":53,"tag":54},2905431,{"id":55,"tag_name":56},1149,"pain",{"id":58,"tag":59},2905430,{"id":60,"tag_name":61},1643,"loss",{"id":63,"tag":64},2905432,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},{"id":66,"quote_text":67,"author_id":5,"source_id":45,"has_image":25,"author":68,"source":69,"quote_tag":70,"commentary":9},528951,"If you play a game where scrap pieces of glass are at stake, you will play skillfully. If your expensive belt buckle is at stake, you'll start to get clumsy. If it's your money that's at stake, you'll fumble. It's not that you've lost your skill. It's because you are so flustered by things happening outside that you've lost your calmness inside. Lose your stillness and you will fail in everything you do.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[71,74,79],{"id":72,"tag":73},2905294,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},{"id":75,"tag":76},2905293,{"id":77,"tag_name":78},3790,"equanimity",{"id":80,"tag":81},2905292,{"id":82,"tag_name":83},6686,"calmness",{"id":85,"quote_text":86,"author_id":5,"source_id":45,"has_image":25,"author":87,"source":88,"quote_tag":89,"commentary":9},528950,"If you can dispense with reputation, then you are free from care. Reputation is only a visitor, but reality is here to stay.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[90,95,98,103,108,113],{"id":91,"tag":92},2905287,{"id":93,"tag_name":94},53,"reality",{"id":96,"tag":97},2905291,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},{"id":99,"tag":100},2905285,{"id":101,"tag_name":102},3669,"fame",{"id":104,"tag":105},2905289,{"id":106,"tag_name":107},5746,"reputation",{"id":109,"tag":110},2905286,{"id":111,"tag_name":112},10201,"prestige",{"id":114,"tag":115},2905290,{"id":116,"tag_name":117},10862,"status",{"id":119,"quote_text":120,"author_id":5,"source_id":45,"has_image":25,"author":121,"source":122,"quote_tag":123,"commentary":9},528949,"Strength should always be complimented by softness. If you resist too much, you will break. Thus, the strong person knows when to use strength and when to yield, and good fortune and disaster depend on whether you know how and when to yield.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[124,129,132,137],{"id":125,"tag":126},2905282,{"id":127,"tag_name":128},370,"strength",{"id":130,"tag":131},2905283,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},{"id":133,"tag":134},2905279,{"id":135,"tag_name":136},4287,"competition",{"id":138,"tag":139},2905281,{"id":140,"tag_name":141},44290,"softness",{"id":143,"quote_text":144,"author_id":5,"source_id":45,"has_image":25,"author":145,"source":146,"quote_tag":147,"commentary":9},528947,"If a branch is too rigid, it will break. Resist, and you will perish. Know how to yield, and you will survive.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[148,151,156],{"id":149,"tag":150},2905271,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},{"id":152,"tag":153},2905268,{"id":154,"tag_name":155},20312,"inaction",{"id":157,"tag":158},2905270,{"id":140,"tag_name":141},{"id":160,"quote_text":161,"author_id":5,"source_id":45,"has_image":25,"author":162,"source":163,"quote_tag":164,"commentary":9},511150,"To solve a problem, you need to remove the cause, not the symptom.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[165,170,175,180,183],{"id":166,"tag":167},2836353,{"id":168,"tag_name":169},222,"inspirational",{"id":171,"tag":172},2836354,{"id":173,"tag_name":174},2269,"problem",{"id":176,"tag":177},2836355,{"id":178,"tag_name":179},2273,"solution",{"id":181,"tag":182},2836356,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},{"id":184,"tag":185},2836352,{"id":186,"tag_name":187},3238,"adversity",{"id":189,"quote_text":190,"author_id":5,"source_id":45,"has_image":25,"author":191,"source":192,"quote_tag":193,"commentary":9},487302,"Division and differentiation are the processes by which things are created. Since things are emerging and dissolving all the time, you cannot specify the point when this division will stop.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[194,197,202,207,210,215,220,225],{"id":195,"tag":196},2741962,{"id":17,"tag_name":18},{"id":198,"tag":199},2741959,{"id":200,"tag_name":201},1939,"birth",{"id":203,"tag":204},2741961,{"id":205,"tag_name":206},2504,"creation",{"id":208,"tag":209},2741969,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},{"id":211,"tag":212},2741968,{"id":213,"tag_name":214},3501,"projection",{"id":216,"tag":217},2741965,{"id":218,"tag_name":219},3822,"division",{"id":221,"tag":222},2741967,{"id":223,"tag_name":224},5068,"nonduality",{"id":226,"tag":227},2741963,{"id":228,"tag_name":229},9096,"differentiation",{"currentPage":231,"totalPages":232,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":233},1,3,10]