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this," he might be thinking, "this is vinegar!" From such a perspective, the taste doesn't need to be sweet, sour, bitter or bland. It is simply the taste of vinegar. By openly experiencing vinegar as vinegar, Laozi acknowledges and participates in the harmony of nature. As this is the very goal of Taoism, whatever the taste of vinegar, the experience is good.
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With this in mind, it is interpreted that
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In the vinegar tasters picture, Laozi's (Lao Tzu) expression is sweet because of how the teachings of Taoism view existence. Every natural thing is intrinsically good as long as it remains true to its nature. This perspective allows Laozi to experience the taste of vinegar without judging it. "Ah
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During Buddha's first sermon he preached, "neither the extreme of indulgence nor the extremes of asceticism was acceptable as a way of life and that one should avoid extremes and seek to live in the middle way". "Thus the goal of basic
Buddhist practice is not the achievement of a state of bliss in
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At the core of Taoist doctrine is the concept of the Tao or "the way". According to Taoist philosophy, everything originates from Tao. Tao is all embracing, existing anywhere and everywhere though it is invisible. It gives birth to the all, which then gives birth to everything in it. The Tao in
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From the Taoist point of view, sourness and bitterness come from the interfering and unappreciative mind. Life itself, when understood and utilized for what it is, is sweet. That is the message of "The
Vinegar
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but the extinguishing of tanha. When tanha is extinguished, one is released from the cycle of life (birth, suffering, death, and rebirth)", only then will they achieve
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and tasting it; one man reacts with a sour expression, one reacts with a bitter expression, and one reacts with a sweet expression. The three men are
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image represents three elderly men tasting vinegar. The identity of the three men varies. Chinese versions often interpret the three men to be
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the tongue. Pretending it is sweet is denying what it is, while the equally harmful opposite is being disturbed by the sourness.
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Confucianism saw life as sour, in need of rules to correct the degeneration of people, and the present was out of step of the
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Hopfe, Lewis M; revised by
Woodward, Mark R. "Religions of the World". Pearson Prentice Hall. 2007. p 176.
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Confucianism, being concerned with the outside world, viewed the vinegar as "polluted wine".
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Taoism sees life as sweet due to it being fundamentally perfect in its natural state.
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Smith, Huston. The World's
Religions. New York: Harper Collins Publishers Inc., 1958.
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Ji, Sang. Religions and
Religious Life in China. China Intercontinental Press, 2004.
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341:Edo period
409:Tasters".
316:July 2022
254:suffering
230:Confucius
28:Confucius
570:Painting
436:See also
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372:Buddhism
278:painting
218:Buddhism
154:Jyutping
596:Vinegar
520:Portals
383:Nirvana
339:Japan,
274:natural
272:in its
270:perfect
262:desires
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51:Japan,
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379:heaven
363:Heaven
288:Origin
246:bitter
236:, and
234:Buddha
222:Taoism
220:, and
206:Su Shi
34:, and
32:Buddha
558:China
534:Drink
377:some
266:sweet
238:Laozi
36:Laozi
484:ISBN
355:past
252:and
250:pain
242:sour
200:The
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195:尝醋图
191:嘗醋圖
187:嘗醋翁
183:三酸圖
95:三酸图
81:三酸圖
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