The differences and commonalities between saints and great men
Eleventh: what are the differences and commonalities between saints and great men?The 'sage’ is the central concept of the entire Tao Te Ching. The sage does not look for the Tao or seek for merit and virtue, but always holds the One - this One is the Tao, which is also the source of human beings' ability to radiate their influence outwards.The ultimate in Tao, the sage is born. Everything under the sun has a Tao, the piano, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine, flowers, tea, rice, oil, salt, soy, vinegar and tea, all of them can give birth to a sage The difference between a sage and a normal person does not lie in the amount of knowledge they possess, but in the fact that a sage always remains awake and independent in his thinking.Some people ask, 'What is the difference between a saint and a great man?’ Both saints and great men are 'ordinary men’ with temperaments and personalities. What they all have in common is that they have the perseverance and courage to give their all to their goals, and that they can withstand hardship. However, historically, great men have achieved mostly social things, they were people who were able to overcome others, unlike the saints who were able to overcome themselves.What is the saint to become? He is to become morality itself, a model of health and self-control, a model of the highest level of unity between mind and body, between inner and outer being, between heaven and man. Incidentally, in the Tao Te Ching, the sages are portrayed as those who die but live forever in spirit, and as those who take charge with a single-minded focus on the welfare of others without seeking fame or fortune.The saints do things on the level of the Great Tao. In other words, they do what is in keeping with human nature and longevity; they do what can travel through thousands of years of time, influence human history and keep warming hearts with truth.The saints left behind teachings that are still truths thousands of years later and still light the way for humanity. The saints wanted to establish for the world a 'Tao-based’ view of the world, life and values; the saints started by being themselves, becoming the sun of the spiritual world, providing warmth, light and energy for others, as well as putting themselves in a world full of warmth, light and energy.编辑整理：道德经学用 | 星火编辑组
