Chuang Tzu’s butterfly
Chuang Tzu has a dream
and when awake
he asks himself if, perhaps, this is the dream
is it Chuang Tzu who dreams of the butterfly
or is it the butterfly dreaming of Chuang Tzu?
not a poetic fancy
but probing into all our assumptions
and formations, and mind
poem by Raj Arumugam
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Related quotes
Chuang Tzu And The Butterfly
Chuang Tzu in dream became a butterfly,
And the butterfly became Chuang Tzu at waking.
Which was the real—the butterfly or the man ?
Who can tell the end of the endless changes of things?
The water that flows into the depth of the distant sea
Returns anon to the shallows of a transparent stream.
The man, raising melons outside the green gate of the city,
Was once the Prince of the East Hill.
So must rank and riches vanish.
You know it, still you toil and toil,—what for?
Old Poem
Did Chuang Chou dream he was the butterfly?
Or the butterfly dream he was Chuang Chou?
In the single body’s transformations
See the vortex of the Myriad Creatures.
No mystery then that the Magic Seas
Shrank again to crystal streams,
Or down by Ch’ang-an’s Green Gate
The gardener was Marquis of Tung-Ling.
If this is the fate of fame and power,
What is it for- this endless striving?
I dreamed I was a butterfly, flitting around in the sky; then I awoke. Now I wonder: Am I a man who dreamt of being a butterfly, or am I a butterfly dreaming that I am a man?
quote by Chuang Tzu
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man.
quote by Chuang Tzu
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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This Game
this game of doubting
sleep
whether you are the butterfly
inside your dream
or the dream inside a
butterfly
whether it is you
dreaming about a butterfly
or the butterfly dreaming
about you
this game of the mind
flowering
wonders
fluttering sighs
we like it
we do not want this game stopped
because for the meantime
they make
this stay
memorable, dream and reality tugging
like a game
on the beach one summer
you and i, this dream and this reality
time and sleep
bosom and blossom
measure for measure
drag and lag
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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The perfect man uses his mind as a mirror. It grasps nothing. It regrets nothing. It receives but does not keep.
quote by Chuang Tzu
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free. Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate.
quote by Chuang Tzu
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Butterfly Fly Away
You tucked me in, turned out the light
Kept me safe and sound at night
Little girls depend on things like that
Brushed my teeth and combed my hair
Had to drive me everywhere
You were always there when I looked back
You had to do it all alone
Make a living, make a home
Must have been as hard as it could be
And when I couldn't sleep at night
Scared things wouldn't turn out right
You would hold my hand and sing to me
Caterpillar in the tree
How you wonder who you'll be
Can't go far but you can always dream
Wish you may and wish you might
Don't you worry, hold on tight
I promise you there will come a day
Butterfly fly away
Butterfly fly away, butterfly fly away
Flap your wings now you can't stay
Take those dreams and make them all come true
Butterfly fly away, butterfly fly away
We've been waiting for this day
All along and knowing just what to do
Butterfly, butterfly, butterfly, butterfly fly away
Butterfly fly away
Butterfly fly away
poem by Zack Horton
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Butterfly's Dream
I'm having a butterfly's dream
Sealed off from the real world
Shielded from the storm
Yet I feel at home
Having a butterfly's dream
I'm having a butterfly's dream
Looking out, the world looking in
Imprisoned by nature, all alone
Yet I feel at home
Having my butterfly's dream
I can see the pretty colors come and go
The sun is shining, the moon a glow
I want all that to be a part of me
I want my dreaming to become a reality
I want to feel the fresh ocean breeze
I want to rest on flowers, rest on trees
I want to be part of the world that everybody sees
I feel the light flashing in
The air fills my cocoon all too soon
My wings search to spread towards the sun
And lift me to my new home-All alone
On my own to face the storm
I should have known
A dream is nothing but a dream
poem by Alfred Ramos
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Butterfly...
Butterfly...my all..my own, Butterfly
My butterfly, I remember the
day we met. You bumped into me.
Well, sort of floated, from no where,
and from that moment, I recall what
I said, 'Well, my little butterfly,
where did you come from.?
Butterfly, you laughed, and responded,
'I picked you out, and just floated down,
and landed on your shoulder.
Butterfly, there are many that think
that a Butterfly, can't laugh, but you did.
They think that a Butterfly, does not cry,
but you have.
Can a Butterfly be happy, cause happiness?
Butterfly, of mine...you did.
Can a Butterfly, caused one to nearly burst
with joy? Butterfly, you did and you have.
Butterfly, there is not a moment, since I
met you, that I can not recall.
Some might wonder what a butterfly, drinks.
Butterfly, shall we let them know, we became
intoxicated, as we sipped the nectar of life.
As my butterfly and I floated through the
wonders of earth, I wish we could share the
joy we found, with all of this planet.
Butterfly, shall we always be together?
Butterfly, I do not mean, just here on
earth, I mean until the stars stop shinning.
Butterfly, I mean, until there is no moon...
no anything, but my Butterfly and I.
Butterfly...I think that we will. Butterfly,
I believe that we were meant to be.
If The Way is made clear, it is no longer The Way.
quote by Chuang Tzu
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Once you've gotten the meaning, you can forget the words.
quote by Chuang Tzu
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Cherish that which is within you, and shut off that which is without.
Chuang Tzu in On Tolerance
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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On Wing and Wind...
My butterfly, I remember the
day we met. You bumped into me.
Well, sort of floated, from no where,
and from that moment, I recall what
I said, 'Well, my little butterfly,
where did you come from.?
Butterfly, you laughed, and responded,
'I picked you out, and just floated down,
and landed on your shoulder.
Butterfly, there are many that think
that a Butterfly, can't laugh, but you did.
They think that a Butterfly, does not cry,
but you have.
Can a Butterfly be happy, cause happiness?
Butterfly, of mine...you did.
Can a Butterfly, caused one to nearly burst
with joy? Butterfly, you did and you have.
Butterfly, there is not a moment, since I
met you, that I can not recall.
Some might wonder what a butterfly, drinks.
Butterfly, shall we let them know, we became
intoxicated, as we sipped the nectar of life.
As my butterfly and I floated through the
wonders of earth, I wish we could share the
joy we found, with all of this planet.
Butterfly, shall we always be together?
Butterfly, I do not mean, just here on
earth, I mean until the stars stop shinning.
Butterfly, I mean, until there is no moon...
no anything, but my Butterfly and I.
Butterfly...I think that we will. Butterfly,
I believe that we were meant to be.
Butterfly, Butterfly
butterfly, butterfly
fly in the sky
butterfly, butterfly
flies so high
butterfly, butterfly
lands on my thigh
butterfly, butterfly
motionlessly lies
butterfly, butterfly
gracefully dies
poem by Adryan Bates
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Those who realize their folly are not true fools.
quote by Chuang Tzu
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate.
quote by Chuang Tzu
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Cherish that which is within you, and shut off that which is without; for much knowledge is a curse.
quote by Chuang Tzu
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Those who seek to satisfy the mind of man by hampering it with ceremonies and music and affecting charity and devotion have lost their original nature.
quote by Chuang Tzu
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Ode to a Butterfly
Butterfly, oh butterfly, why do you hide in the shadows?
Spread wide your wings, let your heart sing
And come dance with me in the meadow
Butterfly, oh butterfly, why do you fear?
You'll never stray, I'll lead the way
Just follow the path, I'll be near
Butterfly, oh butterfly, have you no hope?
Drink of the sun, our life's just begun
Thro time's hills and valleys we'll lope
Butterfly, oh butterfly, dare you to dream?
On our hearts we depend, shall we follow the wind
And consign to the fates grander scheme?
poem by Sheri Hockman
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