12 Quotes & Sayings By Mingdao Deng

Born in Beijing, China. In his early childhood, he moved to Nanjing, capital of China. Determined to pursue a career in science, he entered Peking University in 1922, majoring in chemistry. After graduating from Peking University in 1927 with a PhD degree in Chemistry, he did his postdoctoral research at the Institute for Physics and Nuclear Chemistry at the University of California at Berkeley Read more

In 1931, he became an assistant professor at Peking University and later went on to become the head of the Chemistry Department from 1933-1937. In 1938, he was appointed as a professor of chemistry at Tsinghua University. In 1941, he was awarded a Rockefeller fellowship and moved to the US.

He joined Princeton University where he spent most of his time on research. He returned to China after World War II and became a professor of chemistry at the university in Beijing until his retirement in 1953. He died in Beijing on August 31, 1985.

All teachings are mere references. The true experience is living...
1
All teachings are mere references. The true experience is living your own life. Then, even the holiest of words are only words. MingDao Deng
If you have a good idea, use it so that...
2
If you have a good idea, use it so that you will not only accomplish something, but so that you can make room for new ones to flow into you. MingDao Deng
3
The idea that each of us can be directly spiritual is radical. Most religions are based not on teaching adherents to be directly spiritual, but in persuading them to trust in the intercession of ministers or priests. The problem with this approach is that we cannot gain access to spirituality except through the medium of a fallible human being. If we want to see Tao, we need only open our eyes and trust what we see. . MingDao Deng
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Who you are is always right. MingDao Deng
5
Markings in dry clay disappear Only when the clay is soft again. Scars upon the self disappear Only when one becomes soft within. MingDao Deng
6
Those who don't know how to suffer are the worst off. There are times when the only correct thing we can do is to bear out troubles until a better day. MingDao Deng
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Grappling with fate is like meeting an expert wrestler: to escape, you have to accept the fall when you are thrown. The only thing that counts is whether you get back up. MingDao Deng
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We may be floating on Tao, but there is nothing wrong with steering. If Tao is like a river, it is certainly good to know where the rocks are. MingDao Deng
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It is too facile to say that the way to follow Tao is to simply go along with the flow of life. Sometimes, like the carp, we must know when to go it alone. MingDao Deng
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The moon does not fight. It attacks no one. It does not worry. It does not try to crush others. It keeps to its course, but by its very nature, it gently influences. What other body could pull an entire ocean from shore to shore? The moon is faithful to its nature and its power is never diminished. MingDao Deng
11
What is it like to feel Tao? It is an effortless flowing, a sweeping momentum. It is like bird song soaring and gliding over a vast landscape. You can feel this in your life: Events will take on a perfect momentum, a glorious cadence. You can feel it in your body: The energy will rise up in you in a thrilling crescendo, setting your very nerves aglow. You can feel it in your spirit: You will enter a state of such perfect grace that you will resound over the landscape of reality like ephemeral bird song. When Tao comes to you in this way, ride it for all that you are worth. Don't interfere. Don't stop - that brings failure, alienation, and regret. Don't try to direct it. Let it flow and follow it. When the Tao is with you, put aside all other concerns. As long as the song lasts, follow. Just follow. . MingDao Deng