Despite the fact that Confucius and Rumi were born in different periods and places, both were born at a time of social upheaval and political turmoil. Consequently, both thinkers tried to provide the means for their people to overcome the times of difficulty, first by understanding, cultivating, and realizing their human potentialities and then by transforming themselves, their families, and their societies. This book examines the core ideas of these two great thinkers and provides anthropocosmic insights into their ideas on nature, family, and music.

Welcome to "Whispers of the East: Timeless Wisdom from Confucius, Buddha, Rumi, and Lao Tzu." In this collection, we embark on a journey through the profound teachings and insights of some of the greatest Eastern philosophers to have graced humanity with their wisdom. Throughout history, the East has been a cradle of spiritual and philosophical enlightenment, giving rise to timeless principles and profound truths that continue to resonate with seekers of wisdom across cultures and generations. In this book, you will encounter the enduring wisdom of Confucius, the founder of Confucianism, whose teachings on morality, ethics, and social harmony have profoundly shaped Eastern thought for millennia. You will delve into the profound teachings of Buddha, the enlightened one, whose path to awakening has inspired countless seekers to transcend suffering and find inner peace. You will explore the mystical poetry of Rumi, the renowned Persian poet and Sufi mystic, whose words dance with the beauty of love, spirituality, and the divine. And you will contemplate the timeless insights of Lao Tzu, the ancient Chinese philosopher and author of the Tao Te Ching, whose teachings on the Tao, or the Way, offer profound guidance on living in harmony with the natural order of the universe. Each quote in this collection serves as a beacon of light, inviting you to reflect, contemplate, and integrate these timeless teachings into your own life's journey. May these whispers from the East inspire you, uplift you, and guide you on the path to greater understanding, compassion, and inner peace.

A wonderfully enjoyable storehouse of ancient Chinese history and legends, which also has an important role in understanding 21st-century China 'And remember: Heaven's blessing will cease forever if there's despair and poverty in your lands' The Most Venerable Book (also known as The Book of History) is one of the Five Classics, a key work of Chinese literature which preserves some of the most ancient and dramatic chronicles of the history, both real and mythological, of the Chinese state. For many centuries it was a central work for anyone wishing to work for the Imperial administration, preserving as it does a fascinating mixture of key Confucian concepts as well as page after page of heroes, benevolent rulers, sagacious ministers, and struggles against flood, corruption and vicious, despotic rulers. The First Emperor tried in 213 BC to have all copies of the book destroyed because of its subversive implication that 'the Mandate of Heaven' could be withdrawn from rulers who failed their people. For similar reasons it was also banned by Chairman Mao. Extraordinarily, the values of The Most Venerable Book have been revived by the Chinese government of the 2010s.

A beautifully illustrated biography of a man whose philosophy shaped the course of Chinese history: the great teacher Confucius.

Anyone can be a quiet influencer. But not everyone knows how. "A tremendous and relevant read!" -Stephen M. R. Covey, New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Speed of Trust Drawing on the enduring wisdom of the Buddha, Confucius, Rumi, Gandhi and others, The Art of Quiet Influence shows anyone, not just bosses, how to use influence without authority, a key mindfulness principle, to get things done at work and in life. Through the classic wisdom of 12 Eastern sages, relevant insights from influence research, and anecdotes and advice from 25 contemporary experts, Davis lays out a path for becoming a "mainspring," the unobtrusive yet powerful influencer first introduced in her book The Greats on Leadership. Organized around three core influence practices - Invite Participation, Share Power, and Aid Progress - readers will learn how to take mindfulness practice "out of the gym and onto the field," while gaining the confidence and practical know-how to be influential in whatever role they occupy.

What is wisdom? Have you ever really considered the question? There are many definitions but the one I like best is this: wisdom is knowing how to live one's life well. You might think this knowledge is easy and common, and yet the opposite is true. Confucius once said: To know that we know what we know, and that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge. Our problem in modern life is that we suspect we know too much. We think we know how to live well, yet few of us really do. The first step in acquiring wisdom is to abandon what we think we know, for what we think we know hasn't yet produced in us the meaning and passion our hearts truly crave. The great Persian poet, Rumi, said: Conventional opinion is the ruin of our souls, something borrowed which we mistake as our own.Ignorance is better than this. Solomon, in the Proverbs, said similar: There is a way that seems right, But in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 14:12 Take a moment of honest self-reflection. Ask yourself if you're really living your life to the full. Do you have passion and meaning? Do you wake up each morning excited to meet the day and joyful to dive deeper into the richness of this human experience? If the answer is no, then you aren't living your life well and therefore cannot be living according to wisdom. And as Rumi said: Ignorance is better than this It is better for you by far to abandon what you think you know, rather than to cling to the way that seems right but is only producing death. The first step of wisdom is to abandon the wrong thinking that hasn't brought you to meaning or passion. The philosopher, Socrates, is famous for saying: The unexamined life isn't worth living The most important role of wisdom in our lives is to dispel the mistaken beliefs we've always held true, those things which promise happiness but never deliver. If you would learn wisdom, then take the first step. Abandon the way that seems right that has only been producing death. Understand that you don't really know what you think you've always known. Only then, once you heartily and joyfully accept the fact that ignorance is better than self-deception, will you be on the path that leads to wisdom and ready to discover the wealth of what life really has to offer. I'll leave you with the immortal words of Robert Frost: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by.And that has made all the difference.

The wisdom of Confucius, China's greatest teacher and sage, can guide each of us in our own time. Twenty-six centuries after their origination, the principles laid down in the Analects of Confucius still act as the foundation of Chinese philosophy, ethics, society and government, and play a formative role in the development of many Eastern philosophies. In this intriguing look at the ethical and spiritual meaning of the Analects, Rodney L. Taylor, the foremost American researcher of Confucius as a religious and spiritual figure, explains their profound and universal wisdom for our own time. He shows how Confucius advocates learning and self-cultivation to follow the "path of the sage" or "Way of Heaven"--a journey that promises to promote reason, peace and understanding. Alongside an updated version of the classic translation by Sinologist James Legge, Taylor provides informative and accessible commentary that illuminates the meaning behind selected passages from the Analects and their insights on character development, respect and reverence, and the nature of learning, goodness, truthfulness and righteousness.

You don't know what it's like to work for you. Wanna know how to datamine your way to winning your employees' hearts and minds? Or how to use personality profiles to leverage business value from your workers? Then buy another book! In UnLeadership: Make Building Relationships Your Business, you'll learn how to use old-fashioned, authentic, and raw humanity to lead your people and build connections. Authors Scott and Alison Stratten deliver their signature combination of business snark and timeless advice, drawing on dozens of interviews with finance, entertainment, tourism, and hospitality leaders to show you how to ditch the spreadsheets and remember how to be awesome! The book is full of case studies perfect for brand-new business leaders, solopreneurs, as well as people who run bigger teams. You'll also find: Interviews with recognized business leaders loaded with invaluable wisdom and unguarded, human moments A fun and authentic reading experience direct from the people who run UnMarketing.com, a world-leading viral marketing company Unfiltered and engaging commentary on what actually makes your followers, employees, and team members tick, and what they look for in a kick-ass leader There are plenty of books out there trying to reduce leadership to boring stats and sterile profiles. This ain't one of 'em. This is a book for leaders looking to make real and honest connections with their people so they can build an agile team that gets results. A book by humans, for humans. Grab a copy today!

The Analects are also called the Analects of Confucius, the Sayings of Confucius, or the Lun Yu, and are an old Chinese book written of a wide collection of ideas and sayings credited to the Chinese philosopher Confucius and his peers. It is believed to have been compiled and written by Confucius's followers. It might have been written during the Warring States period (477-221 BC), and it reached its final structure during the mid-Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). By the early Han dynasty, the Analects were thought of as simply a commentary on the Five Masterpieces, but the situation with the Analects developed to be one of the central texts of Confucianism toward the end of that dynasty. His essential goal in teaching his students was to produce ethically well-mannered men who might convey themselves with gravity, talk accurately, and demonstrate perfect integrity in all things.

Begun in 1262 AD, Masnavi-ye Ma ‘navi, or ‘spiritual couplets', is thought to be the longest single-authored ‘mystical’ poem ever written. As the spiritual masterpiece of the Persian Sufi tradition, it teaches how to progress to the ultimate goal of the Sufi path - union with God. Jalaloddin Rumi was a poet and a mystic, but he was first a teacher; in these verses he draws the reader into the complexities of human love and separation and explains the path to divine love through the elimination of self-regard and worldly desires. Drawing on diverse sources from bawdy tales and fables to stories of the prophet Mohammed, these verses are brief in expression yet copious in meaning.