Tatiana Wettstein
Phil 10
Karin Brown
5/01/13

Essential Qualities on the Sage
In Taoism, Sages are the wise. They are kind to people who are kind and also to those who aren’t kind. The understanding of equality is an essential quality. Sages treat everyone equally both “bad” and “good”. Being judgmental is definitely a quality the sages do not have. Another quality of a sage includes being one with the world and being aware of the needs of others. I find the sages qualities to be all of Integrity. They serve as a remodel for people to follow. The sage is able to obtain all these qualities from being in harmony (Tao). I think Taoism uses the sages as an example of what people can be if they work towards Tao and Wu Wei. The qualities the Sages have are qualities for the follower to be guided by. All these qualities of Sages can be clearly seen in the following poems.
“The sages have no constant mind
They take the mind of the people as their mind
Those who are good, I am good to them
Those who are not good, I am also good to them
Thus the virtue of goodness
Those who believe, I believe them
Those who do not believe, I also believe them
Thus the virtue of belief
The sages live in the world
They cautiously merge their mind for the world
The people all pay attention with their ears and eyes
The sages care for them as children”(chapter 49)
From this poem all the essential qualities of the Sages are described. The sage is fully illustrated as a positive and