In the Company of Saints
Lao-Tzu: Taoist Sage, Handmade Statue
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$52.95
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A handmade, original statue of Lao Tzu. I design, carve, and cast the pieces myself. I cast them in modified gypsum (a building material), with additives, including metal powders. After the pieces cure, we glaze and seal them. The pieces come boxed, can stand or hang (there's a hook on the back, and the back is flat and unpainted), and can go outside. Each piece comes with a history card stating:
Lao-Tzu (alternate spellings include Laozi), a sixth-century Chinese philosopher, was the legendary author of the Tao-te Ching and is linked with the beginnings of Taoism. He was a functionary in the imperial court who, the story says, one day got on a donkey and disappeared into nature. Taoism seeks to lead people to the Tao: the Way, the underlying principle of the cosmos that is embodied in all things but especially in nature. A principal means of living in harmony with the Tao is meditation, moving down through layers of consciousness and the rational mind until one taps into the Tao. Through the process, one moves beyond human desire and its resultant actions that run against the Tao and distort individuals and societies. Taoism thus asserts that to live in accord with the Tao one must, first, be quiet and shut off one’s thoughts and impulses. Then one can begin to experience the world as it is, not as a projection of one’s desires. This small statue was handmade by Hank Schlau and handpainted by Karen Schlau. Lao-Tzu is here associated with two Taoist symbols: a water jug (water, like the Tao, is compliant and seeks low places, yet is powerful, able to wear away rock) and a bird, nature speaking to a human being of the Tao that resides in and connects all things and creatures.
Dimensions: 9.5 (h) x 4 (w) x 2 (d) inches
Lao-Tzu (alternate spellings include Laozi), a sixth-century Chinese philosopher, was the legendary author of the Tao-te Ching and is linked with the beginnings of Taoism. He was a functionary in the imperial court who, the story says, one day got on a donkey and disappeared into nature. Taoism seeks to lead people to the Tao: the Way, the underlying principle of the cosmos that is embodied in all things but especially in nature. A principal means of living in harmony with the Tao is meditation, moving down through layers of consciousness and the rational mind until one taps into the Tao. Through the process, one moves beyond human desire and its resultant actions that run against the Tao and distort individuals and societies. Taoism thus asserts that to live in accord with the Tao one must, first, be quiet and shut off one’s thoughts and impulses. Then one can begin to experience the world as it is, not as a projection of one’s desires. This small statue was handmade by Hank Schlau and handpainted by Karen Schlau. Lao-Tzu is here associated with two Taoist symbols: a water jug (water, like the Tao, is compliant and seeks low places, yet is powerful, able to wear away rock) and a bird, nature speaking to a human being of the Tao that resides in and connects all things and creatures.
Dimensions: 9.5 (h) x 4 (w) x 2 (d) inches
