Sunday, August 13, 2023

Taoism

Taoism, also known as Daoism, is a philosophical and religious tradition that emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao (or Dao). The word "Tao" translates roughly to "way" or "path" but in the context of Taoism, it refers to a sort of intrinsic order or fundamental essence of the Universe. Taoism originated in China around the 4th century BCE and is traditionally attributed to the philosopher Laozi, although it has evolved significantly over the centuries.

Taoism includes several key concepts:

- Tao: As mentioned above, the Tao is the natural, spontaneous, eternal and indescribable way everything began and took course. It's an underlying, non-dualistic principle that governs the universe.

- Yin and Yang: These are opposite and complementary principles in nature. Yin is passive, dark, and feminine, Yang is active, light, and masculine. The interplay between these two forces shapes the universe and everything in it.

- Wu-wei: This means "non-action" or "effortless action". It's a state of being in which our actions align with the ebb and flow of the natural world.

- Ziran: This translates to "naturalness" or "spontaneity". It describes the state of existing without pretense or artificiality, in harmony with the Tao.

Taoism has influenced many aspects of Chinese culture, including literature, art, medicine, martial arts, and cuisine. It's considered one of the three main pillars of traditional Chinese thought, alongside Confucianism and Buddhism.

Taoism can be seen both as a philosophy and a religion. As a philosophical system, it primarily deals with the natural philosophy and ethics, emphasizing naturalness, simplicity, spontaneity, and the Three Treasures: compassion, moderation, and humility. As a religious system, it incorporates rituals, ancestor veneration, divination, and various spiritual practices, with different sects and interpretations over time.

In terms of texts, the "Tao Te Ching" (also spelled Daodejing) and the "Zhuangzi" are two of the most significant. The former is attributed to Laozi and the latter to the philosopher Zhuangzi. Both discuss the nature of the Tao and how to live in accord with it.

Please note that understanding Taoism can be difficult, as it's often paradoxical and works more as a system of thought to be experienced rather than as a set of dogmas to be followed.

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Preamble

Chang Tao

Tao

The existence

Wu - Wei

Preamble

“The Tao that we can talk about (call it the Tao) is not the "Unchangeable Tao " (Ch'ang Tao).

The name we can give it is not "Unchangeable Name" (ch'ang ming ).

Invisible (Wu) is the name I give to the Generator of Yang and Yin.

Visible (Yeu) is the name I give to the Mother of ten thousand beings.

Truly, in Wu (“not to be”, “to have no determinations”, invisible) we will marvel at the mystery.

In the Yeu ("Being", "has determinations", visible) we will see the external phenomena.

These two (Wu and Yeu) spring from the same (Tao), but their ways are different.

This "same" (Tao), I call the Dark (Xuan).

The darkest of this darkness is the "Gate of All Mysteries" (Ch'ang Tao).

(Tao Te Ching, chapter 1).

Chang Tao

TAO is the Only Reality:

“The Tao of which we can speak (call it Tao) is not the ETERNAL UNCHANGING TAO (CHANG TAO)”, (Tao Te Ching, chapter 1).

Tao

The Tao which we can talk about is described in chapter 25.

"There was an indefinite complete,

It was, before Heaven and earth appeared.

Silent, without any identifiable substance,

Resting on nothing, Immutable,

It penetrates (and is felt) everything, pervades everything, remaining Inexhaustible.

It is the source of all things.

I don't know its real name.

Tao is a name I give to It.

Trying to define it, I should say Mega (Ta, Infinite, Immeasurable).

But "ta" also means to evolve according to its nature

And to evolve means to spread to infinity

And to stretch out to infinity is to return back to its source.

Thus, as the Tao has "this property of evolving"

And as Uranus also has this property

And as the earth has it

So, the dominant man also has this ability.

Thus, within "reality" there are four processes of evolution

And one refers to "man".

The "ways" of men adapt to those of the earth

The "ways" of earth to those of Heaven

The "ways" of Heaven to those of the Tao

And the "ways" of the Tao in those "of It who is thus of Itself" (Ch'ang Tao).

(TTK, 25).

Within the texts of Lao Tzu a clear distinction is therefore made between the Ch'ang Tao and the Tao (of which we can speak), that is, the Reality that can be perceived.

The Chang Tao is Te. It is identified with Te (Spontaneous Energy), contains Te, manifests through Te. When Te calms then Ch'ang Tao is Ch'ang Tao. When Te is active then Tao is revealed. Tao in this sense means "Activity", "Process", Evolutionary Course, Path, Way (and in this sense it is not distinguished from Te). From the Tao all things arise and to the Tao they return (TTK, 25).

How is this possible? Within the Tao emerge two forces, yang (represented by a solid line) and yin (represented by a dashed line) activities that complement each other and exist simultaneously both together. Yang means spiritual energy, intelligence, the mentality that grasps abstract realities, relationships, etc. Yin means the essential element, the essence. Substance can have a "spiritual texture" or more coarse (what appears as "matter"). This depends on the level of activity (as explained below).

Yang and yin exist simultaneously, always, but their action is complementary. When Yang increases, Yin decreases and vice versa. This results in a spectrum of activity starting from Pure Yang and as yin progressively increases it ends up in pure yin. In this spectrum of activity there are infinite gradations but roughly different fields of activity can be distinguished. The transition from one field of activity to another is gradual but for purely practical reasons we identify three main phases represented by three lines, (as in the trigrams K'ien and K'uen ) or by the combination of three trigrams.

So, from Chiang Tao is born the One (Tao). From the One are born the two forces Yang and Yin. From the two forces are born the three distinct phases of activity that produce all fields of activity and all phenomena. According to Lao Tzu:

"The Tao (Ch'ang Tao) gave birth to the One,

One gave birth to duality,

Then two gave birth to three,

All three gave birth to all that exists.

These ten thousand creations have yin on their backs

And they embrace Yang

And their balance is based on this combination of forces..."

(TTK, 42).

In the beginning Yang predominates and yin is potent. This state is completely abstract and there are no discernible determinations for it and it is called Unseen (Wu, "not to be", "not to have determinations"). Nevertheless, three phases, states, can be distinguished, which are represented by three continuous lines, one on top of the other (the trigram Kien). This means the complete Predominance of Yang (which is why it is called Pure Yang, or simply Yang, or Heaven), but also the three phases, the transition from Pure Yang to the strengthening and emergence of yin.

In these three purely spiritual states the Tao appears to be:

1) I, Indistinct, undistinguished, "without idioms", "empty".

2) Si, Voiceless, Silent, "without presence".

3) Wei, Intangible, Subtle, imperceptible, "non-existent".

According to Lao Tzu:

"I look with my eyes but do not see: this I therefore call the Indiscernible (I).

I listen with the ears but do not hear it: and then I call it the Silent (Si).

I feel it with my hands but I do not feel it: and so I call it the Subtle (Wei).

All three of these experiences reveal the unexplored,

Thus, I perceive nothing but an Undifferentiated Unity.

Rising it does not shine, setting it does not darken.

Infinity, chain, not specified

Because it is within the space where there is no discrimination.

Described as shapeless,

Like an image without a face

That's why they call it Inconceivable.

You stare at it, but it has no face.

You follow it, but it has no spine.

And yet if you devote yourself to the ancient Tao

You will dominate even today.

Knowing the principle

It means "to have found the essence of Tao ".

When yin is active then there are distinct differences and different fields of activity are identified. All these states are characterized as the Visible (Yeu, "being", "having determinations"). While in the higher field of activity (Invisible) existence is composed of Yang, while yin is in potential and perceived as an Undifferentiated Unity, in the lower fields of activity (Visible) existence is composed of Yang and yin and appears to break down into Subject, consciousness of ego, (hsig , of Yang nature , spiritual energy) and object (mig , of Yin nature , vital substance). In the higher realm of Vision the hsig is pure intelligence and the mig is mental in texture. In the middle field of vision the hsig is degraded and the mig is energetic in texture. In the lower realm of Vision the hsig is even more degraded and the mig is of a material texture. Thus, in the Visible existence appears fragmented (the subject perceives itself within an objective world) and multiple (there are many subjects and objects).

Within Visible, three main fields of activity emerge, each comprising three phases.

1) When Yang dominates but Yin is active.

2) When yin dominates but yang is active.

3) When yin and yang fully prevail, it exists in potential.

Analytically:

1) The field of activity in which Yang dominates but yin is active is called Huen . Huen means the general state of the spiritual, luminous, higher soul but also the individual spiritual soul (of Yang nature). The individual spiritual soul is composed of spiritual energy (xig , of Yang nature ), concretized into mentality (xin), and vital substance (mig , of Yin nature ), of mental texture. There are three main activities in this field represented by the three trigrams Tui, Li, Suen, which consist of two continuous lines and one broken line (top, middle, bottom, respectively). The three trigrams show (from top to bottom) the progressive strengthening of yin which slowly becomes the basis of existence. These three activities correspond to mental activities, functions, which in Western philosophy are called intellect, intelligence, perception.

2) When yin is further strengthened we pass into a field of activity qualitatively different from the previous one, the field where yin dominates but yang is active which is called p'o . Which means the general state of the "physical", dark, lower soul but also the individual "physical" soul (of the yin nature). The individual "physical" soul is composed of degraded mental activities and vital substance (mig) of energetic texture, which is gross and therefore appears as a form and is called "physical". There are three main activities represented by the three trigrams Chen, K'an, Ken which consist of two broken lines and one continuous line (bottom, middle, top, respectively). The three trigrams show (from top to bottom) the further strengthening of yin which at some point fully dominates. These three activities correspond to the animal energies, activities, consciousness, will, sense, of Western philosophy.

3) When yin is further strengthened we move into a field of activity qualitatively different from the previous one, in the field where yin fully predominates and yang exists in potential. This field is represented by the trigram K'wen consisting of three dotted lines. The three dotted lines mean the full Predominance of yin (hence called pure yin, earth), appearing as a substance of "material texture". The three lines further indicate that there are three states of material substance. Abstract energy, energy transformed into matter, and the totality of material objects.

The existence

The Chang Tao is the Only Reality From the Ch'ang Tao emerges the Tao . From Tao comes the Invisible (Wu) where Undifferentiated Unity prevails and the Visible (Yeu) with the various fields of activity where multiplicity of consciousness is manifested.

Thus, "that" which appears as "being", "existence", is the Tao manifested in the various fields of existence. In the Invisible Field there is perception of the Oneness of existence. In the Visible Fields the being also has an individual consciousness and manifests through a body of mental texture, energy texture, material texture (depending on the field in which it manifests). In the realm of pure yin, the being manifests itself through a carrier of material texture (the body).

Thus, being in the material realm is:

1) Tao.

2) Wu, Three states of conscious unity, (I, Si, Wei).

3) Yeu, (huen), three mental activities.

4) Yeu, (p'o), three animal activities.

5) Son, body.

Wu - Wei

The Chang Tao is the Only Reality. From Chiang Tao, when it is active (Te) the Tao emerges, and from the Tao everything emerges, develops and returns again to the primordial state. Return is the Way, the natural culmination of evolution. When the Activity (Te) is released it will complete its cycle and return back to the Tao (in Ch'ang Tao). So, we must not interfere in the course of things. This Action is characterized as Wu -Wei (Non-Action) because it occurs spontaneously (chu ran), without any "grab" in the activity or the phenomenon. Everything that appears emerges from the Tao and sinks back into It, it is nothing different.

“Rise to ultimate emptiness

Hold fast in the state of calmness

And you will dominate all phenomena.

I have noticed them as they come back.

See, all things come out of nothing

They return back to the source from which they came.

This return to the source is called Tranquility,

Tranquility is called adaptation to "nature".

Whatever conforms to its "nature" becomes one with the Tao.

When you know the Tao you are enlightened.

To not know it is to walk blindly towards destruction.

He who knows the Tao has understanding.

He who has understanding attains an unbiased universality.

To be so is to be majestic,

To be majestic is to have the nature of Yang,

To have the nature of Yang is to become one with the Tao.

The Tao is eternal and he who knows the Tao well

Although his body dies he is not destroyed."

(TTK, 16).

The Tao only exists, nothing else. The Tao Is the true nature of all beings. All phenomena emerge from Tao, through Te and return to It again. This happens on a global and individual level.

When Te manifests unhindered, when there is Wu-Wei (Non-Action) everything follows its natural course and reaches its natural end, the Tao. But when the Te from Wu -Wei (Non-Action) is diverted to Wei (Action), when there is rapture in the activity, the situation, the phenomenon then there is confusion and the process is complicated.

The Tiers of Wu -Wei

Wu - wei as action (or rather as non-action) is not passive observation of phenomena but disciplined behavior aimed at raising consciousness from the lower functions of existence to the higher, as the Tao. This is done by calming the functions, starting with the lower and outer and progressing progressively to the higher and inner.

Practice consists of not getting attached to anything. The typological levels are:

1) Chiang Tao.

2) Wu, Tai -I, three states ( wu hsin )

3) Yeu, three degrees of hsin calmness.

4) Yeu, three levels of qi calming.

5) Yeu, calmness of the body.

Lao Tzu describes this path in chapter 56:

"Those who know don't talk about it,

Those who chatter know nothing.

Blocked the flow of the senses,

Close all the gates of entry and exit of the will,

Let all the turmoil of the world soften and fade away.

All entanglements, all complications are dissolved

The delusive light of intellect has dimmed,

The split mind, the dust of thought, has settled.

This is called the mystical plane (the mystical unity).

He who has attained mystical unity has neither attachments nor fears, (i.e. he becomes Wei, "non-existent"),

He is offended by nothing, flattered by nothing, (i.e. becomes Si, "without presence"),

He has no gains or losses, (i.e. it becomes I, “without idioms”, “empty”),

And for this very reason he becomes the supreme being (i.e. the Tao)

(TTK, 56).

14. The Flame of True Learning

In the vast tapestry of existence, where the threads of time weave patterns unseen, there lies a subtle truth, a whisper from the eternal: to learn is to be free. J. Krishnamurti, a sage of the silent spaces, beckons us to this truth, not with the weight of doctrine, but with the lightness of a breeze that stirs the soul. Discipline, he says, is not the chain of conformity, nor the yoke of obedience, but the radiant act of learning itself—a flame that burns without consuming, a seeing that pierces the veil of illusion.

To learn, there must be freedom. Not the freedom of chaos, nor the license of indulgence, but the freedom of a mind unburdened by authority, unshackled from the rigid scaffolding of tradition. This freedom is not given; it is not bestowed by another, nor found in the pages of sacred texts. It is a flame kindled within, a silent awakening to the movement of life itself. To learn is to stand at the edge of the known, gazing into the abyss of the unknown, and to step forward without fear, without the crutch of another’s truth.

Discipline, as the world knows it, is a structure of stone—cold, unyielding, built on the pillars of obedience and control. It demands conformity, a bending of the spirit to fit the mold of the past. But Krishnamurti turns this edifice to dust with a single breath: discipline is to learn. It is not the act of following, but the art of seeing. To see the structure of discipline—not to analyze it, not to dissect it with the scalpel of thought, but to perceive its entirety in a single, timeless glance—is itself the discipline of the free. This seeing is not a gathering of fragments, not a slow accumulation of knowledge like pebbles in a stream. It is immediate, whole, a lightning flash that reveals the landscape of truth in an instant.

The mind that learns is a mirror, polished by awareness, reflecting the world without distortion. It does not cling to the images it sees, nor does it reject them. It moves with the rhythm of life, fluid as water, boundless as the sky. To learn is to dance with the unknown, to embrace the mystery of each moment without seeking to possess it. Authority, with its heavy hand, would bind this dance to a script, a set of steps prescribed by another. But true learning denies all authority, for it is born of the heart’s own seeing, the soul’s own listening.

In the stillness of this seeing, there is no obedience, no follower, no leader. The guru, the teacher, the master—all dissolve in the light of understanding. The one who learns is both the seeker and the sought, the question and the answer. To see the implications of discipline, to perceive the chains hidden in its promises of order, is to step beyond them. This is not rebellion, for rebellion is but the shadow of obedience, still tethered to the structure it opposes. True learning transcends both, soaring into a space where the mind is its own teacher, its own disciple.

The world, with its clamor and its certainties, would have us gather knowledge like coins, hoarding it for security, for status, for power. But Krishnamurti’s vision is not of gathering, but of releasing. To learn is to let go of the need to know, to surrender the illusion of control. It is to stand naked before the mystery of existence, unafraid of the vastness that surrounds us. This learning is not a process, not a journey with a beginning and an end. It is an eternal now, a moment of seeing that holds within it the totality of life.

In the heart of this vision lies a paradox: discipline is freedom, and freedom is discipline. Not the discipline of the soldier, marching to another’s drum, nor the freedom of the wanderer, lost in aimless drift. This is the discipline of the eagle, soaring on the currents of its own wings, and the freedom of the river, carving its path through stone. To see the structure of the world—its hierarchies, its dogmas, its endless demands for obedience—is to be free of it. Not through resistance, but through understanding. Not through effort, but through clarity.

And so, we are called to this sacred act of learning, to this discipline that is no discipline at all. It is a call to awaken, to see with eyes unclouded by the past, to listen with ears untouched by expectation. It is a call to be free—not tomorrow, not through years of striving, but now, in this very moment. For in the seeing, in the learning, in the freedom, there is a flame that burns eternal, a light that reveals the infinite within the finite, the timeless within the moment.

Let us then walk this pathless path, where the only guide is the heart’s own seeing, where the only discipline is the joy of learning, where the only freedom is the truth that sets us free. In this, we are not bound, not led, not obedient. We are alive, awake, and whole—forever learning, forever free.

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Η Φλόγα της Αληθινής Μάθησης

Στο απέραντο υφαντό της ύπαρξης, όπου τα νήματα του χρόνου πλέκουν σχέδια αόρατα, κρύβεται μια λεπτή αλήθεια, ένας ψίθυρος από το αιώνιο: για να μάθεις, πρέπει να είσαι ελεύθερος. Ο Τζ. Κρισναμούρτι, ένας σοφός των σιωπηλών χώρων, μας καλεί σε αυτή την αλήθεια, όχι με το βάρος του δόγματος, αλλά με την ελαφρότητα μιας πνοής που αναδεύει την ψυχή. Η πειθαρχία, λέει, δεν είναι η αλυσίδα της συμμόρφωσης, ούτε ο ζυγός της υπακοής, αλλά η λαμπερή πράξη της ίδιας της μάθησης — μια φλόγα που καίει χωρίς να καταναλώνει, ένα βλέμμα που διαπερνά το πέπλο της ψευδαίσθησης.

Για να μάθεις, πρέπει να υπάρχει ελευθερία. Όχι η ελευθερία του χάους, ούτε η άδεια της επιείκειας, αλλά η ελευθερία ενός νου απαλλαγμένου από την εξουσία, απελευθερωμένου από το άκαμπτο ικρίωμα της παράδοσης. Αυτή η ελευθερία δεν δίνεται· δεν χαρίζεται από κάποιον άλλο, ούτε βρίσκεται στις σελίδες ιερών κειμένων. Είναι μια φλόγα που ανάβει μέσα μας, μια σιωπηλή αφύπνιση στην κίνηση της ίδιας της ζωής. Το να μάθεις είναι να στέκεσαι στην άκρη του γνωστού, κοιτάζοντας στην άβυσσο του αγνώστου, και να προχωράς μπροστά χωρίς φόβο, χωρίς το δεκανίκι της αλήθειας κάποιου άλλου.

Η πειθαρχία, όπως την ξέρει ο κόσμος, είναι μια δομή από πέτρα — κρύα, αμετάβλητη, χτισμένη πάνω στους πυλώνες της υπακοής και του ελέγχου. Απαιτεί συμμόρφωση, μια κάμψη του πνεύματος για να ταιριάξει στο καλούπι του παρελθόντος. Όμως ο Κρισναμούρτι μετατρέπει αυτό το οικοδόμημα σε σκόνη με μια μόνο ανάσα: πειθαρχία είναι να μαθαίνεις. Δεν είναι η πράξη της ακολουθίας, αλλά η τέχνη του να βλέπεις. Το να δεις τη δομή της πειθαρχίας — όχι να την αναλύσεις, ούτε να την τεμαχίσεις με το νυστέρι της σκέψης, αλλά να αντιληφθείς το σύνολό της με μια μοναδική, διαχρονική ματιά — είναι η ίδια η πειθαρχία των ελεύθερων. Αυτό το βλέμμα δεν είναι μια συλλογή θραυσμάτων, ούτε μια αργή συσσώρευση γνώσης σαν βότσαλα σε ρυάκι. Είναι άμεσο, ολοκληρωμένο, μια αστραπή που αποκαλύπτει το τοπίο της αλήθειας σε μια στιγμή.

Ο νους που μαθαίνει είναι ένας καθρέφτης, γυαλισμένος από την επίγνωση, που αντανακλά τον κόσμο χωρίς παραμόρφωση. Δεν προσκολλάται στις εικόνες που βλέπει, ούτε τις απορρίπτει. Κινείται με τον ρυθμό της ζωής, ρευστός σαν το νερό, απεριόριστος σαν τον ουρανό. Το να μάθεις είναι να χορεύεις με το άγνωστο, να αγκαλιάζεις το μυστήριο κάθε στιγμής χωρίς να επιδιώκεις να το κατέχεις. Η εξουσία, με το βαρύ της χέρι, θα περιόριζε αυτόν τον χορό σε ένα σενάριο, σε ένα σύνολο βημάτων που υπαγορεύονται από κάποιον άλλο. Όμως η αληθινή μάθηση αρνείται κάθε εξουσία, γιατί γεννιέται από το ίδιο το βλέμμα της καρδιάς, από την ίδια την ακρόαση της ψυχής.

Στην ησυχία αυτού του βλέμματος, δεν υπάρχει υπακοή, ούτε ακόλουθος, ούτε ηγέτης. Ο γκουρού, ο δάσκαλος, ο αφέντης — όλοι διαλύονται στο φως της κατανόησης. Αυτός που μαθαίνει είναι ταυτόχρονα ο αναζητητής και ο αναζητούμενος, η ερώτηση και η απάντηση. Το να δεις τις συνέπειες της πειθαρχίας, να αντιληφθείς τις αλυσίδες που κρύβονται στις υποσχέσεις της για τάξη, είναι να τις υπερβείς. Αυτό δεν είναι επανάσταση, γιατί η επανάσταση είναι μόνο η σκιά της υπακοής, ακόμα δεμένη στη δομή που αντιτίθεται. Η αληθινή μάθηση υπερβαίνει και τα δύο, πετώντας σε έναν χώρο όπου ο νους είναι ο ίδιος ο δάσκαλος, ο ίδιος ο μαθητής.

Ο κόσμος, με τη φασαρία και τις βεβαιότητές του, θα ήθελε να συλλέγουμε γνώση σαν νομίσματα, να τη συσσωρεύουμε για ασφάλεια, για κύρος, για δύναμη. Όμως το όραμα του Κρισναμούρτι δεν είναι για συλλογή, αλλά για απελευθέρωση. Το να μάθεις είναι να αφήσεις πίσω την ανάγκη να γνωρίζεις, να παραδοθείς στην ψευδαίσθηση του ελέγχου. Είναι να στέκεσαι γυμνός μπροστά στο μυστήριο της ύπαρξης, χωρίς φόβο για το απέραντο που μας περιβάλλει. Αυτή η μάθηση δεν είναι μια διαδικασία, ούτε ένα ταξίδι με αρχή και τέλος. Είναι ένα αιώνιο τώρα, μια στιγμή βλέμματος που κρατά μέσα της το σύνολο της ζωής.

Στην καρδιά αυτού του οράματος κρύβεται ένα παράδοξο: η πειθαρχία είναι ελευθερία, και η ελευθερία είναι πειθαρχία. Όχι η πειθαρχία του στρατιώτη, που βαδίζει στον ρυθμό του τυμπάνου κάποιου άλλου, ούτε η ελευθερία του περιπλανώμενου, χαμένου σε άσκοπη περιπλάνηση. Αυτή είναι η πειθαρχία του αετού, που πετά στα ρεύματα των δικών του φτερών, και η ελευθερία του ποταμού, που χαράζει τη διαδρομή του μέσα από την πέτρα. Το να δεις τη δομή του κόσμου — τις ιεραρχίες του, τα δόγματά του, τις ατέλειωτες απαιτήσεις του για υπακοή — είναι να απελευθερωθείς από αυτήν. Όχι μέσω αντίστασης, αλλά μέσω κατανόησης. Όχι μέσω προσπάθειας, αλλά μέσω διαύγειας.

Και έτσι, καλούμαστε σε αυτή την ιερή πράξη της μάθησης, σε αυτή την πειθαρχία που δεν είναι καθόλου πειθαρχία. Είναι μια κλήση να ξυπνήσουμε, να δούμε με μάτια ανεπηρέαστα από το παρελθόν, να ακούσουμε με αυτιά ανέγγιχτα από προσδοκίες. Είναι μια κλήση να είμαστε ελεύθεροι — όχι αύριο, όχι μέσα από χρόνια αγώνα, αλλά τώρα, αυτή τη στιγμή. Γιατί στο βλέμμα, στη μάθηση, στην ελευθερία, υπάρχει μια φλόγα που καίει αιώνια, ένα φως που αποκαλύπτει το άπειρο μέσα στο πεπερασμένο, το διαχρονικό μέσα στη στιγμή.

Ας βαδίσουμε λοιπόν αυτό το μονοπάτι χωρίς μονοπάτι, όπου ο μόνος οδηγός είναι το βλέμμα της καρδιάς, όπου η μόνη πειθαρχία είναι η χαρά της μάθησης, όπου η μόνη ελευθερία είναι η αλήθεια που μας απελευθερώνει. Σε αυτό, δεν είμαστε δεμένοι, ούτε οδηγούμενοι, ούτε υπάκουοι. Είμαστε ζωντανοί, ξύπνιοι και ολόκληροι — για πάντα μαθαίνοντας, για πάντα ελεύθεροι.

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Δικαιώματα πνευματικής ιδιοκτησίας

Το σύνολο του περιεχομένου του Δικτυακού μας τόπου, συμπεριλαμβανομένων, ενδεικτικά αλλά όχι περιοριστικά, των κειμένων, ειδήσεων, γραφικών, φωτογραφιών, σχεδιαγραμμάτων, απεικονίσεων, παρεχόμενων υπηρεσιών και γενικά κάθε είδους αρχείων, αποτελεί αντικείμενο πνευματικής ιδιοκτησίας (copyright) και διέπεται από τις εθνικές και διεθνείς διατάξεις περί Πνευματικής Ιδιοκτησίας, με εξαίρεση τα ρητώς αναγνωρισμένα δικαιώματα τρίτων.

Συνεπώς, απαγορεύεται ρητά η αναπαραγωγή, αναδημοσίευση, αντιγραφή, αποθήκευση, πώληση, μετάδοση, διανομή, έκδοση, εκτέλεση, «λήψη» (download), μετάφραση, τροποποίηση με οποιονδήποτε τρόπο, τμηματικά η περιληπτικά χωρίς τη ρητή προηγούμενη έγγραφη συναίνεση του Ιδρύματος. Γίνεται γνωστό ότι σε περίπτωση κατά την οποία το Ίδρυμα συναινέσει, ο αιτών υποχρεούται για την ρητή παραπομπή μέσω συνδέσμων (hyperlinks) στο σχετικό περιεχόμενο του Δικτυακού τόπου του Ιδρύματος. Η υποχρέωση αυτή του αιτούντος υφίσταται ακόμα και αν δεν αναγραφεί ρητά στην έγγραφη συναίνεση του Ιδρύματος.

Κατ’ εξαίρεση, επιτρέπεται η μεμονωμένη αποθήκευση και αντιγραφή τμημάτων του περιεχομένου σε απλό προσωπικό υπολογιστή για αυστηρά προσωπική χρήση (ιδιωτική μελέτη ή έρευνα, εκπαιδευτικούς σκοπούς), χωρίς πρόθεση εμπορικής ή άλλης εκμετάλλευσης και πάντα υπό την προϋπόθεση της αναγραφής της πηγής προέλευσής του, χωρίς αυτό να σημαίνει καθ’ οιονδήποτε τρόπο παραχώρηση δικαιωμάτων πνευματικής ιδιοκτησίας.

Επίσης, επιτρέπεται η αναδημοσίευση υλικού για λόγους προβολής των γεγονότων και δραστηριοτήτων του Ιδρύματος, με την προϋπόθεση ότι θα αναφέρεται η πηγή και δεν θα θίγονται δικαιώματα πνευματικής ιδιοκτησίας, δεν θα τροποποιούνται, αλλοιώνονται ή διαγράφονται εμπορικά σήματα.

Ό,τι άλλο περιλαμβάνεται στις ηλεκτρονικές σελίδες του Δικτυακού μας τόπου και αποτελεί κατοχυρωμένα σήματα και προϊόντα πνευματικής ιδιοκτησίας τρίτων ανάγεται στη δική τους σφαίρα ευθύνης και ουδόλως έχει να κάνει με τον Δικτυακό τόπο του Ιδρύματος.

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