Neil August 25th, 2010
The Way bears sensation,
Sensation bears memory,
Sensation and memory bear abstraction,
And abstraction bears all the world;
Each thing in the world bears feeling and doing,
And, imbued with mind, harmony with the Way.
As others have taught, so do I teach,
“Who loses harmony opposes nature”;
This is the root of my teaching.
Neil December 19th, 2009
with thanksgiving
Tao 43
The softest of all things
Overrides the hardest of all
Only Nothing can enter in to no-space.
Hence I know the advantages of Non-Ado.
Few things under heaven are as instructive as the lessons of Silence,
Or as beneficial as the fruits of Non-Ado.
Lao Tzu, John C.H. Wu
Neil December 18th, 2009
TAO 8
The highest form of goodness is like water.
Water knows how to benefit all things without striving with them.
It stays in places loathed by all men.
Therefore, it comes near the Tao.
In choosing your dwelling, know how to keep the ground.
In cultivating your mind, know how to dive in the hidden deeps.
In dealing with others, know how to be gentle and kind.
In speaking, know how to keep your words.
In governing, know how to maintain order.
In transacting business, know how to be efficient.
In making a move, know how to choose the right moment.
If you do not strive with others,
You will be free from blame.
Lao Tzu, John C.H. Wu
Neil September 16th, 2009
So the sage:
Lives within nature,
Thinks within the deep,
Gives within impartiality,
Speaks within trust,
Governs within order,
Crafts within ability,
Acts within opportunity.
He does not contend, and none contend against him.
Neil June 9th, 2009
Trying to control the world?
I see you won’t succeed.
T’ien hsia shen ch’i
The world is a spiritual vessel
And cannot be controlled.
Those who control, fail.
Those who grasp, loose.
Some go forth, some are led,
Some weep, some blow flutes,
Some beceome strong, some superfluous,
Some oppress, some are destroyed.
Therefore the sage
Casts off extremes,
Casts off excess,
Casts off extravagance.
- TAO TE CHING by Lao-Tzu Translated by Stephen Addiss, Stanley Lombardo
Neil April 2nd, 2009
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Water overcomes the stone; Without substance it requires no opening; This is the benefit of taking no action. Yet benefit without action, |
Neil March 18th, 2009
What lies still is easy to grasp;
What lies far off is easy to anticipate;
What is brittle is easy to shatter;
What is small is easy to disperse.
Yet a tree broader than a man can
embrace is born of a tiny shoot;
A dam greater than a river can
overflow starts with a clod of earth;
A journey of a thousand miles begins at the spot under one’s feet.
Therefore deal with things before they happen;
Create order before there is confusion.
Neil March 13th, 2009
.
Cultivate harmony within yourself, and harmony becomes real;
Cultivate harmony within your family, and harmony becomes fertile;
Cultivate harmony within your community, and harmony becomes abundant;
Cultivate harmony within your culture, and harmony becomes enduring;
Cultivate harmony within the world, and harmony becomes ubiquitous.
Live with a person to understand that person;
Live with a family to understand that family;
Live with a community to understand that community;
Live with a culture to understand that culture;
Live with the world to understand the world.
How can I live with the world?
By accepting.
Neil January 10th, 2009
Reserve your judgments and words
And you maintain your influence;
Speak your mind and take positions
And nothing will save you.
As observing detail is clarity,
So maintaining flexibility is strength;
Use the light but shed no light,
So that you do yourself no harm,
But embrace clarity.
Neil December 24th, 2008
Too much colour blinds the eye,
Too much music deafens the ear,
Too much taste dulls the palate,
Too much play maddens the mind,
Too much desire tears the heart.
In this manner the sage cares for people:
He provides for the belly, not for the senses;
He ignores abstraction and holds fast to substance.
TaoTeChing.org
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