Tao of the Day

Tao of the Day

Your Daily Dose of Taoism

 

Archive for May, 2007

56. One who knows does not speak.

One who knows does not speak.
One who speaks does not know.
Close your holes, shots your doors,
Soften your sharpness, loosen your knots.
Soften your glare and merge with the everyday.
This is called mysteriously attaining oneness.
Though you cannot possess it, you are intimate with it
And at the same time, distant.
Though you cannot possess it, you are benefitted by [...]

55. One who remains rich in virtuous power

One who remains rich in virtuous power
Is like a newborn baby.
Bees, scorpions and venomous snakes do not bite it,
The wild beasts do not attack it.
Birds of prey do not sink their claws into it.
Though its bones are weak
And muscles soft,
Its grip is strong.
Without knowing of the blending of male and female
S/he is a perfect production,
The [...]

54. The well-established cannot be uprooted

The well-established cannot be uprooted.
The well-grasped doe not slip away.
Generation after generation carries out the ancestor worship without break.
Cultivate it inĀ  yourself and virtue will be real.
Cultivate it in the family and virtue will overflow.
Cultivate it in town and virtue will be great.
Cultivate it in country and virtue will be abundant.
Cultivate it in the world [...]

53. If I had just a little bit of wisdom

If I had just a little bit of wisdom
I should walk on the Great Path and fear only straying from it.
Though the Way is quite broad
People love shortcuts.
The court is immaculate,
While the fields are overgrown with weeds,
And the granaries are empty.
They wear silk finery,
Carry sharp swords,
Sate themselves on food and drink
Having wealth in excess.
They are [...]

52. All things have a beginning, which we can regard as their Mother

All things have a beginning, which we can regard as their Mother.
Knowing the mother, we can know its children.
Knowing the children, yet still cleaving to the mother
You can die without pain.
Stop up the holes
Shut the doors,
You can finish your life without anxiety.
Open the doors,
Increase your involvements,
In the end you can’t be helped.
Seeing the subtle is [...]

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Tao of the Day is a site for all things related to the Tao (also spelled Dao). We'll cover the entire Tao Te Ching several times each year, with one chapter being the center of attention each day. You can always comment on past days, but let's try to keep it flowing as the days progress.

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