We’ve just finished our first cycle of the Tao. We’ve just covered all 81 chapters of this subtly and intensely beautiful book. This brings up the question “what do we do next?”
We’ve just finished one translation of the text. There are many others. Tomorrow we start with chapter 1 of a different translation. We can [...]
True words are not fancy.
Fancy words are not true.
The good do not debate.
Debaters are not good.
The one who really knows is not broadly learned,
The extensively learned to not really know.
The sage does not hoard,
She gives people her surplus.
Giving her surplus to others she is enriched.
The way of Heaven is to help and not harm.
Let there be a small country with few people,
Who, even having much machinery, don’t use it.
Who take death seriously and don’t wander far away.
Even though they have boats and carriages, the never ride in them.
Having armor and weapons, they never go to war.
Let them return to measurement by tying knots in rope.
Sweeten their food, give [...]
After calming great anger
There are always resentments left over.
How can this be considered as goodness?
Therefore the sage keeps her part of the deal
And doesn’t check up on the other person.
Thus virtuous officials keep their promise
And the crooked one breaks it.
The Heavenly Tao has no favorites:
It raises up the Good.
Nothing in the world is softer than water,
Yet nothing is better at overcoming the hard and strong.
This is because nothing can alter it.
That the soft overcomes the hard
And the gentle overcomes the aggressive
Is something that everybody knows
But none can do themselves.
Therefore the sages say:
The one who accepts the dirt of the state
Becomes its master.
The one [...]
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