There is nothing to stick to...
The way that can be spoken of is not the constant way; The name that can be named is not the constant name. The nameless was the beginning of heaven and earth; The named was the mother of the myriad creatures. Hence, always rid yourself of desires in order to observe its secrets; But always allow yourself to have desires in order to observe its manifestations. These two are the same but diverge in name as they issue forth. Being the same, they are called mysteries. Mystery upon mystery, the gateway of the manifold secrets. (Tao Te Ching, 1)
Actionless actions and wordless words. There is nothing to stick to…
The whole world recognises the beautiful as the beautiful, yet this is only the ugly; the whole world recognises the good as the good, yet this is only the bad. Thus, Something and Nothing produce each other; The difficult and easy compliment each other; Note and sound harmonise with each other. Therefore the sage keeps to the deed that consists in taking no action and practices the teaching that uses no words. The myriad creatures rise from it yet it claims no authority; It gives them life yet claims no possession; It benefits them yet exacts no gratitude; It accomplishes its task yet lays claim to no merit. It is because it lays claim to no merit that its merit never deserts it. (Tao Te Ching, 2)
No knowledge, no desire, no intention: the way to peaceful order. There is nothing to stick to…
Not to honour people of worth will keep the people from contention; not to value goods which are hard to come by will keep them from theft; not to display what is desirable will keep them from being unsettled of mind. Therefore, in governing the people, the sage empties their minds but fills their bellies, weakens their wills but strengthens their bones. She always keeps them innocent of knowledge and free from desire, and ensures that the clever never dare to act. Do that which consists in taking no action, and order will prevail. (Tao Te Ching, 3)
The big picture... Who are we? Of what are we a part? No purpose, no concern, a void. There is nothing to stick to…
The Tao is like an empty bowl which in being used can never be filled up. Fathomless, it seems to be the origin of all things. It blunts all sharp edges. It unties all tangles. It harmonises all lights. It unites the world into one whole. Hidden in the deeps, yet it seems to exist forever. I do not know whose child it is; it seems to be the common ancestor of all, the father of all things.
Heaven and earth are ruthless, and treat the myriad creatures as straw dogs; the sage is ruthless, and treats the people as straw dogs. Is not the space between heaven and earth like a bellows? It is empty without being exhausted: the more it works, the more comes out. Much speech leads inevitably to silence. Better to hold fast to the void. (Tao Te Ching, 4-5)
Reality is selfless. It favours no outcome over any other. In humility without desire or intention there is wisdom and we act as nature in its manner of operation. There is nothing to stick to…
Heaven lasts long, and Earth abides. What is the secret of their durability? Is it not because they do not live for themselves that they can live so long? Therefore, the sage wants to remain behind but finds themselves at the head of others; reckons themselves out, but finds themselves safe and secure. Is it not because they are selfless that their Self is realised?
Heaven and earth are enduring. The reason why heaven and earth can be enduring is that they do not give themselves life. Hence, they are able to be long-lived. Therefore, the sage puts themselves last and they come first, treats it as extraneous to themselves and it is preserved. Is it not because they are without thought of self that they are able to accomplish their private ends?
(Two translations of Tao Te Ching, 7)
Be like water. There is much wisdom in this metaphor. There is nothing to stick to…
The highest good is like that of water. The goodness of water is that it benefits the ten thousand creatures; yet itself does not contend with them, but is content with the places that all people disdain. It is this that makes water so near to the Way. And if people think the ground the best place for building a house upon, if among thoughts they value those that are profound, if in friendship they value gentleness, if in words, truth; in government, good order; in deeds, effectiveness; in actions, timeliness - in each case it is because they prefer what does not lead to strife, and therefore does not go amiss. (Tao Te Ching, 8)
The wisdom of Nothing. There is nothing to stick to...
Thirty spokes share one hub. Adapt the nothing therein to the purpose at hand, and you will have the use of the cart. Knead clay in order to make a vessel. Adapt the nothing therein to the purpose at hand, and you will have the use of the vessel. Cut out doors and windows in order to make a room. Adapt the nothing therein to the purpose in hand, and you will have the use of the room. Thus, what we gain is Something, yet it is by virtue of Nothing that this can be put to use. (Tao Te Ching,11)
Something from nothing, the nameable from the unnameable. Things cannot be traced from their origin nor followed to their end. Where do you come from, why are you here? There is nothing to stick to…
Look at it but you cannot see it! Its name is formless. Listen to it but you cannot hear it! Its name is soundless. Grasp it but you cannot get it! Its name is incorporeal. These three attributes are unfathomable; therefore they fuse into one. Its upper side is not bright: its underside is not dim. Continually the Unnameable moves on, until it returns beyond the realm of things. We call call it the formless, the imageless image. We call it the indefinable and unimaginable. Confront it and you do not see its face! Follow it and you do not see its back! Yet, equipped with this timeless Tao, you can harness present realities. To know the origins is initiation into the Tao. (Tao Te Ching, 14)
Emptiness, Peace, Stillness, Constancy... These are the things of true value, the things of nature in its manner of operation. These are destiny. There is nothing to stick to…
Attain to utmost emptiness. Cling single-heartedly to interior peace. While all things are stirring together, I only contemplate the Return. For flourishing as they do, each of them will return to its root. To return to the root is to find peace. To find peace is to fulfill one’s destiny. To fulfill one’s destiny is to be constant. To know the Constant is called insight. If one does not know the Constant, one runs blindly into disasters. If one knows the Constant, one can understand and embrace all. If one understands and embraces all, one is capable of doing justice. To be just is to be kingly; to be kingly is to be heavenly; to be heavenly is to be one with the Tao; to be one with the Tao is to abide forever. Such a one will be safe and whole even after the dissolution of their body. (Tao Te Ching, 16)
When the way of non-action is forgotten, when the metaphor of water fades away, when desire, intention and preference appears, then our contentious society is born. There is nothing to stick to…
When the great Tao is forgotten, kindness and mortality arise. When wisdom and intelligence are born, the great pretense begins. When there is no peace within the family, filial piety and devotion arise. When the country is confused and in chaos, loyal ministers appear. (Tao Te Ching, 18)
Plainness, simplicity, lack of desire: the way to peace in accordance with nature. There is nothing to stick to…
Abandon sageliness and discard wisdom; then the people will benefit one hundredfold. Abandon humility and discard righteousness; then the people will return to filial piety and deep love. Abandon skill and discard profit; then there will be no thieves or robbers. However, these three things are ornament and not adequate. Therefore, let people hold onto these: manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires. (Tao Te Ching, 19)
A different way. There is nothing to stick to…
Give up learning, and put an end to your troubles. Is there a difference between yes and no? Is there a difference between good and evil? Must I fear what others fear? What nonsense! Other people are contented, enjoying the sacrificial feast of the ox. In spring, some go to the park and climb the terrace. But I alone am drifting, not knowing where I am. Like a newborn babe before it learns to smile, I am alone without a place to go. Others have more than they need, but I alone have nothing. I am a fool. Oh, yes, I am confused. Others are clear and bright, but I alone am dim and weak. Others are sharp and clever, but I alone am dull and stupid. Oh, I drift like the waves of the sea, without direction, like restless wind. Everyone else is busy, but I alone am aimless and depressed. I am different. I am nourished by the great mother. (Tao Te Ching, 20)
What is more of virtue than to live according to the way of all created things, undesiring, without contention, inhabited by a passionless peace? This is to live according to the Tao. Its wisdom? There is nothing to stick to…
The greatest virtue is to follow Tao and Tao alone. The Tao is elusive and intangible, oh, it is intangible and elusive, and yet within is form. Oh it is dim and dark, and yet within is essence. This essence is very real and therein lies faith. From the very beginning until now its name has never been forgotten. Thus, I perceive the creation. How do I know the ways of creation? Because of this. (Tao Te Ching, 21)
There is nothing to stick to and this can be read in one of two ways: firstly, there is nothing to which anyone can or could stick to, no guide, no code, no algorithm, no rulebook, no matrix, no morals, no set of facts or canonical interpretations; secondly, there is nothing to stick to, in which nothing is a special kind of something. So there is something positively conceived to stick to but it is a negative, a nothing, a void, a zero. It is empty, emptiness. It is whatever nothing as a something would be. A reading which holds both senses in tension is recommended…
How to gain without grasping. There is nothing to stick to…
Yield and overcome; Bend and be straight; Empty and be full; Wear out and be new; Have a little and gain; Have much and be confused. Therefore, the wise embrace the one and set an example to all. Not putting on a display, they shine forth. Not justifying themselves, they are distinguished. Not boasting, they receive recognition. Not bragging, they never falter. They do not quarrel, so no one quarrels with them. Therefore, the ancients say, ‘Yield and overcome.’ Is that an empty saying? Be really whole, and all things will come to you. (Tao Te Ching, 22)
That which you cultivate, you experience. To cultivate virtue, sow virtue, to be at one with all things, cultivate the openness of the Tao. There is nothing to stick to…
Only simple and quite words will ripen of themselves. For a whirlwind does not last a whole morning, nor does a sudden shower last a whole day. Who is the author? Heaven and earth! Even heaven and earth cannot make such violent things last long; how much truer is that of the rash endeavours of human beings? Hence the one who cultivates the Tao is one with the Tao; The one who practices virtue is one with virtue; The one who courts loss is one with loss. To be one with the Tao is to be welcomed by the Tao; To be one with virtue is to be welcomed by virtue; To be one with loss is to be welcomed by loss. Deficiency of faith on your part entails faithlessness on the part of others. (Tao Te Ching, 23)
Each conditioned in their turn by something greater, all leading back to Tao. What, in the end, is the nature of things? There is nothing to stick to…
Something mysteriously formed, born before heaven and earth. In the silence and the void, standing alone and unchanging. Ever present and in motion, perhaps it is the mother of the Ten Thousand Things. I do not know its name, call it Tao. For lack of a better word, call it great. Being great, it flows. It flows far away. Having gone far, it returns. Therefore, ‘Tao is great; heaven is great; earth is great; the king is also great.’ These are the four great powers of the universe, and the king is one of them. Humanity follows the earth, earth follows heaven, heaven follows the Tao. Tao follows what is natural. (Tao Te Ching, 25)
Practice makes perfect when one is in the Way and nothing should go to waste. There is nothing to stick to…
Good works are trackless, good words are flawless, good planning isn’t calculating. What is well closed has no bolt locking it, but cannot be opened. What is well bound has no rope confining it, but cannot be untied. Therefore, sages always consider it good to save people, so that there are no wasted people; they always consider it good to save beings, so that there are no wasted beings. So good people are teachers of people who are not good. People who are not good are students of people who are good. Those who do not honour teachers or care for students are greatly deluded, even if knowledgeable. This is called an essential subtlety. (Tao Te Ching, 27)
Balance will lead you to virtue, not extremes. Be like a child and live in the Infinite with simplicity. There is nothing to stick to…
Know the masculine, keep to the feminine, and be the Brook of the World. To be the Brook of the World is to move constantly in the path of virtue without swerving from it and to return again to infancy. Know the white, keep to the black, and be the Pattern of the World. To be the Pattern of the World is to move constantly in the path of virtue without erring a single step and to return again to the Infinite. Know the glorious, keep to the lowly, and be the Fountain of the World. To be the Fountain of the World is to live the abundant life of virtue and to return again to the primal simplicity. When primal simplicity diversifies it becomes useful vessels which, in the hands of the sage, becomes officers. Hence, ‘a great tailor does little cutting.’ (Tao Te Ching, 28)
The more you grasp, the more it slips through your fingers. The wisdom of Tao is balance and letting go. There is nothing to stick to…
Does anyone want to take the world and do what they want with it? I don’t see how they can succeed. The world is a sacred vessel which must not be tampered with or grabbed after. To tamper with it is to spoil it and to grasp it is to lose it. In fact, for all things there is a time for going ahead and a time for following behind; a time for slow breathing and a time for heavy breathing; a time to grow in strength and a time to decay; a time to be up and a time to be down. Therefore, the sage avoids all extremes, excesses and extravagances. (Tao Te Ching, 29)
The wise love peace and hate war. In war, every victory is a funeral. There is nothing to stick to…
Good weapons are instruments of fear; all creatures hate them. Therefore, followers of Tao never use them. The wise one prefers the left, the one of war prefers the right. Weapons are instruments of fear: they are not a wise one’s tools. A wise one uses them only when they have no choice, peace and quiet are dear to their heart and victory no cause for rejoicing. If you rejoice in victory then you delight in killing; if you delight in killing you cannot fulfill yourself. On happy occasions precedence is given to the left, on sad occasions to the right. In the army the general stands on the left. The commander-in-chief is on the right. This means that war is conducted like a funeral. When many people are being killed they should be mourned with heartfelt sorrow. This is why a victory must be observed like a funeral. (Tao Te Ching, 31)
The harmony of the world is the harmony of Tao; simple, peaceful and diverse. Forget intention and surrender to the Tao. There is nothing to stick to…
Tao is always nameless. Small as it is in its primal simplicity, it is inferior to the world. If only a ruler could cling to it, everything will render homage to them. Heaven and earth will be harmonized and send down sweet dew. Peace and order will reign among the people without any command from above. When once the primal simplicity diversified, different names appeared. Are there not enough names now? Is this not the time to stop? To know when to stop is to preserve ourselves from danger. The Tao is to the world what a great river or an ocean is to the streams and brooks. (Tao Te Ching, 32)
Others and the self, one must master both. Strength is having enough, mastery is being where you are. There is nothing to stick to…
Knowing others is wisdom; Knowing the self is enlightenment. Mastering others requires forces; mastering the self needs strength. The one who knows they have enough is rich. Perseverance is a sign of willpower. The one who stays where they are endures. To die but not to perish is to be eternally present. (Tao Te Ching, 33)
Free of desire, yet it sustains and contains all things. That is Tao. To become great, don't try to be! There is nothing to stick to…
The way is broad, reaching to the left as well as right. The myriad creatures depend on it for life yet it claims no authority. It accomplishes its task yet lays claim to no merit. It clothes and feeds the myriad creatures yet lays no claim to being their master. Forever free of desire, it can be called small; yet, as it lays no claim to being master when the myriad creatures turn to it, it can be called great. It is because it never attempts itself to be great that it succeeds in becoming great. (Tao Te Ching, 34)
Cultivate perception! There is nothing to stick to…
What is in the end to be shrunken, begins by being first stretched out. What is in the end to be weakened, begins by being made strong. What is in the end to be thrown down, begins by being first set on high. What is in the end to be despoiled, begins by being first richly endowed. Herein is the subtle wisdom of life; the soft and the weak overcomes the hard and the strong. Just as the fish must not leave the deeps, so the ruler must not display his weapons. (Tao Te Ching, 36)
What is virtue? Is it not found in the non-desiring, non-intentional Tao? Virtue does not seek itself. There is nothing to stick to…
High virtue is non-virtuous; therefore, it has virtue. Low virtue never frees itself from virtuousness; therefore, it has no virtue. High virtue makes no fuss and has no private ends to serve; low virtue not only fusses but has private ends to serve. High humanity fusses but has no private ends to serve. High morality not only fusses but has private ends to serve. High ceremony fusses but finds no response; then it tries to enforce itself with rolled up sleeves. Failing Tao, people resort to virtue. Failing virtue, people resort to humanity. Failing humanity, people resort to morality. Failing morality, people resort to ceremony. Now ceremony is the merest husk of faith and loyalty. It is the beginning of all confusion and disorder. As to foreknowledge, it is only the embellishment of the Tao and the beginning of folly. Therefore, the full grown human being sets their heart upon the substance rather than the husk; upon the fruit rather than the flower. Truly, they prefer what is within to what is without. (Tao Te Ching, 38)
Returning, always returning, the Tao has no destination. It is the gentleness that overcomes all. All somethings come from Nothing. There is nothing to stick to…
The movement of the Tao consists in returning. The use of the Tao consists in softness. All things under heaven are born of being. Being is born of not being. (Tao Te Ching, 40)
The Yin and the Yang. There is nothing to stick to…
The Tao begot one. One begot two. Two begot three. And three begot the ten thousand things. The ten thousand things carry yin and embrace yang. They achieve harmony by combining these forces. People hate to be orphaned, widowed or worthless but this is how kings and lords describe themselves. For one gains by losing and loses by gaining. What others teach, I also teach; that is, ‘a violent person will die a violent death!’ This will be the essence of my teaching. (Tao Te Ching, 42)
Soft overcomes hard, nothing overcomes something. No action overcomes actions, no words overcomes words. Once you get it, it's world-changing. There is nothing to stick to…
The softest thing in the universe overcomes the hardest thing in the universe. That substance can enter where there is no room. Hence, I know the value of non-action. Teaching without words and work without doing are understood by few. (Tao Te Ching, 43)
Would you endure long? Have little, live simply, do not attach yourself to things. There is nothing to stick to…
As for your name and your body, which is the dearer? As for your body and your wealth, which is the more prized? As for gain and loss, which is the more painful? Thus, an excessive love for anything will cost you dear in the end. The storing up of too much goods will entail a heavy loss. To know when you have enough is to be immune from disgrace. To know when to stop is to be preserved from perils. Only thus can you endure. (Tao Te Ching, 44)
Your enemy is desire and its cure is being content to have enough. There is nothing to stick to…
When the Tao is present in the universe, the horses haul manure. When the Tao is absent from the universe, war horses are bred outside the city. There is no greater sin than desire, no greater curse than discontent, no greater misfortune than wanting something for oneself. Therefore, the one who knows that enough is enough will always have enough. (Tao Te Ching, 46)
Here is a riddle: the knowing that is not about going, the knowing that is not about doing, the knowing that is not about looking. What is it? There is nothing to stick to…
Without going outside, you may know the whole world. Without looking through the window, you may see the ways of heaven. The farther you go, the less you know. Thus, the sage knows without travelling; they see without looking; they work without doing. (Tao Te Ching, 47)
If you would walk in the way of Tao you must learn non-action. You must learn to decrease and not increase daily. Knowledge is not accumulating; it is letting go. There is nothing to stick to…
The pursuit of learning is to increase day after day, the pursuit of Tao is to decrease day after day. It is to decrease and further decrease until the point of taking no action. No action is taken, and yet nothing is left undone. An empire is often brought to order by having no activity. If one likes to undertake activity, they are not qualified to govern the empire. (Tao Te Ching, 48)
Would you be wise? Be selfless, humble, kind, faithful, to all alike without partiality. There is nothing to stick to…
The sage has no interests of their own, but takes the interests of the people as their own. They are kind to the kind; they are also kind to the unkind: for virtue is kind. They are faithful to the faithful; they are also faithful to the unfaithful: for virtue is faithful. In the midst of the world, the sage is shy and self-effacing. For the sake of the world they keep their heart in its nebulous state. All the people strain their ears and eyes: the sage only smiles like an amused infant. (Tao Te Ching, 49)
There is the Way (Tao) and there is Virtue (Te). From these all things arise and are nourished. There is also matter and environment. What is the nature of all things? There is nothing to stick to…
All things arise from Tao. They are nourished by Virtue. They are formed from matter. They are shaped by environment. Thus, the ten thousand things all respect Tao and honour Virtue. Respect of Tao and honour of Virtue are not demanded, but they are in the nature of things. Therefore, all things arise from Tao. By Virtue, they are nourished, developed, cared for, sheltered, comforted, grown and protected. Creating without claiming, doing without taking credit, guiding without interfering: this is Primal Virtue. (Tao Te Ching, 51)
Those in the way of Tao do not chase after riches, they are not sidetracked by self-aggrandizing schemes. And yet people prefer these! There is nothing to stick to…
If only I had the tiniest grain of wisdom, I should walk in the Great Way. And my only fear would be to stray from it. The Great Way is very smooth and straight; and yet people prefer devious paths! The court is very clean and well garnished, but the fields are very weedy and wild. And the granaries are very empty! They wear gorgeous clothes, they carry sharp swords, they surfeit themselves with food and drink, they possess more riches than they can use! They are the heralds of brigandage! As for the Tao, what do they know about it? (Tao Te Ching, 53)
Cultivate virtue, embrace it - in yourself, in family, in community, in the state, in the world. But it starts with you! There is nothing to stick to…
What is well planted cannot be uprooted, what is well embraced cannot slip away. Your descendants will carry on the ancestral sacrifice for generation without end, cultivate virtue in your own person, and it becomes a genuine part of you. Cultivate it in the family, and it will abide. Cultivate it in the community, and it will live and grow. Cultivate it in the state, and it will flourish abundantly. Cultivate it in the world, and it will become universal. Hence, a person must be judged as a person; a family as a family; a community as a community; a state as a state; the world as the world. How do I know about the world? By what is within me. (Tao Te Ching, 54)
A union with all things; not based on knowing, not based on talking. It is selfless! There is nothing to stick to…
Those who know do not talk. Those who talk do not know. Keep your mouth closed. Guard your senses. Temper your sharpness. Mask your brightness. Be at one with the dust of the earth. This is the primal union. The one who has achieved this state is unconcerned with friends and enemies, with good and harm, with honour and disgrace. This, therefore, is the highest state of human being. (Tao Te Ching, 56)
Justice without desire, master without doing, the wisdom of the light touch! There is nothing to stick to…
Rule a nation with justice. Wage a war with surprise moves. Become master of the universe without striving. How do I know this is so? Because of this! The more laws and restrictions there are, the poorer the people become. The sharper the men’s weapons, the more trouble in the land. The more ingenious and wily people are, the more strange things happen. The more rules and regulations, the more thieves and robbers. Therefore, the sage says: I take no action and people are reformed. I enjoy peace and people become honest. I do nothing and people become rich. I have no desires and people return to the good and simple life. (Tao Te Ching, 57)
To be frugal is to be royalty and to rule over all! There is nothing to stick to…
In governing a people and in serving heaven there is nothing like frugality. To be frugal is to return before straying. To return before straying is to have a double reserve of virtue. To have a double reserve of virtue is to overcome everything. To overcome everything is to reach an invisible height. Only the one who has reached an invisible height can have a kingdom. Only the one who has got the mother of a kingdom can last long. This is the way to be deep-rooted and firm-planted in the Tao, the secret of long life and lasting vision. (Tao Te Ching, 59)
The actions of the wise. There is nothing to stick to…
Practice non-action. Work without doing. Taste the flavourless. Magnify the small, increase the few. Reward bitterness with care. See simplicity in the complicated. Achieve greatness through little things. In the universe the difficult things are done as if they are easy. In the universe great acts are made up of small deeds. The sage does not attempt anything very big, and thus achieves greatness. Easy promises make for little trust. Taking things lightly results in great difficulty. Because the sage always confronts difficulties, they are never experienced. (Tao Te Ching, 63)
Beware those who know too much, who pride themselves on cleverness! There is nothing to stick to…
In the beginning, those who knew the Tao did not try to enlighten others, but kept it hidden. Why is it so hard to rule? Because people are so clever. Rulers who try to use cleverness cheat the country. Those who rule without cleverness are a blessing to the land. These are the two alternatives, understanding these is Primal Virtue. Primal Virtue is deep and far. It leads all things back towards the great oneness. (Tao Te Ching, 65)
You will know the wise by their humility. There is nothing to stick to…
How does the sea come to rule over streams? Because it is lower than they! Hence, it rules over all streams! Therefore, the sage reigns over the people by being humble in speech, and leads the people by going behind them. Thus it is that when a sage stands above the people they do not feel the heaviness of that one’s weight; and when that one stands in front of the people, they do not feel hurt. Therefore, all the world pushes them forward without getting tired of them. Just because they strive with nobody, nobody can ever strive with them. (Tao Te Ching, 66)
The three treasures... Compassion, Frugality, Humility. There is nothing to stick to…
The whole world says, I’m Great; Great, yet unlike everyone else. But it is precisely because I’m unlike everyone else that I am therefore able to be great. Were I like everyone else for a long time now I’d have seemed insignificant and small. I constantly have three treasures: Hold onto them and treasure them: The first is compassion; The second is frugality; The third is not presuming to be at the forefront of the world. Now, its because one is compassionate that one can be courageous; its because one is frugal that one can therefore be magnanimous; its because one does not presume to be at the forefront of the world that one can be at the head of all. Now, if you abandon compassion yet try to be courageous, and if you abandon frugality yet try to be magnanimous, and if you try to abandon staying behind yet try to go to the fore, then you will die. If with compassion you attack then you will win; if you are defending, you’ll stand firm. It is the means by which heaven protects and guards. (Tao Te Ching, 67)
Not striving. There is nothing to stick to…
A good soldier is not violent. A good fighter is not angry. A good winner is not vengeful. A good employer is humble. This is known as the Virtue of not striving. This is known as ability to deal with people. This since ancient times has been known as the ultimate unity with heaven. (Tao Te Ching, 68)
Knowledge and ignorance, it is best to be wise regarding both! There is nothing to stick to…
To realise that our knowledge is ignorance, this is noble insight. To regard our ignorance as knowledge, this is mental sickness. Only when when are sick of our sickness shall we cease to be sick. The sage is not sick, being sick of sickness. This is the secret of health. (Tao Te Ching, 71)
Live in accordance with the Tao, without striving, and all things will come to you. There is nothing to stick to…
A brave and passionate person will kill or be killed. A brave and calm person will always preserve life. Of these two, which is good and which is harmful? Some things are not favoured by heaven, who knows why? Even the sage is unsure of this. The Tao of heaven does not strive, and yet it overcomes. It does not speak, and yet it is answered. It does not ask for things, and yet is supplied with all its needs. It seems to have no aim and yet its purpose is fulfilled. Heaven’s net casts wide. Though its meshes are coarse, nothing slips through. (Tao Te Ching, 73)
People love to interfere! People love to make too much of things! There is nothing to stick to…
Why are the people starving? Because those above them are taxing them too heavily. That is why they are starving. Why are the people hard to manage? Because those above them are fussy and have private ends to serve. That is why they are hard to manage. Why do the people think nothing of death? Because, having little to live on, they know better than to value life too much. (Tao Te Ching, 75)
Humility and weakness, not might and greatness, is to be most treasured. There is nothing to stick to…
When someone is alive, they are soft and supple. When they are dead, they become hard and rigid. When a plant is living, it is soft and tender. When it is dead, it becomes withered and dry. Hence, the hard and rigid belongs to the company of the dead; the soft and supple belong to the company of the living. Therefore, a mighty army tends to fall by its own weight, just as dry wood is ready for the axe. The great and mighty will be laid low, the humble and weak will be exalted. (Tao Te Ching, 76)
The way of Tao is to recognise humility and be humble. There is nothing to stick to…
The Tao of heaven is like the bending of a bow: the high is lowered and the low is raised. If the string is too long, it is shortened; if there is not enough, it is made longer. The Tao of heaven is to take from those who have too much and give to those who do not have enough. The human way is different. Human beings take from those who do not have enough to give to those who already have too much. What human being has more than enough and gives to the world? Only the one of Tao. Therefore, the sage works without recognition. The sage achieves what has to be done without dwelling on it. The sage does not try to show their knowledge. (Tao Te Ching, 77)
The mountain is made of hard rock, yet the softest stream cuts through it! The supple tree bends whilst the hard tree snaps. There is nothing to stick to…
Under heaven nothing is more soft and yielding than water. Yet, for attacking the solid and strong, nothing is better. It has no equal. The weak can overcome the strong; the supple can overcome the stiff. Under heaven everyone knows this. Yet no one puts it into practice. Therefore, the sage says: The one who takes upon themselves the humiliation of the people is fit to rule them. The one who takes upon themselves the country’s disasters deserve to be the ruler over all. The truth often sounds paradoxical. (Tao Te Ching, 78)
Peace in simplicity. There is nothing to stick to…
A small country has fewer people. Though there are machines that can work ten to a hundred times faster than people, they are not needed. The people take death seriously and do not travel far. Though they have boats and carriages, no one uses them. Though they have armour and weapons, no one displays them. They return to the knotting of rope in place of writing. Their food is plain and good, their clothes fine but simple, their homes are secure; they are happy in their ways. Though they live within sight of their neighbours, and crowing cocks and barking dogs are heard across the way, yet they leave each other in peace while they grow old and die. (Tao Te Ching, 80)
The way of the sage is to do their duty and not strive with anyone! There is nothing to stick to…
Truthful words are not beautiful, beautiful words are not truthful. Good people do not argue, those who argue are not good. The wise are not users of erudition, users of erudition are not wise. The sage never tries to store things up; the more they do for others, the more they have; the more they give to others, the greater their abundance. The way of heaven is to benefit and not to harm. The way of the sage is to do their duty, not to strive with anyone. (Tao Te Ching, 81)
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