Tao's MySpace Blog |

MySpace

MySpace.com | rss | sign in

Tao

Last Updated: 4/4/2009

Send Message
Instant Message
Email to a Friend
Subscribe

My Subscriptions

Transcendental Visions

Osho

Buddha

Zen

Blog Archive

[Older Newer]

/ /

Saturday, April 04, 2009

The Tao Te Ching

30

Whoever relies on the Tao in governing men

doesn't try to force issues

or defeat enemies by force of arms.

For every force there is a counterforce.

Violence, even well intentioned,

always rebounds upon oneself.

The Master does his job

and then stops.

He understands that the universe

is forever out of control,

and that trying to dominate events

goes against the current of the Tao.

Because he believes in himself,

he doesn't try to convince others.

Because he is content with himself,

he doesn't need others' approval.

Because he accepts himself,

the whole world accepts him.

-Lao Tzu

(Add Comment) |

17 Kudos

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Things are not as permanent as we think they are

Things that happened in the ancient times are now forgotten. Things that happened ten thousand years ago are more legend than fact. Events that occurred five thousand years ago are more of a dream than reality. We may still retain a bit of memory of what happened a thousand years ago, but most of the events are forgotten. In fact, it is a great accomplishment to remember things that happened a hundred years ago. Even eye witnesses have a hard time recalling what they say fifty years ago.

Much has gone on between the ancient times and the present. Sages and tyrants have come and gone. Intelligent people, foolish people, kind people, cruel people, good people, bad people have all made brief appearances in history and then disappeared. We don't know who they were or what they did, let alone what position and rank they occupied in society. Life is short. Why injure yourself to achieve things like name and reputation when you know that in fifty years, you'll be not different from anyone else? Why sacrifice your happiness and peace of mind to go after something ephemeral and transitory?

Of all creatures, humans are said to be the most intelligent. However, we are plagues by happiness, anger, sadness and fear. We do not have sharp teeth or claws to hunt down prey. We do not have fur or feathers to keep ourselves warm. We cannot run fast to escape predators, and our skin is not tough enough to protect us if we are attacked. We must rely on other sources to provide us with shelter, clothing, food, and weapons. Out intelligence does not make us privileged. Each species is endowed with a unique ability. We have intelligence, birds have feathers, and fish have gills. To use intelligence to fulfill our basic needs and comfort is appropriate; to use it to harm others is to go against the natural order of things. And intelligence is transitory. Like skin, bones and flesh, it disappears when we die.

Our time on earth is short. We do not own our lives. We come into existence when yin and yang energies interact, and we disappear when they separate. Thus, should we find ourselves alive in this world, we should let this life run its course. Do not be attached to it, but do not throw it away. Make the best use of your time now. If this body of flesh and blood is impermanent, how much more are nontangible things like name, title, and reputation?

~ Lieh Tzu

Currently reading:
Lieh-Tzu: A Taoist Guide to Practical Living
Release date: 2001-12-11

(Add Comment) |

49 Kudos

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

The Tao Te Ching

29

Do you want to improve the world?
I don't think it can be done.

The world is sacred.
It can't be improved.
If you tamper with it, you'll ruin it.
If you treat it like an object, you'll lose it.

There is a time for being ahead,
a time for being behind;
a time for being in motion,
a time for being at rest;
a time for being vigorous,
a time for being exhausted;
a time for being safe,
a time for being in danger.

The Master sees things as they are,
without trying to control them.
She lets them go their own way,
and resides at the center of the circle.

- Lao Tzu

Currently reading:
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching (Asian Institute Translations, No 1)
By Lao Tzu
Release date: 1989-11-25

(Add Comment) |

35 Kudos

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Tao Te Ching

28

Know the male,
yet keep to the female:
receive the world in your arms.
If you receive the world,
the Tao will never leave you
and you will be like a little child.

Know the white,
yet keep to the black:
be a pattern for the world.
If you are a pattern for the world,
the Tao will be strong inside you
and there will be nothing you can't do.

Know the personal,
yet keep to the impersonal:
accept the world as it is.
If you accept the world,
the Tao will be luminous inside you
and you will return to your primal self.

The world is formed from the void,
like utensils from a block of wood.
The Master knows the utensils,
yet keeps to the the block:
thus she can use all things.

- Lao Tzu

Currently reading:
Tao Te Ching: A New English Version (Perennial Classics)
By Lao Tzu
Release date: 2006-09-05

(Add Comment) |

24 Kudos

Saturday, August 02, 2008

people at their best, like water

People at their best, like water,
Serve as they go along;
Like water they seek their own level,
The common level of life,
Love living close to the earth,
Living clear down in their hearts,
Love kinship with their neighbors,
The pick of words that tell the truth,
The even tenor of the well-loved state,
The fair profit of the able dealing,
The right timing of useful deeds,
And for blocking no one's way
No one blames them.

~Lao Tzu

(Add Comment) |

17 Kudos

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Those who would take over the earth...

Those who would take over the earth
And shape it to their will
Never, I notice, succeed.
The earth is like a vessel so sacred
That at the mere approach of the profane
It is marred
And when they reach out their fingers
It is gone.
For a time in the world some
Force themselves ahead
And some are left behind,
For a time in the world some make a great noise
And some are held silent,
For a time in the world some are puffed fat
And some are kept hungry,
For a time in the world some push aboard
And some are tipped out;
At no time in the world will a person who is sane
Over-reach himself,
Over-spend himself,
Over-rate himself.

~Lao Tzu

(Add Comment) |

6 Kudos

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

A good traveler leaves no tracks ...

27

A good traveler leaves no tracks.
Good speech lacks faultfinding.
A good counter needs no calculator.
A well-shut door will stay closed without a latch.
Skillful fastening will stay tied without knots.

It is in this manner that the sage is always skillfil in
elevating people.
Therefore she does not discard anybody.

She is always skilful in helping things
Therefore she does not discard anything.
This is called "the actualization of her luminosity."

Hence, the good are the teachers of the not-so-good.
And the not-so-good are the chargers of the good.

Not valuing your teacher or not loving your students:
Even if you are smart, you are gravely in error.

This is called Essential Subtlety.

Currently reading:
Tao Te Ching
By Lao-Tzu

(Add Comment) |

4 Kudos

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Heaviness is the root of lightness...

26

Heaviness is the root of lightnesss.
Composure is the ruler of instability.
Therefore the sage travels all day
Without putting down his heavy load.
Though there may be spectacles to see
He easily passes them by.

This being so
How could the ruler of a large state
Be so concerned with himself as to
ignore the people?

If you take them lightly
you will lose your roots.
If you are unstable,
you will lose your rulership.

Tao Te Ching
~Lao Tzu

(Add Comment) |

6 Kudos

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Imperfection

The imperfect becomes whole.
How true that is!
To become whole and
Return to the Source,
One must ever be in accord
With nature.
There is nothing in the world
So weak as water,
Nor anything strong enough
To overcome it.
The person of great wisdom
Is like water which,
Though benefiting all things,
Never strives.

~Lao Tzu

(Add Comment) |

15 Kudos

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

There is something that is perfect in its disorder

25

There is something that is perfect in its disorder
Which is born before Heaven and Earth.

So silent and desolate! It establishes itself without
renewal.
Functions universally without lapse.
We can regard it as Mother of Everything.

I don't know its name.

Hence, when forced to name it, I call it "Tao."
When forced to categorize it, I call it "great."

Greatness entails trancendence.
Transcendence entails going-far.
Going-far entails return.

Hence, Tao is great, Heaven is great, the Earth is great And the human is also great.

Within our realm there are four greatnesses and the
human being is one of them.

Human beings follow the Earth.
Earth follows Heaven
Heaven follows the Tao
The Tao follows the way things are.

Tao Te Ching
~Lao Tzu

(Add Comment) |

17 Kudos

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Power over others lacks empowerment Oneself

He who stands on tiptoe is unsteady.
He who rushes ahead
doesn’t go far.
He who tries to shine
dims his own light.
He who defines himself
can’t know who he really is.
He who has power over others
can’t empower himself.
He who clings to his work
will create nothing that endures.

If you want to accord with the Tao,
just do your job, then let go.

Tao Te Ching
~Lao Tzu

(Add Comment) |

21 Kudos

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

to speak little is natural ...

23

To speak little is natural.
Therefore a gale does not blow a whole morning
Nor does a downpour last a whole day.

Who does these things? Heaven and Earth.
If even Heaven and earth cannot force perfect continuity
How can people expect to?

Therefore there is such a thing as aligning one's actions with the Tao.
If you accord with the Tao you become one with it.
If you accord with virtue you become one with it.
If you accord with loss you become one with it.

The Tao accepts this accordance gladly.
Virtue accepts this accordance gladly.
Loss also accepts accordance gladly.

If you are not authentic, people will lose trust in you.

Tao Te Ching
~Lao Tzu

(Add Comment) |

20 Kudos

Saturday, February 02, 2008

nature

If people do not revere the Law of Nature,

It will inexorably and adversely affect them.

If they accept it with knowledge and reverence,

It will accommodate them with balance and harmony.

~Lao Tzu

(Add Comment) |

16 Kudos

Thursday, January 31, 2008

The imperfect is completed ...

22

The imperfect is completed.
The crooked is straightened.
The empty is filled.
The old is renewed.
With few there is attainment.
With much there is confusion.
Therefore the sage grasps the one
and becomes the model for all.

She does not show herself,
and therefore is apparent.
She does not affirm herself,
and therefore is acknowledged.
She does not boast and therefore has merit.
She does not strive and is therefore successful.
It is exactly because she does not contend,
that nobody can contend with her.

How could the ancient saying, "The imperfect
is completed" be regarded as empty talk?

Believe in the complete and return to it.

from the: Tao Te Ching
~Lao Tzu

(Add Comment) |

0 Kudos

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Finding the Essence of Tao

   21

The form of great virtue is something
    that only the Tao can follow.
The Tao as a "thing" is only vague and obscure.
How obscure! How vague! In it there is form.
How vague! How obscure! In it are things.
How deep! How dark! In it there is an essence.

The essence is so real-therein is belief.

From the present to antiquity,
    its name has never left it,
    so we can examine all origins.
How do I know the form of all origins?

By this.

(Add Comment) |

5 Kudos

Older Posts