45 True perfection seems imperfect,yet it is perfectly itself.True fullness seems empty,yet it is fully present. True straightness seems crooked.True wisdom seems foolish.True art seems artless. The Master allows things to happen.She shapes events as they come.She steps out of the wayand lets the Tao speak for itself. Tao Te Ching by Lao Tsu,…
44 Fame or integrity: which is more important?Money or happiness: which is more valuable?Success or failure: which is more destructive? If you look to others for fulfillment,you will never truly be fulfilled.If your happiness depends on money,you will never be happy with yourself Be content with what you have;rejoice in the way things are.When…
I enjoyed the afternoon at the racetrack. I mean the environs of Great Lakes Dragaway located off of State Rt KR outside of Union Grove Wisconsin. Opened in 1955 the venue was the nation’s first purpose-built and is the oldest continuously operating dragstrip. The track was inspired by California racing. I was six years old…
43 The gentlest thing in the worldovercomes the hardest thing in the world.That which has no substanceenters where there is no space.This shows the value of non-action. Teaching without words,performing without actions:that is the Master’s way. Tao Te Ching by Lao Tsu, trans. by Stephen Mitchell Labor Day weekend. “Labor” is what life requires…
42 The Tao gives birth to One. One gives birth to Two. Two gives birth to Three. Three gives birth to all things. All things have their backs to the female and stand facing the male. When male and female combine, all things achieve harmony. Ordinary men hate solitude. But the Master makes use…
41 When a superior man hears of the Tao,he immediately begins to embody it. When an average man hears of the Tao, he half believes it, half doubts it. When a foolish man hears of the Tao, he laughs out loud. If he…
39 In harmony with the Tao, the sky is clear and spacious, the earth is solid and full, all creatures flourish together, content with the way they are, endlessly repeating themselves, endlessly renewed. When man interferes with the Tao, the sky becomes filthy, the earth becomes depleted, the equilibrium crumbles, creatures become extinct. The…
38 The Master doesn’t try to be powerful; thus he is truly powerful. The ordinary man keeps reaching for power; thus he never has enough. The Master does nothing, yet he leaves nothing undone. The ordinary man is always doing things, yet many more are left to be done. The kind man does something,…
37 The Tao never does anything, yet through it all things are done. If powerful men and women could center themselves in it, the whole world would be transformed by itself, in its natural rhythms. People would be content with their simple, everyday lives, in harmony, and free of desire. When there is no…
36 If you want to shrink something, you must first allow it to expand. If you want to get rid of something, you must first allow it to flourish. If you want to take something, you must first allow it to be given. This is called the subtle perception of the way things are….
