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….
35 She who is centered in the Taocan go where she wishes, without danger.She perceives the universal harmony,even amid great pain,because she has found peace in her heart. Music or the smell of good cookingmay make people stop and enjoy.But words that point to the Taoseem monotonous and without flavor.When you look for it,…
34 The great Tao flows everywhere.All things are born from it,yet it doesn’t create them.It pours itself into its work,yet it makes no claim.It nourishes infinite worlds,yet it doesn’t hold on to them.Since it is merged with all thingsand hidden in their hearts,it can be called humble.Since all things vanish into itand it alone…
31 Weapons are the tools of violence;all decent men detest them. Weapons are the tools of fear;a decent man will avoid themexcept in the direst necessityand, if compelled, will use themonly with the utmost restraint.Peace is his highest value.If the peace has been shattered,how can he be content?His enemies are not demons,but human beings…
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…
We read Philip Larkin’s famous 1954 poem Church Going last night. I was five years old when the poem was written. The poem was troubling to everyone in our circle. No doubt that was Larkin’s purpose. I am seventy six now and the dereliction of churches continues unabated. Faith and superstition still die. In…
27 A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving. A good artist lets his intuition, lead him wherever it wants. A good scientist has freed himself of concepts and keeps his mind open to what is. Thus the Master is available to all people and doesn’t reject anyone. He…
25 There was something formless and perfect before the universe was born. It is serene. Empty. Solitary. Unchanging. Infinite. Eternally present. It is the mother of the universe. For lack of a better name, I call it the Tao. It flows through all things, inside and outside, and returns to the origin of all…
23 Express yourself completely,then keep quiet.Be like the forces of nature:when it blows, there is only wind;when it rains, there is only rain;when the clouds pass, the sun shines through. If you open yourself to the Tao,you are at one with the Taoand you can embody it completely.If you open yourself to insight,you are…
