Laura Novak
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Tao Te Wednesday

1/25/2012

 
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Look, and it can't be seen.
Listen, and it can't be heard.
Reach, and it can't be grasped.

Above, it isn't bright.
Below, it isn't dark.
Seamless, unnamable,
it returns ot the realm of nothing.
Form that includes all forms,
imagine without an image,
subtle beyond all conception.

Approach it and there is no beginning;
follow it and there is no end.
You can't know it, but you can be it,
at ease in your own life.
Just realize where you come from:
this is the essence of wisdom.  
      Verse 14

Tao Te Wednesday

1/18/2012

 
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The Tao is like a well:
used but never used up.
It is like the eternal void:
filled with infinite possibilities.

It is hidden but always present.
I don't know who gave birth to it.
It is older than God.


Verse 4, A New English Version


(Okay, speaking of used up, voids, and birth, I thought I might break my Zen and highlight THIS article to get the conversation started. Perhaps we can focus on the psychology of this type of warfare!)

Tao Te Wednesday

1/11/2012

 
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Governing a large country
is like frying a small fish.
You spoil it with too much poking.

Center your country in the Tao
and evil will have no power.
Not that it isn't there,
but you'll be able to step out of its way.

Give evil nothing to oppose
and it will disappear by itself.



Verse 60, Stephen Mitchell
New English Version

Tao Te Wednesday

1/4/2012

 
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In the pursuit of knowledge,
every day something is added.
In the practice of the Tao,
every day something is dropped.
Less and less do you need to force things,
until finally you arrive at non-action.
When nothing is done,
nothing is left undone.

True mastery can be gained
by letting things go their own way.
It can't be gained by interfering.


Tao #48 Stephen Mitchell New English Version

Tao Te Wednesday

12/21/2011

 
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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 Master views the parts with compassion, because he understands the whole.
His constant practice is humility. He doesn't glitter like a jewel
but lets himself be shaped by the Tao, as rugged and common as a stone.


Tao #39

Tao Te Wednesday

12/14/2011

 
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The Tao doesn't take sides;
it gives birth to both good and evil.
The Master doesn't take sides;
she welcomes both saints and sinners.

The Tao is like a bellows:
it is empty yet infinitely capable.
The more you use it, the more it produces;
the more you talk of it, the less you understand.

Hold on to the center.  
Tao #5

Tao Te Wednesday

12/7/2011

21 Comments

 
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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. 

Tao #30  Stephen Mitchell New English Version

21 Comments

Tao Te Wednesday

11/30/2011

 
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For governing a country well
There is nothing better than moderation.

The mark of a moderate man
is freedom from his own ideas.
Tolerant like the sky,
all-pervading like sunlight,
firm like a mountain,
supple like a tree in the wind,
he has no destination in view
and makes use of anything
life happens to bring his way.

Nothing is impossible for him.
Because he has let go,
he can care for the people’s welfare
as a mother cares for her child.

Tao # 59  New English Version by Stephen Mitchell


Tao Te Wednesday

11/23/2011

 
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As it acts in the world, the Tao
is like the bending of a bow.
The top is bent downward;
the bottom is bent up.
It adjusts excess and deficiency
so that there is perfect balance.
It takes from what is too much
and gives to what isn’t enough.

Those who try to control,
who use force to protect their power,
go against the direction of the Tao.
They take from those who don’t have enough
and give to those who have far too much.

The Master can keep giving
because there is no end to her wealth.
She acts without expectation,
succeeds without taking credit,
And doesn’t think that she is better
than anyone else.      Tao verse 77

Tao Te Wednesday

11/9/2011

 
Picture
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 way
and lets the Tao speak for itself.
Verse 45 Stephen Mitchell version

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