Forty-two
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.
Men 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 man will die a violent death!"
This will be the essence of my teaching.
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Forty-three
The softest thing in the universe
Overcomes the hardest thing in the universe.
That without 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 very few.
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Tao Te Ching
by Lao Tzu
Translated by Gia-Fu Feng
it could be said
there is no special light
it could be said
there is no special point of view
it seems that people
are full of dreams
it seems that people
are full of thoughts and plans
it's fine to be full of clouds
isn't that just what happens?
no need to clear the clouds
just filling out the quatrain
The Way of heaven is silent,
It has no appearance, no pattern.
It is so vast that its
Limit cannot be reached;
It is so deep that it
Cannot be fathomed.
It is always evolving
Along with people,
But knowledge cannot grasp it.
It turns like a wheel,
Beginninglessly and endlessly,
Effective as a spirit.
Open and empty,
It goes along with the flow,
Always coming afterward
And never in the forefront.
~ Lao-tzu
@rookie54 said正
Utter emptiness has no image
Upright independence does not rely on anything
Just expand and illuminate the original truth
Unconcerned by external conditions
~ Hongzhi Zhengjue (1091–1157)
South and north, sharing
A single mountain gate,
Above and below, two temples
Both named T’ien-chu.
Dwelling therein is
An old dharma master,
Built tall and skinny
Like a stork or swan.
I do not know what
Practice he engages in,
But his green eyes
Reflect the mountain valleys.
Just looking into them
Makes one feel fresh and pure,
As if all one’s baneful vexations had been cleansed.
~ Su Shih (1073)