23 thunder rage lightningfinally it all blows overand then the moon Lesson # 23 High winds don’t last forever.Thunderstorms pass eventually.There is an arc to everything. Everything arises and then passes away.Pay attention to the flow.Rise with the beginning, radiate at the zenith,and let go as it begins to fade away.Trust. From: 81 Lessons from […]
Number Twenty Three Be Quiet Read More »
22no going upstreamthe river far too swiftfor a leaf Lesson # 22 Surrender, and you will win.Give, and you will receive.Embrace aging,and you feel freer and younger.Let go of control,and it all falls into place. Just stop working at life so hard. From: 81 Lessons from the Tao Te Ching Number 22: Yielding Yield and
Number Twenty Two Yielding Read More »
21 formless yet within all formssubtle and intangiblewhat the fuck is it? Lesson # 21 At first, trying to understand seems impossible.The Tao is as slippery as an eel,formless, but in everything,timeless, but immediate. When I am very quietI can barely perceive its presence.How do I know that it is there at all?Look around. From:
Twenty One Inside of Us Read More »
20 infant on her mother’s breastthere is justnot enough time Lesson # 20 A newborn child looks into its mother’s eyes, empty and content. Later we learn to grab, hold, defend, attack.I am that innocent child, owning nothing, competing for nothing,hungry for nothing, planning nothing.alone, and at peace.Everyone else is very busyHow can I explain?I
Number Twenty A Lonely Path Read More »
19 the old man has forgottenthe day that the crowds cheered his victory Lesson # 19 Early on, we want what we wantwhen we want it.Then, with agewe begin to care about others.Loyalty and simple service are the best we can do.Later we understand how much we clingto the image of being good.Finally, we just
Number Ninteen Stop Working On It Read More »
18 the army triumphantthe politician victorious the Tao is lost. Lesson # 18 When our connection with the Tao is lost, the great pretense begins.We create lists of what is good and bad,what we should and shouldn’t do,what is right and what is wrong.We obey our elders, serve our masters,obey out of loyalty and fear,and
Number Eighteen Non-Alignment Read More »
17 sunlight highlighting a bright, tiny emerald buga jewel from a dead king’s crownLesson # 17 Most leaders want to leave a legacy.Many leave a trail of tears and wounds behind them.The deeply wise leaderleaves no trace behind.Those they led still believethat they did it all by themselves. From: 81 Lessons from the Tao Te
Number Seventeen Kinds of Leaders Read More »
16 mist over a gray pondeach breath fades awayno one is here Lesson # 16 Breathe in . . . release.With each breath let go of more and more.As you become empty,you see everything being born, living, passing away. When you were full of yourselfyou grasped, stumbled, and suffered. But empty, you are everything,and even
Number Sixteen Stillness Read More »
15 as thin ice cracksstep with the caution and grace of an old master Lesson #15 No one has ever completely understood the Tao,not even Lao Tsu.But some lived in alignment with it:quiet, and self-effacing, taking each step as careful as if on thin ice,alert as a predator on the hunt,as simple as a block
Number Fifteen: Ancient Masters Read More »
14 limping along the trailon a chilly morninglooking for what never dies Lesson # 14 It was herebefore there was anything to see,before there was anything to hear,before there was anything to touch,only bright darkness, formless form,everywhere and imperceptible,alive. From: 81 Lessons from the Tao Te Ching Number Fourteen: Before time Look The Tao cannot
Number Fourteen: Before Time Read More »