Friday, February 18, 2011

Tao te Ching: 63

Act without action.
Do without ado.
Taste without tasting.
Whether it is big or small, many or few, repay hatred with virtue.
Prepare for the difficult while it is still easy.
Deal with the big while it is still small.
Difficult undertakings have always started with what is easy,
And great undertakings have always started with what is small.
Therefore the sage never strives for the great,
And thereby the great is achieved.
He who makes rash promises surely lacks faith.
he who takes things too easily will surely encounter much difficulty.
For this reason even the sage regards things as difficult,
And therefore he encounters no difficulty.
More actions for the sage to take. More actions for all of us to take, truly.

It seems a collection of folk wisdom, doesn't it? But even that has an origin. And likely a origin that predates the Tao te Ching. Yet it's worth collecting here. Wasn't it also worth including in the New Testament? Surely the Golden Rule wasn't new there either.

Practice wu-wei. Be serious and do your best, even when you think something is easy or trivial. If you do, you'll succeed. If you succeed in the little things you'll build the great thing.

Treat everyone well. Contribute virtue to the world, and not hatred. Recall Chapter 38 saying that the man of superior virtue takes no action and has no ulterior motive to do so. Act seriously but do not overreact. Do what is necessary and no more or less. Wu-wei isn't only doing the least of what is necessary, but also doing the most of what is necessary. It means to take correct action.

No comments:

Post a Comment