tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84405111738499179902024-03-08T01:35:05.550-05:00Wabi BlogiChristopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.comBlogger143125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8440511173849917990.post-48937378734927534032010-07-24T09:50:00.002-04:002010-07-24T09:51:23.832-04:00Tao # 81True words aren't eloquent;<br />eloquent words aren't true.<br />Wise men don't need to prove their point;<br />men who need to prove their point aren't wise.<br /><br />The Master has no possessions.<br />The more he does for others,<br />the happier he is.<br />The more he gives to others,<br />the wealthier he is.<br /><br />The Tao nourishes by not forcing.<br />By not dominating, the Master leads.Christopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8440511173849917990.post-77901592777572315842010-07-24T09:50:00.001-04:002010-07-24T09:50:35.853-04:00Tao # 80If a country is governed wisely,<br />its inhabitants will be content.<br />They enjoy the labor of their hands<br />and don't waste time inventing<br />labor-saving machines.<br />Since they dearly love their homes,<br />they aren't interested in travel.<br />There may be a few wagons and boats,<br />but these don't go anywhere.<br />There may be an arsenal of weapons,<br />but nobody ever uses them.<br />People enjoy their food,<br />take pleasure in being with their families,<br />spend weekends working in their gardens,<br />delight in the doings of the neighborhood.<br />And even though the next country is so close<br />that people can hear its roosters crowing and its dogs barking,<br />they are content to die of old age<br />without ever having gone to see it.Christopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8440511173849917990.post-45719854704363357302010-07-24T09:49:00.002-04:002010-07-24T09:50:02.850-04:00Tao # 79Failure is an opportunity.<br />If you blame someone else,<br />there is no end to the blame.<br /><br />Therefore the Master<br />fulfills her own obligations<br />and corrects her own mistakes.<br />She does what she needs to do<br />and demands nothing of others.Christopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8440511173849917990.post-36277350413976617932010-07-24T09:49:00.001-04:002010-07-24T09:49:28.497-04:00Tao # 78Nothing in the world<br />is as soft and yielding as water.<br />Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible,<br />nothing can surpass it.<br /><br />The soft overcomes the hard;<br />the gentle overcomes the rigid.<br />Everyone knows this is true,<br />but few can put it into practice.<br /><br />Therefore the Master remains<br />serene in the midst of sorrow.<br />Evil cannot enter his heart.<br />Because he has given up helping,<br />he is people's greatest help.<br /><br />True words seem paradoxical.Christopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8440511173849917990.post-15133201952603193662010-07-24T09:48:00.002-04:002010-07-24T09:49:00.422-04:00Tao # 77As it acts in the world, the Tao<br />is like the bending of a bow.<br />The top is bent downward;<br />the bottom is bent up.<br />It adjusts excess and deficiency<br />so that there is perfect balance.<br />It takes from what is too much<br />and give to what isn't enough.<br /><br />Those who try to control,<br />who use force to protect their power,<br />go against the direction of the Tao.<br />They take from those who don't have enough<br />and give to those who have far too much.<br /><br />The Master can keep giving<br />because there is no end to her wealth.<br />She acts without expectation,<br />succeeds without taking credit,<br />and doesn't think that she is better<br />than anyone else.Christopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8440511173849917990.post-3138484892733592042010-07-24T09:48:00.001-04:002010-07-24T09:48:29.643-04:00Tao # 76Men are born soft and supple;<br />dead, they are stiff and hard.<br />Plats are born tender and pliant;<br />dead, they are brittle and dry.<br /><br />Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible<br />is a disciple of death.<br />Whoever is soft and yielding<br />is a disciple of life.<br /><br />The hard and stiff will be broken.<br />The soft and supple will prevail.Christopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8440511173849917990.post-18100066866097287432010-07-24T09:47:00.003-04:002010-07-24T09:47:58.394-04:00Tao # 75When taxes are too high,<br />people go hungry.<br />When the government is too intrusive,<br />people lose their spirit.<br /><br />Act for the people's benefit.<br />Trust them; leave them alone.Christopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8440511173849917990.post-13268278212954998542010-07-24T09:47:00.001-04:002010-07-24T09:47:25.240-04:00Tao # 74If you realize that all things change,<br />there is nothing you will try to hold on to.<br />If you aren't afraid of dying,<br />there is nothing you can't achieve.<br /><br />Trying to control the future<br />is like trying to take the master carpenter's place.<br />When you handle the master carpenter's tools,<br />chances are that you'll cut your hand.Christopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8440511173849917990.post-49692819055417103472010-07-24T09:46:00.003-04:002010-07-24T09:46:56.278-04:00Tao # 73The Tao is always at ease.<br />It overcomes without competing,<br />answers without speaking a word,<br />arrives without being summoned,<br />accomplishes without a plan.<br /><br />Its net covers the whole universe.<br />And though its meshes are wide,<br />it doesn't let a thing slip through.Christopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8440511173849917990.post-41107427781187344942010-07-24T09:46:00.001-04:002010-07-24T09:46:29.332-04:00Tao # 72When they lose their sense of awe,<br />people turn to religion.<br />When they no longer trust themselves,<br />they begin to depend upon authority.<br /><br />Therefore the Master steps back<br />so that people won't be confused.<br />He teaches without a teaching,<br />so that people will have nothing to learn.Christopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8440511173849917990.post-59361364219171194722010-07-24T09:45:00.000-04:002010-07-24T09:46:06.525-04:00Tao # 71Not-knowing is true knowledge.<br />Presuming to know is a disease.<br />First realize that you are sick;<br />then you can move toward health.<br /><br />The Master is her own physician.<br />She has healed herself of all knowing.<br />Thus she is truly whole.Christopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8440511173849917990.post-66736626554783054012010-07-24T08:26:00.000-04:002010-07-24T08:27:04.517-04:00Tao # 70My teachings are easy to understand<br />and easy to put into practice.<br />Yet your intellect will never grasp them,<br />and if you try to practice them, you'll fail.<br /><br />My teachings are older than the world.<br />How can you grasp their meaning?<br /><br />If you want to know me,<br />look inside your heart.Christopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8440511173849917990.post-37883170909105776832010-07-24T08:25:00.002-04:002010-07-24T08:26:11.106-04:00Tao # 69The generals have a saying:<br />"Rather than make the first move<br />it is better to wait and see.<br />Rather than advance an inch<br />it is better to retreat a yard."<br /><br />This is called<br />going forward without advancing,<br />pushing back without using weapons.<br /><br />There is no greater misfortune<br />than underestimating your enemy.<br />Underestimating your enemy<br />means thinking that he is evil.<br />Thus you destroy your three treasures<br />and become an enemy yourself.<br /><br />When two great forces oppose each other,<br />the victory will go<br />to the one that knows how to yield.Christopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8440511173849917990.post-65257029236829558922010-07-24T08:25:00.001-04:002010-07-24T08:25:35.847-04:00Tao # 68The best athlete<br />wants his opponent at his best.<br />The best general<br />enters the mind of his enemy.<br />The best businessman<br />serves the communal good.<br />The best leader<br />follows the will of the people.<br /><br />All of the embody<br />the virtue of non-competition.<br />Not that they don't love to compete,<br />but they do it in the spirit of play.<br />In this they are like children<br />and in harmony with the Tao.Christopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8440511173849917990.post-32028291356866563602010-07-24T08:24:00.003-04:002010-07-24T08:24:55.532-04:00Tao # 67Some say that my teaching is nonsense.<br />Others call it lofty but impractical.<br />But to those who have looked inside themselves,<br />this nonsense makes perfect sense.<br />And to those who put it into practice,<br />this loftiness has roots that go deep.<br /><br />I have just three things to teach:<br />simplicity, patience, compassion.<br />These three are your greatest treasures.<br />Simple in actions and in thoughts,<br />you return to the source of being.<br />Patient with both friends and enemies,<br />you accord with the way things are.<br />Compassionate toward yourself,<br />you reconcile all beings in the world.Christopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8440511173849917990.post-50647989377281382962010-07-24T08:24:00.001-04:002010-07-24T08:24:22.625-04:00Tao # 66All streams flow to the sea<br />because it is lower than they are.<br />Humility gives it its power.<br /><br />If you want to govern the people,<br />you must place yourself below them.<br />If you want to lead the people,<br />you must learn how to follow them.<br /><br />The Master is above the people,<br />and no one feels oppressed.<br />She goes ahead of the people,<br />and no one feels manipulated.<br />The whole world is grateful to her.<br />Because she competes with no one,<br />no one can compete with her.Christopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8440511173849917990.post-80932219666638592482010-07-24T08:20:00.002-04:002010-07-24T08:21:08.473-04:00Tao # 65The ancient Masters<br />didn't try to educate the people,<br />but kindly taught them to not-know.<br /><br />When they think that they know the answers,<br />people are difficult to guide.<br />When they know that they don't know,<br />people can find their own way.<br /><br />If you want to learn how to govern,<br />avoid being clever or rich.<br />The simplest pattern is the clearest.<br />Content with an ordinary life,<br />you can show all people the way<br />back to their own true nature.Christopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8440511173849917990.post-29809870157133382902010-07-24T08:20:00.001-04:002010-07-24T08:20:38.271-04:00Tao # 64What is rooted is easy to nourish.<br />What is recent is easy to correct.<br />What is brittle is easy to break.<br />What is small is easy to scatter.<br /><br />Prevent trouble before it arises.<br />Put things in order before they exist.<br />The giant pine tree<br />grows from a tiny sprout.<br />The journey of a thousand miles<br />starts from beneath your feet.<br /><br />Rushing into action, you fail.<br />Trying to grasp things, you lose them.<br />Forcing a project to completion,<br />you ruin what was almost ripe.<br /><br />Therefore the Master takes action<br />by letting things take their course.<br />He remains as calm<br />at the end as at the beginning.<br />He has nothing,<br />thus has nothing to lose.<br />What he desires is non-desire;<br />what he learns is to unlearn.<br />He simply reminds people<br />of who they have always been.<br />He cares about nothing but the Tao.<br />Thus he can care for all things.Christopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8440511173849917990.post-43957951947336927242010-07-24T08:19:00.002-04:002010-07-24T08:20:10.310-04:00Tao # 63Act without doing;<br />work without effort.<br />Think of the small as large<br />and the few as many.<br />Confront the difficult<br />while it is still easy;<br />accomplish the great task<br />by a series of small acts.<br /><br />The Master never reaches for the great;<br />thus she achieves greatness.<br />When she runs into a difficulty,<br />she stops and gives herself to it.<br />She doesn't cling to her own comfort;<br />thus problems are no problem for her.Christopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8440511173849917990.post-7302464712481120822010-07-24T08:19:00.001-04:002010-07-24T08:19:39.969-04:00Tao # 62The Tao is the center of the universe,<br />the good man's treasure,<br />the bad man's refuge.<br /><br />Honors can be bought with fine words,<br />respect can be won with good deeds;<br />but the Tao is beyond all value,<br />and no one can achieve it.<br /><br />Thus, when a new leader is chosen,<br />don't offer to help him<br />with your wealth or your expertise.<br />Offer instead<br />to teach him about the Tao.<br /><br />Why did the ancient Masters esteem the Tao?<br />Because, being one with the Tao,<br />when you seek, you find;<br />and when you make a mistake, you are forgiven.<br />That is why everybody loves it.Christopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8440511173849917990.post-74104909815827728112010-07-24T08:18:00.000-04:002010-07-24T08:19:11.148-04:00Tao # 61When a country obtains great power,<br />it becomes like the sea:<br />all streams run downward into it.<br />The more powerful it grows,<br />the greater the need for humility.<br />Humility means trusting the Tao,<br />thus never needing to be defensive.<br /><br />A great nation is like a great man:<br />When he makes a mistake, he realizes it.<br />Having realized it, he admits it.<br />Having admitted it, he corrects it.<br />He considers those who point out his faults<br />as his most benevolent teachers.<br />He thinks of his enemy<br />as the shadow that he himself casts.<br /><br />If a nation is centered in the Tao,<br />if it nourishes its own people<br />and doesn't meddle in the affairs of others,<br />it will be a light to all nations in the world.Christopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8440511173849917990.post-1831312785130620392010-07-22T09:18:00.000-04:002010-07-22T09:19:09.498-04:00Tao # 60Governing a large country<br />is like frying a small fish.<br />You spoil it with too much poking.<br /><br />Center your country in the Tao<br />and evil will have no power.<br />Not that it isn't there,<br />but you'll be able to step out of its way.<br /><br />Give evil nothing to oppose<br />and it will disappear by itself.Christopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8440511173849917990.post-30198050191467733342010-07-22T09:17:00.002-04:002010-07-22T09:18:11.009-04:00Tao # 59For governing a country well<br />there is nothing better than moderation.<br /><br />The mark of a moderate man<br />is freedom from his own ideas.<br />Tolerant like the sky,<br />all-pervading like sunlight,<br />firm like a mountain,<br />supple like a tree in the wind,<br />he has no destination in view<br />and makes use of anything<br />life happens to bring his way.<br /><br />Nothing is impossible for him.<br />Because he has let go,<br />he can care for the people's welfare<br />as a mother cares for her child.Christopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8440511173849917990.post-14823827099059952342010-07-22T09:17:00.001-04:002010-07-22T09:17:40.226-04:00Tao # 58If a country is governed with tolerance,<br />the people are comfortable and honest.<br />If a country is governed with repression,<br />the people are depressed and crafty.<br /><br />When the will to power is in charge,<br />the higher the ideals, the lower the results.<br />Try to make people happy,<br />and you lay the groundwork for misery.<br />Try to make people moral,<br />and you lay the groundwork for vice.<br /><br />Thus the Master is content<br />to serve as an example<br />and not to impose her will.<br />She is pointed, but doesn't pierce.<br />Straightforward, but supple.<br />Radiant, but easy on the eyes.Christopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8440511173849917990.post-87161376921779787952010-07-22T09:16:00.002-04:002010-07-22T09:17:07.180-04:00Tao # 57If you want to be a great leader,<br />you must learn to follow the Tao.<br />Stop trying to control.<br />Let go of fixed plans and concepts,<br />and the world will govern itself.<br /><br />The more prohibitions you have,<br />the less virtuous people will be.<br />The more weapons you have,<br />the less secure people will be.<br />The more subsidies you have,<br />the less self-reliant people will be.<br /><br />Therefore the Master says:<br />I let go of the law,<br />and people become honest.<br />I let go of economics,<br />and people become prosperous.<br />I let go of religion,<br />and people become serene.<br />I let go of all desire for the common good,<br />and the good becomes common as grass.Christopher Paquettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05059036599070455568noreply@blogger.com0