The Tao Of Today

Mistress Eve(L) · Post by **Mistress Eve(L)** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 10:36 am

I really like that one Merc...thank you!

Mercurygriffin · Post by **Mercurygriffin** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 3:02 pm

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 to the realm of nothing.
Form that includes all forms,
image 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.

Mercurygriffin · Post by **Mercurygriffin** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 1:08 am

The ancient Masters were profound and subtle.
Their wisdom was unfathomable.
There is no way to describe it;
all we can describe is their appearance.

They were careful
as someone crossing an iced-over stream.
Alert as a warrior in enemy territory.
Courteous as a guest.
Fluid as melting ice.
Shapable as a block of wood.
Receptive as a valley.
Clear as a glass of water.

Do you have the patience to wait
till your mud settles and the water is clear?
Can you remain unmoving
till the right action arises by itself?

The Master doesn't seek fulfillment.
Not seeking, not expecting,
she is present, and can welcome all things.

vicious_blood · Post by **vicious_blood** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 8:24 am

Cool.

Mercurygriffin · Post by **Mercurygriffin** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 4:02 am

Empty your mind of all thoughts.
Let your heart be at peace.
Watch the turmoil of beings,
but contemplate their return.

Each separate being in the universe
returns to the common source.
Returning to the source is serenity.

If you don't realize the source,
you stumble in confusion and sorrow.
When you realize where you come from,
you naturally become tolerant,
disinterested, amused,
kindhearted as a grandmother,
dignified as a king.
Immersed in the wonder of the Tao,
you can deal with whatever life brings you,
and when death comes, you are ready.

Mercurygriffin · Post by **Mercurygriffin** » Tue Nov 25, 2003 11:26 am

When the great Tao is forgotten,
goodness and piety appear.
When the body's intelligence declines,
cleverness and knowledge step forth.
When there is no peace in the family,
filial piety begins.
When the country falls into chaos,
patriotism is born.

Mercurygriffin · Post by **Mercurygriffin** » Wed Nov 26, 2003 12:03 am

When the Master governs, the people
are hardly aware that he exists.
Next best is a leader who is loved.
Next, one who is feared.
The worst is one who is despised.

If you don't trust the people,
you make them untrustworthy.

The Master doesn't talk, he acts.
When his work is done,
the people say, "Amazing:
we did it, all by ourselves!"

Codeine Coma · Post by **Codeine Coma** » Wed Nov 26, 2003 2:42 am

I like that...."The Master that is feared"

iblis · Post by **iblis** » Wed Nov 26, 2003 11:54 am

Mercurygriffin wrote:When the country falls into chaos,
patriotism is born.

I think just about everyone has seen this proven true, in recent years. :roll:

Mercurygriffin · Post by **Mercurygriffin** » Thu Nov 27, 2003 3:36 am

Codeine Coma wrote:I like that...."The Master that is feared"

The government at it's best.

iblis wrote:
Mercurygriffin wrote:When the country falls into chaos,
patriotism is born.

I think just about everyone has seen this proven true, in recent years.

Yep. And all of those flags just flew off the shelves.

And now for your daily Tao:

Throw away holiness and wisdom,
and people will be a hundred times happier.
Throw away morality and justice,
and people will do the right thing.

Throw away industry and profit,
and there won't be any thieves.

If these three aren't enough,
just stay at the center of the circle
and let all things take their course.

FalseAbsolution · Post by **FalseAbsolution** » Thu Nov 27, 2003 10:16 pm

I think that's my favorite one yet man. A lot of that stuff i live by.

Mercurygriffin · Post by **Mercurygriffin** » Fri Nov 28, 2003 5:28 am

Stop thinking, and end your problems.
What difference between yes and no?
What difference between success and failure?
Must you value what others value,
avoid what others avoid?
How ridiculous!

Other people are excited,
as though they were at a parade.
I alone don't care,
I alone am expressionless,
like an infant before it can smile.

Other people have what they need;
I alone possess nothing.
I alone drift about,
like someone without a home.
I am like an idiot, my mind is so empty.

Other people are bright;
I alone am dark.
Other people are sharper;
I alone am dull.
Other people have a purpose;
I alone don't know.
I drift like a wave on the ocean,
I blow as aimless as the wind.

I am different from ordinary people.
I drink from the Great Mother's breasts.

Mercurygriffin · Post by **Mercurygriffin** » Sat Nov 29, 2003 2:44 am

The Master keeps her mind
always at one with the Tao;
that is what gives her her radiance.

The Tao is ungraspable.
How can her mind be at one with it?
Because she doesn't cling to ideas.

The Tao is dark and unfathomable.
How can it make her radiant?
Because she lets it.

Since before time and space were,
the Tao is.
It is beyond is and is not.
How do I know this is true?
I look inside myself and see.

Mercurygriffin · Post by **Mercurygriffin** » Sun Nov 30, 2003 1:13 am

If you want to become whole,
let yourself be partial.
If you want to become straight,
let yourself be crooked.
If you want to become full,
let yourself be empty.
If you want to be reborn,
let yourself die.
If you want to be given everything,
give everything up.

The Master, by residing in the Tao,
sets an example for all beings.
Because he doesn't display himself,
people can see his light.
Because he has nothing to prove,
people can trust his words.
Because he doesn't know who he is,
people recognize themselves in him.
Because he has no goad in mind,
everything he does succeeds.

When the ancient Masters said,
"If you want to be given everything,
give everything up,"
they weren't using empty phrases.
Only in being lived by the Tao can you be truly yourself.

Mercurygriffin · Post by **Mercurygriffin** » Mon Dec 01, 2003 2:06 am

Express yourself completely,
then keep quiet.
Be like the forces of nature:
when it blows, there is only wind;
when it rains, there is only rain;
when the clouds pass, the sun shines through.

If you open yourself to the Tao,
you are at one with the Tao
and you can embody it completely.
If you open yourself to insight,
you are at one with insight
and you can use it completely.
If you open yourself to loss,
you are at one with loss
and you can accept it completely.

Open yourself to the Tao,
then trust your natural responses;
and everything will fall into place.

Mercurygriffin · Post by **Mercurygriffin** » Tue Dec 02, 2003 1:04 am

He who stands on tiptoe
doesn't stand form.
He who rushes ahead
doesn't go far.
He who tries to shine
dims his own light.
He who defines himself
can't know who he really is.
He who has power over others
can't empower himself.
He who clings to his work
will create nothing that endures.

If you want to accord with the Tao,
just do your job, then let go.

Codeine Coma · Post by **Codeine Coma** » Tue Dec 02, 2003 2:57 am

Sounds like me.

Mercurygriffin · Post by **Mercurygriffin** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 12:34 am

There was something formless and perfect
before the universe was born.
It is serene. Empty.
Solitary. Unchanging.
Infinite. Eternally present.
It is the mother of the universe.
For lack of a better name,
I call it the Tao.

It flows through all things,
inside and outside, and returns
to the origin of all things.

The Tao is great.
The universe is great.
Earth is great.
Man is great.
These are the four great powers.

Man follows the earth.
Earth follows the universe.
The universe follows the Tao.
The Tao follows only itself.

Mercurygriffin · Post by **Mercurygriffin** » Thu Dec 04, 2003 3:41 am

The heavy is the root of the light.
The unmoved is the source of all movement.

Thus the Master travels all day
without leaving home.
However splendid the views,
she stays serenely in herself.

Why should the lord of the country
flit about like a fool?
If you let yourself be blown to and fro,
you lose touch with your root.
If you let restlessness move you,
you lose touch with who you are.

vicious_blood · Post by **vicious_blood** » Thu Dec 04, 2003 8:02 am

Mercurygriffin wrote: If you let yourself be blown to and fro,
you lose touch with your root.
If you let restlessness move you,
you lose touch with who you are.

Kinda hits too close to home for me.

*sigh*