The man in whom
Tao acts without impediment harms no other being by his actions yet he does not
know himself to be "kind", to be "gentle". . . . (He) does
not bother with his own interests and does not despise others who do. He does
not struggle to make money and does not make a virtue of poverty. He goes his
way without relying on others and does not pride himself on walking alone.
While he does not follow the crowd he won't complain of those who do. Rank and
reward make no appeal to him; disgrace and shame do not deter him. He is not
always looking for right and wrong, always deciding "Yes" or
"No." The ancients said, therefore: The man of Tao remains unknown.
Perfect virtue produces nothing. "No-Self" is "True-Self".
And the greatest man is Nobody. - Chuang Tzu
The true men of
old were not afraid when they stood alone in their views. No great exploits. No
plans. If they failed, no sorrow. No self-congratulation in success. . . . The
true men of old knew no lust for life, no dread of death. Their entrance was
without gladness, their exit, yonder, without resistance. Easy come, easy go.
They did not forget where from, nor ask where to, nor drive grimly forward fighting
their way through life. They took life as it came, gladly; took death as it
came, without care; and went away, yonder. Yonder! They had no mind to fight
Tao. They did not try by their own contriving, to help Tao along. These are the
ones we call true men. Minds free, thoughts gone. Brows clear, faces serene. - Chuang
Tzu
When we look at
things in the light of Tao, nothing is best, nothing is worst. Each thing, seen
in its own light stands out in its own way. It can seem to be
"better" than what is compared with it on its own terms. But seen in
terms of the whole, no one thing stands out as "better" ... All
creatures have gifts of their own... All things have varying capacities.
Consequently he who wants to have right without wrong, order without disorder,
does not understand the principles of heaven and earth. He does not know how
things hang together. - Chuang Tzu
Tao is obscured
when men understand only one pair of opposites, or concentrate only on a
partial aspect of being. Then clear expression also becomes muddled by mere
wordplay, affirming this one aspect and denying all the rest. The pivot of Tao
passes through the center where all affirmations and denials converge. He who
grasps the pivot is at the still-point from which all movements and oppositions
can be seen in their right relationship... Abandoning all thought of imposing a
limit or taking sides, he rests in direct intuition. - Chuang Tzu
The mind remains
undetermined in the great Void. Here the highest knowledge is unbounded. That
which gives things their thusness cannot be delimited by things. So when we
speak of 'limits', we remain confined to limited things. The limit of the
unlimited is called 'fullness.' The limitlessness of the limited is called
'emptiness.' Tao is the source of both. But it is itself neither fullness nor
emptiness. - Chuang Tzu
To regard the
fundamental as the essence, to regard things as coarse, to regard accumulation
as deficiency, and to dwell quietly alone with the spiritual and the
intelligent - herein lie the techniques of Tao of the ancients. - Chuang
Tzu
Tao is a name
that indicates without defining. Tao is beyond words and beyond things. It is
not expressed either in word or in silence. Where there is no longer word or
silence Tao is apprehended. - Chuang Tzu
When there is no
more separation between 'this' and 'that,' it is called the still-point of the
Tao. At the still point in the center of the circle one can see the infinite in
all things. - Chuang Tzu
To exercise
no-thought and rest in nothing is the first step toward resting in Tao. To
start from nowhere and follow no road is the first step toward attaining Tao. -
Chuang Tzu
Tao is beyond
words and beyond things. It is not expressed either in word or in silence.
Where there is no longer word or silence Tao is apprehended. - Chuang
Tzu
When one is at
ease with himself, one is near Tao. This is to let Nature take its own course.
- Chuang Tzu
