Gently I weep for my mind,
caught in its illusion of ownership.
Mind, you’re not who you think you are.
You’re dancing over a pit. Soon you’ll fall through,
and these things you’ve valued and collected will
be left behind. My sweet dear, do you
understand this, and if you do,
how does your food
taste?
When the water returns
to its original oneness with the river,
it no longer has any individual feeling to
it; it resumes its own nature, and finds
composure. How very glad the
water must be to come
back to the original
river!
If this is so,
what feeling will we have
when we die? I think we are like the water
in the dipper. We will have composure then, perfect
composure. It may be too perfect for us, just now, because
we are so much attached to our own feeling, to our
individual existence. For us, just now, we have
some fear of death, but after we resume
our true original nature,
there is Nirvana.
You who lack
self-discipline, be inquiring!
Going straight to the root is the hallmark
of the buddha; picking up leaves and collecting branches
is no use at all. Most people don’t know the pearl
that answers all wishes.
Knowing
others is intelligence;
knowing the self is enlightenment.
Conquering others is power; conquering
the self is strength. Know what is enough, and
you’ll be rich. Persevere, and you’ll develop
a will. Remain in the center, and you’ll
always be at home. Die without
dying, and you’ll endure
forever.
from The Tao te Ching of Lao Tzu,
ebooks & apps of the Tao the Ching, I Ching,
Hua hu Ching, and Art of War for
You
can now buy
Tao te Ching as part of a
five-app bundle of Taoist classics
for iPhone or iPad for less than
the cost of one hardcover
book.
Keep your heart clear and
transparent and you will never be bound.
A single disturbed thought, though, creates ten thousand
distractions. Let myriad things captivate you and you’ll
go further and further astray. How painful to
see people all wrapped up in
themselves.