Thursday, January 25, 2007

Tao Te Ching, Verse 23


Sincerity

Speak few words, but say them
With quietude and sincerity,
And they will be long lasting,
For a raging wind cannot blow all morning,
Nor a sudden rainstorm
Last throughout the day.

Why is this so?
Because it is the nature of the sky
And the earth to be frugal.
Even human beings
Cannot alter nature
Without suffering the consequences.

When we sincerely follow the ethical path,
We become one with it.
When we become one
With the ethical path
It embraces us.

When we completely lose our way,
We become one with loss.
When we become one with loss,
Loss embraces us.

When we sincerely follow
The Great Integrity,
We become one with it.
When we are one with the
Great Integrity,
It embraces us.

But, when nothing is done sincerely,
No-thing and no one embraces us.

Verse 23
Photo; Ant Nebula

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