Tao of the Day S2_052

I wanted to start of with #71 and only to to read it and revisit it a little bit as that was my Tao of the today. I was happy of course to have a great group of participants to share other chapters however and it started with Julie and Chrissy with #23, Dr. Rao joined me to inject some added wisdom as well followed by Energy Lady with #68. I had a new guest Rachel, who's #12 lead her to start talking on Wisdom. Will then joined me followed by Graciela with #13 and #37 respectively. Mpress #69, then a new guest Catherine #33 popped on, followed by my buddy Kelly who allowed me to rove with her #79. Then MoJoe tried to jump on but didn't have the bandwidth, literally.

#12
Colors blind the eye.
Sounds deafen the ear.
Flavors numb the taste.
Thoughts weaken the mind.
Desires wither the heart.

The Master observes the world
but trusts his inner vision.
He allows things to come and go.
His heart is open as the sky.

#13
Success is as dangerous as failure.
Hope is as hollow as fear.

What does it mean that success is a dangerous as failure?
Whether you go up the ladder or down it,
you position is shaky.
When you stand with your two feet on the ground,
you will always keep your balance.

What does it mean that hope is as hollow as fear?
Hope and fear are both phantoms
that arise from thinking of the self.
When we don't see the self as self,
what do we have to fear?

See the world as your self.
Have faith in the way things are.
Love the world as your self;
then you can care for all things.

#23
When you have nothing to say,
you may as well keep your mouth shut.
The wind and the rain don't last forever.
If nature knows enough to give it a rest sometimes,
so should you.

If you're ready for Tao, you can live with Tao.
If you're ready to succeed, you can live with success.
If you're ready to fail, you can live with failure.

Trust your instincts, and others will trust you.

#33
Knowing others is intelligence;
knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is strength;
mastering yourself is true power.

If you realize that you have enough,
you are truly rich.
If you stay in the center
and embrace death with your whole heart,
you will endure forever.

#37
The Tao never does anything,
yet through it all things are done.

If powerful men and women
could venter themselves in it,
the whole world would be transformed
by itself, in its natural rhythms.
People would be content
with their simple, everyday lives,
in harmony, and free of desire.

When there is no desire,
all things are at peace.

#68
The best athlete
wants his opponent at his best.
The best general
enters the mind of his enemy.
The best businessman
serves the communal good.
The best leader
follows the will of the people.

All of the embody
the virtue of non-competition.
Not that they don't love to compete,
but they do it in the spirit of play.
In this they are like children
and in harmony with the Tao.

#69
The generals have a saying:
"Rather than make the first move
it is better to wait and see.
Rather than advance an inch
it is better to retreat a yard."

This is called
going forward without advancing,
pushing back without using weapons.

There is no greater misfortune
than underestimating your enemy.
Underestimating your enemy
means thinking that he is evil.
Thus you destroy your three treasures
and become an enemy yourself.

When two great forces oppose each other,
the victory will go
to the one that knows how to yield.