Tao of the Day S2_073

Today was a very well rounded session starting with my selecting #51 and being joined by Dr. Rao. I brought up Souvik next and we discussed #27, the favorite verse of my buddy Andee who then joined me for #4 before Energy Lady came up to talk #11. We then ended with the trifecta of Kristen, Catherine, and Loyce for #33, #37, #32.

#4
The Tao is like a well:
used but never used up.
It is like the eternal void:
filled with infinite possibilities.

It is hidden but always present.
I don't know who gave birth to it.
It is older than God.

#11
A wheel has spokes,
but it rotates around a hollow center.

A pot is made out of clay or glass,
but you keep things in the empty space inside.

A house is made out of wood or brick,
but you live in the space between the walls.

We work with something,
but we use nothing.

#27
A good traveler has no fixed plans
and is not intent upon arriving.
A good artist lets his intuition
lead him wherever it wants.
A good scientist has freed himself of concepts
and keeps his mind open to what is.

Thus the Master is available to all people
and doesn't reject anyone.
He is ready to use all situations
and doesn't waste anything.
This is called embodying the light.

What is a good man but a bad man's teacher?
What is a bad man but a good man's job?
If you don't understand this, you will get lost,
however intelligent you are.
It is the great secret.

#32
Tao is an eternal mystery,
so small you can never take hold of it.

If a leader gets right with Tao,
people will follow him on instinct.
All will be right with the world.
People will do the right thing without being told.

Everything that comes from Tao needs a name.
But once everything has its name,
you should make no other distinction between things.
This prevents you from being trapped by them.

Everything in the universe is full of Tao and leads to Tao,
just as the water in rivers flows into oceans.

#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.

#51
Tao is the source of all living things,
and they are nourished
by Tao's power.
They are influenced
by the other living things around them,
and they are shaped
by their circumstances.

Everything respects Tao
and honors its power.
That's just the way it is.

Tao gives life to all things,
and its power watches out for them,
cares for them, helps them grow,
protects them, and comforts them.

Create something
without holding on to it.
Do the work
without expecting credit for it.
Lead people
without giving them orders.
That's the secret of the power of Tao.