Tao of the Day S2_149

Today was a long Tao with my reading #42 but not going over it as MoJoe joined me for #33 then Tina for #68, Loyce for #64, Allison for #52, Mpress for #70, and just as I was wrapping up Julie came up and shared #30.

#30 "Tao Does Not Dominate"
Governing, in any capacity, when led by Tao
Doesn’t use force to gain power.
Every force applied will suffer equal counterforce.
So violence, however it is intended,
Will always rebound upon oneself.

Where armies march briers grow
And in their wake follows hunger and villainy.

Skillful in what she does
The Master achieves her goal and stops;
Neither forcing nor manipulating further.
She knows that dominating
Goes counter to Tao
And whoever opposes Tao
Will certainly die early.

#33 "You are Not Manifestation"

Study others and gain some knowledge.
Study yourself and gain deep wisdom.

Controlling others takes strength.
But controlling your ego and desires
Takes power and perseverance.

Knowing that you have enough gives you wealth,
Grasping for money and love forces you to conform.

Embrace who you are and stay centered in that
And although you will die you will not perish.

#42 "Holding both Male and Female"
Tao gives birth to Universes.
Universes give birth to Planets.
Planets give birth to beings.
Beings give birth to everything else.

Tao is the great Mother
All else holds both Male and Female.
By all things embracing both
Harmony is achieved.

To feel alone is avoided by men
Yet that is where no identity resides.

The Master holds no identity
She embraces her aloneness,
Realizing when she is at one with herself
She is at one with all things.

#52 "Like Tao so too You"
All things issue from Tao, it is their mother
Then, in their own time, they return to Tao.

Like Tao, so too you act in the world of manifestation.
When you recognize you are the mother of your experience
You can identify the children your actions birth,
Loving them as your children you free yourself of sorrow.

Choose to not recognize your motherhood,
A victim, filled with desire and judgment,
There will be no end to your turmoil.
Look into the darkness and learn how to yield,
Not allowing your senses to guide you,
You will find peace in ever crevasse.

#64 "It’s so Easy"
It is easy to stop something before it is set into motion.
It is easy to plan something before beginning it.
It is easy to break something before it has grown strong.
It is easy to hide something before it have grown big.

Preventing problems has never been the problem.
Tiny sprouts do this and grow to unimaginable heights,
and every journey has started with the first easy step.

Avoiding the easy is what has created all difficult problems.
Rushing past the easy things will end up costing you,
Grasping onto the destination you lose sight of where you are.
Forcing things to be what you want, when you want,
Will only turn those things against you.

Therefore, the Master monitors her desire for an outcome.
She remains as calm at the beginning as at the end
So she can see what is in front of her.
She embraces the mundane and doesn’t prize rarities.

Doing this the Master reminds those around her
Of who they have always been, and they are inspired.
Caring about nothing but Tao she cares for all things.