Today I started off reading #72 then Wandering Fool joined me for #15. After that Terry had a few things to add and Julie joined for #27. Loyce helped round out the day with #26.
#15 "Ancient Tao"
The Ancient Masters’ ability to comprehend the mystery
Was so profound and subtle that they were misunderstood.
One could only describe how they must have appeared.
Careful as someone hearing the ice crack midway through crossing a lake;
Observant as someone surrounded by toxic threats;
Courteous as a guest in awe of her host;
Unpretentious as a felled branch in a wood;
Vacant as someone staring into space;
Dull as a man with nothing to boast about.
Can you be still, adding nothing until the mud settles
And it gives you the opportunity to see clearly?
Can you be still until, on its own accord,
The next action presents itself to you?
The Master has no need for herself.
She doesn’t seek or expect attention.
Not needing to appease herself
She has no requests.
#26 "Wasted Movement"
Without knowing darkness
Light is mysterious and distracting.
Without knowing stillness
All movement is wasted.
This is why the Master travels
And never leaves home.
No matter how amazing the manifestation
She knows there is nothing that she is not.
Why should anyone seek to be influenced or entertained?
If you let yourself be entertained
You lose touch with your root.
If you let yourself be influenced
You lose touch with who you are.
#27 "The Mystery of the Process"
Although a good traveler may have plans
They are not rigid, nor is the outcome.
Although a good artist creates,
The creations are arrived at through intuition.
Although a good scientist observes
It is done for the first time every time.
By embodying these strategies
The Master accepts everyone
And makes use of every situation,
Nothing is wasted and
Every moment is imbued with light.
What is the good if not a vision for the bad?
What is the bad if not a lesson for the good?
Accept this completely,
Or you will suffer in all you do.
It is the great secret.
#72 "With Nothing to Teach"
The knowledgeable, having lost their sense of awe, seek to be entertained.
Losing themselves in that process, they turn to more knowledgeable authorities.
Do not make light of what is important to people, and they will respect you.
Therefore, The Master, although she knows herself, she is not arrogant.
She loves herself as she is, but she also loves others as they are.
She has nothing to teach, and the knowledgeable have nothing to learn.
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En liten tjänst av I'm With Friends. Finns även på engelska.