Here at the frontier, the leaves fall like rain. Although my neighbors are all barbarians, and you, you are a thousand miles away, there are still two cups at my table.


Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter. If your mind isn't clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season of your life.

~ Wu-men ~


Sunday, February 18, 2018

Dao De Jing #66: It's Okay to be in the Background

The Dao De Jing is not only one of the world's great classics, it is one of the foundations of Philosophical Daoism. A free online version of the Dao De Jing may be found here. Today we have #66, It's Okay to be in the Background.

-As a large river flows to the sea, it becomes the ruler over the hundreds of valleys it travels through.
-Because of this, the hundreds of valleys have the ability to act as though they were below.
-It's just natural this ability would allow the hundred valleys to be ruled.
-The influence of a wise person promotes other people to advance, while keeping their own selves in the background.
-Their influence places others on a higher level, while their own words remain below.
-Their influence places people on a higher level, so the people don't feel like they're in the background.
-Their influence promotes other people to advance, so the people won't feel like they're being criticized.
-Everywhere in the world happiness abounds, yet won't prevent room for more.
-Because there's nothing to argue about, that's why nothing in the world has the ability to argue with each other.

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