From the Tao Te Ching, Chinese,Book of Wisdom, considered to be the ultimate discourse on the nature of existence. Tao Te Ching was authored by Lao-Tzu, a prophet, a man of wisdom who was begged to record the essence of his teachings and the Tao Te Ching was born.
2nd Verse
Under heaven, all can see beauty as beauty,
only because there is ugliness.
All can know good as good only because there is evil.
Being and nonbeing produce each other.
The difficulty is born in the easy.
Long is defined by short, the high by the low.
Before and after go along with each other.
So the sage lives openly with apparent duality
and paradoxical unity.
The sage can act without effort
and teach without words.
Nurturing things without possessing them,
he works, but not for rewards;
he competes, but not for results.
When the work is done, it is forgotten.
That is why it lasts forever. ***
3rd Verse
Putting a value on status
will create contentiousness.
If you overvalue possessions,
people begin to steal.
By not displaying what is desirable, you will
cause the people's hearts to remain undisturbed.
The sage governs
by emptying minds and hearts,
by weakening ambitions and strengthening bones.
Practice not doing......
When action is pure and selfless,
everything settles into its own perfect place. ***
4th Verse
The Tao is empty
but inexhaustible,
bottomless,
the ancestor of it all.
Within it, the sharp edges become smooth;
the twisted knots loosen;
the sun is softened by a cloud;
the dust settles into place.
It is hidden but always present.
I do not know who gave birth to it.
It seems to be the common ancestor of all, the father of things. ***
5th Verse
Heaven and earth are impartial;
they see the 10,000 things as straw dogs.
The sage is not sentimental;
he treats all his people as straw dogs.
The sage is like heaven and earth;
To him none are especially dear,
nor is there anyone he disfavors.
He gives and gives, without condition,
offering his treasures to everyone.
Between heaven and earth
is a space like a bellows;
empty and inexhaustable,
the more it is used, the more it produces.
Hold on to the center.
Man was made to sit quietly and find
the truth within. ***
6th Verse
The spirit that never dies
is called the mysterious feminine.
Although she becomes the whole universe,
her immaculate purity is never lost.
Although she assumes countless forms,
her true identity remains intact.
The gateway to the mysterious female
is called the root of creation.
Listen to her voice,
hear it echo through creation.
Without fail, she brings us to our own perfection.
Although it is invisible, it endures;
it will never end. ***
7th Verse
Heaven is eternal--the earth endures.
Why do heaven and earth last forever?
They do not live for themselves only.
This is the secret of their durability.
For this reason the sage puts himself last
and so ends up ahead.
He stays a witness to life,
so he endures.
Serve the needs of others,
and all your own needs will be fulfilled.
Through selfless action, fulfillment is attained. ***
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