Tao of the Day

Tao of the Day

Your Daily Dose of Taoism

 

Chapter Fifty

Humans come and go

Their bodies as the seat of life

Their bodies as the seat of death

Humans get old and decay

Why is that?

It’s because they are already dead, but think that they’re living

There have been stories told and written about people who had found true life

And wandered around the earth

Not afraid of tigers or rhinos

Those who avoided weapons and violence

And lived in harmony with all creatures

Therefore no creature felt threatened by them

And no weapon could harm them

Why is that?

Because they were only living

And that’s where there is no room for death

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Chapter Forty-Nine

A wise man has no opinion at all

Therefore he can easily put himself in someone else’s position

He accepts everybody and everything for what it is

In spite of any behaviour

He trusts the honest and the unfair

And naturally they become fair-minded

He trusts the reliable and the unreliable

And naturally all will become reliable

A wise man feels one with all people

They are all just as precious to him

They look and listen to him

And all are as children to him

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Chapter Forty-Eight

Gathering knowledge makes life more complicated each time one gathers

Gathering wisdom makes life easier each time one gathers

Each time, more and more simple until simplicity is reached

Just by leaving, one man can achieve everything

One who wants nothing anymore, doesn’t feel the need to do a thing, has conquered oneself

One who wants a lot has to do a lot and is as a slave to oneself

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Chapter Forty-Seven

Without leaving my house, I understand the whole world
Without looking outside, I see the perfect order
The more you know, the less you’ll understand
One who is wise doesn’t need to travel
He understands without looking
Does nothing but achieves everything

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Chapter Forty-Six

If men lived by their nature
Horses would gallop in the open air
But since men got civilized
Battle horses standing at the frontier
There is no bigger curse than dissatisfaction
Nothing more disastrous than being discontent with life
Nothing more fatal than being eager for possessions
One who knows the peace of satisfaction, is always satisfied

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Chapter Forty-Five

Perfection seems unfinished to this world
But it never perishes
Fullness is empty to the world
But it’s inexhaustible
That which is correct, is incorrect to the world
Wisdom seems foolish to the world
Telling the truth a disgrace
Like movement chases away coldness
And rest cools down
Purity and calmness show one the right direction

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Additional Info

Tao of the Day is a site for all things related to the Tao (also spelled Dao). We'll cover the entire Tao Te Ching several times each year, with one chapter being the center of attention each day. You can always comment on past days, but let's try to keep it flowing as the days progress.

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