Quotes Compiled - Tao Te Ching01


Tao Te Ching
A modern interpretation of Lao Tzu perpetrated by Ron Hogan
Copyright 2002, 2004
License
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You are free to copy, distribute, display, and/or perform this version of the Tao Te Ching as long as you don't change a word, always give Ron Hogan credit, and never take any money for it. (Any of those conditions can be waived if you get permission from the author, tao@beatrice.com)
}
http://www.beatrice.com/TAO.pdf



PART ONE
TAO (THE WAY)



1.
If you can talk about it,
it ain't Tao.
If it has a name,
it's just another thing.

Tao doesn't have a name.
Names are for ordinary things.

Stop wanting stuff;
it keeps you from seeing what's real.
When you want stuff,
all you see are things.

Those two sentences
mean the same thing.
Figure them out,
and you've got it made.



2.
If something looks beautiful to you,
something else must be ugly.
If something seems good,
something else must seem bad.

You can't have
something without nothing.
If no job is difficult,
then no job is easy.
Some things are up high
because other things are down low.
You know you're listening to music
because it doesn't sound like noise.
All that came first,
so this must be next.

The Masters get the job done
without moving a muscle
and get their point across
without saying a word.

When things around them fall apart,
they stay cool.
They don't own much,
but they use whatever's at hand.
They do the work
without expecting any favors.
When they're done,
they move on to the next job.
That's why their work is so damn good.



3.
If you toss compliments around freely,
people will waste your time
trying to impress you.
If you give things too much value,
you're going to get ripped off.
If you try to please people,
you'll just make them pissed.


The Master leads
by clearing the crap
out of people's heads
and opening their hearts.
He lowers their aspirations
and makes them suck in their guts.

He shows you how to forget
what you know and what you want,
so nobody can push you around.
If you think you've got the answers,
he'll mess with your head.

Stop doing stuff all the time,
and watch what happens.



4.
How much Tao is there?
More than you'll ever need.
Use all you want,
there's plenty more
where that came from.

You can't see Tao, but it's there.
Damned if I know where it came from.
It's just always been around.



5.
Tao's neutral:
it doesn't worry about good or evil.
The Masters are neutral:
they treat everyone the same.

Lao Tzu said Tao is like a bellows:
It's empty,
but it could help set the world on fire.
If you keep using Tao, it works better.
If you keep talking about it,
it won't make any sense.

Be cool.



6.
Tao is an eternal mystery,
and everything starts with Tao.

Everybody has Tao in them.
They just have to use it.



7.
Tao never stops. Why?
Because it isn't trying to accomplish anything.

The Masters hang back.
That's why they're ahead of the game.

They don't hang on to things.
That's how they manage to keep them.

They don't worry
about what they can't control.
That's why they're always satisfied.



8.
"Doing the right thing" is like water.
It's good for all living things, and flows without thinking
about where it's going

...just like Tao.

Keep your feet on the ground.
Remember what's important.
Be there when people need you.
Say what you mean.
Be prepared for anything.
Do whatever you can,
whenever it needs doing.

If you don't
compare yourself to others,
nobody can compare to you.



9.
If you drink too much, you get drunk.
The engine won't start
if you're always tinkering with it.

If you hoard wealth,
you fall into its clutches.
If you crave success,
you succumb to failure.

Do what you have to do,
then walk away.
Anything else will drive you nuts.