It Is The Way It Is

IT IS THE WAY IT IS

IT IS THE WAY IT IS A TAO TE CHING / LAO-TZU INTERPRETATION BY JAY LAMB a.k.a. Zenmaster Jay

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IT IS THE WAY IT IS

PREFACE The Tao Te Ching has a long and complex textual history. On one hand, there are transmitted versions and commentaries that date back two millennia; on the other, there are ancient bamboo, silk, and paper manuscripts that archeologists discovered in the last century. "Tao Te Ching", Calligraphy by Gia-Fu Feng There are many possible translations of the book's title, owing to the polysemy of the component Chinese words: •

Dào/Tao 道 literally means "way", "road", "path", or "route," but was extended to mean "path ahead", "way forward", "method", "principle", "doctrine", or simply "the Way". This term, which was variously used by other Chinese philosophers (including Confucius, Mencius, Mozi, and Hanfeizi), has special meaning within the context of Taoism, where it implies the essential, unnamable process of the universe.

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Dé/Te 德 basically means "virtue" in the sense of "personal character", "inner strength", or "integrity", but was used differently by Confucianists to mean "morality". The semantics of this Chinese word resemble English virtue, which developed from a (now archaic) sense of "inner potency" or "divine power" (as in "healing virtue of a drug") to the modern meaning of "moral excellence" or "goodness". Compare the ZENMASTER JAY

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IT IS THE WAY IT IS compound word dàodé (道德 "ethics", "ethical principles", "morals," or "morality"). •

Jīng/Ching 經 originally meant "norm", "rule", "plan", "warp" (vs. "woof") and was semantically extended to mean "scripture", "canon", "great book", or "classic".

Thus, Tao Te Ching can be translated as "The Scripture/Classic/Canon of the Way/Path and the Power/Virtue", etc. Note that there is in fact no "its" in the title, either explicitly or implicitly. Therefore, commonly accepted translations of the title such as "The Book of the Way and Its Power" are in fact adding an extra element that takes away from the accuracy. Besides Daode Jing, other titles include the eponymous Laozi (老子 "Old Master[s]"), the amalgam Laozi Daode Jing (老子道德經), the honorific Daode Zhen Jing (道德真經 "True Classic of the Way and the Power"), and the Wuqian wen (五 千文 "Five thousand character [classic]"; see next). Internal structure The received Tao Te Ching is a short text of around 5,000 Chinese characters in 81 brief chapters or sections (章). It has two parts, the Tao Ching (道經; chaps. 1–37) and the Te Ching (德經; chaps. 38–81), which may have been edited together into the received text, possibly reversed from an original "Te Tao Ching" (see Mawangdui texts below). The written style is laconic, with few grammatical particles, frequently ambiguous, occasionally rhymed, and expressing often difficult ideas poetically. 4

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IT IS THE WAY IT IS The Chinese characters in the original versions were probably written in zhuànshū (篆書 seal script), while later versions were written in lìshū (隷書 clerical script) and kǎishū (楷書 regular script) styles. Daoist Chinese Characters contains a good summary of these different calligraphies. Historical authenticity The Tao Te Ching is universally ascribed to Laozi, who may, or may not, have been a historical person ("Old Master"), or people ("Old Masters"). No one can be certain; indeed, Laozi "was a hidden sage" (Kaltenmark 1969:10). Laozi The first reliable reference to Laozi is his "biography" in the circa 100 BCE Shiji (63, tr. Chan 1963:35-37), by Chinese historian Sima Qian, which combines three stories. First, Laozi was a contemporary of Confucius (551-479 BCE), his surname was Li (李 "plum") and personal name was Er (耳 "ear") or Dan (聃 "long ear"). He was an official in the imperial archives, and wrote a book in two parts before departing to the West. Second, Laozi was Lao Laizi (老來子 "Old Come Master"), also a contemporary of Confucius, who wrote a book in 15 parts. Third, Laozi was the Grand Historian and astrologer Lao Dan (老聃 "Old Long-ears"), who lived during the reign (384-362 BCE) of Duke Xian (獻公) of Qin). Legends that Laozi was born old, and that lived to 160 or 200 years, are seen by serious Chinese scholars as superstitious tales. Although some Western scholars have expressed doubts over Laozi's historical existence, much of this skepticism is founded on a lack of cultural understanding ZENMASTER JAY

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IT IS THE WAY IT IS namely, that it would be inconceivable, indeed an impossibility within the context of ancient Chinese culture, for Sima Qian the historian to engage in confabulation. Therefore, Chinese scholars by and large accept Laozi as a historical figure, while dismissing superstitious legends as mentioned. Generations of scholars have debated the historicity of Laozi and the dating of the Tao Te Ching. Linguistic studies of the text's vocabulary and rhyme scheme point to a date of composition after the Shi Jing yet before the Zhuangzi — around the late 4th or early 3rd centuries BCE. Some supporters of Taoism attribute this debate to the folkloric age of Laozi of over 900 years old who had thirteen incarnates starting around the time of the Three Sovereigns, a view rejected by scholars. Principal versions Among the many transmitted editions of the Tao Te Ching text, the three primary ones are named after early commentaries. The "Yan Zun Version," which is only extant for the Te Ching, derives from a commentary attributed to Han Dynasty scholar Yan Zun (巖尊, fl. 80 BCE-10 CE). The "Heshang Gong Version" is named after the legendary Heshang Gong (河上公 "Riverside Sage") who supposedly lived during the reign (202-157 BCE) of Emperor Wen of Han. This commentary (tr. Erkes 1950) has a preface written by Ge Xuan (葛玄, 164-244 CE), grand-uncle of Ge Hong, and scholarship dates this version to around the 3rd century CE. The "Wang Bi Version" has more verifiable origins than either of the above. Wang Bi (王弼, 226 – 249 CE) was a famous Three Kingdoms period philosopher and commentator on the 6 ZENMASTER JAY

IT IS THE WAY IT IS Tao Te Ching (tr. Lin 1977, Rump and Chan 1979) and the Yi Jing.

Tao Te Ching scholarship has lately advanced from archeological discoveries of manuscripts, some of which are older than any of the received texts. Beginning in the 1920s and 1930s, Marc Aurel Stein and others found thousands of scrolls in the Mogao Caves near Dunhuang. They included over 50 partial and complete Tao Te Ching manuscripts. One written by the scribe So/Su Dan (素統) is dated 270 CE, and corresponds closely with the Heshang Gong version. Another partial manuscript has the Xiang'er (想爾) commentary, which had previously been lost. In 1973, archeologists discovered copies of early Chinese books, known as the Mawangdui Silk Texts, in a tomb dating from 168 BCE. They included two nearly complete copies of the Laozi, referred to as Text A (甲) and Text B (乙), both of which reverse the traditional ordering and put the Te Ching section before the Tao Ching. Based on calligraphic styles and imperial naming taboo avoidances, scholars believe that A and B can be respectively dated to about the first and third decades of the 2nd century BCE (Boltz 1993:284). In 1993, the oldest known version of the text, written on bamboo tablets, was found in a tomb near the town of Guodian (郭店) in Jingmen, Hubei, and dated prior to 300 BCE. The Guodian Chu Slips comprise about 800 slips of bamboo with a total of over 13,000 characters, about 2,000 of which correspond with the Tao Te Ching, including 14 previously unknown verses. Both the Mawangdui and Guodian versions are generally consistent with the received texts, excepting differences in chapter sequence and graphic variants. Several recent Tao Te Ching translations (e.g., Lau 1989, Henricks 1989, Mair 1990, ZENMASTER JAY

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IT IS THE WAY IT IS Henricks 2000, Allan and Williams 2000, and Roberts 2004) utilize these two versions, sometimes with the verses reordered to synthesize the new finds. Interpretation and themes Many believe the Tao Te Ching contains universal truths that have been independently recognized in other philosophies, both religious and secular. Depending on interpretation, some ambiguous passages have multiple readings, ranging from political advice for rulers to practical wisdom for people. The following themes and concepts are central to interpreting the text. Ineffability The Way that can be told of is not an Unvarying Way; The names that can be named are not unvarying names. It was from the Nameless that Heaven and Earth sprang; The named is but the mother that rears the ten thousand creatures, each after its kind. (chap. 1, tr. Waley[1]) These famous first lines of the Tao Te Ching state that the Tao is ineffable. Tao is nameless, goes beyond distinctions, and transcends language. Perhaps the Tao, like the Dharma, is what physicist David Bohm means by "that which is", perfectly being what is, both all and nothing. "My words are very easy to understand and very easy to put into practice. Yet no one under heaven understands them; no one puts them into practice" (chap. 70, tr. Waley[2]) The Mysterious Female The Valley Spirit never dies 8

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IT IS THE WAY IT IS It is named the Mysterious Female. And the doorway of the Mysterious Female Is the base from which Heaven and Earth sprang. It is there within us all the while; Draw upon it as you will, it never runs dry. (chap. 6, tr. Waley[3]) Like the above description of the ineffable Tao as "the mother that rears the ten thousand creatures", the Tao Te Ching advocates "female" (or Yin) values, emphasizing the passive, solid, and quiescent qualities of nature (which is opposed to the active and energetic), and "having without possessing". This theme challenges "male" (or Yang) values such as movement, positive action, and domination of nature. Yin and Yang should be balanced, "Know masculinity, Maintain femininity, and be a ravine for all under heaven." (chap. 28, tr. Mair)

Returning In Tao the only motion is returning; The only useful quality, weakness. For though all creatures under heaven are the products of Being, Being itself is the product of Not-being. " (chap. 40, tr. Waley[4]) Another theme is the eternal return, or what Mair (1990:139) calls "the continual return of the myriad creatures to the cosmic principle from which they arose." ZENMASTER JAY

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IT IS THE WAY IT IS There is a contrast between the rigidity of death and the weakness of life: "When he is born, man is soft and weak; in death he becomes stiff and hard. The ten thousand creatures and all plants and trees while they are alive are supple and soft, but when and dead they become brittle and dry." (chap. 76, tr. Waley[5]). This is returning to the beginning of things, or to one's own childhood. The Tao Te Ching focuses upon the beginnings of society, and describes a golden age in the past, comparable with the ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Human problems arose from the "invention" of culture and civilization. In this idealized past, “the people should have no use for any form of writing save knotted ropes, should be contented with their food, pleased with their clothing, satisfied with their homes, should take pleasure in their rustic tasks." (chap. 80, tr. Waley[6]) However, "returning" is not a simplistic reactionary retreat. Two illustrations are the anti-Confucianist saying that, "Learning consists in adding to one's stock day by day; The practice of Tao consists in 'subtracting day by day'." (chap. 48, tr. Waley[7]); and this strategic advice “If you doubt your ability to advance an inch, then retreat a foot”. (chap. 69, tr. Waley[8]) Diminishing one's ego, instead of "improving" it through study, is the path to real wisdom. Letting the enemy take the first step (thus reducing his range of possibilities) is the way to gain the upper hand. This theme is similar to psychological practices such as introspection or meditation, but one returns not to oneself but to nothingness, to "that which is".

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Emptiness We put thirty spokes together and call it a wheel; But it is on the space where there is nothing that the usefulness of the wheel depends. We turn clay to make a vessel; But it is on the space where there is nothing that the usefulness of the vessel depends. We pierce doors and windows to make a house; And it is on these spaces where there is nothing that the usefulness of the house depends. Therefore just as we take advantage of what is, we should recognize the usefulness of what is not. Philosophical vacuity is a common theme among Asian wisdom traditions including Taoism (especially Wu wei "nonaction"), Buddhism, and some aspects of Confucianism. One could interpret the Tao Te Ching as a suite of variations on the "Powers of Nothingness". This resonates with the Buddhist Shunyata philosophy of "form is emptiness, emptiness is form." Looking at a traditional Chinese landscape, one can understand how emptiness (the unpainted) has the power of animating the trees, mountains, and rivers it surrounds. Emptiness can mean having no fixed preconceptions, preferences, intentions, or agenda. Since "The Sage has no heart of his own; He uses the heart of the people as his ZENMASTER JAY

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IT IS THE WAY IT IS heart." (chap. 49, tr. Waley[10]). From a ruler's point of view, it is a laissez-faire approach: So a wise leader may say: "I practice inaction, and the people look after themselves." But from the Sage it is so hard at any price to get a single word That when his task is accomplished, his work done, Throughout the country every one says: “It happened of its own accord”. (chap. 17, tr. Waley[11]) Knowledge Knowing others is wisdom; Knowing the self is enlightenment. Mastering others requires force; Mastering the self requires strength; He who knows he has enough is rich. Perseverance is a sign of will power. He who stays where he is endures. To die but not to perish is to be eternally present. The Tao Te Ching praises self knowledge but criticizes rational understanding. For example: "Banish wisdom, discard knowledge, And the people will be benefited a hundredfold." (chap. 19, tr. Waley[12]) Knowledge, like desire, should be diminished. "It was when intelligence and knowledge appeared that the Great Artifice began." (chap. 18, tr. Waley[13]). Christian Interpretations Since Christian missionaries were among the first Westerners to study the Tao Te Ching, it is not surprising that they connected Taoism with Christianity. They drew 12

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IT IS THE WAY IT IS many parallels between the New Testament and the Tao Te Ching, for instance, "Do good to those who hate you" (Luke 6:27, tr. NASB) and "Requite injuries with good deeds" (chap. 63, tr. Waley[14]). Note that the Chinese Bible translates logos as Tao. Two particular Tao Te Ching chapters are perceived as exemplifying Christian themes. Chapter 42 bears a resemblance to the Trinity doctrine: "The Way gave birth to unity, Unity gave birth to duality, Duality gave birth to trinity, Trinity gave birth to the myriad creatures." (tr. Mair 1990:9). Zhuangzi once stated in a passage from his famous work Inner Chapters, that a great sage would come who would bring knowledge and peace to all men; though he didn't know if it would be in a thousand years or in a day.[citation needed] Naturally, this was interpreted by missionaries as a prediction or foreshadowing of Christ. Going even further, in 1823 the French sinologist Jean-PierreAbel Rémusat suggested that Yahweh was signified by three words in Chapter 14; yi (夷 "calm; level; barbarian"), xi (希 "rare; indiscernible; hope"), and wei (微 "tiny, small; obscure"). We look for it but do not see it; we name it "subtle." We listen for it but do not hear it; we name it "rare." We grope for it but do not grasp it; we name it "serene." These three cannot be fully fathomed, Therefore, They are bound together to make unity." (chap. 14, tr. Mair 1990:74)

James Legge (1891:57-58[15]) dismissed this hypothetical yi-xi-wei and Yahweh connection as "a mere fancy or dream". According to Holmes Welch: ZENMASTER JAY

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IT IS THE WAY IT IS It is not hard to understand the readiness of early scholars to assert that the doctrine of the Trinity was revealed in the Tao Te Ching and that its fourteenth chapter contains the syllables of "Yahveh." Even today, though these errors have been recognized for more than a century, the general notion that Lao Tzu was Christ's forerunner has lost none of its romantic appeal. (1965:7)

Present day researchers, such as Damascene et al. (1999), continue to explore the similarities between Taoist and Christian teachings. Critics point out that these "similarities" consist of taking select passages out of context of the text as a whole, and out of the history of Chinese textual interpretation and religious practice. Passages that are incompatible with Christian doctrines, such as Chapter 5 "Heaven and Earth are not Humane (ren)"(Wing-tsit Chan trans.) are ignored. This approach was started by Christian missionaries, who were actively working to supplant Chinese religions. Other themes

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Force begets force.

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One whose needs are simple can fulfill them easily.

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Material wealth does not enrich the spirit.

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Self-absorption and self-importance are vain and selfdestructive.

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Victory in war is not glorious and not to be celebrated, but stems from devastation, and is to be mourned.

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The harder one tries, the more resistance one creates for oneself. ZENMASTER JAY

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IT IS THE WAY IT IS The more one acts in harmony with the universe (the Mother of the ten thousand things), the more one will achieve, with less effort.

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The truly wise make little of their own wisdom for the more they know, the more they realize how little they know.

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When we lose the fundamentals, we supplant them with increasingly inferior values which we pretend are the true values.

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Glorification of wealth, power and beauty beget crime, envy and shame.

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The qualities of flexibility and suppleness are superior to rigidity and strength.

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Everything is in its own time and place.

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Duality of nature that complements each other instead of competing with each other — the two faces of the same coin — one cannot exist without the other.

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The differences of opposite polarities — i.e. the differences between male and female, light and dark, strong and weak, etc. — helps us understand and appreciate the universe.

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Humility is the highest virtue.

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Knowing oneself is a virtue.

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Envy is our calamity; overindulgence is our plight.

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IT IS THE WAY IT IS will understand. •

Know when it's time to stop. If you don't know then stop when you are done

Translations and interpretations

Tao T e Ching The Tao Te Ching has been translated into over 250 Western languages, mostly to English, German, and French.[2] According to Holmes Welch, "It is a famous puzzle which everyone would like to feel he had solved."[3] There are also Tao Te Ching interpretations and poetic renderings by nonChinese speaking authors. Translational difficulties The Tao Te Ching is written in classical Chinese, which can be difficult to understand completely even for well-educated native speakers of modern Chinese. Classical Chinese relies heavily on allusion to a corpus of standard literary works to convey semantic meaning, nuance, and subtext. This corpus was memorized by highly-educated people in Laozi's time, and the allusions were reinforced through common use in writing, but few people today have this type of deep acquaintance with ancient Chinese literature. Thus, many levels of subtext are potentially lost on modern translators. Furthermore, many of the words that the Tao Te Ching uses are deliberately vague and ambiguous. Since there are no punctuation marks in classical Chinese, it can be difficult to conclusively determine where one sentence ends and the next begins. Moving a period a few 16

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IT IS THE WAY IT IS words forward or back or inserting a comma can profoundly alter the meaning of many passages, and such divisions and meanings must be determined by the translator. Some editors and translators argue that the received text is so corrupted (from originally being written on one-line bamboo tablets linked with silk threads) that it is impossible to understand some chapters without moving sequences of characters from one place to another. Source: wikipedia.org

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The Tao Te Ching The way called is not the way it is. Names can name nothing lasting. Nameless is the bearer of the heavens. Naming is the bearer of the earth. Desireless… be the mystery. Desiring… the world manifests. ZENMASTER JAY

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The same in essence but called different. Both figures… Unfigured and refigured. Unsolved and resolved. The way of the mystery.

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Hold beauty and behold the wretched. Hold the good and behold evil. ZENMASTER JAY

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Is and isn’t are each other. Hard relies on easy. Long is measured by the quick. High depends upon the low. Sounds are accorded by intent. Before follows after. So one is given to non knowing. 22

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Goes without saying. Creates without intention. Lives without possessing. Does without believing. Finishes without credits. Without credit things settle themselves.

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Honorless virtue… No contention. Rarify objects… People steal. Displaying treasures troubles hearts. One lives by… Clearing desires and building hunger. Clearing ambition and building supports. Leads away from doing 24

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desires. Too much is too far. Does non doing and then nature is undetermined. The way it empties… It is never emptied. Without foundation all things are built. Rounds corners, loosens jams, ZENMASTER JAY

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shades the light. Mixes with the mixed up world. Deeply engrained… A mystery… the creation. Older than the past. Heaven and earth do not appear in kind. Everything is a charade to them. One is not a kind of appearance. Individuality a true 26

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charade to one. Still heaven and earth and all that walks freely between… Like an eye of a storm. Empty but inexpendable. Always making more. Long speech is useless. Hold fast to the center. Shadows never die. ZENMASTER JAY

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This is called the subtle female. In the emptiness of the shadow… Is the essence of the light. Endless flow of limitless powers. Heaven is long and earth enduring. Lasting and enduring… Not selfish. Leading by staying back. Within by without. 28

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Without rights… the whole is left. Supreme is like water. Benefiting all without contending. Pools wherever you want. Lowers itself finding the way. Live with good place. Keep well thoughts. Treat others well. ZENMASTER JAY

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Keep your word. Make fair shares. Do good things. Work when you want. No contending… no wrong doing. Cling and keep full… Better to have what you can use. Measure and grade… It will change to your dislike. 30

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When riches fill the streets… No one can keep them. Riches and pride pass on bad judgement. Leaving good enough alone… The way of heaven. Can you keep living and live as one… ZENMASTER JAY

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Without the two? Can you relax and breathe easy… Like children? Can you see light in the dark… Without adjustment? Can you love and lead… Without knowing? Can you hold the heavenly gate… Without your feet on the ground? 32

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Can you have direction… Without action?

Nature and nurture… Nature does not possess. Acts independently. Opulence without ZENMASTER JAY

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oppression. This is the dark power.

Spokes are joined at the hub. The empty hub the wheel uses. With the earth we make bowls. The empty bowl can be 34

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used. Doorways make the room. The emptiness makes the room useful. So being creates an excess… Being without creates meanin Many colors dull. Many sounds drown. Many tastes jade. ZENMASTER JAY

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Chasing goods maddens the heart. The excess wraps. So one… Fills the need. Lets the ideal rest. Chooses this. By understanding that. Love and hate are fear. Pride and shame are 36

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name. Say what? Love defines us. …Afraid to lose what we have. The self is information embodied. No self… no shame nor pride. Respect all as yourself. Be home. ZENMASTER JAY

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Love all as yourself. Be true The seeking never find… home. The listening never hear… music. The grasping never hold… the touch. Since all things can not be separated… They remain as one. Rises and sets without minding. Moving all things back 38

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home. Meet the way with no front. Follow through and never look back. Live in this way. Center now. Find the source. The way of play. Descendants find our way. A mysterious wonder of profound depth. Unknown depths. Forever unknown is always ZENMASTER JAY

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described. Timing… like facing a flow. Prudent… like meeting the neighbors. Mannered… like a student. Giving… like a mirror. Blank… like a formable mind. Open… like the valley. Freely… like the wind. Calm the waters. It is clearing. Mix the still and it comes to life. Those who walk this way… Shall not want. Wanting not… 40

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Effortless. Find absolutely no thing… Remain there. The multitudes create a stir. I see them going home. Things go and grow… Back to the roots. Still in the root. Returning to what really is. This return is simple.

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Understand the ordinary order. Enlightening. Not understanding… delusion. So let the mind open. Compassion to nobility… Leads the heavenly way. Tao everlasting. Bodies die.

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No danger.

Appearances disappear. But people like believing. They see and adore. Soon they fear. Then they hate. Without faith… no trust. Be wary of teachings. ZENMASTER JAY

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After all is said and done… They say it just came natural.

Easy Tao refused… pride arises. Skill claimed… liars rise. Relativity lost… pity and 44

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affection is found. The people lost… saviors are risen.

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Ignore skill and do not claim… The people are well. 46

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Bar benevolence and relinquish righteousness. The people are compassionate and truthful. Banish skill and spread the wealth… No more thieves. One more step. Look at the plain and see wholesomeness. The self rests… desireless. ZENMASTER JAY

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Learning is grief. Yes of no… what’s the difference? Good and evil… how much? Pointless to fear what others do. People garnish smiles as if at a carnival. I give no sign. Like the newborn… As if I was more than at ZENMASTER JAY

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home.

Other’s keep excess. I leave it out. I liken the fool and don’t know any better. Others are so bright. I am rounded. Floating on circumstance… Like a leaf in the wind. 50

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Others plan. I am wayward. I differ from others… Like the unborn.

Great integrity appears as the way. Te. ZENMASTER JAY

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Tao in action… mystical. Images forming. Entities becoming. Obscure the shadows… life within. Life so real… it is the trust. Names reappear. The origins? Like this!

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Parts become the whole. Bends straighten. The hollow is full. Worn by the new. Little things grow. Much is stupefied. So one knows one and is the world. No display… play away. No assertion… incredible. No pride… success. No complacency… enduring. ZENMASTER JAY

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No contention… for one has already… The saying goes… And the whole thing returns. Efficient in word is nature’s way. Violent winds are soon calmed. Downpours lighten up. Why? Heaven and earth. 54

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Be accordingly. So in the way… on the way becomes. Gain and you must lose. Lose and you must be gaining. All within Tao… Wayfarer welcomed. Gainers welcome gain. The loose not lost. Trust. Or not at all. ZENMASTER JAY

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Tiptoes… not good for standing. Clamber… clumsy. Self display… shadows showing. Assertion… just ass. Pride… never flourishing. 56

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In accord with Tao… Excess intake and extraneous actions inspire disgust.

So the wayfarer moves on…

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Nothing less than the completely… unformed. Stands before the heaven and earth. The silence shines. Changing unchanged before you infinitely… in all. The natural mother of earth. Must have nature. Must be great. 58

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Great means giving. Giving means going on. Going on means going back. Therefore, Heaven and earth and humans… are in a great way.

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Four corners to the world. Are not humans one? Humans to earth. Earth to heaven. Heavenly… way. Tao is your nature.

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Dark desire is the root of joyous light. The still rules the passing passion. One moves freely. But not without now remembering. When beauty comes… Remain calm When the extremely capable behave lightly in this world… ZENMASTER JAY

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Passions are set free… Bliss.

Good movement… no drag. Good words… no impression. Good counting… no marks. The best doors are 62

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insecurely secure. The best knots remain… no strings attached. In this way one helps all… in all ways. By accepting them all. Helping all beings by rejecting none. This becomes the brightness. So good directs bad and bad is good’s resource.

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Not to appreciate direction… Not to love your sources… The bright fogs. This is vital information. Know light and remain shadow. Channel… the whole world. Be this and te pervades. Return to the opening. Know white in the black. Become the pattern. Be the original paternity 64

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and all is integral. A blank. Honor hides disgrace. Be…hold the world before you… And no one needs to hold on… Simple. Simple segmentation is useful. The high official of one… wise. Uncarved. Try to control the world? No success. ZENMASTER JAY

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The world is a spirit… one and all. Your will is ones own. Control… control. Grasp it and lose it. Some lead and some are led. Some cry and some sing. Some are supple and some strengthen. Some oppression destroys. The wise… Cast extremities and excess. Extravagance included. 66

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What better way to lead than to show the way? Weapons soon turn back… We have no need for them. Armies ruin the earth. People famished. Fruitful outcomes are not forced. Arrogance does not succeed. Finds out pride. Finds out hostility. Finds out resistance… and violence. They grow and wither ZENMASTER JAY

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trying to get… in the way. Put to an end… by the way Fine weapons are the tools with hate. For them the easy way is not yet found. The home is left from… The war of righteousness. Tools become ill-omened when not a proper property. If you must… be calm. No one is better. Unless you know this… pleasure is ill. 68

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Fear blocks proper purpose. Tools build the home. Weapons in the hands of right. Governor on the left. President on the right. Funeral ceremonies. When many do not know the Tao… Grief is widespread. Victories are funerals. Tao is not effected by names. It simply can not be mastered… here… bring heaven to earth. ZENMASTER JAY

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We are the guest of the one in possession. Bliss distributed in all… unconditionally. Order and names arise. Names lead to more of the same. Know when to stop. Balance. The way in this world is like rivers flowing into the sea.

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Aware of others is intelligent. Aware of yourself is enlightened. Overcoming others is forceful. Overcoming yourself is true power.

Content with enough is wealth. Getting ahead is unrest. 72

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Stand… last. Let go… live.

The great way is overflowing… Left… right. All beings owe their life to it. From it they never depart. Action without names. Clothing and feeding all. ZENMASTER JAY

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Free mastery. Forever selfless. All simply return. But the great way is not controlling.

Greater than great. By not making itself… so… It can do great things.

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Hold great form. The ideal image. Making the world turn. Turning fearlessly in peace. Chorus and candy… Gatherings. But Tao remains the origin of flavor. Look… never seen. Listen… never heard. ZENMASTER JAY

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Used… never used up.

To find… lose. To concentrate… dilute. To end… start. To conclude… query. This is the way of 76

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reflecting. The diluted rises above the concentration. Fish can not escape their fathoms. Peoples brightest tools can not be seen.

Tao permanently permeates. No hesitation. ZENMASTER JAY

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If one could possess… all would transform. Transforming is of creation’s desire. I quiet in simplicity. No desire. No desire is serenity. Things settle themselves.

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Te is not lacking. Those who know it have no need to act. Those who don’t take action. The benevolent watch the righteous. The proprietor wants reciprocation. ZENMASTER JAY

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Therefore.. Lose Tao and te follows. Lose te all sorts of propriety follow. Propriety dilutes truth and delusion begins. Foresight is glorified and stupidity sets in. So ideally… dwell in clarity. Not glory.

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Accept un-ity and reject the other. As the re-union became… Heaven cleared. Earth stabilized. Spirits valued. Valleys bloomed. Myriad beings fertilized. The best at this purified others. The clear splits. The stable erupts. The values fade. The bounties wither. The beings perish. ZENMASTER JAY

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Nobles stumble. So the noble is rooted in humility. The high needs a low foundation. Good rulers have humble roots.

To the use of many… owning none. 82

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Not wishing to outshine… Rest like an anchor.

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Turning around is the way the way gets round. Giving way is the ways way of giving. All in all… non acceptance. 84

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All… accept this… completely.

The learned try to practice Tao. The learning… sometimes. The simple just laugh. ZENMASTER JAY

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Laughter is close to Tao. So we say… The bright road is dark. Progress withdraws. The level is uneven. Great te seems hollow. Great purity seems soft. Te is enough. Simple truths seem to change.

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An edgeless square is a great vessel. An unheard sound is an invisible image. Tao observes all naming. And by Tao alone things are done.

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Tao becomes one. One becomes two. Two become three. Three becomes all. All carry shade… and embody light. 88

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Shade and light. Yin and yang. Breathing harmony. Humans hate to be empty. Yet the great one… Gains by losing…and loses by gaining. The violent separate from nature.

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The soft water runs freely and forms the hard stone. That without enters that within. This shows me the good of non knowing. Saying without words. ZENMASTER JAY

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Good without knowing.

The worldly find it hard.

Name or body… which comes closer? 92

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Body or ideas… which means more? Gain or loss… which hurts more? Extreme love is greatly exacting. Owning entails loss. Enough is enough. Abuse not. Know when to let go… No harm done. ZENMASTER JAY

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This is lasting Not finished is still useful. Fully empty. Inexhaustible. Harmonious bends. Clumsy grace. Mute eloquence. Exertion overcomes cold. Calm overcomes heat. Pure calm is heaven’s beauty. Tao on earth… 94

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Strays are beneficial. Without this way… Benefits are held. No greater calamity than not knowing… enough. No greater fault than ambition. Therefore… knowing what is… enough. Always enough. Without going… know. Without looking… see. ZENMASTER JAY

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The more you try… less you know.

the

So the wise…

Knows not going. Understands not seeing. 96

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Does not try

Chase the past and accumulate. Chase the Tao… lose and get loose. Lose and again lose. Arrive at effortless being. Non doing and nothing not done. ZENMASTER JAY

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Take the world as one or nothing at all. Try even a little… And the whole thing… Slips away. The way is not set. The ordinary sets the stage. The good find the well. The bad are led there. Te as goodness. 98

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Trust only the trustworthy? Not te. Te as trust. Sages harmoniously blend with the world. People want to see and hear their way… But the sage is like a child.

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Into life… into death. 100

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Life is part. Death is part. Human… part. Why? Because life points out. Wayfarers live walking through jungles…unarmed. Why are they unharmed? They cling not. Tao bears. Tao heals. ZENMASTER JAY

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Behavior forms. Energy completes. So all review integrity and honor Tao in their own way. Tao honored. Te respected. For they are the nature… of nature. Tao and te rear, raise, get behind and protect. Bears not owning. Helps not coddles. 102

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Upholds not ruling. Original te. Original integrity. Mother earth also has a mother. See the mother and know the children. Return to the mother. Bodies die… No harm done. Block the pass… Seal the seep. No strife, ZENMASTER JAY

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Until the other side. Open the pass… Take charge. No relief, Until the other side. Small is bright. Gentle is strong. Use light to be bright. Do not cling and you may not have to endurE Claiming knowledge of this wonderful way… Cultures fear. 104

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The wonderful way is very easy but people like to learn… The hard way. The people are divided by amazing speakers hungry for excess. This passes for confidence… For those who wish to ZENMASTER JAY

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know.

Unplanted is not uprooted. Unclinging is not lost. The elders ways. The generations will. Center the self. Self becomes real. Center the family. 106

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Self abounds. Center the people. Self extends. Center the world. Self is profound. Center the universe. Self is realized. By self… see self. By family… see family. By people… see people. By world… see world. By all… see all. How do I know the universe? Like this! ZENMASTER JAY

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Completed te, new… born. None fear it. Nearly spineless yet has got the grip. It’s path awaits. Vitality present. So hard yet so easy… harmony. Harmony is enduring. Endurance illumines. Appreciating fortune. Power to clear the mind.

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Prospering in age… not Tao. Not Tao… ends.

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Those who know don’t talk. Those who talk don’t know. No passage sealed… left dull and loose. Blended light like the dust. ZENMASTER JAY

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Unity. Careless… your cares. Tao revered under heaven. Lead people as expected. Wage war unexpectedly. Follow nothing and lead everything. How have I come to this? More rules mean less happy people. Sharper weapons… more ignorant people. More skill… more kill. 112

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Complexity is incriminating. So the wise one says… I relax and people change and organize. I empty and people fulfill. I desire nothing and people are simple. When rulers are calm… people cool. When rulers pry… people heat up and wear down. ZENMASTER JAY

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Bad things rest upon the good. Good luck inside bad. No one knows the ending. Principles without priority. Reverting to disorder. Good becomes calamity. Confusion hardens. So the sage… Molds… Rounds… Contours… Shines… not dazzles.

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Guiding people by serving heaven is like simple living. Efficient in responseability means great te. Only no-thing is not limited. Not coming over you and never overcome. Be the country and the nature. Perpetuate the life of the land. ZENMASTER JAY

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Deep root… firm base. The way of seeing long life and farther than far. Big things treat like little ones. Way harmonizing… Ill will loses its reason. Illness can not harm. It has no power over you. Power can harm but 116

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energy is harmless. Neither harming… The harmony of te flowing… Going and coming. Good nations lower themselves to the world’s pool. A resource under heaven. Still… the female rises through the male. Still… by taking the low ZENMASTER JAY

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road. So the great one lowers self winning over the small one. Small ones keep low and win over great ones. Be high by staying low. Big nations desire community. Small nations desire to be of service. Both are fulfilled when no one is lower.

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Tao is the infinite center. Treasure and refuge for all. Compliments are traded. Deeds make reputations. Do not reject of undervalue the clean slate. When reason rules with three fold wisdom… Presenting presents… Cannot compare with …presence… ZENMASTER JAY

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Elders honor this way… and they say… In it seekers find and remorse is freed. Tao honored under heaven. Do without performance. Give without serving. Class without compare. Large…small. Much…little. Know hard by easy. Find great by narrow. The hardest must be done by the easy. The greatest must be done 120

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by the smallest. Therefore the sage doesn’t try great things. And so does them. Easy promise… little faith. Easy means difficult. Thus the sage says all is difficult. So in the end… nothing is Resting holds easy. Planning is possible. Brittle breaks. Fine scatters. ZENMASTER JAY

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Create before it and lead. The great is born small. Towers rise from the earth. All amount begin as one. Acting ruins and grasping loses. The sage… Non acting… Not ruining. No grasping and is never lost. People ruin near the end by not finishing how they started. Wise… desire no prize. The unlearned finds the 122

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heaven they overlooked. Helping all beings be themselves by… Not presuming. The elders just let them be… as they are. People are hard to help… stubborn and clever. So… the clever rebel and the simple bring good fortune... See the pattern? The pattern of original te. Te all pervading… All things reverse… ZENMASTER JAY

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Returning to the great order.

Flows rule the valley. They lay low. Those who would rise above… Speak from below. Those who would lead… Speak from behind. Sage… 124

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Unburdened… unhindering. Finding the world unweary. The sage does not contend with one… and so no one contends with the sage. All do call Tao great. Unlike anything they have ever known. That is what makes it ZENMASTER JAY

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great. I maintain three treasures. Compassion. Efficiency. Humility. Compassion is faithful. Efficiency generates.

These days… 126

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People want to be brave, generous, and come first without the three treasures. They die. Compassion prevails. Heaven works like this.

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The extinguished are not 128

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aggressive. The warrior is composed. The conqueror is not engaged. The leader is behind. The integrity of non contention. The leaders power. Mirroring heaven. Confronted… I master by being the guest. Advance retreating. Moving without moving. ZENMASTER JAY

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Mirror.

In contempt all is lost. Those who yield… rise..

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Easy… now… easy. No one. No one. Words have priorities. Understand this. Understand me. ZENMASTER JAY

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Rarity is valued. The sage carries wealth inside.

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Know not-knowing. Whole. ZENMASTER JAY

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Not know knowing. Careful.

Only causing causes is causeless. The sage is causeless by causing causes. Without cause.

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The people not awed… ZENMASTER JAY

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Power resides. Unwearied by respecting all. The wise one… Knows without show. Loves without pride. No one… accepts the other.

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Courage kills. Serenity saves. Do not profit from harm. Heaven hates what it does… Even so… Heavenly way prevails by not contending. Speechless yet ZENMASTER JAY

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responding. Uncalled yet arrives. So still… orders. Heavens net so wide and loose…

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Once death is not a fear… ZENMASTER JAY

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Who dares? Officials are always trying to take the executioner’s place. They are in too deep.

People hunger. When leaders are taxing… people hunger. People rebel. 140

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When leaders take action… people rebel. People are ignorant. When only chasing life’s richness… people are ignorant.

Only those who don’t chase life… Truly respect life.

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Born soft. Die stiff. Beings do this. Stiff and strong… Shadow. Soft and supple… Light. And so the greatest one is 142

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divided. The strong sink. The soft rise.

The way of heaven pulls in the ends. Brings down the high and picks up the low. Too much… cut. Not enough… add. Heaven’s way. The way of the world ZENMASTER JAY

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Is more like the poor get poorer and the rich get richer. Who has too much and gives it away? Those with heaven inside. So the wise… act and expect no reaction. Finish and do not boast. Have no wish for worthiness.

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Nothing is as gentle as water. Nothing is as powerful as water. Nothing dominates as easily. Supple overcomes stiffness. Soft overcomes hard. All know this… Who attains it? Therefore… Accept a country’s ZENMASTER JAY

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shadows and know its sacred soil. Accept a country’s fortune and become the order.

True words have true complimentary contradictions. 146

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Entertain anger and anger continues. How is this useful? So the sage… Keeps score without judgement. Those with power… score. Those without power… are paid. Heaven’s way hold no one close Lasting in productive people. ZENMASTER JAY

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Small town… simple people. Lots of things sit. People wonder without chasing all over. They own vehicles but like to walk. Have protection but unused. They count on their hands. Love in their food. 148

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Durability in their clothing. Peace in their homes. Enjoyable their routine.

Honest words do not dazzle. Dazzling words are not honest. Useful people do not argue. Arguing people are not useful. The wise are not discipled. ZENMASTER JAY

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The discipled are not wise. One does not want. Has enough and helps others. Has more and gives. Heaven’s way builds without destroying. One knows without claiming.

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www.nowzen.org

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