Tao......................................

Faithful readers will know that the Tao Te Ching holds an attraction for me.  Yesterday friend David posted Chapter 9:

Fill your bowl to the brim
and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your knife
and it will blunt.
Chase after money and security
and your heart will never unclench.
Care about people’s approval
and you will be their prisoner.

Do your work, then step back.
The only path to serenity


One of the glories of the Tao is the variations between translations into the English language.  For instance:

Instead of keeping a bow taut while holding it straight,
       better to relax.
You may temper a sword until it is razor sharp,
       but you cannot preserve the edge for long.
When gold and jade fill your rooms,
       no one will be able to guard them for you.
If wealth and honor make you haughty,
       you bequeath misfortune upon yourself.
To withdraw when your work is finished,
       that is the way of heaven.
-Tao Te Ching,  Lao Tzu, as translated by Victor Mair



Hold yourself back from filling yourself up,
or you'll tip off your stand.

You can hammer a blade until it's razor-sharp
and in seconds, it can blunt.

You may amass gold and jade in plenty
but then the more you have, the less safety . .

Are you strutting your wealth like a peacock?
Then you've set yourself up to be shot.
You bring about your own disaster
Because you've got too much.

Let go, when your work is done.

That is the Way of Heaven.
-The Illustrated Tao Te Ching, a new translation by Kwok, Palmer and Ramsay


Instead of pouring in more
better stop while you can
making it sharper
won't help it last longer
houses full of treasure
can never be safe
the vanity of success
invites its own failure
when your work is done retire
this is the way of heaven
-Lao-tzu's Taoteching, translated by Red Pine


To keep on filling
is not as good as stopping.
Overfilled, the cupped hands drip,
better to stop pouring.

Sharpen a blade too much
and its edge will soon be lost.
Fill your home with jade and gold
and it brings insecurity.
Puff yourself with honor and pride
and no one can save you from a fall.

Retire when the work is done;
this is the way of heaven.
-Wayne W. Dyer,   Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life:  Living the Wisdom of the Tao