Tao of the Day

Today I talked a lot about my 12% theory and used #75 as an example of that exsisting in nature. Melissa jioned for #79 and Wendy hung out and talked about #77.
#75 "There Needs to be a Purpose"
People are starved for purpose because everything they do is taxed.
That being so, why would they venture to do anything?
By being intrusive governments corral their people
Forcing them to "Make a Living," instead of simply living.
People have no purpose when their purpose is appointed.
Without purpose, why would they want to live?
All of this is intrusive meddling
It robs people of their lives and
Lines the pockets of those in authority.
#77 "The Bending of a Bow"
Tao acts on the world as the bending of a bow.
The top is forced down when the bottom is moved up.
It is impossible for the one to act
Without the other responding.
Unlike man, Tao is patient and neutral
Quietly adjusting excesses and deficiencies,
Taking from what is too much and giving to what isn't enough.
Ordinary men go against Tao,
Taking resources from the areas that are deficient,
Giving resources to the areas that compulsively consume.
The Master knows all things are being adjusted.
Although she cannot always see it in action
She has faith it is working through her.
In this way, she allows her actions to unfold
Neither dwelling on them nor taking credit.
Aligned with Tao they complement all things.
#79 "Conflict Resolution"
Every conflict creates an "Other"
Even after a resolution, animosity remains.
Is that good enough for you?
Therefore, the Master always does her part
Keeping the peace, not placing blame,
Correcting her own actions,
Without requiring the same from others.
Tao doesn't care who's right
If you do, you'll find it difficult.

Today Sandy talked about a couple accidents she has recently had and we discussed that through #44. Then Melissa joined and we talked through #41 together.
#41 "Laughing at Tao is Perfectly Reasonable"
Those who live with sincerity, when they hear of Tao, immediately begin to embody it.
Those who live casually, may trust it at times, but aren't quite sure what do with it.
Those who embrace the manifestation completely laugh and scoff at the very idea.
If they didn't laugh and scoff, it wouldn't be Tao.
Therefore, you may have noticed:
Progress doesn't always seem to advance.
Beauty oft times can come off as obscene.
The powerful can tend to seem weak.
True love can appear tough or indifferent.
Wisdom can be mistaken as childish.
Great art can appear unsophisticated.
Tao is hidden in all of these,
Imparting what is needed,
Completing everything.
#44 "The Influence of Excess"
Fame or integrity; which of these do you focus on seeing and obtaining?
Possessions or fulfillment; in which do you spend your time investing?
Success or failure; of which has offered you the most growth?
Under the influence you spend yourself
Accumulating only loss and regret.
Fulfill your needs and be content,
When you know excess is excessive
You'll be open to receiving harmony.

Today was my first day back after my first Vertigo experience. I satrted wiht #73 and Step Ross joined me for that. Marianne selected #27, Melissa had some tention with parents and chose #7 and Mayvel joined me for #29.
#7 "The Wisdom of Not Having Preference"
Tao is infinite
It doesn't grow old or tired.
Because it has no preference for itself
It can always persist.
The Master puts herself last
And always finds herself first.
By being detached from preference
She can give herself to what is
And find fulfillment there.
#27 "The Mystery of the Process"
Although a good traveler may have plans
They are not rigid, nor is the outcome.
Although a good artist creates,
The creations are arrived at through intuition.
Although a good scientist observes
It is done for the first time every time.
By embodying these strategies
The Master accepts everyone
And makes use of every situation,
Nothing is wasted and
Every moment is imbued with light.
What is the good if not a vision for the bad?
What is the bad if not a lesson for the good?
Accept this completely,
Or you will suffer in all you do.
It is the great secret.
#29 "Make the World a Better You"
Do you want to make the world a better place?
How arrogant you must be!
The world, like you, is sacred
And cannot be improved.
A force of will, would ruin it.
If it had a guide, it would be misled.
There are times for all things,
Even this, whatever it happens to be.
The Master allows all things to be as they are
She doesn't want to control them.
She simply lets them do what they do
She also does what she does, staying connected to Tao.
#73 "Nothing Falls Through"
There are men who love feeling, and to feel they kill.
There are men who love feeling, and to do so remain calm.
Who is to say which will experience more turmoil?
There is purpose in walking with death, as there is in walking with life.
The inner workings of Tao can never be understood;
It makes no commands, yet all things come on their own accord;
It never acts; but all things act on its behalf;
It is empty, yet within it lays all things and their Master Plans.
Tao is a net holding all things together, connected.
Its mesh is wide, but it holds so well nothing falls through.

Today I spoke about #58 and then had a number of people in my que not all got the opprotunity to speak but had Mayvel choose #37, Sandy joined to talk about #12, then Linda and Juan came up to discuss #43 and #15 respectively.
#12 "The Senses"
Colors blind the eyes of men.
Sounds deafen the ears of men.
Flavors dull the tongues of men.
Thoughts will lead a mind to turmoil.
Desires and greed will lead a life to turmoil.
Therefore, the Master satisfies her inner vision
Allowing external cravings to come and go.
#15 "Ancient Tao"
The Ancient Masters" ability to comprehend the mystery
Was so profound and subtle that they were misunderstood.
One could only describe how they must have appeared.
Careful as someone hearing the ice crack midway through crossing a lake;
Observant as someone surrounded by toxic threats;
Courteous as a guest in awe of her host;
Unpretentious as a felled branch in a wood;
Vacant as someone staring into space;
Dull as a man with nothing to boast about.
Can you be still, adding nothing until the mud settles
And it gives you the opportunity to see clearly?
Can you be still until, on its own accord,
The next action presents itself to you?
The Master has no need for herself.
She doesn't seek or expect attention.
Not needing to appease herself
She has no requests.
#37 "Inspired Action"
Tao never does anything
Yet inspires everything to do.
When beings maintain the action of Tao
They spontaneously transform from within.
When that transformation acquires a name (an identity)
External forces inspire actions from desire.
Actions without identity
Are free from external goals.
Without desire, honoring stillness,
All things are at peace.
#43 "Be Silent and Learn"
The flexible will outlast the ridged.
The gentle will outlast the hard.
Tao, which has no structure, has penetrated all
Even that which has no space to enter.
Through this I see that unforced action, and silence are the only path to completeness.
Action, free of expectation and desire,
This is the lesson of the nature of things.
Listen to your nature, be silent and learn.
#58 "To Oversee, Don't Interfere"
In overseeing anything, don't interfere,
Let everything flourish in its own time.
Interfering, you get met with resistance
Or worse, apathetic adherence.
Misery and misfortune are tied to expectation.
To expect success is to focus on failure,
To expect happiness is to invite misery,
To expect moral adherence is to flirt with tragedy.
There is no escaping it, expecting good yields bad,
This is interfering, it has always been true.
The Master therefore is content to simply be an example
She has no desire to impose, and trusts all she oversees,
She is firm but yielding, she is sharp, yet none are cut by her
She is radiant, but easy on the eyes.

A longer episode today started with Julie and #48, Melissa joined me with a problem that so many teachers face and #66. Sandy joined to make a few comments and Jay K chose #67 after which Marianne came up and chose #36.
#36 "Going about your Business"
If you want to take a deep breathe
You must first empty your lungs.
If you want to make something weak
Then observe it first as powerful.
If you want something destroyed,
Then see it first glorified.
Identify your rigid desires,
Meet them with flexibility.
The soft overcomes the hard,
The slow overtakes the fast.
Just quietly go about your business,
The results will speak for themselves.
#48 "The More you Know"
Pursuing knowledge, you accumulate daily,
Turning your true nature into a commodity.
Pursuing Tao, you unburden daily,
Allowing your true nature to guide you.
The Master unburdens herself again and again
Diminishing, releasing, and deprogramming,
Until finally there is nothing left to be.
When there is nothing to be, there is nothing to do
And everything gets accomplished regardless.
#66 "Leading from Behind"
There are great benefits to humility
All rivers flow to the sea
Because its position is lower.
The Master emulates this by always being a servant,
Inspiring from below, leading from behind,
No one is oppressed, they find their own way.
Like rivers so too will the people flow to the Master,
Never feeling oppressed or as if they are in danger,
The whole world supports her and keeps her in their hearts.
Without a reason or a desire to compete
She is never met with competition.
#67 "The Three Lessons"
Caught in manifestation some people say Tao is stupid.
Others say it is a beautiful idea, but it cannot be achieved.
They cannot see it is neither an idea nor something to be achieved,
Lost in a world of endless solutions they cannot recognize truth.
Tao asks us to live with only 3 things
Compassion, moderation, and humility
With compassion you will be able to care for all things
Without having to ask if they deserve it.
With moderation you will be able to be generous,
Without them needing to prove they are worthy of it.
With humility you know you are going to die like all things,
Thus you treat all things with dignity and respect.
Abandoning these will only lead to trouble.