Tao of the Day

Today I selected #74, didn't talk too much about it before Lo joined me and we discussed # 32. Melissa came up and we honed in on #26 and Marianne had me select the random #10 for her. Dayo rounded us all out with #27.
#10 "Authentic Action"
Can you control your mind, so it doesn't wonder?
Can you control your body, so it doesn't wander?
Can you endorse all that you do?
Can you love everyone so as to inspire them?
Can you do all this without interfering and remain unknown?
Can you leave behind knowing and open yourself to understanding?
Can you be like Tao and give birth
Without possessing?
Can you be like Tao and act
Without expecting?
Can you be like Tao and lead
without dominating?
If so, it would be considered great.
#26 "Wasted Movement"
Without knowing darkness
Light is mysterious and distracting.
Without knowing stillness
All movement is wasted.
This is why the Master travels
And never leaves home.
No matter how amazing the manifestation
She knows there is nothing that she is not.
Why should anyone seek to be influenced or entertained?
If you let yourself be entertained
You lose touch with your root.
If you let yourself be influenced
You lose touch with who you are.
#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.
#32 "It is Not What You Can See"
So subtle is Tao it has never been seen
And yet nothing that can be seen is without it.
When beings can remain centered in Tao
All that they perceive is in harmony.
As that harmony inspires actions,
Those actions will have names,
Know that those names are provisional.
If those actions inspire institutions to form,
Know where their reach should end.
Inspired actions, although they may have names,
Those names needn't be taken too seriously.
Tao is behind it all
Even if you cannot see it.
#74 "Don't Cut Yourself"
People are not naturally afraid to die
It is what we are born to do.
Fear of death is important if you want to rule over the people
However, you must artificially instill this fear into their hearts.
To accomplish this you kill as an example to control the masses.
Since the beginning of time there has been one executioner,
Trying to take its place will lead to nothing good.
As a novice with a master carpenter's tools
You're going to cut yourself.

Today I had a great time talking wiht Sandy about #66, Melissa and her #21, Linda joined me to work with #29, and Jay K and I walked through #43.
#21 "Tao is not Temporary"
The Master is at peace knowing she is of manifestation
And that manifestations are always temporary.
Knowing this, she always follows Tao.
How can she be at peace knowing she is temporary?
Because she doesn't cling to her life or ideas
And still she is fulfilled.
Tao cannot be fathomed or known; how can she follow it?
She allows it to lead her from moment to moment.
Tao is, and is always,
Even before the manifestation of time and space.
Tao is beyond both temporary and forever.
How do I know this to be true?
The evidence is within me as it is within you.
#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.
#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.
#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.

Today was filled with great conversations with Alicia and #39, Linda E chose #33, Marianne came up to speak about the situation in her home and #75, then #7 with Sandy.
#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.
#33 "You are Not Manifestation"
Study others and gain some knowledge.
Study yourself and gain deep wisdom.
Controlling others takes strength.
But controlling your ego and desires
Takes power and perseverance.
Knowing that you have enough gives you wealth,
Grasping for money and love forces you to conform.
Embrace who you are and stay centered in that
And although you will die you will not perish.
#39 "Unity"
Unity is the standard
When achieved, all things are harmonious.
Heaven achieved it through purity.
Planets achieved it through solidity.
Beings achieve it through purpose (life),
Generation after generation,
Every individual being finds
Their own unity, their own harmony.
If Heaven were to lose its purity
So too its union with the Planets.
If Planets were to lose their solidity
So too their union with Beings.
If beings were to lose their purpose (lives)
Without unity, all would perish and decay.
The Master honors everything in every form,
She knows that there is nothing between the highest and lowest,
Differentiating we lose touch with Unity.
Always adjusting to find Unity
The Master lets herself be lived,
Constantly being renewed and shaped by Tao,
Rugged and full of resolve.
#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.

I started talking and it just flowed wiht Sandy chiming in with #5 Melissa wiht #25, Jay K with #62 and Marianne wrapped it up with #27 yet again.
#5 "Impartial"
Nature doesn't care,
It knows everything is more than it seems.
The Master doesn't care,
She knows that as well.
It is good to be empty
Thus the Master embraces the void.
Like a bellows, she produces from emptiness.
Stay centered.
#25 "I Call it Tao"
Before the manifestation of heaven there is void
It is still and has no form.
Inexhaustible it reaches everywhere
It is at the core of everything.
Since names became important
It has been called Tao.
It flows among manifestation without resistance
Inside, outside, conscience and subconscious.
Tao is great.
Universes are great.
Planets are great.
Beings are great.
These four are all great and follow the law of their principle;
All beings follow their planet,
Planets follow their universe,
Universes follow Tao,
Tao follows only its nature.
#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.
#62 "Everybody's Treasure"
Tao benefits all things
A treasure for those who know
An opportunity for those who don't.
To witness one act or speak to gain position
Know they are under the influence of manifestation,
Be like Tao and do not abandon them,
For knowing Tao is learned by example.
Therefore, when a new leader takes office
Don't offer words, gifts, or actions
Offer instead to teach them Tao.
Why is Tao so universally loved?
Because if you acknowledge it or not
Tao is your treasure,
Always in harmony
Every mistake forgiven.

Hands down a great show today, I kicked us off reading both #52 and #54, Jay K joined with #64. Then my teachers come up with Marianne and #16 and Melissa iwth #80 then Julie with #5
#5 "Impartial"
Nature doesn't care,
It knows everything is more than it seems.
The Master doesn't care,
She knows that as well.
It is good to be empty
Thus the Master embraces the void.
Like a bellows, she produces from emptiness.
Stay centered.
#16 "Stillness and Integration"
Being empty of mind is of the utmost importance
And it is to be guarded with fervor.
We have all seen states of action arise,
And always beyond it returns stillness.
When any state of action is complete
It naturally returns to stillness.
This allows integration of what arose from action
Which is the natural cycle of maturation.
If stillness and integration cannot be achieved
Constant action will lead to anxiety and wild movements.
Yielding to stillness makes one impartial,
And all particular things fall away,
Then when it is time to die
One can be impartial to that as well.
#52 "Like Tao so too You"
All things issue from Tao, it is their mother
Then, in their own time, they return to Tao.
Like Tao, so too you act in the world of manifestation.
When you recognize you are the mother of your experience
You can identify the children your actions birth,
Loving them as your children you free yourself of sorrow.
Choose to not recognize your motherhood,
A victim, filled with desire and judgment,
There will be no end to your turmoil.
Look into the darkness and learn how to yield,
Not allowing your senses to guide you,
You will find peace in ever crevasse.
#64 "It's so Easy"
It is easy to stop something before it is set into motion.
It is easy to plan something before beginning it.
It is easy to break something before it has grown strong.
It is easy to hide something before it has grown big.
Preventing problems has never been the problem.
Tiny sprouts do this and grow to unimaginable heights,
Every journey has started with the first easy step.
Avoiding the easy is what has created all difficult problems.
Rushing past the easy things will end up costing you,
Grasping onto the destination you lose sight of where you are.
Forcing things to be what you want, when you want,
Will only turn those things against you.
Therefore, the Master monitors her desire for an outcome.
She remains as calm at the beginning as at the end
So she can see what is in front of her.
She embraces the mundane and doesn't prize rarities.
Doing this the Master reminds those around her
Of who they have always been, and they are inspired.
Caring about nothing but Tao she cares for all things.
#80 "What's Important"
Any state wishing to align with Tao remains small.
Too many people bring about too many options and opinions.
In a small State its inhabitants are skilled and wise
However there is never a need to put their skills on display
They will be happy to humbly use their skills and work together.
They never dwell on anything too long
The next thing to do is always making itself known.
They love their surroundings so have no desire to travel.
Although they have a few trucks and boats
None are inspired to use them.
They love their lives and their simple food,
They make their own clothes,
Spend time in their gardens while speaking to neighbors
They take the greatest pleasure being with family.
Even though there is a bus to the city that travels through every week
Everyone here will be content without ever having made the trip.