Tao of the Day

Today I chose a number but never had the opprotunity to read it and was visited by Jay K and we covered her #70. Melissa and Marianne then joined me for #66 and #29 respectively. then Sandy came up and shared #2 afterwhich I got to hang out wiht my old buddy Graciela around her life changes and #23.
#2 "Identifying the Manifestation"
Opposites exist amongst the particular.
Identifying the beautiful creates the ugly.
Identifying good creates evil.
Identifying the particular separates all manifestations:
Reality and fantasy are opposing thoughts.
Difficult and easy are opposing degrees.
Long and short are opposing perceptions of time or space.
Because of this the Master doesn't rely on words.
She teaches by being without explanation,
In this way she is the most helpful.
She inspires all things to be without rejecting them.
She gives them life but refuses to possess them.
Her actions spring forth from perfection,
They are not hers to own
Thus they will never be forgotten.
#23 "Speaking from Tao"
When you speak, say what is to be said but no more.
Neither wind, nor storms last all day
nature expresses itself completely,
no matter how wild it may get,
Then it returns to stillness.
When you open yourself to Tao
You say what is to be said.
Everyone will agree because
When you speak from Tao only Tao can be heard.
He who aligns with Tao will only hear Tao.
He who aligns with manifestation will only hear manifestation.
He who aligns with failure will only hear failure.
How it is heard is not your concern.
Trust what is to be said
And everything will fall into place.
#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.
#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.
#70 "These Teachings"
These teachings are simple and transform lives
Yet mere intellect cannot grasp them.
These teachings are older than life and benefit all things,
Yet people prefer the manifestation.
Very few people will ever truly understand what is written herein
But for those few, these pages will guide them to themselves.
Meanwhile, they will be labeled as course and uncaring
In the manifestation they are seen as dull and disinterested
Yet, in their heart, shines a light for all things.

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.