"The man who knows how to establish virtue never fears its being uprooted. The man who knows how to maintain virtue never fears its escaping him. The sons and grandsons of such never rest in offering sacrifices to them.
The virtue of him who cultivates TAO in his own person is genuine.
The virtue of him who cultivates it in his own home is superabundant.
The virtue of him who cultivates it in his village is enduring.
The virtue of him who cultivates it in his State is exuberant.
The virtue of him who cultivates it in the Empire is universal.
Wherefore I judge the persons of others by my own person; the families of others by my own family; the villages of others by my own village; the States of others by my own State; the Empire by the Empire I rule to-day.
How do I know the acquiescence of the world?—By this method." - Tao Te Ching - verse 54 - LAO TZU
When we think of pious individuals, we tend to think of great leaders such as the Dalai Lama, Mahatma Ghandi, Moses, Jesus Christ, Buddha and Krishna, to name a few. But what about others around us with a little less notoriety? The local priest or rabbi perhaps? The elders in the church? What about our friends and neighbors with whom we have contact everyday? Do they not qualify as pious because of their affiliation with us? Are they not worthy of our respect because they do not meet our high aspirations that we ourselves have not attained? Do they not qualify as pious individuals? Do we qualify as pious individuals?
Every man and woman that has ever lived and will ever live, was and is capable of being a pious person. That is because we are all children of One. We are all nourished by virtue, shaped by matter and perfected by our environment. It is the quality of these components that will ultimately determine how pious we are. If we are not aware of the Greater Power that Is, how do we then know how to be great? If we are not fed with virtue, how do we become virtuous? If our environment is not perfect, how are we to be perfected by our environment?
Seeking to be one with that which Is, has been the ultimate goal of the righteous and pious. This has been their purpose in life and so they have achieved piety. They have recognized, first and foremost, that they are one with the One because of the Creation. They have taken the Virtue of the One to nourish themselves. They have learned from the One to shape themselves by what matters. And because they see the One in everything that is, the One is their environment and has thus perfected them. They turned from the evils of men and burned the straw dogs behind them. They rejected what is not of the One and discarded all falsehoods. They saw the beauty in all that is and described it to everyone they could find.
Jesus Christ, Buddha, Krishna, Moses and Ghandi all came in to this world the same as each and every one of us did. So let us strive to live as they did. Not to idolize them, though. To emulate how they have shown us to be. Let us allow virtue to nourish us and let us cling to the One like an infant to its mother. This is the first step in cultivating the Tao.
When we think of pious individuals, we tend to think of great leaders such as the Dalai Lama, Mahatma Ghandi, Moses, Jesus Christ, Buddha and Krishna, to name a few. But what about others around us with a little less notoriety? The local priest or rabbi perhaps? The elders in the church? What about our friends and neighbors with whom we have contact everyday? Do they not qualify as pious because of their affiliation with us? Are they not worthy of our respect because they do not meet our high aspirations that we ourselves have not attained? Do they not qualify as pious individuals? Do we qualify as pious individuals?
Every man and woman that has ever lived and will ever live, was and is capable of being a pious person. That is because we are all children of One. We are all nourished by virtue, shaped by matter and perfected by our environment. It is the quality of these components that will ultimately determine how pious we are. If we are not aware of the Greater Power that Is, how do we then know how to be great? If we are not fed with virtue, how do we become virtuous? If our environment is not perfect, how are we to be perfected by our environment?
Seeking to be one with that which Is, has been the ultimate goal of the righteous and pious. This has been their purpose in life and so they have achieved piety. They have recognized, first and foremost, that they are one with the One because of the Creation. They have taken the Virtue of the One to nourish themselves. They have learned from the One to shape themselves by what matters. And because they see the One in everything that is, the One is their environment and has thus perfected them. They turned from the evils of men and burned the straw dogs behind them. They rejected what is not of the One and discarded all falsehoods. They saw the beauty in all that is and described it to everyone they could find.
Jesus Christ, Buddha, Krishna, Moses and Ghandi all came in to this world the same as each and every one of us did. So let us strive to live as they did. Not to idolize them, though. To emulate how they have shown us to be. Let us allow virtue to nourish us and let us cling to the One like an infant to its mother. This is the first step in cultivating the Tao.
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Gerald,
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen your name here, but I know the voice.
Thanks for verse 54. I'll read up on it. I've been contemplating getting involved for some time now, but have been more focused on my qi gong practice and the basic question of my greatest gift. But if the virtue of him who cultivates it in the empire is universal, there's my answer.
"and seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying: "We will eat our own bread and wear our own apparel; only let us be called by thy name; take thou away our reproach."
In that day shall the growth of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land excellent and comely"
Isaiah, 4:1-2
I'm gonna get me some o' that religion. How come nobody told me there was good shit like that in the bible. Taken hold by seven women in one day, and it won't cost me a penny. I like.
Elliott