Sherry Chandler » Rexroth on the Tao
Rexroth on the Tao
Kenneth Rexroth from his essay on the Tao Te Ching (from the Bureau of Public Secrets):
The lesson is simple, and once learned, easy to paraphrase. The Tao is like water. Striving is like smoke. The forces of Nature are infinitely more powerful than the strength of men. Toil to the top of the highest peak and you will be swept away in the first storm. Seek the lowest possible point and eventually the whole mountain will descend to you. There are two ways of knowing, under standing and over bearing. The first is called wisdom. The second is called winning arguments. Being, as power, comes from the still void behind being and not being. The enduring and effective power of the individual, whether hermit or king or householder, comes from the still void at the heart of the contemplative. The wise statesman conquers by the quiet use of his opponents’ violence, like the judo and jujitsu experts.
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2 Comments
1. shamash replies at 15th July 2007, 11:30 am :
A beautiful, wise reminder, Sherry.
I must revisit the Tao Te Ching; the first time I read it, it changed my life.
2. sherry replies at 15th July 2007, 11:45 am :
Shamash! Always good to hear from you. I was mulling this passage over this morning on my walk, thinking that perhaps one of the gifts of age is freedom from striving and that it is a gift I should accept joyfully and call it wisdom.
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