keith wayne brown
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Daodejing 11
#11* Thirty wheel spokes sharing one hub. The empty space in the middle has the usefulness to a cart. Knead clay to make a vessel. The empty space in the middle has usefulness to the vessel. Cutting the door and… Continue reading
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Daodejing 10
#10* Body and soul integrated as one. Inseparable? Concentrate Qì [1] for suppleness. Baby-like? Wash and cleanse the profound mirror. [2] Never blemish? Love the people and govern a country. Do doing-without-doing (wěi-wú-wěi)? The door of heaven Opens and closes. Yielding? [3] Brilliantly perceive The… Continue reading
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Daodejing 9
#9.* Holding and filling it up, no comparison to stopping it in time; Honing and sharpening it cannot remain for a long time. Gold and jade fill the hall, Yet cannot be guarded. Wealthy and honored Yet arrogant, Brings disaster… Continue reading
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Daodejing 8
#8* The highest good is like water: Water is good at benefitting the 10,000 things yet never contends. Dwell in the place that the majority dislikes; thus, be close To Dào . Be good at dwelling in place; Be good at… Continue reading
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Daodejing 7
#7* Heaven is eternal; earth is everlasting. The reason why heaven and earth can be eternal and everlasting? Because they do not exist for themselves, [they] thus can live long. Therefore, the Sage makes himself go behind yet he comes… Continue reading
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Daodejing 5
#5* Heaven and earth have no mercy, treating the 10,000 things as straw dogs; the Sage has no mercy, treating people as straw dogs. [1] The space between Heaven and earth Just like a bellows! Empty but never Exhausted; work it… Continue reading
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Daodejing 2
#2* Under-heaven all know the reason why the beautiful is beautiful: the existence of the ugly; All know the reason why the good is the good: the existence of the bad. Therefore, to-be and To-not-be beget One another, Difficulty and… Continue reading
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Daodejing 44
#44* Fame or life: Which is dearer? Life or fortune: Which is most valuable? Gain or loss: Which is more harmful? Hence, excessive love Is bound to great cost. Too many possessions Is bound to great loss. Knowing satisfaction, [1] Avoid… Continue reading
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Daodejing 43
#43* The softest entity under heaven gallops [1] through the hardest. The intangible Penetrates the solid. [2] Therefore, I know the the benefit of wú-wěi. [3] The teaching without words. The benefit of wú-wěi: Few under-heaven Keep pace with this. *Translation by LU… Continue reading
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Daodejing 41
#41* The person having most excellence who hears DAO practices assiduously. The person having average excellence who hears DAO only practices on occasion. The person having least excellence who hears DAO laughs at it. Yet, if DAO were not laughable,… Continue reading
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Daodejing 38 Redux
With this poem, we begin the Book of DE (the second part of the Daodejing, the poems on virtue or excellence). #38* Magnificent excellence (DE): Acting without thinking of being excellent. Acting thus is authentic excellence. Debased excellence: Keeping up… Continue reading
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Daodejing 37
#37* The Great Way (DAO): Never doing (WU WEI) but always doing all. If kings can follow this, the 10,000 things will grow and develop spontaneously. During the course of growth and development, whenever arises a desire to do… I… Continue reading
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Daodejing 36
#36* To shrink it, expand it. To weaken it, strengthen it. To demote it, promote it. To take it, give it. Call this subtle brilliance: Bending and weakness overcomes rigidity and strength. *Translation by LU Wenlong & Keith Wayne Brown,… Continue reading














