Wen Tzu - Verse 115, Part I

from Verse One Hundred Fifteen

Therefore to keep on filling is not as good as stopping; a sharpened edge cannot be maintained forever.

~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~

One thing I haven't done during the current series is to draw some comparisons between the Wen Tzu and the Tao Te Ching. Of course, those of you familiar with the latter have undoubtedly noticed some common themes and phraseology between the two texts.

In this instance, the above passage sounds very similar to the first two lines of Verse 9 of the TTC:

Better stop short than fill to the brim.
Oversharpen the blade, and the edge will soon blunt.
~ Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English translation ~

Back in July of last year, here's a portion of what I wrote concerning Verse 9:

In present society, we always are urged to want more. It doesn't matter what we're talking about -- money, power, food, clothes, cars, gadgets, friends, etc. Enough never seems to be enough. So we pile our plate high with stuff we don't need and then we wonder why we're so stressed?

For me, the key point Lao Tzu is attempting to draw our attention to in both instances is that always striving for the extremes in life (excess) is what lands us in hot water again and again. When we stay away from the extremes, we have a much better chance of achieving balance.

This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.