Daodejing, Verse 41

Daodejing - Other Voices

Verse 41
When a superior man hears of the Tao,
he immediately begins to embody it.
When an average man hears of the Tao,
he half believes it, half doubts it.
When a foolish man hears of the Tao,
he laughs out loud.If he didn't laugh, it wouldn't be the Tao.

Thus it is said:
The path into the light seems dark,
the path forward seems to go back,
the direct path seems long,
true power seems weak,
true purity seems tarnished,
true steadfastness seems changeable,
true clarity seems obscure,
the greatest seem unsophisticated,
the greatest love seems indifferent,
the greatest wisdom seems childish.

The Tao is nowhere to be found.
Yet it nourishes and completes all things.

[For Personal Development]

• How can a finch understand the ambitions of a swan! (Chinese proverb)
• Visionary leaders are often ahead of their time; their ideas are so revolutionary that people laugh at them.
• Paradox is the true essence of life.
• To evolve we must step into the darkness of the unknown.
• Have a dream so big so you cannot achieve it until you can grow into a person who can.
  

[For Coaching] Hold the client to a higher standard than they might hold themselves.

• Coaches go deep with the client and look beyond the surface, to see the truth underneath.
• Be curious and stay curious- the client has his/her own reason, even if it does not seem to be apparent at a first glance.
• The power of coaching lies in getting our own agenda out of the way so that the client can grow.
• The cleaner and simpler the questions, the greater the opportunity for the client to express themselves.
  

~ from Practice the Tao, author Julia Chung, original post date: 4/5/10 ~

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