How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!Not only do humans have a predilection for feeling extra special (see yesterday's Tao Bible post), but we also have a penchant for wanting to blame something/someone outside of ourselves when we stray from the path. For Christians, this other entity is Lucifer, Satan, the Devil.
~ King James version ~
Therefore the sage seeks freedom from desire.
He does not collect precious things.
He learns not to hold on to ideas.
He brings men back to what they have lost.
He help the ten thousand things find their own nature,
But refrains from action.
~ from Verse 64 of the Tao Te Ching ~
For the Taoist, looking far afield is to look in the wrong direction! When we stray from the path of Tao, we need only to look at our own craven desires. This, we contend, is the root to humankind's chief problem. Put another way, selfishness is what takes us off the rail.
If you're interested in reading more from this experimental series, go to the Tao Bible Index page.
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