If I were suddenly to become known, and (put into a position to) conduct (a government) according to the Great Tao, what I should be most afraid of would be a boastful display.The main road or the middle path is an idea found throughout Asian philosophy. For me, the importance of staying in the middle is that it accentuates balance. Stray too far one way or the other and balance is impossible to achieve.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~
If I have even just a little sense,
I will walk on the main road and my only fear will be of straying from it.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~
If I have a little knowledge
Walking on the great Tao
I fear only to deviate from it
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~
If I had any sense,
I'd be trying to get right with Tao,
and the only thing I'd worry about
would be messing up.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~
The individual perpetually out of balance is one who is apt to spend their entire lifetime falling down, getting up and then immediately falling down again. While there is nothing inherently wrong with falling down -- we can learn valuable lessons from each fall -- it can be extremely painful and, besides, who in their right mind wants to spend their life tending to self-inflicted injuries?
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This is why we "practice." For me, the lessons of taiji, qigong and my paintbrush. They are physical and internal practical metaphors to learn and achieve balance.
ReplyDelete"Staying in the middle" sounds a little like "walking the straight and narrow." Balance is dynamic.