Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Bit by Bit - Chapter 2, Part 24

Trey Smith


The Great Way is not named; Great Discriminations are not spoken; Great Benevolence is not benevolent; Great Modesty is not humble; Great Daring does not attack. If the Way is made clear, it is not the Way. If discriminations are put into words, they do not suffice. If benevolence has a constant object, it cannot be universal. If modesty is fastidious, it cannot be trusted. If daring attacks, it cannot be complete. These five are all round, but they tend toward the square.

Therefore understanding that rests in what it does not understand is the finest. Who can understand discriminations that are not spoken, the Way that is not a way? If he can understand this, he may be called the Reservoir of Heaven. Pour into it and it is never full, dip from it and it never runs dry, and yet it does not know where the supply, comes from. This is called the Shaded Light.

~ Burton Watson translation ~
The sole constant of the universe is change. Every being, every element and every moment is in the process of transforming into something else. When we attempt to moor ourselves on something fixed and permanent, it dissolves before our eyes. It's like trying to grasp water with a net!

To view the Index page for this series, go here.

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