Trey Smith
Heaven and earth have been called great since ancient times, have been praised in chorus by the Yellow Emperor, Yao, and Shun. The kings of the world in ancient times - what need had they for action? Heaven and earth was enough for them.This is one of those snippets that addresses the concept of wu wei. It's not that undertaking action is viewed as unnecessary or bad, it is more about undertaking willful action. When we try to "make" something happen -- as opposed to allowing things to happen of their own accord -- we are polluting those actions with egoic desire.
~ Burton Watson translation ~
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