Monday, January 25, 2010

Wen Tzu - Verse 136

from Verse One Hundred Thirty-Six
A clear and calm social order is characterized by harmony and tranquility, plainness and simplicity, serenity and freedom from agitation. Inwardly united with the Way, outwardly conforming to justice, speech is brief and logical, action is joyful and sensible.
~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~
For me, the above passage could be easily summed up in the popular bumper sticker: Live simply so others may simply live.

The beauty of simplicity is that there is nothing to protect, nothing to covet. There is no need to build walls around it or armies to fight for it. You don't need to pass laws or policies to implement it. You don't need to pray or meditate to put it into action.

Simplicity is too easy for all that rigmarole. You live simply by...well...living simply. That's all there is to it.

This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.

3 comments:

  1. Thumbs up on a nice post...just what I needed to read right now.

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  2. The passage also seems so appropriate after the little flame-fest that I hope has been put out. (I certainly didn't mean to add fuel to the fire.)

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  3. Shinzen,
    For me, it's what I needed to write right now. :)

    Baroness,
    Yes, I think it's out! You didn't add much fuel; when I'm a bit manic, I often overreact..just a wee tad?

    ReplyDelete

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