《道德經-第五十三章》

使我介然有知，行於大道，唯施是畏。

大道甚夷，而民好徑。

朝甚除，田甚蕪，倉甚虛；服文綵，帶利劍，厭飲食，財貨有餘；是謂盜夸。

非道也哉！

(Increase of evidence)

If I were suddenly to become known, and (put into a position to) conduct (a government) according to the Great Dao, what I should be most afraid of would be a boastful display.

The great Dao (or way) is very level and easy, but people love the by-ways.

Their court(-yards and buildings) shall be well kept, but their fields shall be ill-cultivated, and their granaries very empty. They shall wear elegant and ornamented robes, carry a sharp sword at their girdle, pamper themselves in eating and drinking, and have a superabundance of property and wealth; - such (princes) may be called robbers and boasters.

This is contrary to the Dao surely!

[Warring States (475 BC - 221 BC)] English translation: James Legge

李榮 Lǐ Róng says, “A robber is someone who never has enough and who takes more than he needs.”

王伾Wang Pi says, “To gain possession of something by means other than the Way is wrong. And wrong means robbery.”

 Wednesday, May 12

"Keep your mind as a channel for His expressions of love, and you will find that He will walk, will talk with you - even as in the garden." 

(ECRL 295-9)

《道德經 - Dao De Jing》 — May 8, 2021

聖人無常心，以百姓心為心。
善者，吾善之；不善者，吾亦善之；德善。
信者，吾信之；不信者，吾亦信之；德信。
聖人在天下，歙歙為天下渾其心，百姓皆注其耳目，聖人皆孩之。

“Sages have no mind of their own
their mind is the mind of the people
to the good they are good
to the bad they are good
until they become good
to the true ones they are true
to the false they are true
until they become true
in the world, sages are withdrawn
with the world, they merge their mind
people open their ears and eyes
sages cover theirs up”

《老子》, Laozi –  (第四十九章，《紅松》翻譯，Taoteching, verse 49, translation by Red Pine)

Orana Maria (We Hail Thee Mary), 1891, Paul Gauguin

蘇轍 Sūzhé says, “Emptiness has no form. It takes on the form of the ten thousand things. If emptiness had its own form it could not form anything else. Thus, sages have no mind of their own. They take on the minds of the people and treat everyone the same.”

宋徽宗 Sòng huīzōng says, “Because it is empty, the mind of a sage can receive. Because it is still, it can respond.”

Yencun says, “A mindless mind is the chief of all minds. Sages, therefore, have no mind of their own but embrace the minds of the people. Free of love and hate, they are not the enemy of evil or the friend of the good. They are not the protector of truth or the adversary of falsehood. They support like the earth and cover like the sky. They illuminate like the sun and transform like the spirit.”

王滂Wang Pang says, “Good and bad are the result of delusions, and delusions are the result of self-centred minds. Those who open themselves up to the Great Way, although their eyes see good and bad, their minds do not distinguish any differences. They don’t treat the bad with goodness out of pity but because they don’t perceive any difference. Although the ten thousand things are different, their differences are equally real and equally false. To see the real in the false and the false in the real is how the wisdom of sages differs from that of others.”

孔夫子Kǒng Fūzǐ says, “In their dealings with the world, great people are neither for nor against anyone. They follow whatever is right” (Lunyu:4.10).

王伾 Wang Pi says, “The mind of sages has no point of view, and their thoughts have no direction.”

法融 Jen Farong says, “Wherever sages go in the world, they act humble and withdrawn and blend in with others. They treat everyone, noble or commoner, rich or poor, with the same kindness and equality. Their mind merges with that of others. Ordinary people concentrate on what they hear and see and concern themselves with their own welfare. The sage’s mind is like that of a newborn baby, pure and impartial.”

唐玄宗 says, “Sages cover up the tracks of their mind by blending in with others.”

成玄英 Chéng Xuányīng says, “Stop the eyes and the ears, and the others senses will follow.”

And 紅松 Red Pine adds, “The Chinese word for mind, 心 also means ‘thoughts,’ ‘goals,’ ‘intentions,’ or ‘will.’ Thus, 《老子》 is not being philosophical here in saying ‘sages have no mind of their own,’ merely practical.”

 

Friday, May 7

"All that is material once existed in spirit, or the soul of the entity. Mind becomes the builder, the physical becomes the result." Edgar Cayce reading 3376-2 Saturday, May 8 "Know there is more to life than to live, and a success must be one in which the entity may grow in understanding and in knowledge." Edgar Cayce reading 1901-1 5 Things that Keep us Stuck in Life 1. Believing negative, unproductive and self-defeating thoughts. These include thoughts like “I could never … I’m not good enough to … I don’t deserve to … I’m useless at …” 2. Blaming others. Other people can indeed have a huge effect on what happens to us, and where we are in life. But we give them too much power if we let them set our course, and see ourselves as victims, and act like we’ve no power. 3. Taking ourselves too seriously. It’s important to work hard and to have integrity – but we also have to laugh and enjoy ourselves as well. Also, decide to let things go, and put up with some mistakes. You’re not a perfect person and, the truth is - that’s OK! 4. Being afraid to take some risks or to live close to the edge. To have an interesting life you must leave your comfort zone and say “yes” to some new chances and opportunities. It will broaden your perspective, reduce anxiety, and provide you with new options and possibilities. 5. Being afraid of change. It doesn’t take much effort to stick with what you know. The unknown can seem daunting as we don’t know where that leads! But we grow as individuals and lead a richer life if we learn to accept changes, instead of being scared. The beginning of freedom is the realization that you are not “the thinker.” The moment you start watching the thinker, a higher level of consciousness becomes activated. You then begin to realize that there is a vast realm of intelligence beyond thought, that thought is only a tiny aspect of that intelligence. You also realize that all the things that truly matter – beauty, love, creativity, joy, inner peace – arise from beyond the mind. You begin to awaken. –  Eckhart Tolle The dark night of the soul comes just before revelation. When everything is lost, and all seems darkness, then comes the new life and all that is needed.  –  Joseph Campbell Monday, May 10  "Yet if thy ideals, if thy purposes, if thy desires are set in that which IS creative, we may make a glorious experience of this sojourn in this material plane."    Edgar Cayce reading 1754-1 "So, the Taoist trick is simply, 'Live now and there will be no problems.' That is the meaning of the Zen saying, 'When you are hungry, eat. When you are tired, sleep. When you walk, walk. When you sit, sit.' Rinzai, the great Tung dynasty master, said, 'In the practice of Buddhism, there is no place for using effort. Sleep when you're tired, move your bowels, eat when you're hungry---that's all."  –  Alan Watts

Le parfum des fleurs est un plaisir dont on ne se lasse pas

Arbres et arbustes à fleurs parfumées tel le magnolia qui dégage une odeur vanillée et citronnée, du lilas qui, en plus de sentir bon, produit des fleurs mellifères aux couleurs variées, de l’acacia et son doux parfum de fleurs d’oranger, ainsi que le tilleul et son odeur légèrement mentholée.

Egalement daphné odora et son délicieux parfum mêlant jacinthe, œillet et jasmin, ainsi que le mimosa qui dégage une odeur de violette, de miel ou encore de vanille, sans oublier la lavande qui attire les papillons et les abeilles.

#2 Les plantes odorantes

Le muguet et son odeur printanière, aux roses qui libèrent une petite note douce et envoûtante, ainsi qu’aux violettes qui dégagent un parfum puissant.

Le cosmos chocolat est une plante qui produit des fleurs semblables à des marguerites émettant une odeur de chocolat, le mahonia et ses fleurs jaunes à odeur de muguet, ainsi que le sarcoccoca et son parfum vanillé.

#3 Les grimpantes aux senteurs variées

Le chèvrefeuille et ses petites fleurs qui délivrent un parfum jasminé et miellé, les glycines et ses notes florales, sucrées et légèrement épicées, le jasmin et son parfum si reconnaissable.

L’akebia quinata qui possède de petites grappes de fleurs rouges qui dégagent un léger parfum de chocolat et d’agrumes, ou encore à la bignone qui diffuse une discrète odeur de café très caractéristique.

#4 Les plantes et fleurs malodorantes

Si de nombreuses plantes dégagent un parfum enivrant, toutes n’ont pas cette chance. Alors, pour éviter d’avoir de mauvaises surprises, voici celles qui sentent le plus mauvais : l’Hellébore fétide et son odeur de goudron, le Clérodendron de Bunge qui libère un parfum de caoutchouc brûlé, le Persicaria polymorpha qui peut être comparé à de l’urine de chat, l’Arum tacheté et ses petites notes d’excréments, ou encore le Podophyllum et son odeur aigre semblable à celle d’une vieille éponge.

#5 Mélanges sans abus

Attention à ne pas associer les plantes parfumées en un seul endroit du jardin. Trop de mélanges et les parfums pourront vite être entêtants. Alors, pour éviter ces petits désagréments, le mieux est de faire confiance à son odorat. Lui, au moins, ne nous trahira pas.

#6 Les bienfaits d’un jardin parfumé

En grande majorité, les fleurs et plantes odorantes sont aussi mellifères, c’est-à-dire qu’elles produisent des quantités importantes de nectar et de pollen. Résultat ? En invitant ces végétaux dans son jardin, nous attireons les abeilles, les papillons et autres insectes essentiels à la vie sur Terre. Et ça, c’est une excellente chose.

The only permanence is that of the present.
Once reckoned this leads to the letting go of the past or the future.

There is no necessity to close the ranks all the time.

Ordering, aligning and sorting – all and always – is a hindrance to changes.

While maintaining a loose rectitude – a human compliance of sorts – remembering that 易 is the essence of 道 is a must.

Hence today is not the first day of my life but the unique moment of a life that evolves constantly.

《道德經 – Dao De Jing》

“Without going out your door you can know the whole world without looking out your window you can know the Way of Heaven the farther people go the less they know sages, therefore, know without travelling name without seeing and succeed without trying”   

– Laozi –  (第四十七章，《紅松》翻譯，Taoteching, verse 47, translation by Red Pine)

莊子 Zhuāngzi says, “Who takes Heaven as their ancestor, Virtue as their home, the Tao as their door, and who escapes change is a sage” (Zhuāngzi: 33.1).  

河上公 Héshàng Gōng – Riverside Elder (the impact of 河上公 writing is extensive in regards to the understanding and translation of《道德經》。河上公 is considered one of the earliest proponents of Daoist meditative practices which cultivate the “three treasures” of vitality, energy, and spirit, and the "dual cultivation" of spiritual nature (性 xìng) and life-and-destiny (命 mìng). – says, “Those who are sages understand other individuals by understanding themselves. They understand other families by understanding their own family. Thus, they understand the whole world. Humankind and Heaven are linked to each other. If the ruler is content, the breath of Heaven will be calm. If the ruler is greedy, Heaven’s breath will be unstable. Sages do not have to ascend into the sky or descend into the depths to understand Heaven or Earth.”

王伾Wang Pi says, “Events have a beginning. Creatures have a leader. Roads diverge, but they lead back together. Thoughts multiply, but they all share one thing. The Way has one constant. Reason has one principle. Holding on to the ancient Way, we are able to master the present. Although we live today, we can understand the distant past. We can understand without going outside. If we don’t understand, going farther only leads us farther astray.”

蘇轍 Sūzhé says, “The reason the sages of the past understood everything without going anywhere was simply that they kept their nature whole. People let themselves be misled by things and allow their natures to be split into ears and eyes, body and mind. Their vision becomes limited to sights, and their hearing becomes limited to sounds.”

王滂 Wang Pang says, “If we wait to see before we become aware and wait to become aware before we know, we can see ten thousand different views and still be blind to the reason that binds them all together.”

李衎，李息齋，Li Xizhai says, “Those who look for Heaven and Earth outside look for forms. But Heaven and Earth cannot be fathomed through form, only through reason. Once we realize that reason is right here, it doesn’t matter if we close our door. For those who are wise, knowledge is not limited to form. Hence, they don’t have to go anywhere. Name is not limited to matter. Hence, they don’t have to look anywhere. Success is not limited to action. Hence, they don’t have to do anything.”

老子 Lǎozi says, “The name that becomes a name / is not the Immortal Name” (Taoteching: 1名可名，非常名。).

成玄英 Chéng Xuányīng says, “‘Without travelling’ means to know without depending on previous or external experience. ‘Without seeing’ means to know that everything is empty and that there is nothing to see. ‘Without trying’ means to focus the spirit on the tranquillity that excels at making things happen.”

吳澄 Wú chéng says, “‘To succeed without trying’ is the result of the previous two lines. Because those sages know everything without going anywhere and see everything without looking at anything, they succeed at everything without any effort at all.”

玄之又玄，衆妙之門。

To go in the dark with a light is to know the light,

 To know the dark, go dark.

Go without sight, and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,

 and is travelled by dark feet and dark wings.

Wendell Berry

Don't fear the Reaper by J Weinrebart