That Which Lasts, A Natural State

Tao Te Ching #38. Focus on That Which Lasts
Being virtuous doesn’t require Attachment to virtue.
Those without virtue Continuously worry about virtue.
The sage doesn’t focus on doing, He focuses on being,
Thus the right things get done.
The ordinary man is focuses on doing,
Forgets being, and many things are left undone.
The kind, just, and moral men
Could save themselves a lot of trouble By becoming men of Tao.
When the Tao is lost, man-made kindness, Righteousness, and morality take its place.
Therefore, the man of Tao focuses On the inner aspects of life, Rather than the outer aspects.
He dwells on the substance, not the ornate. He dwells on the fruit and not the flower. That which is lasting supersedes passing fads.

-The Alchemist’s Tao Te Ching, by Andrew McCart

Tao Te Ching #39: A Natural State

The natural state of creation is wholeness.
In the natural state, Heaven is clear,
The Earth is calm, and men fulfill their purpose. In the natural state, rulers honor the people
And are models for the world.
When creation isn’t in a state of wholeness, The sky is polluted, the earth is ravaged, And men live only for themselves.
Therefore, the superior people,
Realize the inferior aspects of themselves. The high recognize the lowness
From where they came.
The practice of alchemy
Is the journey from fragmentation Back to wholeness.
Let yourself be shaped by the Tao, As jewels form from common stones.

-The Alchemist’s Tao Te Ching, by Andrew McCart

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