Wednesday, 30. May 2007, 02:53:08
Chapter 22
Yield and remain whole
Bend and remain straight
Be low and become filled
Be worn out and become renewed
Have little and receive
Have much and be confused
Therefore the sages hold to the one as an example for the world
Without flaunting themselves – and so are seen clearly
Without presuming themselves – and so are distinguished
Without praising themselves – and so have merit
Without boasting about themselves – and so are lasting
Because they do not contend, the world cannot contend with them
What the ancients called "the one who yields and remains whole"
Were they speaking empty words?
Sincerity becoming whole, and returning to oneselfWe have a saying in my part of England "step backwards to see clearly" another is "be like grass, grass is cut but always grows again".
To yield can be good, to step back to yield can be productive. This is not saying that to defned others is bad, or to defend ourselves is bad, but that in most situations in life, defensivness is not helpful and creates more problems than it solves.
We have most of us been subjected to at some point in our lifes to rumour or to unfair accusations, situations where no matter how hard we deny or defend against said rumours or accusations they get worse.
Have you ever been in such a situation and yielded? Bent like the yellow grasses in spring? I have and the results are astounding, now true often the rumours and accusations still occur and do not and often will not just go away, but by removing the obvious target and just getting on with things, eventually those who listen to the rumours and/or accusations just stop listening and find other things to do. If you try to hit wind after a while you just look silly, which while it may well make some people angry it also stops eventually, because people stop watching.
If we can relinquish the need to be defensive, if we "step backwards to see clearly" then we may well find less frustration in ourlifes, and more clarity when facing difficult situations, indeed if we are humble then we may find less difficult situations as a whole.
rember this if a storm rages through the forest even the mightiest Oak risks being damaged but the yielding grasses have less risk of damage.
love and peace
becca 
Thursday, 24. May 2007, 03:16:01
Hello.
Well finally i am getting somewhere with my website. For those who don't know i gave up on the free geocities package as honestly it was a little too basic and for what i'd like to have up eventually, i found a good web host for £30 for two years to host my site till 2009 if it works well i might just keep it.
The geocities site is going to work as a sort of hub and a personal profile, might as well use it, for now at least.
This blog i am keeping to explore my thoughts with my much loved friends, and i do love this blog it is my area for exploring Dao without any preasure of being a forum admin.
How well this will all work i don't know, but it will keep me busy over the summer, and once the main work is done maintaining the website will be easy enough when uni resumes in the autum.
It is funny, when i first found the old Tao forum on msn connected to taoism.net i never imagined i would have the knowledge or confidence to be an admin, a decent admin, to have a reasonably active Dao blog, to have an active and decently visted myspace page and blog, or to even think about writing and maintaining my own Daoist web page. Although this was sometime ago and the web was a little more basic than it is now blogging was in its infancy really but still.
Mind you at that time i had never imagined i would be capable of going to uni doing a honours degree and do well, and here i am 8ish (i can never remeber exactly when i found Daoism i know how but when is educated guessing) years later and through Dao cultivation have opened my true self and am doing all of these amazing things.
Anyway more on that in a more coherent post later, for now here are the links.
Geocities paths of dao, hub
Paths of Dao ~ Website
Drops of Water ~ blog
love and peace
becca
Friday, 18. May 2007, 02:54:39
The Shields ~ Derek Lin for the full article, the story is below.
Tao Living
The Shields
by Derek Lin
A warrior was out for a stroll one sunny day. As he made his way through the woods, he saw another warrior also taking a walk. They greeted one another in friendly fashion.
Then, a glint of reflected light caught their eyes. They saw two shields lying on the ground not too far away. One was silver and the other was gold. Even from a distance they could tell that the shields were of extremely high quality.
"What a find!" the first warrior exclaimed. "I shall take the golden shield. You can have the silver." He started toward them.
"Nay, I saw them first. The golden shield belongs to me. I can grant you the silver shield." The second warrior walked faster toward the shields, and the first warrior picked up speed to match.
"Thank you for your generosity, but it is not necessary. I voiced my claim before you did, thus the golden shield is mine by right. You should be glad I am willing to let you have the silver." They both began jogging.
"Your claim does not matter, for I outrank you. Therefore it shall be as I command: Gold for me, silver for you." It became a race. Both men ran full-tilt toward the shields.
"Your rank means nothing, for we serve different lords. These woods belong to my lord. I shall retrieve the golden shield for him; the silver shield is a fitting tribute for your lord." It was becoming apparent that they were well matched in speed. Neither would get to the shields before the other.
"These woods belong to no one. I am the superior swordsman and I say the golden shield is mine. If you wish to contest my claim, you must face my sword." The warrior drew his weapon, and his opponent did likewise.
A fierce battle ensued. The two warriors discovered that they were also well matched in swordsmanship. Neither could gain the upper hand over the other. It became a contest of endurance – the first to tire and falter would lose the fight, and thus the golden shield.
Unfortunately, the two warriors were also well matched in stamina. After fighting for more than an hour, both became equally exhausted. Still they persisted, until neither one could remain standing any longer. Both collapsed to the ground at the same time, panting and gasping for breath, but still eyeing each other warily.
They looked at the cause of their conflict. From this lower perspective, they could see the shields edgewise. The golden shield looked like it had a silver side underneath, and the silver shield...
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" One of the warriors asked the other.
"We should take a closer look."
"No tricks."
"Agreed."
In unison, each warrior reached out with his sword to flip a shield over. It was as they suspected: The two shields were identical – gold on one side and silver on the other!Maybe if these guys ahd studied chapter 67 in more detail then they would have understood the situation instinctivly, and how to act in it.
Chapter 67
Everyone in the world calls my Tao great
As if it is beyond compare
It is only because of its greatness
That it seems beyond compare
If it can be compared
It would already be insignificant long ago
I have three treasures
I hold on to them and protect them
The first is called compassion
The second is called conservation
The third is called not daring to be ahead in the world
Compassionate, thus able to have courage
Conserving, thus able to reach widely
Not daring to be ahead in the world
Thus able to assume leadership
Now if one has courage but discards compassion
Reaches widely but discards conservation
Goes ahead but discards being behind
Then death!
If one fights with compassion, then victory
With defense, then security
Heaven shall save them
And with compassion guard themTo be with compassion is to have real courage and self knowledge to really see all beings as equal, to be with humility to ot put oneself forward to be as the water in chapter 8 to nourish those around us, to be with moderation/conservation to understand when to act when not to act, to have all three together is true self, is to act as one with Tao.
If we butt heads what do we acheive but sore heads? If we are comapssionate because we thing we must be, then we are still satifying the self not being with the true self, if we put ourselves as being better than others then we diminish ourselves and them and cause rancour.
perhaps these teachings can ahev a practical real world application if we but take the time to cultivate Tao every day?
love and peace
becca
Thursday, 17. May 2007, 14:22:58
Compassion, Moderation, Tao, humility
...
Chapter 67
Everyone in the world calls my Tao great
As if it is beyond compare
It is only because of its greatness
That it seems beyond compare
If it can be compared
It would already be insignificant long ago
I have three treasures
I hold on to them and protect them
The first is called compassion
The second is called conservation
The third is called not daring to be ahead in the world
Compassionate, thus able to have courage
Conserving, thus able to reach widely
Not daring to be ahead in the world
Thus able to assume leadership
Now if one has courage but discards compassion
Reaches widely but discards conservation
Goes ahead but discards being behind
Then death!
If one fights with compassion, then victory
With defense, then security
Heaven shall save them
And with compassion guard themTrue compassion is loving-kindness to all things all beings, not because we have to but because it is a part of our true self.
conservation, we learn to instinctivly move into a meaningful path in life according to our true self.
Humility, to be as chapter 8 following our true self nature we do not put ourselves above others we like water flow into places to nourish.
With humility we can allow others to shine for we are nto concerned with being the focus of others attention.
To have all three treasures is to be ones true self, to be ones true self is to know tao.
This chapter combines the rest to show us the true power one with Tao can have, while not flaunting that power it is simply what occurs when one is one with humilty, compassion, moderation flowing as true self, one can be as gentle as a stream, as life giving as a river, as powerful as the ocean. Tao. 
love and peace
becca 
Saturday, 12. May 2007, 12:40:05
Harmony, Compassion, Balance, Tao
Chapter 24
Those who are on tiptoes cannot stand
Those who straddle cannot walk
Those who flaunt themselves are not clear
Those who presume themselves are not distinguished
Those who praise themselves have no merit
Those who boast about themselves do not last
Those with the Tao call such things leftover food or tumors
They despise them
Thus, those who possesses the Tao do not engage in themif i am living with Tao i am living in harmonious balance (or dynamic balance for some) with all things if i act to put my own good above all else, if i run a corporation which destroys marine life for profit or destroys 1000's of acres of rainforest for profit then these things are despicable. They are out of harmony with Tao, but this does not make the individual despsicable or not of Tao.
For then we can take chapter 8, Chapter 8
The highest goodness resembles water
Water greatly benefits myriad things without contention
It stays in places that people dislike
Therefore it is similar to the Tao
Dwelling at the right place
Heart with great depth
Giving with great kindness
Words with great integrity
Governing with great administration
Handling with great capability
Moving with great timing
Because it does not contend
It is therefore beyond reproachtoo see how we deal with things we dislike. we fidn productive non destructive, kindly ways. Chapter 2
When the world knows beauty as beauty, ugliness arises
When it knows good as good, evil arises
Thus being and non-being produce each other
Difficult and easy bring about each other
Long and short reveal each other
High and low support each other
Music and voice harmonize each other
Front and back follow each other
Therefore the sages:
Manage the work of detached actions
Conduct the teaching of no words
They work with myriad things but do not control
They create but do not possess
They act but do not presume
They succeed but do not dwell on success
It is because they do not dwell on success
That it never goes awayWhy do people stretch resources reach for the unreachable, put greed and self above all else? Because society produces it. Those with Tao demonstrate different ways of living, those of harmnious balance, and oneness. Chapter 67
Everyone in the world calls my Tao great
As if it is beyond compare
It is only because of its greatness
That it seems beyond compare
If it can be compared
It would already be insignificant long ago
I have three treasures
I hold on to them and protect them
The first is called compassion
The second is called conservation
The third is called not daring to be ahead in the world
Compassionate, thus able to have courage
Conserving, thus able to reach widely
Not daring to be ahead in the world
Thus able to assume leadership
Now if one has courage but discards compassion
Reaches widely but discards conservation
Goes ahead but discards being behind
Then death!
If one fights with compassion, then victory
With defense, then security
Heaven shall save them
And with compassion guard themmoderation, humility, compassion. With these three treasures of Lau Tzu harmonious balance is reached. Chapter 81
True words are not beautiful
Beautiful words are not true
Those who are good do not debate
Those who debate are not good
Those who know are not broad of knowledge
Those who are broad of knowledge do not know
Sages do not accumulate
The more they assist others, the more they possess
The more they give to others, the more they gain
The Tao of heaven
Benefits and does not harm
The Tao of sages
Assists and does not contendAs nature a sage and those with Tao do not wish to deceive or to flatter or hurt but to benefit the myriad things. To be as the rains and the sun to water of the oceans where all life finds its origins. To be as one fluid flowing with Tao. love and peace
becca
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