Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Laozi: 46

.

When the Tao is present in the universe,
The horses haul manure.
When the Tao is absent from the universe,
War horses are bred outside the city.

There is no greater sin than desire,
No greater curse than discontent,
No greater misfortune than wanting something for oneself.
Therefore he who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.

Laozi (either around 518 or 273 BCE), Dao De Jing 46
From Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching,
Translated by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English
New York: Vintage 1997, # 46