That which goes against peace and harmony
is short lived.
31
Weapons of war are instruments of death.
All people fear them.
Therefore, all men of peace avoid them.
The sage prefers Infinity.
The man of war prefers the earth.
Weapons are instruments of death
and the tools of a warrior.
The sage avoids them at all cost;
and sometimes prefers death rather
than touching them.
Peace and harmony are the sage's reality.
She considers victory to be the bastard
child of war.
If you revel in victory,
then you sanction war and the killing of
human beings.
If you accept killing,
you have forgotten your oneness with all
beings.
In time of celebration the left is the dominant
position;
In times of grief the right.
During wartime the general always stands on the
left
and the king on the right.
If even one person is killed in war,
it is cause for great grief and mourning.
Victory is simply the maker of widows and orphans.
32
Infinity can never be defined in words.
Smaller than an atom, greater than forever,
it can never be comprehended.
If kings would stay centered in the Infinite,
they would not try to control the
uncontrollable;
Heaven and earth would be seen as a manifestation
of the oneness of Infinity,
as harmonious as dew accumulating on the
ground.
The people would recognize Infinity manifesting
in their king and all things would be
in harmony.
When the whole is distinguished into parts,
and parts into more parts
and more parts into even more parts
a myriad names are required.
There are already too many distinctions and
names.
The naming of things focuses on the manifestations
of Infinity
and too much distinguishing can result in one
becoming confused in the manifestations and
oblivious to
the oneness of all things.
Refuse to distinguish the components of the whole.
See the oneness of Infinity,
and see the earth as a manifestation
disintegrating back into Infinity.
33
Knowing others is impossible.
Knowing one's self requires only a remembering
of one's unity with all things.
Conquering others requires force.
Conquering one's self requires letting go.
He who understands his oneness with Infinity
resides in peace.
Living one day at a time is the essence of harmony.
One who lives in harmony endures.
Passing through death's door is immortality.
34
Infinity permeates everything in every direction;
to the left as well as to the right.
It is the potential of all things,
and the manifestation of all things.
Its total essence resides in all things.
It has no purpose.
It is complete in its indifference.
It manifests and disintegrates all things forever.
It sustains all things,
yet it is the god of no thing.
It has no purpose.
It is Infinitely insignificant.
All manifestations after a time disintegrate back
into It,
yet It is the god of no thing.
It permeates everything
and so there is nothing outside its realm.
It cannot appear great
because it is at one with everything.
35
All beings are drawn to those who stay centered
in their oneness with Infinity
because they flow in peace and
harmony.
The manifestations of music and delicious food
catch the attention of those passing by.
But the essence of Infinity goes unnoticed.
It makes no sound and has no flavor
and yet It is the inexhaustible source
of the manifestations of all sounds
and all flavors.
36
All manifestations that expand will eventually
shrink.
All manifestations that strengthen will eventually
weaken.
All manifestations that are lifted up will
eventually be
cast down.
Nothing can be received unless it is given.
This is called distinguishing the oneness of
Infinity.
Soft and weak forever disintegrate the hard and
strong.
Hard and strong forever disintegrate the soft and
weak.
This is called the nature of Infinity.
Fish are at one with water;
undistinguished by Infinity.
A nation and its weapons
cannot be distinguished.
37
Infinity is the essence of all things.
Without intention, It manifests all things.
If leaders and kings
remain focused on the oneness of Infinity,
nations will flow in peace and harmony.
If leaders and kings are compelled to act,
they should focus on Infinity
and refuse to manifest desire.
If there is no desire for action,
the world would flow in the peace and harmony
of the oneness of Infinity.
38
A good person is not focused on her goodness
because she is centered in oneness.
A confused person is focused on goodness
and consequently has difficulty obtaining it.
A person centered in oneness
flows with life and appears to do nothing;
yet because she is in harmony
with the oneness of Infinity
she leaves nothing undone.
A confused person is focused on achievements
and consequently never truly achieves
anything.
A caring person is caring all the time
and therefore leaves nothing unnurtured.
When the righteous person does something,
he leaves things in turmoil.
When a person of great discipline does something
and others do not follow,
he attempts to force them to conform to his
perception of reality.
When the oneness of humanity is forgotten,
a distinction is made between good and evil.
Focusing on goodness leads one down the
path of self-righteousness which
separates a person from others.
Self-righteousness leads to justice
and since justice is as arbitrary as
goodness
and righteousness, it degenerates into
a facade of justice or ritual.
Ritual is the backbone of religion
and religion is the harbinger of
judgment
and judgment is the backbone of
conflict.
Therefore, a centered person dwells upon the
oneness of Infinity and not on
distinguishing which leads to confusion;
on the plant and not on the flower.
A centered person embraces oneness
and rejects distinctions.
39
All things are at one with Infinity.
When humanity is centered in this oneness:
the sky remains clear and beautiful,
the earth remains pure and sustains life,
the spirit of humanity is in harmony,
the valley is the source of abundance,
all creatures reproduce, regenerate and
replenish the earth,
leaders and kings are in harmony
and nations are at peace.
When humanity focuses on the manifestations of
Infinity,
distinguishes and judges all things
and thereby forgets the oneness of Infinity:
the sky becomes cloudy with pollution,
the earth becomes a cesspool
unable to easily neutralize the many
poisons,
the spirit of humanity becomes confused
and accepts conflict as the nature of
humanity,
the valley no longer produces abundance
and what it does produce is tainted.
Leaders and kings take their nations to war
in order to control the untainted
lands,
creatures no longer reproduce, species die
out
and parts of the earth, unattended by
the myriad creatures, no longer
regenerate or replenish themselves,
the people of all nations live in conflict,
fear, hunger and depression.
Therefore, never forget that oneness is the
essence of harmony; the simple is the way of
peace.
Leaders and kings consider themselves, alone,
ridiculed
and misunderstood when they forget their
oneness with Infinity.
In confusion, they inevitably lead their nations to
war.
In order to maintain peace and harmony in the land,
they must flow in the peace and harmony
of the oneness of all things.
Too much success is a sign that one has
begun to focus on manifestations and
not on Infinity, the essence of all
manifestations.
Do not distinguish precious jade.
Remain centered in the peace and harmony
of the oneness of all things.
40
Manifesting and disintegrating is the
activity of Infinity.
Yielding to manifestations, yielding to
disintegration
is the nature of peace and harmony.
Things are manifested from the tangible.
The tangible is manifested from the intangible.
41
When a person seeking peace and harmony
discovers the oneness of Infinity,
she embraces it completely.
When the average person
remembers the oneness of Infinity,
he has a hard time maintaining it.
When a confused person is
confronted with the oneness of Infinity,
he laughs loudly.
If he did not laugh, his confusion would
not be so obvious.
The oneness of Infinity is beyond distinctions
and is always present.
That is why things seem confusing to those who
acknowledge distinctions.
The light merges into darkness.
Forward looks similar to backward.
The easy path manifests difficulty.
Virtue seems hollow.
Purity becomes an illusion.
The static is dynamic.
Strength degenerates into weakness.
Truth has no foundation.
The great square has no corners.
A circle is a series of points.
Great music seems like the wind.
Images have no shape.
The oneness of Infinity permeates all things
and merges them together.
Infinity manifests all things to completion
and disintegrates all manifestations
forever.
42
Infinity is oneness.
Infinity is the potential of all things.
All things are one with Infinity.
Distinguishing creates the two.
All things can be distinguished as yin and yang.
The harmony of oneness is achieved by not
distinguishing.
Human beings hate being alone, ridiculed, and
misunderstood.
Yet this is how leaders and kings perceive
themselves
when they forget their oneness with Infinity.
One achieves peace by ignoring distinctions
and becomes confused by endless judgments
and distinctions.
Others teach;
"A violent man will reap a violent death."
I teach;
"All men will die."
This is the simplicity of Infinity.
43
The softest manifestation in the Infinite
overcomes the hardest manifestation in the
Infinite.
The intangible permeates the tangible.
Non-action incorporates action.
Teaching by living, working without laboring
is comprehended by only a few.
44
Your name or your self: which is more important?
Your self or your possessions: which are more
valuable?
Gain or loss: which is more destructive to
peace and harmony?
He who values his name separates from the
oneness of humanity and experiences
suffering.
Accumulating always creates confusion.
A man in harmony does not distinguish gain or loss.
A man who refuses to judge or make distinctions
will never become lost or confused.
He will experience peace and harmony within
the oneness of Infinity.
45
Great accomplishments seem incomplete
yet their legacy is long lived.
Great abundance seems insignificant
but it is inexhaustible.
A beam of light is just a wave.
Great skill seems easy.
Great eloquence seems boring.
Motion generates heat.
Stillness manifests the cold.
Peace and harmony are the nature of Infinity.
46
When the world remembers its oneness,
horses plow the fields.
When the world focuses on the manifestations of
Infinity,
distinctions, judgment and war replace peace
and harmony.
There is no greater confusion than desire;
no greater burden than discontent.
Nothing is as unfortunate as seeing one's self
as separate from others.
Peace and harmony come from the realization
that what one has is enough.
47
Because you are at one with Infinity,
you can experience the world without
leaving your home.
Without looking out the window
you can see the manifestations of Infinity.
The further you carry your distinctions
and your judgments,
the more confused and lost you become.
Thus the sage experiences all things
without traveling;
without looking she sees Infinity.
She works without laboring.
48
In the pursuit of knowledge,
at every moment something is distinguished.
In the pursuit of peace and harmony,
at every moment something is merged.
Less and less is desired
until one is flowing in peace and harmony.
When one is flowing in peace and harmony
all things are accomplished.
The world flows in peace and harmony
when all things are allowed to
manifest and to disintegrate.
Peace and harmony are sacrificed
by manipulation.
49
The sage has no mind of her own.
She is at one with all of humanity.
Give to those who are considered good.
Give to those who are considered bad.
This is true oneness.
Trust those who are trustworthy.
Trust those who are not trustworthy.
This is also true oneness.
The sage is peaceful and harmonious;
but to the world she seems indifferent.
The world pays attention to her and listens to her
even though she resembles a child.
50
From birth to death;
Three in ten are manifesting life,
Three in ten are disintegrating into death,
and three in ten are between,
manifesting life and disintegrating
into death.
Why?
Because the vast majority of humanity
distinguishes life and death.
