I Ching, Yijing or Zhou Yi
"Oracle of the moon": © 2000 LiSe

  Yi Jing, Oracle of the Moon

Verse 205 Darkness leaving

 


Laozi

暗去有明來
憂心事可諧
終須成一笑
目下莫疑猜

Darkness leaving makes brightness come
Worry on one's mind calls for harmony
The unavoidable result being a smile
No misgivings now

This verse talks about ancient wisdom, which can be found in the Daodejing.

Shenshu: Darkness leaving makes brightness come
Worry on one's mind calls for harmony
Laozi: Presence and absence produce each other.
Difficulty and ease bring about each other.

Daodejing 2
天下皆知美之爲美。斯惡已。皆知善之爲善。斯不善已。故有無相生,難易相成,長短相較,高下相傾,音聲相和,前後相隨。是以聖人處無爲之事、行不言之教。萬物作焉而不辭、生而不有、爲而不侍、功成而弗居。夫唯弗居、是以不去。

Translation: Charles Muller 1991:

All in the world recognize the beautiful as beautiful.
Herein lies ugliness.
All recognize the good as good.
Herein lies evil.
Therefore
Presence and absence produce each other.
Difficulty and ease bring about each other.
Long and short delimit each other.
High and low rest on each other.
Sound and voice harmonize each other.
Front and back follow each other.

Therefore the sage abides in the condition of wu-wei,
And carries out the wordless teaching.
Here, the myriad things are made, yet not separated.
Therefore the sage produces without possessing,
Acts without expectations
And accomplishes without abiding in her accomplishments.
It is precisely because she does not abide in them
That they never leave her.

(Wuwei: not-doing, unattached action)

 

 

 

last update: 02.07.2024

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