Tao: The Three Treasures, Vol 3

Pursuit of Knowledge

Pursuit of Knowledge. 'Without stepping outside one's doors, one can know the world. The further one pursues knowledge, the less one knows.' Pursuit of knowledge: religion is not knowledge but knowing. Knowledge is of the mind; knowing is of the being. The more you know, the less you know. The sage knows without going—understands without seeing.

Don't do Nothing!

Don't do Nothing! 'Is the search for enlightenment selfish?' Yes—and the most selfish thing there is. Don't do nothing: the search for enlightenment is not about doing nothing—it's about being everything. Selfishness in the spiritual sense means taking care of your consciousness first. Only when you're enlightened can you truly help others.

Conquering the World by Inaction

Conquering the World by Inaction. 'The student of knowledge aims at learning day by day. The student of Tao aims at losing day by day. By continual losing one reaches doing nothing.' Conquering the world by inaction: not by doing but by non-doing. Losing is the way—drop knowledge, drop concepts, drop the ego. When nothing remains, everything is done.

Boy! Did we Shake that Thing!

Boy! Did we Shake that Thing! 'What about ignorance? People without knowledge are misused.' Ignorance is pre-knowledge, innocence is post-knowledge. Boy! Did we shake that thing: the child is ignorant (will fall into knowledge), the sage is innocent (has gone through and beyond knowledge). Innocence is powerful—ignorance is impotent. Don't remain ignorant—go through knowledge to innocence.

Beyond Honour and Disgrace

Beyond Honour and Disgrace. 'He who knows does not speak. Fill up its apertures, close its doors, dull its edges. Then love and hatred cannot touch him.' Beyond honour and disgrace: the sage closes the doors of the senses, dulls the edges of the ego. Beyond profit and loss, honour and disgrace. The mystic unity—nothing can touch you.

I will never Leave You

I will never Leave You. 'Why don't you ever answer my questions?' If I don't answer, that IS the answer. I will never leave you: the master answers through silence, through presence, through not-answering. If your question is genuine, it's answered. If it's just for asking, silence is the answer. The master never leaves—even in silence.

Difficult and Easy

Difficult and Easy. 'Accomplish do-nothing. Attend to no-affairs. Deal with the difficult while yet it is easy. The sage by never dealing with great problems accomplishes greatness.' Difficult and easy: life is a mystery, not a problem. Problems arise from postponing. Deal with things while they're small. The sage regards things as difficult—so never meets difficulties.

This is the Queen; Cleopatra

This is the Queen; Cleopatra. 'I feel self-confidence that I will be enlightened soon, but I also enjoy delaying.' Self-confidence is a barrier in the inner journey. This is the Queen; Cleopatra: the ego's self-confidence is disguised arrogance. The inner journey needs surrender, not confidence. The one who enjoys delaying will delay forever.

Beginning and End

Beginning and End. 'A tree with a full span's girth begins from a tiny shoot. A journey of a thousand li begins at one's feet. Be careful at the end as at the beginning.' Beginning and end: the sage is careful at the end as at the beginning. Most things are spoiled near completion. Don't relax when you're almost there. The sage desires no desire, values not what's difficult to obtain.

What next?

What next? 'There are no goals, yet we're here with enlightenment as our goal.' If you have a goal, you can't be here—physically yes, but not with me. What next: the goal-oriented mind is always in the future, never in the present. Drop the goal and you're enlightened. There is no next—only now. The master destroys all goals.