What You Do Is What You Are

In harmony with the Tao,
the sky is clear and spacious,
the earth is solid and full,
all creatures flourish together,
content with the way they are,
endlessly repeating themselves,
endlessly renewed.

When man interferes with the Tao,
the sky becomes filthy,
the earth becomes depleted,
the equilibrium crumbles,
creatures become extinct.

The Master views the parts with compassion,
because he understands the whole.
His constant practice is humility.
He doesn’t glitter like a jewel
but lets himself be shaped by the Tao,
as rugged and common as a stone.

-#39, Tao Te Ching, as translated by Stephen Mitchell

—-

The natural laws of the universe are inviolable:
Energy condenses into substance.
Food is eaten through the mouth and not the nose.
A person who neglects to breathe will turn blue and die.
Some things simply can’t be dismissed.

It is also a part of the cosmic law that what you say
and do determines what happens in your life.
The ordinary person things that htis law is external to
himself and he feels confined and controlled by it.
So his desires trouble his mind, his mind troubles his
spirit, and he lives in constant turmoil with himself
and the world.
His whole life is spent in struggling.

The superior person recognizes that he and the subtle law are one.
Therefore he cultivates himself to accord with it,
bringing moderation to his actions and clarity to his mind.
Doing this, he finds himself at one with all that is divine and enlightened.
His days are passed drinking in serenity and breathing out contentment.

This is the profound, simple truth:
You are the master of your life and death.
What you do is what you are.

—#40 Hua Hu Ching, The Unknown Teachings of Lau Tzu, as translated by Brian Walker