Tao Te Ching, Chapter 76 [Original]
"Man is weak in life and strong in death, and the life of plants and trees is brittle, and his death is withered.
Therefore the strong are dead, and the weak are alive.
If the soldier is strong, it will be destroyed, and if the wood is strong, it will be broken. Where the strong are below, the weak are above.
【Translation】
Man is soft when he lives and stiffens when he dies, and plants and trees are soft and brittle when he lives, but he withers after death.
Therefore, strength belongs to the category of death, and weakness belongs to the category of survival.
If you are strong, you will perish, and if you are strong, you will perish, but if you are strong, you will be able to break. The law of nature is: the strong is in the lower position, and the weak is in the upper position.
《道德经》第76章 暨平衡月 ^01
There is great wisdom in the soft and weak.
People all over the world yearn for strength and might, but the combination of strength and softness has long-term vitality.
- The flexibility of softness comes from firm beliefs, so it is good at encountering obstacles, and always dealing with wind and rain with strong resilience until it achieves its wishes;
- The subtlety of weakness comes from the selfless heart, so every profit, fame, merit is not grabbed, and it is never bound by external fame and fortune, but no force in the world can hurt a selfless person.
Therefore, the combination of rigidity and softness is meaningful to life.
Weakness is the nature of the Tao, although the power of weakness moisturizes things silently, but it is this subtle power that can be resisted for a long time in nature.
In this life, if a person can comprehend weakness and use weakness, he can accumulate blessings in good times, grow in adversity, and even achieve reversal in desperate situations. In the soft and weak, it really contains great wisdom!
Now, let's walk into the law of "being weak and weak" in Chapter 76 of the Tao Te Ching, and take a look at the three proverbs.
The first proverb is:
"Man is weak in life, but strong in death. The life of plants and trees is also brittle, and its death is withered. Therefore the strong are dead, and the weak are alive. ”
The essence of life is "negative yin and embrace yang, impulse to think harmony", when yin and yang are balanced, it will form a majestic and soft vitality. Therefore, when the inner vitality is vigorous, the outer form is weak, and if the inner vitality is lacking, the outer form withers.
But for the same life, people are different from plants and trees:
- Plants and trees can only rely on heaven and earth, and cannot choose to prosper and wither;
- In addition to instinct, people also have thinking - thinking can change yin and yang and choose destiny.
If we know how to adjust our hearts, we will be able to unite vitality, and if we know how to weaken ourselves, we will be able to break through suffering. So, weakness is the real way to survive.
The second proverb is:
"If the soldiers are strong, they will be destroyed, and if the wood is strong, they will be broken. ”
The natural phenomenon is that if a tree is too strong, not only its own branches and leaves will live on it, but other plants will also live on it, and once it exceeds the load, it will break.
And if a person does not understand weakness, once he has strong force, he will often be willing to fight and kill, and once he loses his compassion, the bully will die.
The way of heaven is always balanced, and it is not good to overdo anything. The stronger you are, the more you have to show weakness, and the higher you are, the more you have to learn to be humble.
When a person is truly strong, it is when he knows how to love – a person who loves all beings, and all beings will always protect him.
The third proverb is:
"Where you are strong, where you are weak, where you are weak. ”
In life, if you are strong everywhere, it is equivalent to digging holes for yourself everywhere, and only by knowing how to show weakness can you grow in the future.
The characteristics of the Heavenly Dao are to suppress the strong and support the weak in order to achieve overall balance, just like a sampan in the water, which side must be balanced in order to continue to float.
In fact, strong and weak are two cards that everyone has in their hands, the same configuration, different ideas of playing cards, different timing of choice, and completely different effects of effectiveness.
But no matter how it comes out, choosing to be strong is easy to create disputes, and choosing to be weak is conducive to growth, this is the truth.
Weakness is the nature of the Tao, and there is great wisdom in being weak in the soft.
In this life, to comprehend the way of heaven and earth is the greatest responsibility for one's own life.
Only by learning the Tao can we be blessed by the law, instead of being restricted all the time, and only by learning the Tao can we follow the law and behave in a way that makes life better and smoother.
The study and application of the Tao Te Ching is to make ourselves happy and the surrounding people happy through our practical study and practical practice, so that we can live better in the present and go better in the future.
A person, as long as he is in the right direction, the harder he works, the luckier he is.
I believe that the avenue energy of "being soft and weak" will become our own strength, and I believe that the avenue energy of "being soft and weak" will illuminate our road of peace and happiness!
May is approaching, late spring is returning, and early summer is coming.
May you cook your life slowly with your original intention and run the year with softness and warmth.
May you shoulder the great song and do it, and donate the jade Rucheng!
More interesting content (you can click directly to browse):
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- Tao Te Ching and Meditation ~ Chapter 76 (I): Weak at the Soft Side - Light Up the Seven Lamps 7: Deli Lamp
- Tao Te Ching and Meditation ~ Chapter 76 (II): Maintaining gratitude in the face of adversity is a highly evolved consciousness
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