Beginnings BeginningsIf we find the old Tao
that drives what we have today,
we can find the primal beginning.
That is called the tradition of Tao.
Daodejing 14
26
Water added to the lake
is the image of regulation.
A noble one sets number and measure
and speaks of virtuous action.
Yijing, Image of hexagram 60: Regulation
27
Even when the chariot is before a mountain,
there will be a road.
Proverb
Tao birthed One.
One birthed Two.
Two birthed Three.
Three birthed the ten thousand things.
Daodejing 42
29
There's no “One” that cannot be divided.
No “Two” that does not have two names.
Find someone who can drink up the whole West River
and they can explain Tao to you.
“Not One, Not Two,” Badashanren (1626–1705)
30
The supreme ultimate is born from the limitless
that is the mother of the ten thousand things.
It divides in movement.
It combines in stillness.
It never goes to excess:
it follows, bends, engages, and extends.
Shanxi Wang Zongyue's Taijiquan Treatise
From the beginning,
these have had the One:
Heaven had one purity.
Earth had one stability.
Gods had one spirit.
Valleys had one fullness.
All the creatures had one life.
Princes and kings only had one
mode of integrity in the world.
And so,
if heaven did not have purity,
it would break fearfully.
If earth had no stability,
it would quake fearfully.
If the gods lacked spirit
they would falter fearfully.
If valleys never filled,
they would be drained fearfully.
If the creatures had no life,
they would perish fearfully.
If the princes and kings had no integrity
they would topple fearfully.
Daodejing 39
33
Heaven and earth clashing
is the image of dispute.
A noble one plans the right start
for all matters.
Yijing, Image of hexagram 6: Dispute
34
I urge you: don't covet clothes of golden threads.
I urge you: cherish your youthful years.
Pick the flowers as soon as they're on the branch.
Don't wait until that branch is bare to the touch.
“Clothes of Golden Threads,” Du Qiuniang (d. 825?)
35
Walking forward in austerity is without blame.
Yijing, Line 1 of hexagram 10: Walking
The world had a beginning,
which was the mother of the world.
If we know the mother,
then we know the children.
Once we know the child,
we should, in turn, guard the mother.
Then none will be harmed.
Daodejing 52
37
Grieved and sad to leave my friends,
I'll drift and float in the fog
back to my post in crowded Luoyang.
Brutally the Guangling bell rings out,
signaling for me to leave at dawn.
Worldly cares storm every boat:
follow the stream to live in peace.
“Embarking on the Yangzi, Sending a Letter to Officer Yuan,” Wei Yingwu (737–792)