 3 Apr 2010 @ 22:45
Truth perceived gives assurance.
Skill yields self-reliance.
With courage, we can defy danger.
To increase power, increase humility.
Through constant contemplation, we can arrive at the truth. The more
experienced we are, the more thorough our understanding, and thus the
more we can come to rely on our knowledge. When we exercise what we
know, it not only extends our understanding of the truth but helps us
take action in meaningful ways. The more we do, the more self-reliant we
are.
Every achievement brings a wonderful dividend of confidence. We try
greater and greater ventures, until we are brave enough to accomplish
undertakings far beyond what the average person imagines. When we reach
that level of consummate skill, it is a time of both celebration and
extreme caution. We are justified to rejoice, for this is the level of
ability that we have been striving so long and hard to attain. It is
also the time for caution because the foolish will eventually try
something too great for them to handle. Pride and passion will lead to
their downfall.
Therefore, the more accomplished one becomes, the more circumspect
one should be. The higher one's skills, the more precarious one's road.
The most powerful followers of Tao are also among the most humble. By
veiling their light until the proper moments, they escape the greatest
danger of all: hubris.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao
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