Tao te Ching Chapter Three

Thomas Brill and Brian Parks chatting again.
This week we talked about chapter 3 of the Tao te Ching.

By not elevating the worthy, you bring it about that people will not compete.

By not valuing goods that are hard to obtain, you bring it about that people will not act like thieves.

By not displaying the desirable you bring it about that people will not be confused.

Therefore, in the government of the Sage:

He empties their minds,

An fills their bellies.

Weakens their ambition,

And strengthens their bones.

He constantly causes the people to be without knowledge and without desires.

If he can bring it about that those with knowledge simply do not dare to act,

Then there is nothing that will not be in order.

Here is a link to the audio file for chapter 3 if you are not using iTunes. 

https://s3.amazonaws.com/tao4two/TtCC3.mp3

Tao te Ching Chapter Two

Thomas Brill and Brian Parks chatting again.
This week we talk about chapter 2.
The sound quality is a little better but still needs work.

When everyone in the world knows the beautiful as beautiful, ugliness comes into being;

When everyone knows the good, then the not good comes to be.

The mutual production of being and nonbeing,

The mutual completion of difficult and easy,

The mutual formation of long and short,

The mutual filling of high and low,

The mutual harmony of tone and voice,

The mutual following of front and back—

These are all constants.

Therefore the Sage dwells in nonactive affairs and practices the wordless teaching.

The ten thousand things arise, but he doesn't begin them;

He acts on their behalf, but he doesn't make them dependent;

He accomplishes his tasks, but he doesn't dwell on them;

It is only because he doesn't dwell on them, that they therefore do not leave them.

Here is a link to the audio file if you are not using iTunes. 

https://s3.amazonaws.com/tao4two/TtCCh2.mp3