Weekly Tao Te Ching Verse - Week #30

A very long time has passed since I last posted at Tao Te Ching verse. Time to get back to that so I can finish it - start finishing and stop starting!

Since we (meaning me, myself and I) last chatted was in late April. As you can imagine quite a bit has happened since then. For one the YTT class I had been attending graduated and some are teaching, some have participated in a meditation challenge I started, another a book club discussion I started. At PlantBasedCLE we started our restaurant take over, I started teaching at Stat Crossfit on both Sundays and Wednesdays, picked up a second class at Fitworks. I started reading Banish Your Inner Critic and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika (for the book club ostensibly).

Notice all the starting? Me too. Need to start finishing.

I did finish Chapter 2 of the Pradipika yesterday, Thanksgiving morning. I actually am quite pleased with this since it is quite a slog to get through. I could breeze through it, skimming it mostly but I've included it in my almost daily routine. The routine consists of getting up early enough to meditate for 20-30 minutes then read a verse of the Pradipika.

We started the book club discussion but have had trouble keeping it going - everyone's schedule is crazy so its hard to get it done. That's really just an excuse though, I need to buckle down and set it up. And whomever shows up, shows up.

Chapter 3 starts tomorrow

In future posts I'll talk more about PlantBasedCLE, going to the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY for a weeklong Jivamukti Yoga Immersion with Jivamukti founders David Life and Sharon Gannon. (It was fantastic and I hope to go again next year.), and maybe some stuff from work. Then again I may leave work out of it, we'll see.

Welcome to this week's Tao Te Ching verse. See here for what this is all about. 

Verse 30

Whoever relies on the Tao in governing men

doesn't try to force issues

or defeat enemies by force of arms.

For every force there is a counterforce.

Violence, even well intentioned,

always rebounds upon oneself.

The Master does his job

and then stops.

He understands that the universe

is forever out of control,

and that trying to dominate evetns

goes against the current of the Tao.

There is a time for being ahead,

a time for being behind;

a time for being in motion,

a time for being at rest;

a time for being vigorous,

a time for being exhausted

a time for being safe,

a time for being in danger.

The Master sees things as they are,

without trying to control them.

She lets them go their own way,

and resides at the center of the circle.