By Zach Wilson
1. Force Nothing
Force nothing.
Be yourself.
Do without trying too hard.
When in doubt, do less,
Talk less.
Think less.
All things we do
Are grooves we wear
Into ourselves
That may become
Habit.
Good habits
We call tracks,
Or roads.
Bad habits
We call ruts,
Wrong-ways,
We do not want to go
Where they lead.
When in doubt,
Wear no grooves.
Do less.
Do nothing.
Do not fidget;
Worry is restless,
But does not help.
Security is a state of mind.
Those who feel safe
Do not act defensive,
Or seek retreat to
‘Anywhere but here.’
Worrying is speed
Without direction,
It has no limits
Until it ends.
End it, be still.
It is right to act
When you are ready,
To think
When you are calm,
To speak
When you have a hearer
Ready to listen.
2. Good Will
If you have
Nothing worth
Saying,
Say nothing.
If you have
Nothing worth
Doing, do nothing.
Only that which
Arises in good
Will
Is worthy.
The means always
End up deciding the result-
Not what we sought,
Not what end
We had in mind.
Do nothing out of
Bad will-
Not even thinking,
For to do that
Is to scheme,
And judge.
Everything we do
Erodes us
And piles the silt
We erode
Onto our banks,
Affirming our course
Whether it be good
Or ill-
Stop everything
If your course
Is ill,
Or makes you ill.
Breathe deep,
Clear your spirit
With serenity
3. Morals
Even need must
Bow to duty,
And even duty
Must retire,
If it is against
Good will.
A will dominated
By want
Is not good;
All wills can
Become good,
But want
Must be cast aside.
4. Desire
A life spent
Seeking fulfillment
Of desires
Ensures desires
Will multiply;
Desire multiplied
Is dissatisfaction.
Entertainment
Multiplies desire;
Be wary of it.
Technology hastens
Gratification;
Be wary of it.
Do not be a dog
On desire’s leash,
Or a bull led
By the nose.
5. Anticipation
Anticipation
Is the sweet of life.
Fulfillment
Is the disappointment.
Travelling
Is the uncertain pleasure
Arrival
Is the certain stagnancy.
Moving fast decreases
The time each journey takes-
Hastens arrival,
Hastens dissatisfaction,
Hastens seeking-
Multiplies journeys.
Better one lifelong journey
Along the same path
Than many journeys
In a flurry of motion,
To ends that dissatisfy.
Choose ends you cannot
Wholly fulfill,
And you can seek forever-
You will not be
Dissatisfied with the end
In itself,
For you will never
Wholly arrive.
This is why great people
Cherish ideals
That exceed themselves,
And think great works
Small things-
Because the greater
Is still ahead,
The best
Is still to come-
And that is where
They move,
Always,
Even when they are still.
6. Listen to Yourself
Do not be easily led
By what other people
Are led by
Only follow what is good-
No matter whether
Many follow it, or few.
Sometimes,
It may seem
It is only you;
But seems
Often deceives.
Good people do not
Stand alone for long,
Even by choice-
They are soon sought out.
They have friends,
Whether or not
They want them.
7. Serenity
The cool wind of knowing we
Are not only of this moment-
It comes from stepping
Outside ourselves
Without leaving
The grounds.
Cross the threshold
See the sky
Do not cross the border.
Authors Note:
This poem is not intended to be a faithful restatement of the Dao, and it should not be read as an attempt at presenting Daoist values; in a number of aspects, it may contradict them outright. It is, however, one Westerner’s attempt to channel aspects of the Daoist tone, aesthetic, and sense into a form that addresses his contemporaries and his time. If this flawed little work leads a single reader to open or reopen the Dao de Jing, then it has done its work well.
