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translation
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Place the word Tao
Into your heart.
Use no other words.
Why do so many people seek foreign religions? Why are so many of our philosophies translations from other languages? Surely we are all human beings, with hearts and minds, two hands and two legs. Each of us needs spirituality, but why must we always look abroad?
People who investigate Tao ask whether they have to be Chinese to benefit from it. It is true that part of the study of Tao is strictly Chinese. It is also true that this Taoism has never been exported -- unlike Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, or Judaism -- and has never been preached beyond the Five Sacred Mountains of China. It is elitist, to protect itself from coarse unbelievers. But this Taoism is not the Tao you need.
The true Tao is of no nationality, no religion. It is far beyond the conceptions of even the most brilliant human being, so it cannot be the property of one race or culture. The need to understand Tao is universal; people just give it different names in their native languages. Tao is the very essence of life itself, so those who are alive always have the possibility of knowing Tao. It is meant to be found in the here and now, and it is within the grasp of any sincere seeker.
translation
365 Tao
Deng Ming-Dao
Daily Meditations
Lucky to Know How to Preserve My Health
li jin
Chinese ink and color on rice paper
30 X 30 in.
tao water gallery
www.taowatergallery.com
li jin was born in 1958 China, and graduated from Tianjing Academy of Fine Arts in 1983 with B.A. degree of Chinese Painting. Now he is teaching and living in China.