Tao Te Ching Chapter 64-3 While fragile

Today's Tao

It is easy to melt a thing while it is fragile. (Ch.64)


Melt your own ego.


Zen Master Bassui Tokusho 抜隊得勝 (1323-1387) says:

"When you are lost, you are like ice."

迷ふときは氷の如し

[mayou toki ha koori no gotoshi]

(☞See Disintegrating 15-7)

He adds:

"Among all the pieces of ice, there is no ice that does not become water".

氷の中に水とならさる氷なし

[koori no naka ni mizu to narazaru koori nashi]

(«Bassui Kana Hogo» 抜隊仮名法語)


When you are solid as ice, you are lost.

When you are flexible as water, you are Buddha.

The Japanese word for Buddha is "hotoke 仏・ほとけ".

The word puns with "hodoke-ru ほどける", which means "to untangle".

Never mind being "fragile".

Then, you are flexible and untangled.

Don't be hard if you don't want to forget that you are Buddha and Tao.


«Related Articles»
-Something stable 64-1
-Before materialization 64-2
-While fragile 64-3
-While minute 64-4
-Before existence 64-5
-In order 64-6
-Tree from a hair 64-7
-Nine-story tower 64-8
-A thousand league travel 64-9
-Do and Defeat 64-10
-Stick and Lose 64-11
-Defeat nothing 64-12
-Don't stick 64-13
-Before completed 64-14
-Careful end 64-15
-Desire no desire 64-16
-Rare coins 64-17
-Learn no learn 64-18
-Excess 64-19
-Transformation 64-20
-Don't dare 64-21
-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 64


Tao answers your question!



☞Don't fight against your destiny. Don't fight against any. The female characters in «The Tale of Genji» accept their destinies. So did its author, Murasaki Shikibu. When did the Japanese start suffering from the problem of Self? When did they start thinking that they could change their own destines, or that their egos were bigger than the force of nature? Typhoons, Tsunami, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes still teach us who we are. Read Lady Murasaki Shikibu's Diary and find out how did she come to terms with her destiny.