Daodejing Part Nineteen

LYRICS: Cut off the sages, abandon the schemes, Return to the root of the nameless stream. Before there were words, before there was form, People lived simple, unbroken, unworn. No crafted symbols, no clever design — Only the cord and the natural line. Leave what is made, return to what is — Before the mind began to divide. Abandon wisdom, abandon the clever, Return to the state that was always there. Release all virtue, release all the naming — And life will rise without repair. Throw away kindness performed for display, Drop all the righteousness spoken in praise. When there is no virtue to show or defend, Love finds its root and returns again. Cast off all skill that deceives with its art, Close every door where desires start. When gain is forgotten and craving is sealed, Nothing is stolen, nothing concealed. Abandon wisdom, abandon the clever, Return to the state that was always there. Release all virtue, release all the naming — And life will rise without repair. Show what is plain, embrace what is raw, Hold to the uncarved, the simplest law. Less of the self and fewer desires, Quieter breath and dimmer fires. In what is rough, the truth remains, In what is empty — no deceit, no chains. What cannot be shaped cannot be lost, What is enough dissolves the cost. Abandon wisdom, abandon the clever, Return to the state that was always there. Release all virtue, release all the naming — And life will rise without repair. Return to the plain… return to the root… Uncarved, unnamed… silent and true… Less and less… until there is none… No self to guard… no thing to become… In the unformed… the Way is complete… Nothing to seek… nothing to keep. DAODEJING PART NINETEEN: If we could renounce our sageness and discard our wisdom, it would be better for the people a hundredfold. If we could renounce our benevolence and discard our righteousness, the people would again become filial and kindly. If we could renounce our artful contrivances and discard our gain, there would be no thieves nor robbers. Those three methods. Thought olden ways in elegance did fail And made these names their want of worth to veil; But simple views, and courses plain and true