Tao Te Ching – Verse 16
Stephen Mitchell
Empty your mind of all thoughts
Let your heart be at peace
Watch the turmoil of beings,
but contemplate their return.
Each separate being in the universe
returns to the common source.
Returning to the source is serenity.
IF you don’t realize this source,
you stumble in confusion and sorrow.
When you realize where you came from,
you naturally become tolerant,
disinterested, amused,
kindhearted as a grandmother
dignified as a king
Immersed in the wonder of the Tao,
you can deal with whatever life brings you
and when death comes, you are ready.
———–
Tao Te Ching
-Lao Tzu, Translation by Stephen Mitchell