Chapter Eight

Translation by Brian Browne Walker

The highest
good is like water,
which benefits all things and
contends with none. It flows in
low places that others disdain,
and thus it is close to 
the Tao.

In living,
choose your ground well.
In thought, stay deep in the heart.
In relationships, be generous.
In speaking, hold to the truth.
In leadership, be organized.
In work, do your best.
In action, be timely.

If you compete with no one,
no one can compete with you.

Ripples…

Ursula K. Le Guin: “A clear stream of water runs through this book, from poem to poem, wearing down the indestructible, finding the way around everything that obstructs the way. Good drinking water.”

Kuan-Tzu: “Water is the source of creation, the ancestor of all living things. It’s the bloodstream of Earth.”

Ho-Shang Kung: “The nature of water is like the Tao: empty, clear and deep. As water empties, it gives life to others. It reflects without becoming impure, and there is nothing it cannot wash clean. Water can take any shape, and it is never out of touch with the seasons.”

Sung Chang-Hsing: “Those who free themselves from care stay low and avoid heights. Those whose minds are empty can plumb the depths. Those who help others without expecting any reward are truly kind. The whose mouths agree with their minds, speak the truth. Those who make demands of themselves as well as others, establish peace.  Those who can change as conditions change, work with skill. Those who act when it is time to act and rest when it is time to rest, move with time.”

“Most of my mammal two-legged body is water. What gets in the way of my original Water-Ways?” —Yamin