Philosophy

道 德 經
Tao Teh Ching

Tao – Chapter 2

When everyone in the world knows the beautiful as beautiful, ugliness comes into being;
When everyone knows the good, then the not good comes to be.
The mutual production of existence and non-existence,
The mutual completion of difficult and easy,
The mutual formation of long and short,
The mutual filling of high and low,
The mutual harmony of tone and voice,
The mutual following of front and back –
These are all constants.

Therefore the Sage dwells in nonactive affairs and practices the wordless teaching.
The ten thousand things arise, but he doesn't begin them;
He acts on their behalf, but he doesn't make them dependent;
He accomplishes his tasks, but he doesn't dwell on them;
It is only because he doesn't dwell on them that they therefore do not leave him.