Tao Te Ching, tekeningen/schilderwerken
Geïnspireerd door de Tao Te Ching van Lao Tsu, vertaald door Gia-Fu Feng en Jane English, met commentaar en meditatie van Bruce Frantzis (Taoist Lineage Master) heb ik tekeningen en schilderwerken gemaakt. Sommige zijn begeleid door een Haiku van mijzelf.
uit 2019 tot 2021
(klik op de afbeelding om het werk groter te bekijken)
stuur een bericht naar de kunstenaar
One
2019The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth. The named is the mother of ten thousand things. Ever desireless, one can see the mystery. Ever desiring, one can see the manifestations. These two spring from the same source but differ in name; this appears as darkness. Darkness within darkness. The gate to all mystery.
Two
2019Under heaven all can see is beauty as beauty only because there is ugliness. All can know good as good only because there is evil. Therefore having and not having rise together. Difficult and easy compliment each other. Long and short contrast each other. High and low rest upon each other. Voice and sound harmonize each other. Front and back follow one another. Therefore the sage goes about doing nothing, teaching no-talking. The ten thousand things rise and fall without cease, creating, yet not possesing, working, yet not taking credit. Work is done, then forgotten.Therefore it lasts forever.
Three
2019Not exalting the gifted prevents quarreling. Not collecting treasures prevents stealing. Not seeing desirable things prevents confusion of the heart. The wise therefore rule by emptying hearts and stuffed bellies, by weakening ambitions and strenghening bones. If people lack knowledge and desire then intellectuals will not try to interfere. If nothing is done, then all will be well.
Four
2019The Tao is an empty vessel; it is used, but never filled. Oh, unfathomable source of ten thousand things! Blunt the sharpness. Untangle the knot. Soften the glare. Merge with dust. Oh, hidden deep but ever present! I do not know from whence it comes. It is the forefather of the emperors.
Five
2019Heaven and earth are ruthless.
They see the ten thousend things as dummies.
The wise are ruthless.
They see the people as dummies.
The space between heaven and earth is like a bellows.
The shape changes but not the form.
The more it moves, the more it yields.
More words counts less.
Hold fast to the center.
Six
2019The valley spirit never dies. It is the woman, primal mother. Her gateway is the root of heaven and earth. It is like a veil barely seen. Use it, it will never fail.
Seven
2020Heaven and earth last forever.
Why do heaven and earth last forever?
They are unborn,
So ever living.
The sage stays behind, thus he is ahead.
He is detached, thus at one with all.
Through selfless action, he attains fulfillment.
Eight
2020The highest good is like water. Water gives life to the ten thousend things and does not strive. It flows in places men reject and so is like the Tao. In dwelling, be close to the land. In meditation, go deep in the heart. In dealing with others, be gentle and kind. In speech, be true. In ruling, be just. In business, be competent. In action, watch the timing. No fight: no blame.
Nine
2020Better stop short than fill to the brim.
Oversharpen the blade, and the edge will soon blunt.
Amass a store of gold and jade, and no one can protect it.
Claim wealth and titles, and disaster will follow.
Retire when the work is done.
This is the way of heaven.
Ten
2020Carrying body and soul and embracing the one, can you avoid separation?
Attending fully and become supple, can you be as a newborn babe?
Washing and cleansing the primal vision, can you be without stain?
Loving all men and ruling the country, can you be without cleverness?
Opening and closing the gates of heaven, can you play the role of woman?
Eleven
2020Thirty spokes share the weel's hub.
It is the center hole that makes it useful.
Shape clay into a vessel.
It is the space within that makes it useful.
Cut doors and windows for a room.
It is the holes with make it useful.
Therefore profit comes from what is there.
Usefulness from what is not there.
Twelve
2020The five colors blind the eye.
The five tones deafen the ear.
The five flavors dull the taste.
Racing and hunting madden the mind.
Precious things lead one astray.
Therefore the sage is guided by what he feels and not by what he sees.
He lets go of that and chooses this.
Thirteen
2020
Accept disgrace willingly.
Accept misfortune as the human condition.
What do you mean by "Accept disgrace willingly "?
Accept being unimportant.
Do not be concerned with loss or gain.
This is called "accepting disgrace willingly ".
What do you mean by "Accept misfortune as the human condition "?
Misfortune comes from having a body.
Without a body, how could there be misfortune?
Surrender yourself humbly; then you can be trusted to care for all things.
Love the world as your own self; then you can truly care for all things.
Fourteen
2020Look, it cannot be seen - it is beyond form.
Listen, it cannot be heard - it is beyond sound.
Grasp, it cannot be held - it is intangible.
These three are indefinable; therefore they are joined in one.
From above it is not bright. From below it is not dark.
An unbroken thread beyond description.
It returns to nothingness.
The form of the formless, the image of the imageless. It is called indefinable and beyond imagination.
Stand before it and there is no beginning.
Follow it and there is no end.
Stay with the ancient Tao.
Move with the present.
Knowing the ancient beginning is the essence of Tao.
Fifteen
2020The ancient masters were subtle, mysterious, profound, responsive. The depth of their knowledge is unfathomable.
Because it is unfathomable, all we can do is describe their appearance.
Watchful, like men crossing a winter stream.
Alert, like men aware of danger. Courteous, like visiting guests. Yielding, like ice about to melt. Simply, like uncarved blocks of wood.
Hollow, like caves. Opaque, like muddy pools.
Who can wait quietly while the mud settles?
Who can remain still until the moment of action? Observers of the Tao do not seek fulfillment. Not seeking fulfillment, they are not swayed by desire for change.
Sixteen
2020Empty yourself of everything.
Let the mind rest at peace.
The ten thousand things rise and fall while the Self watches their return.
They grow and flourish and then return to the source.
Returning to the source is stillness, which is the way of nature.
The way of nature is unchanging.
Knowing constancy is insight.
Not knowing of constancy leads to disaster.
Knowing constancy, the mind is open.
With an open mind, you will be openhearted.
Being openhearted, you will act royally.
Being royal, you will attain the divine.
Being divine, you will be at one with the Tao.
Being at one with the Tao is eternal.
And though the body dies, the Tao will never pass away.
Seventeen
2020The best ruler is one whose existence the people barely know.
Next comes the one they love and praise.
Next comes the one they fear.
Next comes the one they curse.
If you are not trustworthy, you will not be trusted.
The sage is aloof and scanty of words.
When his task is finished and his work done, the people all say: " We did it ourselves!"
Eighteen
2020When the great Tao is forgotten,
kindness and morality arise.
When wisdom and intelligence are born, the great pretense begins.
When there is no peace within the family, filial piety and devotion arise.
When the country is confused and in chaos, loyal ministers appear.
Nineteen
2020Give up sainthood, renounce wisdom.
And it will be a hundred times better for everyone.
Give up kindness, renounce morality.
And men will rediscover filial piety and love.
Give up ingenuity, renounce profit.
And bandits and thieves will disappear.
These three are outward forms alone, they are not sufficient in themselves.
It is more important to see the simplicity.
To realize one's true nature.
To cast off selfishness and temper desire.
Twenty
2020Give up learning and put an end to your troubles.
Is there a difference between yes and no?
Is there a difference between good and evil?
Must I fear what others fear?
What nonsense!
Other people are contented, enjoying the sacrificial feast of the ox.
In spring some go to the park and climb the terrace. But I alone am drifting, not knowing where I am. Like a newborn babe before it learns to smile.
I am alone, without a place to go.
Others have more than they need, but I alone have nothing.
I am a fool. Oh yes! I am confused.
Other men are clear and bright. But I alone am dim and weak. Other men are sharp and clever. But I alone am dull and stupid.
Oh, I drift like the waves of the sea.
Without direction, like the restless wind.
Everyone else is busy. But I alone am aimless and depressed.
I am different. I am nourished by the great mother.
Twenty one
2020The greatest Virtue is to follow Tao and Tao alone.
The Tao is elusive and intangible.
Oh, it is intangible and elusive, and yet within is image.
Oh, it is elusive and intangible, and yet within is form.
Oh, it is dim and dark, and yet within is essence.
This essence is very real, and therein lies faith.
From the very beginning until now its name has never been forgotten.
Thus I perceive the creation.
How do I know the ways of creation?
Because of this.
Twenty two
2020Yield and overcome.
Bend and be straight.
Empty and be full.
Wear out and be new.
Have little and gain.
Have much and be confused.
Therefore wise men embrace the one.
And set an example to all.
Not putting on a display.
They shine forth.
Not justifying themselves.
They are distinguished.
Not boasting.
They recieve recognition.
Not bragging.
They never falter.
They do not quarrel.
So no one quarrels with them.
Therefore the ancients say, "Yield and overcome".
Is that an empty saying?
Be really whole.
And all things will come to you.
Twenty three
2020To talk little is natural.
High winds do not last all morning. Heavy rain does not last all day. Why is this? Heaven and earth!
If heaven and earth cannot make things eternal, how is it possible for man?
He who follows the Tao, is at one with the Tao.
He who is virtuous, experiences Virtue.
He who loses the way, feels lost. When you are at one with the Tao, the Tao welcomes you.
When you are at one with Virtue, the Virtue is always there.
When you are at one with loss, the loss is experienced willingly.
He who does not trust enough, will not be trusted.
Twenty four
2020He who stands on tiptoe is not steady.
He who strides cannot maintain the pace.
He who makes a show is not enlightened.
He who is self righteous is not respected.
He who boasts achieves nothing.
He who brags will not endure.
According to followers of the Tao, "These are extra food and unnecessary luggage".
They do not bring happiness.
Therefore followers of the Tao avoid them.
Twenty five
2020Something mysteriously formed
Born before heaven and earth
In the silence and the void
Standing alone and unchanging
Ever present and in motion
Perhaps it is the mother of ten thousand things
I do not know it's name
Call it Tao
For lack of a better word I call it great
Being great it flows
It flows far away
Having gone far it returns
Therefore Tao is great
Heaven is great
Earth is great
The king is also great
These are the four great powers of the universe
And the king is one of them
Man follows the earth
Earth follows heaven
Heaven follows the Tao
Tao follows what is natural
Twenty six
2020The heavy is the root of the light
The still is the master of unrest
Therefore the sage, travelling all day
Does not lose sight of his baggage
Though there are beautiful things to be seen
He remains unattached and calm
Why should the lord of ten thousand chariots act lightly in public?
To be light is to lose one's root
To be restless is to lose one's control
Twenty seven
2020A good walker leaves no tracks
A good speaker makes no slips
A good reckoner needs no tally
A good door needs no lock
Yet no one can open it
Good binding requiers no knots
Yet no one can loosen it
Therefore the sage takes care of all men
And abandons no one
He takes care of all things
And abandons nothing
This is called "following the light"
What is a good man?
A teacher of a bad man
What is a bad man?
A good man's charge
If the teacher is not respected
And the student not cared for
Confusion will arise, however clear one is
This is the crux of mystery
Twenty eight
2020Know the strength of man
But keep a woman's care
Be the stream of the universe
Being the stream of the universe Ever true and unswerving
Become as a little child once more
Know the white
But keep the black
Be an example to the world
Being an example to the world
Ever true and unwavering
Return to the infinite
Know honor
Yet keep humility
Be the valley of the universe
Being the valley of the universe
Ever true and resourceful
Return to the state of the uncarved block
When the block is carved, it becomes useful
When the sage uses it, he becomes the ruler
Thus, a great taylor cuts little
Twenty nine
2021Do you think you can take over the universe and improve it?
I do not believe it can be done.
The universe is sacred.
You cannot improve it.
If you try to change it, you will ruin
it.
If you try to hold it, you will lose it. So sometimes things are ahead and sometimes they are behind. Sometimes breathing is hard, sometimes it comes easily. Sometimes there is strength and sometimes weakness.
Sometimes one is up and sometimes down.
Therefor the sage avoids extremes, excesses and complacency.