"The 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 Tao is ever creating, yet not possessing,
Working, yet not taking credit.
Work is done, then forgotten.
Therefore it lasts forever . . .
The Tao is an empty vessel; it is used, but never filled.
Oh unfathomable source of ten thousand things!
Oh, hidden deep but ever present!
I do not know from whence it comes . . .
The great Tao flows everywhere . . .
The ten thousand things depend upon it; it holds nothing back.
It fulfills its purpose silently and makes no claim.
It nourishes the ten thousand things,
And yet it is not their lord . . .
The ten thousand things return to it,
Yet it is not their lord.
It is very great.
It does not show greatness,
And is therefore truly great."
Lao Tzu,
China, 6th century B.C.E.
Photo: Sunset clouds over the Twin Owls; Lumpy Ridge, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO; January 7, 2013
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