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Not to be involved in the mundane, not to indulge in the specious, not to be overreaching with the individual, nor antagonistic to the public; but to desire the tranquillity of the world in general with a view to the prolongation of life, to seek no more than sufficient for the requirements of oneself and others, and by such a course to purify the heart,—herein lay the Tao of the ancients. Sung Hsing and Yin Wên became enthusiastic followers of Tao. They adopted a cap, shaped like the Hua Mountain, as a badge. They bore themselves with kindly discrimination towards all things. They spoke of the passive qualities of the heart as though they had been active; and declared that whosoever could bring joy among mankind and peace within the girdle of ocean should be made ruler over them. They suffered obloquy without noticing the insult. They preserved the people from strife. They prohibited aggression and caused arms to lie unused. They saved their generation from wars, and carried their system over the whole empire, to the delight of the high and to the improvement of the lowly. Though the world would have none of them, yet they struggled on and would not give way. Hence it was said that when high and low became tired of seeing them, they intruded themselves by force.
Source Chuang Tzu, chapter 33, §6 · 📖 Read the full passage
✨ To meditate on today
According to Chuang Tzu, the school of Sung Hsing and Yin Wên wanted to live simply, offend no one and treat all people with kindness, so as to make them brothers: they bore insults and sought to calm every quarrel. Today, if tension breaks out around you, be the one who brings peace: lower your voice, listen to each person and look for the word that brings people together.
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