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QaR
February 2009 
Three treasures
Posted on Aug 8th, 2007
by 
Wonderer
Wonderer
It may seem that my teaching means nothing
It describes the infinite, so of course it means nothing
If it meant something, it would long since have been refuted
Yet I have three treasures which I follow and commend to you
The first is compassion, by which one finds courage
The second is simplicity, by which one finds strength
The third is humility, by which one finds influence
Those who are fearless, but without mercy,
Powerful, but without restraint,
Or influential, yet not humble,
Cannot endure.
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This is, of course, from the Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing), chapter 67.
Compassion means extending beyond the ego, thus reducing fear, producing courage. Interestingly, courage comes from the latin word for heart, which traditionally is the seat of compassion/love.
Simplicity means that the mind is free from the stress and strain of holding on to too many physical possessions or mental ideas. This releases lots of energy, producing strength.
Humility means not trying to force someone or something to obey one's will, but rather follow the natural flow of things. When you're not trying to be someone you're not, all the work that you should do will be done. Is this not influence?
There seems to be deep connections between these three treasures, or virtues. For example, it is easier to restrain your ego (humility) when you have a deeply felt compassion for people. It is easier to reduce fear (compassion) when you don't have so much too loose (simplicity). And so on…
It describes the infinite, so of course it means nothing
If it meant something, it would long since have been refuted
Yet I have three treasures which I follow and commend to you
The first is compassion, by which one finds courage
The second is simplicity, by which one finds strength
The third is humility, by which one finds influence
Those who are fearless, but without mercy,
Powerful, but without restraint,
Or influential, yet not humble,
Cannot endure.
----------
This is, of course, from the Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing), chapter 67.
Compassion means extending beyond the ego, thus reducing fear, producing courage. Interestingly, courage comes from the latin word for heart, which traditionally is the seat of compassion/love.
Simplicity means that the mind is free from the stress and strain of holding on to too many physical possessions or mental ideas. This releases lots of energy, producing strength.
Humility means not trying to force someone or something to obey one's will, but rather follow the natural flow of things. When you're not trying to be someone you're not, all the work that you should do will be done. Is this not influence?
There seems to be deep connections between these three treasures, or virtues. For example, it is easier to restrain your ego (humility) when you have a deeply felt compassion for people. It is easier to reduce fear (compassion) when you don't have so much too loose (simplicity). And so on…
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You might want to check out the Exploring The Tao Teh Ching pod.