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| True Virtue |
The pride of pride-less-ness is to be proud of being humble or holy. This is a mark of the ego playing a trick on us. We feel very righteous and believe we are pious. This is like trying to pass a car blocking our progress by going around them into the lane of on-coming traffic.
Unless we get back into the right lane quickly, we’ll have a head-on collision. All such striving from the root of carnality is flawed from the beginning. Genuine virtue can only arise from a lack of ego defilement like water, which flows in from the bottom up. I love the way that Lao Tsu expresses this:
All things arise from Tao.
They are nourished by Virtue.
They are formed from matter.
They are shaped by environment.
Thus the ten thousand things all respect Tao and honor Virtue.
Respect of Tao and of Virtue are not demanded,
But they are in the nature of things.
Therefore all things arise from Tao.
By Virtue they are nourished,
Developed, cared for,
Sheltered, comforted,
Grown, and protected.
Creating without claiming,
Doing without taking credit,
Guiding without interfering,
This is primal Virtue.
Surrendering from false piety leads us to authentic Virtue.
