Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu

Before I left Virginia, a friend of mine gave me a beautiful present.  It was a book, of the Tao Te Ching.  I was excited to get it, and I have slowly meditated on these poems to try to find my own spiritual meaning behind them.  It was explained to me not to read the entire book from front to cover, but to read each page individually, and try to understand the meaning behind each one.

Currently, I've just finished the third poem.  It's interesting, because I believe it embodies one of the pet peaves I have in people.  I've always been turned off by people who talk about their good deeds.  As if to brag about how good of a person they are.  Or if someone is wealthy, they discuss the coolest thing they just got...possibly creating jealousy in the listener.

Here is a snippet of the third poem:

The wise person sets an example by
emptying her mind,
opening her heart,
relaxing her ambitions,
relinquishing her desires,
cultivating her character.
Having conquered her own cunning and cravings, she can't be manipulated by anyone.

She can't be manipulated by anyone...


The Tao Te Ching is one of the more influential books in the Chinese philosophy/religion called Taoism.