cc image by katerha on Flickr
From Tao, all things are born.
Virtue nourishes all things,
matter shapes them,
circumstances complete them.
Tao and virtue do not command respect,
yet the Ten Thousand Things
naturally give it.
All living things come from Tao.
Virtue nurtures all things,
raises them,
protects them,
prepares them,
supports them
and shelters them.
Tao produces life
yet does not own life.
Tao benefits life,
without attachment.
Fostering growth without dominion
is our deepest secret virtue.
