Bo-Yin-Ra's The Book on the Living God

I was quite impressed by this bit:

You would be wasting your most precious energy

if you attempted living like a “holy person”

and sought above all else to purge

yourself of “sin.”

You cannot properly employ your strength if

you are constantly concerned with not committing

any “sin”; because wherever you are

truly active, you cannot help but “sin” and

make mistakes—against your will.

But as a sculptor’s work is surely not diminished

by the dust of marble on the floor, so

also shall your timeless self, which you would

carve from unhewn rock, by no means lose its

value because of the debris you leave behind

until you hammered out your lasting form.

Forget the workshop with its dust and rubble

and always keep your mind upon the work of

art you are to fashion from your present life;

a work of radiant beauty and enduring without

end. (127)

 

It reminds me of the motto I adopted a few years ago:

Sei dein ganzer Stolz, dein bester Prototyp

 

or, in English:

Be all that you are proud of, your best prototype

Bo-Yin-Ra's The Book on the Living God

More from Bo-Yin-Ra:

Lead a life of kindness and compassion—

free of fear—but never let compassion undermine

the energies you need to keep yourself

protected. (128)

Show kindness always and to all things having

life; but kindness toward the tiger is a

well-aimed shot; for even what you must destroy

should not be made to suffer. (129)

This is what I call muscular pacifism.