Zen notes-The swordsman and the master.

[seattlegal]

Howdy Paladin,

What part are you agreeing with?

"Cultivate it in yourself; its virtue shall be true"
What is it to cultivate the Tao?
And what is 'virtue'?

The problem, of course, is: what would be a full-fledged Taoist practice? I think it includes divination and making offerings to ancestral ghosts.

Please see Tao Te Ching 37 & 38

 

[Netti-Netti]

Cultivate it in yourself; its virtue shall be true
Cultivate it in your family; its virtue shall be abundant
Cultivate it in the community; its virtue shall be lasting
Cultivate it in the country; its virtue shall be properous
Cultivate it in the world; its virtue shall be widespread

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Apparently the "it" to be cultivated is the "Te" of 'Te Ching.'
So we need to know the meaning of "Te."

 

[Netti-Netti]

The Tao isn't just something to read or talk about; it is something to put into actual practice.

There's something about "studying the Tao" as a means of ensuring right practice.

 

[Netti-Netti]

Please see Tao Te Ching 37 & 38

The Chinese literally reads "the highest Te is not Te, therefore it has Te. The lowest Te doesn't lack Te, and therefore is without Te. "
​

Tao Te Ching: The Way of Virtue - Google Books

Good thing there's more than one translation......

 

[seattlegal]

Shameless bump.