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nonaction. Wenzi, “Nine Guardings”

“Good fortune will come and the accusations will end. Therefore, remain clear and don't feel sorry for yourself. Lead a quiet and peaceful life with a happy heart and keep control through”

“Believe in yourself even if you don't know about it. You can do nothing to ensure good fortune. Believe in yourself even if good doesn't come right away. Disasters will occur, criticism will come, but even if you're exhausted, do not worry.”

220 | Good fortune will come Laozi said: Don't seek actions that could be blameworthy. Don't resent others who criticize you. Cultivate yourself enough to earn praiseworthy virtue instead of seeking praise for yourself. You can do nothing to stave off disaster.

201 | Perfecting the beauty in others The noble one perfects the beauty in others, and does not reinforce their faults. Inferior people do the opposite. Analects, “Yan Yuan”

Disaster reaches us by itself. Happiness reaches fullness by itself. Misfortune and good fortune emerge from the same gate, and benefit and harm are neighbors. For this not to happen to us is, in essence, impossible to separate. Consequently, it is wise to consider the door to disaster

Reputation is difficult to establish while toppling is easy. Ordinary people always act lightly to reduce harm and make their work easy and slight—to the point that they suffer misfortune.

An excessive heart makes others denigrate you as base and low. Once words leave your mouth, you can't stop them from reaching others. Once you act, nothing at hand will stop it from reaching far. Anything is difficult to finish, while failure is easy.

In summation, in the art of regulating the breath and nourishing the heart, nothing is more direct than ritual. Nothing is more important than having a teacher. Nothing is more spiritual than holding to one excellence. This is called the art of regulating the breath and nourishing the heart. Xunzi, “Cultivating Oneself

then force it away with teachers and friends. When one is neglectful or careless, then illuminate by thinking of calamity. When one is foolishly righteous or excessively honest, combine rites and music and think of what's right.

When one is ferocious, brave, bold, and stubborn, then reform by submitting to Tao. When one rushes toward expedient benefits, then regulate with measured movements. When one is too narrow, cramped, and small, then broaden with expansive greatness. When one is overly humble, sluggish, or covetous for gain, then resist with high aspirations. When one falls into vulgarity or dissoluteness,

63 | The art of nourishing the heart This is the art of regulating the breath and nourishing the heart: When one's blood and breath run with excessive vigor and strength, neutralize and blend them with softness. When one's thoughts become overly deep, then unify them with ease and goodness.

bone. Luxuriant branches and leaves will harm the roots. If only the world did not have these two kinds of beauty! Wenzi, “Talismanic Words

If you hold to your passions, you will harm your spirit. Notice that attractiveness blocks what is true. Evil will make you forget what is virtuous in a flash and it will firmly trap your inner nature. You will forget what has happened before you walk a hundred paces and your body will be consumed. Therefore, beautiful arrows will pierce you to the

47 | If we didn't have two kinds of beauty Laozi said: Control your body, cultivate your spirit. Regulate yourself and live at leisure. Eat and drink in moderation, harmonize enjoyment and anger, balance movement and stillness. Make it impossible for evil to enter you. What appears attractive on the outside can wound you on the inside.

The distance from mouth to ears is but four inches. How could that be enough to bring beauty to a seven-foot body? The ancients learned for their own sakes. Nowadays, students learn wanting to control others. When a noble one learns, they become beautiful. When an inferior person learns, they only want a means to an end. Thus, to speak without being asked is called arrogance. To give two answers to one question is

Proper learning What the noble one learns enters the ears and manifests in the heart, spreads through the four limbs, and stays in the body whether it's moving or still. Their slightest word and most subtle movements are immediate examples to others. But what an inferior person learns enters the ears and exits the mouth.

Fulfill all that you have received from heaven, but don't see yourself as getting anything. Be empty, and let that be all. The perfect person uses their heart as a mirror. It conveys nothing, it receives nothing. It responds, but does not take. Such a person can triumph over anything without risking hurt. Zhuangzi, “The Normal Course for Emperors and Kings”

17 | Use your heart as a mirror Don't try to control fame. Don't try to be a storehouse of future plans. Don't try for career and office. Don't try to be the lord of all wisdom. Embody everything to the fullest and leave no trace wherever you go.

This is great tolerance. Truly study Buddha: don't be disruptive or distracted. This is great diligence. Truly study Buddha: don't keep deluded thoughts or pursue them. This is great concentration. Truly study Buddha: don't be confused by delusion. This is great wisdom. Ouyi Zhixu (1599–1655), “Song of the Six Perfections in Studying Buddha”

10 | Truly study Truly study Buddha: don't be attached to body, heart, or worldly affairs. This is great generosity. Truly study Buddha: don't generate greed, hatred, or ignorance. This is great morality. Truly study Buddha: don't calculate the rights and wrongs of others or oneself.