The Middle Way

Yutang Lin

In the absence of norms things deteriorate into chaos;
To meet set standards pretension and lies would arise.
Stemming from original purity only sincerity survives;
Adjust naturally, no need to be pulled or pushed aside.

Comment:

Without controls things easily runs into chaos. Once standards are set, there would be pretension and forgery. Seeking balance of order and truth, distortion and bias could hardly be avoided. Artificial endeavors are quite limited; the middle way is difficult to attain. Once returned to original purity, freely express only true feelings. Not under the spell of illusion or grasping, naturally there arise restraining senses.

Written in Chinese on January 21, 2003
Translated on January 22, 2003
El Cerrito, California

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