Readiness

A knife keeps its edge

Only with honing and proper cutting.

A warrior’s virtue is readiness.

A sage’s virtue is awareness.

This life is so competitive and challenging that one must remain in constant readiness for the problems and conflicts that come with each day. That is why followers  of Tao meld the way of the warrior and the sage. They want the courage and preparedness of the fighter, the luminous perception of the wise.

Each day, they dedicate themselves to maintaining their characters and perpetuating their development. But how does one maintain one’s edge without blunting?

There is a fable about a king who was watching his butcher. He was amazed  that the man could dismember a whole ox without much effort and without dulling  his knife.

Seeking to learn, the king questioned his servant, who said that his secret  was to insert his knife only in the spaces between muscles, thus parting the body  along its natural lines. In this way, where an ordinary butcher had to grind his blade  daily, he only had to sharpen his knife once a year.

From this we can learn that we must first hone ourselves to a sharp edge, but  the proper use of our talents is equally essential. We must remember to take action  along the basic lines and seams of the day.

If we do this, we can never be opposed  for long.