One Thought, a Mortal Life · Stubborn and Foolish by Nature · 37 / 102
· Knowing Grace
Swift, so swift—what is left of Tai Yi is waning. The comes back the way it came, bearing up the bright light.
Musing on the human world and the heavens, I tell the flowing pearls through the nine reflections. A withered tree that has never weathered winter and summer—how could it ever put out a branch?
Glosses—
Tài Yī: what the Daoists call the Dao; in antiquity, the origin and the substance of all things in the universe;
Waning: the passage of a thing from flourishing into decline;
Flowing pearls: the prayer beads of Daoism, which were at the earliest called 'flowing pearls';
Nine reflections: Analects, 'Ji Shi': 'The gentleman has nine reflections: in seeing, he considers clarity; in hearing, acuity; in his expression, warmth; in his bearing, respect; in speech, good faith; in affairs, diligence; in doubt, asking; in anger, the trouble to come; in gain, what is right.' Later used broadly for turning something over and over in the mind.
*This piece is an original work. If you repost it, please credit the original author Shixi Lin; any infringement, once discovered, will be pursued for legal liability. In addition, the accompanying illustration comes from the internet and belongs to its original artist, Yichui Wuyue.