April 14th

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.

Personal Interpretation

 We should work to blend the ways of the warrior and sage, cultivating preparedness and wisdom in our characters. Once we have sharpened ourselves sufficiently, we must then learn to apply ourselves properly. Life is not easy. The world is full of pitfalls, and we must do what we can to be ready for them so that we can respond accordingly. As the butcher keeps his knife's edge by cutting meat along the natural lines of the flesh. so too must our action take place along the natural lines of things.We must seek out the middle, be content with what is, but also employ ourselves to make the most of the current running through everything, that which we call Tao.