The Tao Begot One
The Tao begot one.
One begot two.
Two begot three.
And three begot the Ten Thousand Things.
The ten thousand things carry yin and embrace yang.
They achieve harmony by embracing these forces.
Men hate to be “orphaned,” widowed,” “worthless,”
But this is how kings and lords describe themselves.
For one gains by losing
And loses by gaining.
What others teach, I also teach; that is:
“A violent man will die a violent death!”
This will be the essence of my teaching.
Lao Tzu
from the Tao Te Ching
translation: Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English
Vintage Books, 1972