John H. McDonald


The tao that can be described
is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be spoken
is not the eternal name.

The nameless is the boundary of Heaven
            and Earth.
The named is the mother of creation.
Freed from desire, you can see the hidden
            mystery.
By having desire, you can only see what is
            visibly real.

Yet mystery and reality
emerge from the same source.
This source is called darkness.

Darkness born from darkness.
The beginning of all understanding.