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The Master said:“I can speak of the rites of the Xia dynasty, but the state of Qi provides insufficient evidence.I studied the rites of the Yin dynasty; remnants still exist in the state of Song.I studied the rites of the Zhou dynasty – they are in use today – so I follow the Zhou.”
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How great is the Way of the sage!Vast and overflowing – it nurtures all things, soaring up to the utmost heights of Heaven.
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The Way of Heaven and Earth can be summed up in a single phrase:Because it is undivided and without duality, its power to generate life is unfathomable.
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The Master said:“Was Shun not the epitome of filial piety?His virtue made him a sage; his honor made him Son of Heaven;he possessed the wealth of all within the Four Seas.He is honored in ancestral temples, and his descendants preserve his legacy.
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The Master said:“The Way is not distant from people.If one pursues the Way in a way that estranges it from human life, it cannot be called the true Way.”