The Power in Compassion

"All the world thinks that my Tao is great; and yet it seems inconceivable. Only it's greatness
makes it seem inconceivable. If it could be conceived of it would have become insignificant long
ago."
"I have three Treasures that I support and protect: the first is compassion, the second is
moderation, the third is not to be the first in the world."
"With compassion, one becomes courageous. With moderation, one becomes expansive. In
daring not to be the first in the world, one becomes the instrument of leadership."
"Now if one is courageous without compassion, or expansive without moderation or first without
holding back, one is doomed!"
"Compassion always triumphs when attacked; it brings security when maintained. Nature aids it's
leaders, by arming them with compassion."
The three treasures - compassion, moderation and the courage not to be first - are the emotional
foundations of Lao Tzu's whole approach. Enduring leaders are those with the most compassion.
They are endurin g because compassion is a mysterious intellectual force that allows reality to act
on the mind in a deeply affecting way, and in return endows the mind with the power to act on
reality. Compassionate leaders are able to make decisions with foresight and vision - this is how
they endure and triumph.
Lao Tzu opens this passage with a paradox - the idea that something can be so large, so everpresent and so profound that it becomes inconceivable. He suggests that anything that can be
fully conceived of and comprehended by the mind becomes small and manageable. Yet true
power does not come from controlling the small and manageable, but from the mind-expanding
exercise of conceiving of the inconceivable. (67)
Compassion is a transforming force of nature - through a mysterious process, those who practice
compassion transform themselves and in the process transform those around them to be more in
harmony with nature. Witness the deeds of Jesus Christ when he healed the sick. These acts of
compassio n made such an impression on people that it helped to establish a religion that has
endured for two thousand years.