Forty-one

People of stamina, knowing the way of life,
Steadily keep to it.
Unstable people, knowing the way of life,
Keep to it or not, depending on the occasion.
Stupid people, knowing the way of life,
And having once laughed at it, laugh again the louder.
If you need to be sure which way is right,
You can tell by their laughing at it.

They fling the same old charges:
"A wick without oil,"
"For every step forward, a step or two back."
To such laughers, a level road look steep,
Going forward seems a retreat,
Enough is lack,
Endurance is weakness,
Simplicity is a faded flower.

Eternity belongs to those who go straight around the circle,
Foundation belongs to those who can feel beyond touch,
Harmony belongs to those who can see beyond shape,
Life belongs to those who can tell beyond words.
It is the way of life itself
That bring everything
To that which fulfills life.