Wherefore it has been said, "The birth of the Sage is the will of God; his death is but a modification of existence. In repose, he shares the passivity of the _Yin_; in action, the energy of the _Yang_. He will have nothing to do with happiness, and so has nothing to do with misfortune. Each of which proceeds from the other in an endless chain. He must be influenced ere he will respond. He must be urged ere he will move. He must be compelled ere he will arise. Ignoring the future and the past, he resigns himself to the laws of God. "And therefore no calamity comes upon him, nothing injures him, no man is against him, no spirit punishes him. He floats through life to rest in death. He has no anxieties; he makes no plans. His honour does not make him illustrious. His good faith reflects no credit upon himself. It is all God's, as part of the great scheme. His sleep is dreamless, his awaking without pain. His spirituality is pure, Without desires. and his soul vigorous. Thus unconditioned and in repose, he is a partaker of the virtue of God." Wherefore it has been said, "Sorrow and happiness are the heresies Evil influences. of virtue; joy and anger lead astray from TAO; love and hate cause the loss of virtue. The heart unconscious of sorrow and happiness,--that is perfect virtue. ONE, without change,--that is perfect repose. Without any obstruction,--that is the perfection of the unconditioned. Holding no relations with the external world,--that is perfection of the negative state. Without blemish of any kind,--that is the perfection of purity." Wherefore it has been said, "If the body toils without rest, it dies. If the mind is employed without ceasing, it becomes wearied; and being wearied, its power is gone." Pure water is by nature clear. If untouched, it is smooth. If dammed, it will not flow, neither will it be clear. It is an emblem of the virtue of God. Wherefore it has been said, "Pure, without admixture; uniform, without change; negative, without action; moved, only at the will of God;--such would be the spirituality nourished according to TAO." Those who possess blades from Kan The Wu State. or Yüeh, keep them carefully in their scabbards, and do not venture to use them. For they are precious in the extreme. The spirit spreads forth on all sides: there is no point to which it does not reach, attaining heaven above, embracing earth beneath. Influencing all creation, its form cannot be portrayed. Its name is then _Of-God_. Such is man's spiritual existence before he is born into the world of mortals. The TAO of the pure and simple consists in preserving spirituality. He who preserves his spirituality and loses it not, becomes one with that spirituality. And through that unity the spirit operates freely, and comes into due relationship with God. Returning after its brief career on earth, to the eternity whence it came.