Daodejing Chapter 10: Laozi throws down the gauntlet

Can you nurture your spirit
And embrace the one
Without letting go?
Can you concentrate your vital energy
Until you reach a state of suppleness
Like an infant?
Can you clean your mystery mirror,
Until it is untainted?
Can you love your state
And govern your people,
Through effortless action?
Can you open and close
The gates of heaven
And be the feminine?
Can you view the four corners
With great clarity,
And free from knowledge?
The Dao gives birth and nurtures.
It gives birth yet never possesses.
It acts without attachment.
It leads without taking charge.
This is called primal power.

「載營魄抱一，能無離乎？專氣致柔，能嬰兒乎？滌除玄覽，能無疵乎？愛國治民，能無為乎？天門開闔，能為雌乎？明白四達，能無知乎？生之蓄之，生而不有，為而不恃，長而不宰，是謂玄德。

Laozi throws down the gauntlet in Chapter 10 of the Daodejing with a battery of pointed questions asking whether you are ready to embrace the principles and practices of the Dao.

Are you prepared to shed your ego and view the world as it is rather than you wish it to be?

Are you committed to look after the interests of everyone rather than just your own?

Are you willing to be open and receptive without making subjective judgements of others?

Are you able to accept the responsibilities of leadership without expecting any benefits in return?

These questions point you in the right direction — but only you can decide whether you truly wish to connect yourself to the boundless wisdom and vital energy of the Dao.

Note
I took this image at Longhu (Dragon Tiger) Mountain, a famous Daoist site about ten miles south of Yingtan in Jiangxi Province. A great place to visit!