Understanding And Knowledge Poem by Lawrence Hiung

Those who know don’t talk;
Those who talk don’t know;
Those who speak don’t write;
Those who write don’t speak.

Those who think don’t actions;
Those who actions don’t think;
Those who think don’t judge;
Those who judge don’t do.

Small understanding is no match for great understanding;
Small knowledge cannot understand great knowledge knows.
Great wisdom has great understanding;
Great knowledge has wise sayings.

Great knowledge and understanding is wide and vast;
Small knowledge and understanding is trivial and cramped.
Great speech blaze forth as a huge fire;
Small speech is empty and trivial.

We understand what is appropriate;
Because of what we understand to be inappropriate.
We understand right;
Because of our understanding of wrong.

Use the light of wisdom to see,
Beyond the world of right and wrong.
One can only really understand things,
By understanding one’s true self.

(extracted and translated from Tao Te Cheng Book)
© Nov 2011 Lawrence Hiung