Some foolish person suggested I not give up on the Eastern stuff.

HahahahahahahahaHaaaa.... (Remember that guy from the old 7-Up ad? Like that.)

Laotse, the Book of Tao
Translated by Lin Yutang

Book I: The Principles of Tao
I. On the Absolute Tao

The Tao that can be told of
Is not the Absolute Tao;
The Names that can be given
Are not Absolute Names.

The Nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth;
The Named is the Mother of All Things.

Therefore:
Oftentimes, one strips oneself of passion
In order to see the Secret of Life;
Oftentimes, one regards life with passion,
In order to see its manifest results.

These two (the Secret and its manifestations)
Are (in their nature) the same;
They are given different names
When they become manifest.

They may both be called the Cosmic Mystery:(1)
Reaching from the Mystery into the Deeper Mystery
Is the Gate to the Secret(2) of All Life.

1 Hsuan (umlauted "a")--This word is the equivalent of "mystic" and "mysticism." Taoism is also know as the Hsuanchiao (umlauted "u"), or "Mystic Religion."
2 Miao may also be translated as "Essence"; it means "the wonderful," the "ultimate," the "logically unknowable," the "quintessence," or "esoteric truth."

And, as I like to end these selections, so now you know.

You may thank Todd, on several levels, for this post.