In thick darkness:
a little light guides,
but a great light blinds.In deep ignorance:
homespun lore is indispensable;
high-flown thought - quite useless.
In great confusion:
simple persistence leads;
complicated scheming misleads.
A blazing torch demands a revelation.
A humble candle offers enlightenment.
Attempts to extract
truth or insight by using philosophical methods in the manner
of tools, or even weapons, are shunned by Taoism;
which also regards
'revelations' - whether sought or unsought, interpreted as
'divine' or not - in a cautious and sceptical manner.