Master of the Three Ways

Master of the Three Ways: Reflections of a Chinese Sage on Living a Satisfying Life. 
By Hung Ying-ming.  Translated by William Scott Wilson.  Foreword by Red Pine.  Boston, Shambhala, 2012, 196 pages. Written by Hung Ying-ming in about 605 CE.  

"Master of the Three Ways is perhaps the very finest literary expression of the Unity of the Three Creeds: Confucianism, Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism, and Taoism.  Composed of 357 verses of accessible prose-poetry, it not only expresses the root values of the three traditions while rarely mentioning them by name, but also takes as points of departure the branches of these philosophies as expressed by other Chinese poets and philosophers."  - William Scott Wilson.  

"The disease of blatant desire can be cured,
But the disease of excuse-making is difficult to alleviate.
The obstacles of external affairs and thing can be displaced,
But the obstacles of Reason are difficult to overcome."
#187, p 93

"Title and rank should not be elevated to high.
   Once a high elevation is reached, there is danger.
Ability should not be used to exhaustion.
   Once exhaustion is reached, there is decline.
Moral behavior should not be raised excessively.
  Once excess is reached, there will only come slander and blame."
#137, p. 70

"When your work has come to a standstill
and you can neither advance or retreat,
You should relocate the mentality with which you began.
When your efforts have been realized
and your actions are fulfilled,
You need to look carefully farther down the road."
#30, p. 21

"Do not believe in the one-sided,
nor be cheated by deceivers.
Do not be too self-reliant,
nor make a show of your courage.
Do not, with your own strong points,
expose the shortcomings of others.
Do not, because of your own ineptitude,
despise abilities not your own."
#120, 62

"If a common person ventures to cultivate virtue
     or perform a good deed,
It is just like being a high official, but without rank.
If a man of high rank uselessly indulges in his power
     or markets his position,
He becomes, in the end, only a titled beggar."
#93, p. 51

"Our disposition should be lofty and broad,
But not to the point of be distant and abstracted.
Our thoughts should be detailed and conscientious,
But not to the point of being tedious and nit-picking.
Our tastes should be simple and ascetic,
But not to the point of eccentricity and desiccation.
Our virtue should be strict and clear cut,
But not to the point of vehemence or rage."
#81, p. 45

"In carrying yourself through the world,
Do not try to be overly pure.
     One needs to ingest
     A morsel of disgrace and defacement, too.
In associating with others,
Do not be too scrupulous.
     One needs to embrace
     Both the good and the evil,
     Both the clever and the dull."
#185, p.92