Taoism (from the Tao Te Ching, Chapter 8)

Saturday parallels

“The highest good is like water. Water gives life to the ten thousand things and does not strive. It flows in places men reject and so is like the Tao.”
— Laozi

Parallel in Buddhism (from the Dhammapada, Verse 95):

“Like the earth, he does not react. Like a pillar, he is firm. Like a clear lake, he is pure and still.”
— Gautama

Both teachings highlight the virtue of non-resistance, humility, and inner stillness. Water in Taoism is a metaphor for the Tao's effortless action (wu wei)—nourishing all without attachment or ego. In the Dhammapada, the enlightened person mirrors nature’s qualities: calm, stable, and free from reaction, just as water reflects and accepts all without clinging.