“A truly good man is not aware of his goodness,
And is therefore good.
A foolish man tries to be good,
And is therefore not good.”

Remember that if you study with Zhenevere Sophia Dao, you are studying with someone who self-proclaims how “good” they are.  She would not necessarily use the word good, but she self proclaims she is a master.

“A truly good man does nothing,
Yet nothing is left undone.
A foolish man is always doing,
Yet much remains to be done”

The Mogadao Institute is “always doing,” always changing.  Nothing is every good enough, they are constantly moving into the next best thing.  Classes and language are always changing.  Teacher certifications are meaningless because the school gets a makeover every year.

“When a truly kind man does something, he leaves nothing undone.
When a just man does something, he leaves a great deal to be done.
When a disciplinarian does something and no one responds,
He rolls up his sleeves in an attempt to enforce order”

I have not experienced the MD staff as kind, just, or disciplinary.  I have experienced manipulation that on the surface advertises all of those things, but falls painfully short when experienced.  I would add, “When a businessperson does something, know that their motivation is profit.”

“Therefore when Tao is lost, there is goodness.
When goodness is lost, there is kindness.
When kindness is lost, there is justice.
When justice is lost, there is ritual.
Now ritual is the husk of faith and loyalty, the beginning of confusion.
Knowledge of the future is only a flowery trapping of the Tao.
It is the beginning of folly.”

When the Tao is lost, there comes the Post Dao, which is founded on ritual.  All these loyal faithful followers listening to ZSD’s every word, thinking there are answers there, but it is a path into confusion.  I would add, “When profit is made off ritual that is advertised as the Tao, the truly great person rolls her eyes and walks away.”

“Therefore the truly great man dwells on what is real
  and not what is on the surface,
On the fruit and not the flower,
Therefore accept the one and reject the other.”

Being so caught in intellectualizing and creating metaphors around what the Tao is, it is forgotten that the Tao is a path to be walked and experienced. Everyone at Mogadao is so caught in admiring the flower of the Tao, they lose the nourishment of actually living the fruit of a good life.  The surface of Mogadao is polished and seductive, the testimonies here speak of the depths.

(translation by Gia-fu Feng and Jane English)