This is it, the last chapter of the Tao Te Ching. I began this series on the 81 chapters of this ancient text almost five years ago. Wow, that is hard for me to believe. The intention for the series was to share some reflections on each chapter based on my decades long love of […]
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 81 Read More »
This chapter starts with a description of a small country with few people. They live simply and in harmony with nature. (This chapter could have been the model for the back to the land movement of my younger years. Reading it brought back wonderful memories of living in a shack in the mountains of Montana!)
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 80 Read More »
A sweet little chapter with a turn the other cheek message. It begins by observing that even after a conflict is settled, some resentment often remains. So how can we bring true peace to a situation? Using contracts as an example, the chapter says that the sage holds up her end of the bargain,
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 79 Read More »
Under heaven nothing is more soft and yielding than water Yet nothing is better for overcoming what is hard and stiff As we approach the end of the Tao Te Ching’s 81 chapters, the text returns to the theme of water. Water is the most common metaphor for the energy of Tao. It flows
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 78 Read More »
This chapter contrasts two cultural approaches to wealth. In a broader sense, it speaks to nature’s intrinsic seeking of balance and harmony. And in an individual sense, it speaks to our own internal alignment and equilibrium. The first approach is compared to stringing a bow. The top point of the bow is pulled down
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 77 Read More »
A person at birth is soft and gentle At death is hard and unyielding Sprouting plants are tender and supple At death are brittle and dry Stiff and unyielding are associated with death Soft and gentle with life The wisdom in this chapter is easy to understand from our own observations. Babies learning to
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 76 Read More »
When rulers tax too much People starve When rulers interfere too much People rebel When rulers demand too much People give up One who lives in harmony with life Enjoys true wealth I have taken great liberty with the Chinese text in my translation here. However, when I contemplate the Chinese characters, this is
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 75 Read More »
If people are not afraid of death How can death be used to threaten them These opening lines remind me of the story of the monk
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 74 Read More »
Courage to dare leads to death Courage to not dare leads to life Both daring and not daring are linked to courage in this couplet. So the distinction is not about having courage, but rather how that courage is directed. In a western culture that values daring and boldness, this sounds like a play-it-safe admonition.
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 73 Read More »
When people do not fear powerGreat power appearsThese first two lines have been translated and interpreted so many ways, it’s difficult to find any footing in a particular meaning. Like many passages in the Tao Te Ching which seem to address governance, this couplet could refer to actual political government, and could also refer to
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 72 Read More »
Understanding that we do not know is wisdomBelieving that we know the unknowable is sufferingFirst year law students often arrive expecting that they are going to be told all the answers to legal questions. After a few weeks of hearing professors say, “That depends on …,” they begin to suspect that the professors know the
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 71 Read More »
This is a beautiful chapter that acknowledges how elusive something so simple can be.My words are very easy to knowVery easy to put into practiceYet under heaven no one is able to know themNo one can put them into practiceWhen people ask me to explain Tao to them, or ask me what they need to
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 70 Read More »
This chapter carries forward the teaching in the last chapter about power and conflict. Warriors have a saying:I do not presume to be the host (aggressor) but would rather be the guest (defender)Rather than advance an inch, I would retreat a footThis is called going forward without advancing This passage reminds me of the martial
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 69 Read More »
This chapter is about power and the use of power. It starts out with four lines, each beginning with the character for “good.” A good warrior is not violentA good fighter is not enragedA good conqueror does not engage the enemyA good leader humbles himself The ancient treatise The Art of War counsels that the
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 68 Read More »
I have three treasuresWhich I hold closely and cherishFirst is compassionSecond is simplicityThird is humilityCompassion generates courageSimplicity allows generosityHumility creates enduring potential This chapter reminds me of Matthew 6:21. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Compassion, simplicity, humility, all bring us into harmony and alignment with our true nature, with
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 67 Read More »
This beautiful chapter is about leadership, comparing a good leader to the sea, resting patiently in the lowest position, allowing all water to return according to its own path. The sea is king of the hundred valleysBecause it lies well below them This passage blends two thematic images in the Tao Te Ching – water
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 66 Read More »
Like other chapters which address principles of governance, this chapter applies just as well, and perhaps with more relevance, to how we govern ourselves. In ancient times rulers who followed TaoDid not teach people to be cleverBut rather encouraged people to follow their true natureGoverning by manipulation brought ruinBut governing in alignment with Tao brought
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 65 Read More »
As I explained in Part 1, this unusually long chapter resembles a string of proverbs. Picking up from the earlier post, here are some key passages from the rest of the chapter. Action leads to failureGrasping leads to lossThus the sage refrains from action and does not failRefrains from grasping and does not lose Once
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 64 (Part 2) Read More »
This uncharacteristically long chapter comprises several parts that may at one time have been separate. It reminds me of the book of Proverbs in the Bible, which contains many pearls of wisdom that can be considered as stand alone verses. Because of its length, I’m going to break discussion of this chapter into two posts.
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 64 (Part 1) Read More »
Act without actingEngage without engagingKnow without knowing These opening lines present the paradox of Tao, especially the first line which returns to the theme of non-action. People sometimes misunderstand this concept to mean that we all should sit around binge watching our favorite show instead of going to work, taking care of the kids, paying
Tao Te Ching – Chapter 63 Read More »