The profound 5,000-character classic of Taoism teaching wu wei (effortless action), naturalness, and the mysterious Way that cannot be named.
Author
Laozi (Lao Tzu)
道可道，非常道。名可名，非常名。
The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
- Tao Te Ching, Chapter 1
The opening lines set the tone: ultimate reality transcends language. Yet Laozi wrote 5,000 characters trying to point to it. This is the beautiful paradox of the Tao Te Ching.
Attempts to describe it:
Chapter 25:
“There is something formless yet complete,
Born before heaven and earth.
Silent and boundless,
Standing alone, unchanging,
Pervading everywhere, inexhaustible.
I do not know its name, so I call it ‘Tao.’”
Not:
But:
無名天地之始；有名萬物之母。
The nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth.
The named is the mother of ten thousand things.
Two aspects:
無 (Wu) - The Nameless
有 (You) - The Named
Like water:
為無為，則無不治。
Practice non-action, and nothing remains undone.
- Chapter 3
Not: Laziness, passivity, doing nothing
But:
Chapter 8:
“The highest good is like water.
Water benefits ten thousand things and does not contend.
It flows in places others disdain.
Thus it comes close to the Tao.”
Water’s wisdom:
Human wisdom:
Chapter 19:
“See simplicity in the complicated,
Achieve greatness in little things.”
The uncarved block:
Return to simplicity:
Like infant:
Chapter 40:
“Reversal is the movement of the Tao.
Yielding is the way of the Tao.”
Key paradoxes:
Weakness is strength
“The softest things in the world overcome the hardest.”
- Chapter 43
Emptiness is usefulness
“Thirty spokes converge on a hub,
But it’s the emptiness that makes the wheel useful.”
- Chapter 11
Humility brings elevation
“Because the sage never tries to be great,
Therefore truly becomes great.”
- Chapter 34
Having less is having more
“In pursuit of learning, every day something is acquired.
In pursuit of Tao, every day something is dropped.”
- Chapter 48
Action through inaction
“The sage acts without acting,
Teaches without speaking.”
- Chapter 2
Chapter 6:
“The spirit of the valley never dies—
This is called the mysterious feminine.
The gateway of the mysterious feminine
Is called the root of heaven and earth.”
Taoist valuing of yin (陰):
Chapter 28:
“Know the masculine, keep to the feminine,
And be a valley to the world.”
In practice:
Laozi’s political philosophy:
Chapter 17:
“The best leaders are those the people hardly know exist.
The next best are loved and praised.
The next are feared.
The next are despised.
When the leader’s work is done,
The people say, ‘We did it ourselves.’”
Characteristics:
Minimal interference
“Govern a country as you would cook a small fish—
Don’t overdo it.”
- Chapter 60
Lead by example
“The sage harmonizes with all,
Becomes one with the dusty world.”
- Chapter 56
Serve, don’t dominate
“The sage regards the people as newborn infants.”
- Chapter 49
Reduce desires
“There is no greater curse than the lack of contentment,
No greater calamity than desire for gain.”
- Chapter 46
Chapter 67:
“I have three treasures; guard and keep them:
The first is compassion,
The second is frugality,
The third is not daring to be first in the world.”
Compassion (慈 - Ci):
Frugality (儉 - Jian):
Humility (不敢為天下先):
Chapter 25:
“Man follows Earth,
Earth follows Heaven,
Heaven follows Tao,
Tao follows what is natural.”
Hierarchy of conformity:
What is natural?
Chapter 15:
“Who can wait quietly while mud settles?
Who can remain still until the moment of action?
Those who embrace this Tao do not try to fill themselves to the brim,
And because they do not try to fill themselves,
They can be worn out and yet ever new.”
Practical wisdom:
When confused:
When acting:
Always:
Chapter 33:
“Those who know they have enough are truly rich.”
Chapter 44:
“Those who know contentment are never disgraced.
Those who know when to stop never meet with danger.
They can endure forever.”
The teaching:
Chapter 31:
“Weapons are instruments of ill omen;
All creatures detest them.
Therefore, those who possess the Tao avoid them.”
When conflict is unavoidable:
Chapter 69:
“In war, there is a saying:
‘I dare not act as host, but act as guest.
I dare not advance an inch, but retreat a foot.‘
This is called marching without appearing to march,
Rolling up one’s sleeves without baring one’s arms,
Confronting without seeming hostile,
Grasping without holding a weapon.”
The Taoist approach to conflict:
Chapter 30:
“One who uses Tao to assist a ruler
Does not use weapons to subdue the world.
For such things are likely to rebound.”
Not moral virtue (western sense), but:
Chapter 21:
“The greatest virtue follows only the Tao.
The Tao is elusive and intangible,
Yet within it are images, forms, essences.”
Manifests as:
Chapter 38:
“The highest virtue is not conscious of itself as virtue;
Therefore it has virtue.
The lowest virtue never loses sight of itself as virtue;
Therefore it has no virtue.”
The paradox:
Morning:
Work:
Relationships:
Evening:
Taoist sitting:
Objective:
Chapter 16:
“Reaching the ultimate emptiness,
Maintaining the deepest stillness.
Ten thousand things rise and act;
I observe their return.”
When trouble comes:
Chapter 81:
“True words are not beautiful.
Beautiful words are not true.
The good are not argumentative.
The argumentative are not good.
The knowledgeable are not learned.
The learned are not knowledgeable.The sage does not hoard.
The more she helps others, the more she benefits.
The more she gives, the more she gains.The way of heaven benefits and does not harm.
The way of the sage acts and does not contend.”
Chapter 56:
“Those who know don’t speak.
Those who speak don’t know.Close the mouth,
Shut the doors,
Blunt the sharpness,
Untangle the knots,
Soften the glare,
Merge with the dust.This is called mysterious unity.
Cannot be embraced, cannot be abandoned;
Cannot be benefited, cannot be harmed;
Cannot be honored, cannot be humbled.
Therefore, it is the most noble thing in the world.”
The invitation: Return to the uncarved block. Follow the watercourse way. Be simple, natural, spontaneous.
The Tao is here, now, always. You are already in it. Just stop interfering.