Tao Te Ching

Excerpt from the Preface May this book be a sanctuary, a source of inspiration to pause, listen, tune into and follow the Tao’s flow. This is an invitation to simply be and respond from an intuitive listening—just here where nothing is lost and everything is possible. It’s been a delight and surprise to trust in awareness, follow my intuition, and share this unfolding journey with you. Excerpt from the Chapters Chapter 3 Not elevating one over another, prevents rivalry. Not over-valuing rare things, prevents theft and extinction. Not flaunting desirable goods, prevents confusion. Therefore, the sage leads by: settling minds and nourishing bellies softening desires and strengthening bones encouraging not knowing over endless seeking so, deterring the knowing from interfering. Rest in stillness, clarity settles all in place. Chapter 8 True goodness is like water without resistance, benefits all things. Resting in places people fear it’s like the Tao. In dwelling, live close to the earth. In heart-mind, rest in stillness. In generosity, simply give. In speech, be sincere. In leadership, choose harmony. In livelihood, embrace ability. In action, timing is key. Without quarreling —live with ease. Chapter 11 Join thirty spokes around a hub the empty center makes the wheel turn. Shape clay into a vessel the empty form makes it functional. Cut doors and windows to make a room the empty spaces make it livable. The tangible gives things value the intangible makes them useful. Chapter 18 When the Tao is abandoned benevolence and righteousness appear. When cleverness shines great hypocrisy flourishes. When family relations crumble dutiful devotion grows. When chaos comes over the land blind faith and loyalties arise. Chapter 19 Abandon holiness, relinquish vigilance people become one hundred times better off. Abandon morality, relinquish righteousness people return to attention and care. Abandon cleverness, relinquish profit people do not become thieves. These three things may not be sufficient. More importantly: see simply what is remain centred, free of self —seeking drops away. Chapter 22 In brokenness, lies wholeness. In crookedness, lies straightness. In emptiness, lies fullness. In exhaustion, lies renewal. In little, lies contentment. In excess, lies confusion. The sage embraces unity becoming a guide for the world. The sage is a light: awake without self-pretension distinguished without self-justification recognized without self-praise enduring without self-approval without quarreling is free of discord. The ancient paradox, in brokenness lies wholeness is not just empty words. Return to wholeness by allowing brokenness. Chapter 25 Something intangible exists emerging before heaven and earth: tranquil clarity, empty, solitary, unchanging. Unhindered, it flows everywhere. Perhaps it’s the mother of the world? Unnameable, though I’ll call it Tao. If it must have a name, I’ll call it infinite. Vast it flows far beyond, far beyond it returns. Tao is infinite. The universe is infinite. Earth is infinite. Humanity is infinite. These are four infinities of the cosmos: humanity abides by the earth earth abides by the universe the universe abides by the Tao. Tao unfolds spontaneously of itself. Chapter 29 Longing to grasp and improve the world? This only leads to grief. The world is a sacred vessel beyond need for our improvement. Tamper with it, only to destroy it. Grasp it, only to lose it. Everything has a time and place: sometimes to lead sometimes to follow to receive, to give to be strong, to be weak to live, and to die. The sage abandons indulgence extravagance and arrogance. Chapter 47 Know the world without stepping out the door. Know heaven’s way without looking through the window. The further we travel the less we know. Thus, the sage knows by simply pausing recognizes by simply seeing responds from simply being. Chapter 48 Pursue knowledge: accumulate daily. Rest in the Tao: drop away daily. Drop away the self until there’s simply presence. Presence invites awareness from awareness, nothing is left undone. To lead well, rely less and less on interfering. Allow things to naturally unfold. Without interfering, nothing eludes us. Chapter 64 What is at rest is easy to keep calm. What hasn’t yet begun can be prevented. The brittle easily shatters. The small easily scatters. Prevent trouble before it happens. Create order before there’s confusion. A giant tree grows from a tiny seedling. A nine-story tower rises from a pile of sand. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Overwork something and it’s ruined cling to something and it’s lost. The sage is simply present, therefore never ruins clings to nothing, so has nothing to lose. People often fail on the verge of success. Be as mindful at the end as at the beginning. Nothing will be ruined. The sage drops away desires sets no value on rare goods learns to unlearn, and returns to what others have missed. Without interfering, the sage helps all beings by allowing them to unfold simply and spontaneously. Chapter 63 Be, simply present. Respond, simply responding. Taste, simply tasting. See the small as large, the few as many. Meet resentment with kindness. Find simplicity in complexity. Complete small deeds to make great change. The most difficult things begin as the easiest. The biggest things begin from the smallest. The sage does not strive for greatness thus becomes truly great. Easy promises invite little trust. Taking life too lightly brings great difficulty. The sage remains present with the difficult therefore experiences no difficulty. Chapter 80 Encourage small countries with few people where weapons become rare and superfluous and death is seen as part of life where resources aren’t wasted on travel and powered modes of transportation arms and weapons remain unused. Communication is simple people enjoy local food cherish their clothing feel peaceful at home and thrive in community. They may live within sight of neighbouring countries hear each other’s dogs and roosters and still be content to live and die without the need for external novelty.