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Commentary on Lao Tzu - Tao Teh Ching(cp.1-27)
By J.Clark
INTRODUCTION:
This is a commentary I have written of chapters 1 to 27 inclusive on the Tao Teh Ching, This is not intended to be complete, it is only some insight into my understanding of the Tao and how various other things fit in with it. I hope that this will aid begginers to Taoism and those that simply do not understand it to grasp some of the principals. Taoism is both a practical philosophey and mystical system and a very elegent system. Many people who attempt to understand the principals fall into the trap of finding it difficult to understand and thus jumping to complex conclusions. Taoism is simple by its nature, how could a philosophey praising simplicity be anything but? To the complex minds of us humans however much of it does seem at first a little confusing. As a result it offten looks like a utopian solution which could never be put into working practice. I cannot express how important it is not just to study Taoism but to practice it. Much of it is only understood by practice as this is the true way to learn. Amoungs other things I hope this explains what exactly the Taoist creed of 'Being without desire' is, this I highlight because this is one of the main points of Taoism and one people seem to find hard or else think they understand. I say again it is truely simple, so long as one knows what desire is. I have included ideas from other philosopheys and religions at times, this is merely for the aid of trying to explain what is, or could be ment. I hope people find this reasonable. I personaly have Taoism to keep me level headed and to guide me through life, by no means though have I confined myself to this discaplin. To me such a procedure seems to conflict with the concepts of Taoism anyway. I have not finished a complete commentary, and may not. The purpose of me doing it in the first place was for my own benefit, and I would recomend anyone to follow such a precedure, it is both rewarding and educational. My final note is that I have not commented on the poetic structure of the Tao Teh Ching which can and is considered important by many. My main reason for doing so is that there are many interperetations and interpolations as it is, it is also true to say no one knows exacly what copy is the original if an original exists at all (which is unlikely), I have merely concentrated on the content. I have left the word 'Tao' which literaly speaking meens 'the way' or 'the path' as 'Tao'. I have seen translations where this word has been substituted for one of its english equivalents but I find this unsatisfactory. Keep the word Tao as loose and broud as you can, it is not a word which can be used in simplistic ways (Tao is not the true name) but it is adequate for use in an english translation because it is so inadequate. Tao as a word to an english reader does not imply anything 'The way' does. The Tao is not simply 'The way' but something much greater, and undefinable. I hope you can gain some insight into what it is.
Commentary on Chapter 1
The Tao that can be described is not the eternal Tao,
It is incomplete, Tao is something much greater than anything one could describe or write in a book. Tao is infinite in its nature. It is not only `The Way' as it is sometimes described but an infinite substance with want of a better word that underlies everything in existence.
The Name Tao, Represents the True Tao,
It is not however the Tao Itself,
The name `Tao' is merely a label for something without a name. To understand Tao truly one should not hold on to The name as being anything of great importance. Mysticism and the Occult has always held importance to names. Not the Normal Label but what is known as the true name. For example The four letter Tetragramation - `IHWH'. It is said that to know the true name of something is to know the nature of it. To know the nature of something is to have power over it. Thus to know the true name of something is to have power over it. You cannot have power over Tao, thus it cannot have a name. Tao is a label which best fits what is without name. To take the name Tao and to translate it into `The way' or some other variation does not justify it in its entirety as it suggests that that is what `Tao means' which it does not.
Without name, is the creator of Heaven and Earth
Tao can be considered to be the source of all creation. Essentially Tao is the Unmanifest which gives rise to the manifest. God, as with Tao has know true name. The use of ‘name’ in this context is refering to names as labels. We can lable things as much as we like, but this is only a lable. We lable everything, which helps us seperate things. If all things are part of the whole though we must accept that these lables in reality are meaningless.
With name, is the manifestation of the ten thousand things,
That which can be named is that which is created, not what created that which can be named. The everyday things we can see and touch in the physical can be named, and are manifestations which have arisen from Tao.
Without desire, one can see (from the heart) the mystery,
The nameless, that which does not exist in the normal sense of the word, but nothing else would exist without. Once we stop seperating and catigorising things we can see how everything exists not only independantly but as a whole. What truely exists is a mystery.
With desire, one can see its manifestations,
The named, the normal mundane objects and experience of life. One cannot see what is underlying it all though, the inexplicable, that which has not been created. One cannot see Tao.
The two (desiring and not desiring) are from the same source,
They are born within us, they are both from the same sense of
wanting something.
They differ in that they are opposite in form,
Desiring is wanting something, not desiring is wanting not to have something, not wanting is not desiring anything. In the sense of Tao `without desire' describes not wanting anything, or not minding either way if you have something or not.
One finds it difficult to see how we could be without desire,
Human nature and the instinct to survive makes this difficult, also in a society there are certain pressures which are difficult to ignore. It is better to not desire what you do not need.
Here lies the path of all mysteries,
Everything comes from nothing, Thus the Tao lies in understanding everything from nothing. Mysteries tend to exist because they are hidden below the surface of what people can see,
and are hidden from normal view. An encrypted message may be held within a message which makes sense. The hidden message may not be decrypted though as people may not even realise there is a message hidden there at all. The message remains a mystery. Tao is like this in that people are so used to looking at what they are used to, they to not see what underlies everything. The may even doubt the existence of it.
Commentary on Chapter 2
Beauty is visible, because ugliness exists to compare,
One can see goodness, because evil exists also,
Opposites contain the essence of each other, thus one implies
the other. If there was no evil, not even a concept of what is good could exist.
These are both created from the same source,
All opposites are simply different forms of the same thing, good and evil are states of `goodness', Beauty ugliness are states of `beauty', Black and White are states of Colour etc.
and are complimentary to one another,
They are relative to one another, and one cannot exist without the other.
Everything has its compliment,
Difficult and easy,
near and far,
high and low harmonise to create music,
future and past are relative to one another,
Tao is in the interface of these things, between opposite forms. It is also ever changing and yet remains unchanging. Present is between Future and Past. The interval between what is high and low in a melody. The distance between near and far. What isn’t difficult but isn’t easy. These are all Tao, not conceptual to rational reasoning, infact they appear not to exist at all, but without that empty space nether of the opposite forms can exist.
The master sees the ten thousand things in harmony,
He sees all things in harmony. Opposites acting together. Single forms separated by human conceptualisation. Objectively things are not separate. Objectively there is only one thing. No Tables, chairs, cats, dogs, only the whole.
He can do everything by doing nothing,
He lets the harmony of all things remain intact,
thus allowing then to work for him,
He does not interfere with things, upsetting the balance, if things are not interfered with things will naturally sort themselves out and work for him. If he plays some musical chord by accident which sounds wonderful to him, he does not try to make it sound better, or discard it because it was accidental or he did not know the name of the chord. Things come to the master as he does not stop them.
He holds everything, without possessing anything,
He does not hold on to things as his property, because he knows that nothing truly can be his for like everything else he is just a part of everything. He uses things with respect for them, he knows they are there own property and the property of the whole.
He works without taking reward,
Once its done, he forgets about it.
He does not look for credit when he does work, as he knows this is of know benefit. All it can do is ultimately bring trouble. Work is much more profitable when its purpose is served and then it is forgotten and left to continue its work without interference.
Thus it remains eternal like Tao
It can remain a part of everything with eternal purpose and cause. The master is worthy or credit and respect. If he does not strive for it he will gain it. If he expects it, he does not deserve and will not get it. Many people have a problem on this point. All too often they think they are exactly what they are not. One should be honest with oneself and ones own motivations. If you cannot be honest with yourself it is unlikely that you will be honest with others. If you are not honest with others it is unlikely others will be honest with you.
Commentary on Chapter 3
If one stays humble, disputes do not arise.
Do not reveal talents and people will not feel competition or threat. When you eventually have opportunity to reveal any talents you will be granted with due respect.
If one does not hold possessions, Theft does not occur.
The less unnecessary possessions you hoard, the less there is for thieves to steal or that can be damaged. This ultimately gives you less to worry about thus you can ramain more peaceful and much happier.
If one does not see objects as desirable,
confusion of the heart does not arise,
One is not blinded by desire, and thus can see things as they truly are without any prejudice. One should be indifferent to desire. `Not want anything', but also `Not, not want anything', both are states of wanting something.
The master rules by,
emptying peoples hearts of desire,
They do not desire things, therefor they do not want what they have not got.
Satisfying there hunger,
Gives them the things which they do want, there are things that are needed even if they are not desired.
Weakening there ambition,
If they have no ambition, they ramain happy as they are not concerned with what they have not achieved. Quarrels do not arise as they are not concerned with what the next person has achieved.
If there is ambition, there is usually some pressure which gives rise to it. If all pressure is taken away, people are more likely to be happy with what they have got and where they are.
Gives them strength and health,
If people are denied health and strength they will become disillusioned. The master who rules should except responsibility for the health and strength of others as if they were him himself. The master knows that they and him are both parts of the same thing.
This is the way of Tao,
The people are happier and will be more inclined to serve there ruler. If they feel fulfilled they will return the fulfilment and will not want to rise up against the ruler.
If people lack futile knowledge and desires,
Those that would take advantage, cannot.
Conmen and people with cunning schemes will not be able to manipulate people as people will no longer be receptive to them. Also the motivation for people to wish to manipulate and run there schemes is reduced.
If nothing is interfered with,
everything will find its own way,
and all will be well.
Everything will run its own course, nothing will be interfered with by either ruler or subjects thus everything will be well.
Commentary on Chapter 4
Tao is like empty space,
It is not substance of quantities
It can never be used up
It is eternal, it is present within space even where nothing exists. It cannot run out because what has no quantity cannot become more or less.
The Ten thousand things arise from Tao
All things arise from Tao, The absence or substance which contains the essence of substance.
Look with your heart,
Beyond what you can see physically. beyond the horizons, It is like the sun, you cannot see its core directly because the light it brings is so bright.
Be at one with the earth,
Accept who you are and your place on earth. Do not ignore any aspects of yourself. If you feel darkness inside do not ignore it but confront it and understand it. It is only dangerous when you do not accept that it is present and so are not aware of it. If this is the case it can emerge when you least except it and are not prepared for it. You cannot eradicate darkness from your nature unless you are aware of its presence.
Be simple, be humble,
The Tao is always everywhere,
Hidden behind the physical,
Hidden behind the illusion of our perception, we cannot see it and so we often conclude that it does not exist. It would do to remember that our perceptions are limited. Anyone who disputes
otherwise simply does not understand. Does a dog see the world in the same way as us? , by perception I am not only referring to the senses but the whole world view. Tao is in the space behind, or between the physical.
I dont know its origin,
but it is great.
Where it comes from we cannot know for we cannot even touch it. It is Existence within Nothingness. It is within the interfaces of things, and within the interfaces or things is immense power. Tao lies within changes of all kinds.
Commentary on Chapter 5
Heaven and earth are not kind,
They see the ten thousand thins as part of the whole,
It does not take sides, it is impartial.
The master is also ruthless,
he sees people as part of the whole,
The master will not take sides, for he knows that all people are a part of the whole. He will not favour one man above another, and does not have prejudice for all people are equal in his eyes.
The space between heaven and earth is not substance,
yet it exists with form,
This space is Tao, what appears not to exist is the very thing which is necessary for heaven and earth to exist. It is not substance, but it is there.
The ten thousand things depend on it,
Without this form between all things they would not appear to exist as individual items. This space creates what exists.
Like this space, the master uses the formless,
as it yields to whatever, or to whoever uses it,
The master can use the formless, he is impartial do separate things and thus can use the space between them. The power which lies between things is available to whosoever wishes to use it. By being impartial to separate things he does not interfere with either of them, and thus can keep the space and its power or influence intact.
Remember this and remain a part of the whole.
One can remember that they themselves are not separate individuals but are a part of the whole. Thus by helping the whole one is helping oneself also. If you try only to help yourself you are not utilising the space between individuality and you as part of the whole thus you will not fully benefit.
Commentary on Chapter 6
The beginning of heaven and earth,
and all of creation,
lies in its spirit,
Creation lies in the creative force of spirit. The Spirit of Tao lies behind all things and remains intact while they exist. It is the Creative energy responsible for the world that we are in, Or the spirit of god causing manifest the forces of the elements. Creating union of the separate forces into one singe force.
Search for this energy,
it is ever present,
it holds the answers to all mysteries,
The world works of this energy and interaction between it in various forms. It is sometimes referred to as cosmic energy or life force. It can be utilised with great benefit. It is claimed that this energy can be seen and manipulated by certain individules who progress along the spiritual path. Whether this is a truth or not does not really matter, because as a concept it serves a practical purpose. Possible the perception of this energy is an interface allowing the sixth sense and beyond to interact with these energys via the ordinary limitations of human sense.
The spirit is the creator of the ten thousand things,
The source of the universe and everything in it, we could call this the spirit of god. Creating order out of chaos. From the unmanifest emerges spirit, and from the spirit emerges the ten thousend things. Or the things which exist in the physical.
It has been there from the beginning of time,
and will remain till the end of time,
The spirit is eternal, as in the immortal part of soul. Apparent destruction may occur to the physical manifestations of spirit. But the spirit will not be destroyed. If we consider Spirit to be as energy we can understand it in terms of conservation of energy. Spirit is never destroyed it only changes form. We could call this Change of form to be caused by Tao. The I Ching Book of change describes various situations and how change occurs, this book is invaluble for someone wishing to instigate changes using Tao.
Commentary on Chapter 7
Heaven and Earth work together perfectly,
Why is this?
It is because they are separate forever,
They do not interfere with one another, thus they do not interfere with the space between them, thus they remain in perfect harmony forever.
The master is also separate,
He does not interfere with nature and the world around him.
So he is like heaven and earth,
and is at one with the whole,
He has mutual agreement and respect with everything. He and the whole can give and take equally from one another because the Tao between him and the whole is not corrupted.
Being at one with the whole,
he performs selfless actions,
and thus fulfils his own needs as well,
He gives to the whole. By doing so he is giving to himself also for by doing so he joins with the whole to which he is giving. It is important however that motivations are right and it is natural with true intention.
Commentary on Chapter 8
Perfect goodness is like water,
Water gives life,
It does not try though,
Hence it flows to all places without prejudice,
it depends on the flow like Tao,
If one consciously trys to do what is right or appropriate, one is not going with the natural flow of Tao. One should Do selfless actions from the heart. If they are with the intention of self benefit, they are not selfless actions. If one is genuinely selfless, everything will benefit from it, it will flow to all places without prejudice. This will ultimately benefit those that practice selfless actions.
One should live close to the land,
Live in a place of happiness, where everything is as it should be. This is fairly dependent on personal choice. There are many considerations to take in.
One should search the heart in meditation,
Meditation is only worthwhile if it is beneficial, it can only be beneficial if it is taken with sincerity. Answers to all questions can be felt from the heart, and all problems can be solved if one searches deep enough into the heart. See meditations.
One should be Loving to others,
If you are loving to others, others will be loving to you, this must be felt from the heart. Simply meditating about this from the mind is not feeling it from the heart. If you do not feel it from the heart you cannot truly love other. Saying it is
one thing, doing it is another.
One should be strait and truthful with others.
If you are truthful with others, others are more likely to be truthful with you. It also reduces the risk of people talking about you behind your back. Besides that not being truthful will only tend to have detrimental effects on both others and you yourself. Even `White Lies' and better avoided. You will be respected for truthfulness. Also the more you lie the more you will find you have to lie and the harder it becomes. In all walks of life. Negative things tend to attract Negative things, and Positive things attract positive things. The art is Changing Negative into positive. This can be done by positive actions.
In ruling, be just and honest,
When one is in a place of power and importance, it is important to respect others and be honest. The more power and position you have, the more you have to loose. Not only materialistically but spiritually you are much more susceptible. If you are not honest and do not show justice, rebellion will surely follow.
In work one should be honest and competent.
Again honesty is of great importance. Competence is not merely technical ability although it is true to say, there is no point attempting to do work which is beyond your ability. This does not mean you should not try things you have not done before, but that you should humble yourself if the time is appropriate. Above all one should work in an environment which is suitable to character and in a profession which inspires motivation. If this is not done one cannot be happy, and thus will not work with competence and enthusiasm.
One should act carefully and with timing.
There is always a time for action. The art of going with the flow is not merely, not doing anything as some self proclaimed Taoists might claim. The art is not acting until the time is appropriate, so that when action is taken it is of optimum effect. There is no point a fighter throughing a punch if his opponent is in a defensive blocking position. It is better for him to wait until the defence is dropped, this is the time when his blow will be of effect with minimal effort.
This is the way of happiness,
If you are these things,
and you will not be burdened with life’s troubles.
This is going with the flow of Tao, which brings happiness, interfering with the flow only brings troubles, and hinders solutions.
Commentary on Chapter 9
It is best not to act in excess,
Oversharpen a blade and it will soon blunt,
Excess opens up vulnerability, if a knife is used in moderation it will not become blunted. If it is oversharpened it becomes fragile and will blunt more quickly. If your hair is washed to frequently it becomes dry. If it is not washed enough it becomes filled with dirt. If you wash your car everyday you will notice the mud from each day.
Do not hoard wealth and it will not bring disaster.
Hoarding wealth only creates extra worries as you have more to loose and forget what it is for.
Claim Wealth and Titles and disaster will follow.
It is better to remain humble and simple. The more titles, wealth or fame you collect, the more people will pry into your life, and the more people will dislike you through jealously. It also adds the risk of you loosing your way, and place with the Whole by becoming attached to material things and yourself as an individual. This only creates unhappiness and a feeling of isolation.
When work is done,
humble yourself and rest,
When you have done all that you can do, there is no point carrying on. You will only obstruct what people could continue to do after you and possibly destroy part of what you strived to achieve. Do not bath in glory from others for your work as this will only create problems. Humble yourself with the knowledge that you have done what needed to be done, and forget about it so that it can be continued from where you left off. There is no point worrying about it afterwards.
This is the way of Heaven.
Heaven and Tao do not linger upon how wonderful they are with there work. And they do not cling onto it once they have finished what needs to be done. They do the work, then let it run its own course. If you do not let work come to an end, there is no point starting it in the first place.
Commentary on Chapter 10
Can we as human beings on earth with body and soul be like a new born babe?
Ever yielding and supple but with a grip on life.
We have physical needs and emotional needs, so is it possible to overcome basic instincts. Is it possible for us to be humble and simple, without desire. Can we yield to the Tao, bending and adjusting to the flow with ease. Accepting everything and yet finding everything fascinating like a babe.
Can you be without personal desire?
When desire appears to be necessary as we need certain things to survive.
Loving everything, can you rule with justice?
Does loving everything, prevent you from being impartial to various objects, forces or events. Impartiality is important to be just. Also Loving things is it possible to have the power to rule.
Can you be like heaven and be human?
can you create, as opposed to destroy things when the natural human instinct seems to be to interfere and destroy the order of things. Can you be an individual and still be a part of the whole.
Understanding and being open to all things,
can you do nothing,
and still move with the flow?
When open to all things we will gain knowledge which on the surface appears to be a solution to our problems. The temptation to put these solutions into practice is great. If we do however we are interfering with the natural flow and thus will have problems. We must hold any knowledge weather intuitive or by intellectual endeavour and know when to put it into practice and when not to. We must go with the flow. If Our solution is the natural solution, the next stage in the flow then we should put it into operation. The time is of importance.
Giving birth and nourishing,
Create and perfect. We can give birth to change and shape it into the way we imagine it to be. If we give birth to situation then we have taken on responsibility to nourish it. We must not upset it unduly. Often this involves letting it run its course without interfering. One should make sure responsibility is not shrugged off though under the guise of false responsibilities that lie elsewhere.
Bearing but not possessing,
Hold, and utilise but do not become possessive.
Working, without taking credit,
Thus become worthy of credit, those that are worthy of credit will receive there due reward free of troubles.
Leading, without overpowering,
Show people the way, without dictating to them what they should do. If you try to force views upon people they will not understand and naturally will rebel. It is better to show people how they can understand for themselves. People are more likely to believe with faith what they themselves conclude. If you try to force views upon people you are forcing against the flow. You are interfering with Tao. This only confuses and causes problems, it is not much use telling people anything if they will not listen.
This is the primal virtue.
Creating objects, forces, concepts and situations etc. and nourishing them by being without desire of possessions, credit or domination over anything.
Commentary on Chapter 11
The spokes of a wheel are what support it,
Its the space in the centre that holds the spokes together,
Tao is in the very centre of things and it is what holds it together.
If clay is shaped into the form of a vessel,
Its the space inside that is useful,
Its the absence of substance which is what makes it useful. The vase is empty, thus it can be filled. This is like Tao, there is no substance to it and yet its very presence is what is useful.
Cutting windows and doors for a house,
Its the absence of substance that is useful,
Again it is precisely the part without substance which is useful. As with Tao. The Usefulness comes from nothing, thus something is created out of nothing. If the window had no space, or the vase had know hollow, they would not be useful, thus worthless, they would not utilise Tao. People who have no space in there heart are like a filled vase or a blocked up window. There is no room for them to be filled with emotion or understanding or the life mysteries and they cannot feel the mystery which underlies everything, the Tao.
something comes out of nothing
usefulness comes by making nothing into something
Thus you can make something, by utilising the `Nothing' to manifest something. If you find a blank surface, use it to paint a picture. If you wish to paint a picture on a coloured surface. Use that coloured surface as a colour in its own right, leaving spaces for this colour to come through the paints you lay down. If you are left waiting, use the time to do something you would have to do later rather than worry about how long you have been waiting.
Commentary on Chapter 12
five Colours blind the eye
We see colours, and they become mundane. To much and we become blinded to them. If we see images that are pleasurable too often and they become mundane, no longer a source of pleasure.
five tones deafen the ear
We hear tones, and music. To much and we become defend. If we listen to the same piece of music too much it no longer serves as a source of pleasure.
Five flavours are what we taste.
We taste certain flavours too much and we become dulled to them. Eat to much of the same food and it becomes sickening. Have variation in tastes.
These things are what we experience,
having to much experience dulls the senses,
When the senses are dulled,
men look for more stimulation,
If man has anything to excess, he will no longer be happy with it and will want more. It is better not to have things in excess and not to feel empty continuously.
Hunting and competing cause stress,
treasure causes greed to arise in men’s hearts,
the heart is where what is sometimes referred to as the sixth sense lies. Stress and greed have the effect of dulling this sense. One should stay simple without materiel worries, and stress and greed will not ensue. To develop the sixth sense, the sense of Tao it is important to be relaxed throughout life. Tao is the source of many mysteries.
The master does not rely on what he sees for,
he can feel his way from his heart which is not,
dulled by experiencing desire and greed,
These things do not interfere with the natural flow of Tao within him, thus he does not interfere with the natural flow of Tao around him. He can utilise Tao, and use his heart to feel what his other senses cannot.
He chooses to look at life with his heart,
Thus he sees reality for what it really is, he cuts through the illusions presented to his other senses by trusting his feelings and intuition.
Commentary on Chapter 13
One should accept disgrace without conflict,
See favour and disgrace as equal, and accept both with open hands. Favour meaning Importance. Disgrace meaning unimportance.
Accept misfortune as a part of human experience,
Accept misfortune as an important experience, as important as fortune. One cannot exist without the other. misfortune can be turned into fortune if you are wise.
Do not be concerned with wealth, fame, titles, loss or gain,
If these things do not concern you,
being of little importance will not concern you either,
Disgrace (unimportance) is a condition which arises from the desire to be more important. If you accept being less important, you will not have to work so hard to be in favour (be important).
as with many forces the two are relative.
misfortune is a part of human experience,
without body there would be no misfortune,
Remember as far as spirit is concerned, misfortune is of little significance. Misfortune is something which can only exist and act upon the physical. If little importance is placed upon the physical, then misfortune is less likely to arise.
Give up unreasonable ambitions and become humble,
and you will be trusted with all things,
Love everything as much as yourself,
and you can truly be trusted to care for all things,
If you have no reason not to be trusted, you will be trusted. If you trust natures ways, nature will entrust its secrets to you, for you only then will you be in a position to receive and understand the deepest mysteries. Love everything as much as yourself and you have placed yourself equal to everything else. If you see yourself as equal you will not destroy what is around you. You will help everything as much as you help yourself. By doing so you will be helped in return. You will be giving some of the energy of love and respect (life energy) which keeps you alive to the things around you. By doing so you will be given energy back, possibly even with interest. Only if you see yourself as equal with everything, can you see yourself as being a part of the whole. Only when you are a part of the whole will you be able to understand all mysteries.
Commentary on Chapter 14
You can look, but you will not see it for it has no form.
Tao is not of substance qualities. If you search for form in the formless you will not find it. The substance and form of things that you see manifests from the formless.
You can listen, but it is beyond sound.
It is not sound, but the absence of sound which lies behind sound.
You can grasp, but it is intangible.
It is not something which you can touch. If you could it would not be Tao.
However although you cannot see it, hear it or touch it,
Its spirit and essence is ever present,
Beyond the five senses it lies. With Extra senses it can we seen. It spirit is ever changing behind what the normal senses see.
It is formed from nothing and so returns to nothing.
This is the movement of Tao. Out of the unmanifest, the void comes Tao. It does its work, and then returns to the void.
Language cannot describe it,
yet it is the source of the ten thousand things,
Language is only capable of describing what does exist. It may be very good at describing these things, but it is incapable of describing what lies beyond the normal senses. People may make attempts but will fail. Tao cannot be proved or disproved to another as it is beyond the realm of language. If people argue about it, both are arguing a futile argument which cannot be `Proved' either way. If people do argue, all it shows is that they do not understand it. Tao lies behind reality as we see it with the five senses.
It has no beginning and no end, but it is great,
It is eternal. Tao is the constant which we can be sure of. Everything else may live and die. But the energy and spirit behind it goes on forever. It cannot be created, It cannot be destroyed, It can only be changed. Thus it can be utilised by creating change.
Keep this in your heart,
but move with the present,
This secret, the eternal Tao changes constantly. Future turns into past. What lies between is the ever changing present. Move with the flow of the Tao and move with the present. Do not worry about past or future but work with the present, utilising that to make change.
The Tao is the beginning of all things,
Wisdom, Understanding, and all of creation. Things are not created in the past, Nor are they created in the future. They are created in the present. Act in the present.
Commentary on Chapter 15
The ancient masters had profound mystery about them,
There knowledge, wisdom and understanding was infinite,
Like the Tao they were at one with the whole,
They were at one with Tao, and thus at one with the whole. They filled there hearts with Tao.
Being at one,
those who were not could not understand them,
and so scorned at them,
all we can do is see appearance,
The enlightened cannot be understood be the unenlightened. The ways of the wise often dont make sense to the unwise. If people are so different in nature we cannot understand there by examining them. All we can do is see the way they live, try to understand that, and hope that from doing so we can understand the deeper levels of there being.
They were,
Watchful, like a predator upon its prey,
Looking and prepared at all times for the right time to take action. They watched and waited before taking any action, until the time was right. When they took action, they could achieve maximum effect with minimum effort and could always be sure of success for the time was right.
Alert, like animals looking for danger,
All the time they would be aware of circumstances around them, there are many dangers which are easily avoided if you are clear of thought and ready to yield to forces around you so that danger does not pose any real threat.
Courteous, like a guest from far,
Always courteous showing respect for others. They new that they were not above or below anyone. All were equal and all deserve the respect one would want oneself to get.
Yielding, like a blade of grass,
A blade of grass yields to the force of the wind by bending and allowing itself to go with the flow of the forces around it. Because it is not brittle it does not break when exposed to forces. If bends and yields to the forces and thus springs back to its original position. The ancient masters would yield also to the forces around them allowing them to work for them. There is no point fighting forces with aggression as that only adds to there strength. It is better to yield and utilise. Change to forces into a more suitable form for purpose.
Simple, like an uncarved block of wood,
They were simple, thus they could see through illusions and trickery. They were not filled with ideas and concepts of how things should be, only of how things were. They did not worry themselves unnecessarily and because they could see things as they were in there most simple form they could understand things and take action with sure success. They would immediately see solutions to problems because they would not over intellectualise the problem thus overlooking the obvious answers.
Empty, like an empty vessel,
They did not fill themselves with useless information or feelings, so like an empty vessel there was space which could be used. They were receptive, they could be filled. They utilise the space with the qualities of Tao. They filled themselves with nothing, thus they could use the space for something. They created something useful by having nothing. They had no preconceptions thus they could understand things without prejudice. They had no prejudice thus they could be receptive to all things.
Opaque, like a muddy pool,
People could not see inside them, for there was no secret inside to see. What was on the surface was what was inside so they gave the impression of being opaque. People could not understand how people could exist without putting a front on at any time, so instead they concluded that the ancient masters had a front on the whole time that like opaque mud could not be penetrated.
Waiting quietly,
who can wait for mud to settle so all can become clear?
Who can wait for people who have no front, to drop there front. It will never happen.
Who can wait for the mystery to be revieled?
Mystery surrounds those with open hearts, people dont realise though that the mystery is not that there is any hidden secrets, but infact that everything is open and available. You can wait to see the mystery, but you will not understand it by waiting.
Do not seek fulfilment, but feel the Tao in your heart,
If you want to understand the mystery, then look within yourself. Looking to other people for the answers will not reviel the mysteries. All you are likely to find out is some hint as to how you might go about finding the mystery. Feel the Tao in your heart and the mystery will become clear to you.
By not seeking fulfilment, nothing is changed,
you do not alter the natural flow by interfering with things. Tao lies behind what exists. If you seek to understand it for self fulfilment, you are changing the natural space between you and the whole, and thus interfering with the flow and preventing the mystery from being revieled.
Thus everything can begin and end without interference.
If you do not change the space between you and the whole, you do not interfere with Tao, thus you do not interfere with the things that Tao lies behind. So everything can take its natural course, stick to its natural Tao, beginning and ending without problems.
Commentary on Chapter 16
Empty the mind, let it be peaceful,
Being at peace you can see everything start and end,
If you do not fill your mind with information, there is less for you to worry about. If your mind is not occupied with worries and anxieties you can sit back and look at the ways things work. You can see how things begin out of nothing, operate, and then return back to nothing. If you see this you can see the Tao of all things in action.
They follow their natural path and eventually,
return back to there source,
This is the way of nature,
All things in nature follow this way.
Returning to the source is stillness,
for nature is unchanging,
Nothing lasts forever, this is a constant in nature, so nature is unchanging in its laws. Nature follows the way of stillness.
Knowing this constancy is having insight into all things,
Not knowing this leads to disaster,
If things are held onto too tightly, eventually when they return to nothing from where they came from it will not be hard because you understand that it is necessary for new things to exist. If you do not understand that things must return to nothing, then it will come as disaster when the do.
Knowing the source, the mind is open,
Thus the heart will be open also,
Knowing the how things manifest and where they manifest from, allows the mind to understand why things are that way. Understanding why they are that way allows the heart the be open to the new, which emerges from the old.
Being open hearted you can act naturally,
Thus you will be at one with the Tao,
Understanding the ways of nature, allows you to flow with nature and the Tao.
Being at one with Tao,
you will be at one with the whole,
If you can flow with the Tao, you can become at one with everything else which is subject Tao. You can become a part of the eternal spirit or Tao which underlies the whole.
Thus you can become eternal,
You become at one with heaven and earth, thus becoming one of
the immortal souls.
The body may die,
but the Tao is eternal,
Hence becoming the Tao, you become eternal also.
Commentary on Chapter 17
Men often cannot see the greatest of things in life,
yet always know what they love and treasure,
and that which they fear and despise,
They make judgements the whole time, when they cannot see what is really great, or understand the fact that there is nothing that is truly worth fearing and despising. They are often very shallow judgements based on what they know. If they do not know of something or understand something, they often conclude that it does not exist or that it cannot be right.
Having a simple heart one can trust openly,
Those who do not trust openly,
Can never be trusted,
To have a good heart,
If the heart is simple one has no reason not to trust people for they have nothing to loose. Those that do not trust openly must have something to loose, thus they do not have a simple heart. If they do not have a simple heart then they may have there own motivations for certain actions. You can judge how trustworthy someone is, by how much they trust other people. If they trust others openly then you know that they can be trusted. If they do not trust openly then you know that they themselves can not always be trusted. If they never trust anyone, then they are best avoided.
When work is done without taking credit,
people can say the work was theirs.
Those that are simple in heart will not take credit for work they do. Those that are not simple will take credit for work they have done as well as work they have not done. To the master this does not matter, all he is concerned about is that the work is done. Many people who brag about work they have done, often are the people who have done very little. They also are the people that gain very little from it.
Commentary on Chapter 18
When Tao is forgotten,
Human kindness and morality appear,
When Tao is forgotten, things do not work in harmony, thus evil arises. When evil arises kindness and morality appear. If Tao was not forgotten these things would not be necessary.
When sly people employ their schemes,
The Tao is used perversely,
People use the ways of the Tao, kindness and morality to manipulate others for there own benefit. Often they do not even realise it themselves. Selfless actions are no longer selfless because the peoples own prosperity is the motivation.
When a family forgets there natural way,
Family values arise,
Families start to argue and break up so it is necessary for certain codes of practice to emerge to hold them together.
When a country is in chaos,
A loyal saviour always appears,
It is necessary for a saviour as people have forgotten there way and thus need someone to bring them together again. loyalty to the country is born, emerging out of treatury.
Set things right,
be at one with Tao,
when people are at one,
Things are simple,
and codes of practice are no longer needed.
All codes of practice are separations of single forces into two. Out of Tao emerge two opposites. People diverge from the balanced way. They no longer are impartial. Evil arises, thus good arises. If one force can be seen, you can be sure the other is lurking somewhere. Combine the two forces, and they balance each other out and things become simple. Forces of good are usually considered to be great things. One should remember though that if good is present, evil is also.
Commentary on Chapter 19
Stop trying to teach people your beliefs,
And give up following others beliefs, The Tao is from within. Look within for Tao and let other people do so also. It cannot be taught or learned.
Let people follow the Tao
Search for themselves. Do not deceive them into thinking that
they can learn it from others preaching.
and it will be a hundred times better for everyone,
People can not really have complete faith in god or understand Tao unless they experience it for themselves. It can only be understood from within. If people do not search there hearts for faith and the Tao, they will not find it. You are not helping people if you try to preach Tao, thus you are not helping yourself either. If you think you can make someone understand Tao by preaching to then, then it suggests that it is not Tao That you are preaching. You can only show people how they
can search for it.
If people are at one,
There is no need for Religion or morality,
They will be in Harmony. All forces will combine as one. No situation will arise which requires moral decision. No Situation will arise which requires conciliation from a god.
Give up ingenuity for profit,
and thieves will not steal.
If you look for profit, then you are looking to make yourself vulnerable.
It is better to follow the ways of Nature,
The natural flow of Tao, the natural Changing, The constant flow of beginning and ending with purpose between.
Observe its order and the way it works,
Look at its natural ways, and follow its wisdom.
See its simplicity,
Imitate the ways of simplicity. Simple things are always the most effective. If you overcomplicate things you will never get anything done. If you simplify things, you can get anything done.
Understand ones true nature,
By seeing how you yourself are binded to the Tao, and everything as the whole.
Cast of selfishness and desire,
For these are not necessary if you understand your place in the whole. And it will obstruct you from finding your place in the whole. You cannot be Simple if you are selfish and are filled
with desire.
This is the way of Tao.
Follow these guidelines and you will be following the ways of Tao.
Commentary on Chapter 20
Give it learning, and your troubles will end,
ramain and live simply,
If you do not struggle to learn, you will not have the anxieties of what you do not know. When you approach life you will not encounter problems which arise from overcomplicating because of knowledge. Be simple, and life will be simple.
be content, live in the infinite;
Tao is full when its in the heart,
Do not be restricted to living anywhere, and understand that you live everywhere. Do not hold on to one place when you could wonder everywhere. Bring no restrictions to your heart, and it will remain empty. When it is empty Tao is full in the heart.
Others enjoy feasting,
Living of what is provided by the earth without returning anything to it.
But I am alone and wandering,
The few are not many, and the wander around. They have no single place to go because they belong everywhere. They are at one.
Drift with the wind,
Open and Yielding like a babe,
Innocent and simple,
for I am nourished by the spirit of all things,
Give life energy to nature and receive life energy from nature. Nourishment and energy can be received from all things around if you are open and yielding. Food alone, does not nourish. Show and feel love for all things, and love will be returned. Love is necessary to exist.
Others have more than they need,
but I have nothing,
Others try to possess things, the wise do not.
I seem foolish,
but I alone am aware and alert,
To those that do not understand the wise they seem foolish. The wise however see things more clearly than others, they see the dangers which others cannot.
Other men seem sharp and clever,
My Innocence and Simplicity appears ignorant to such men,
Those men cannot understand the master and his ways for they are so different.
I drift like the waves of the sea and follow the flow,
Unlike those men that can not understand the master follows the natural flow of things. Those that are sharp and clever do not, they only obstruct and fight against the flow because they want things which the flow will not take them too.
Everyone is busy,
but I am desireless and uncluttered,
I differ from other men,
for I gain Nourishment from Tao,
Tao within nature and everything provides nourishment, life energy for those that want little. Stand on a hill and admire the landscape. Feel love for it from your heart, and you will be given equal and greater energy back in return. This energy comes from Tao. The eternal source of Creative energy. The eternal source of love.
Commentary on Chapter 21
The greatest of virtues is to follow Tao alone,
Oh, unfathomable Tao, ever elusive and intangible,
This is how harmony is created, seeing everything as one, being virtuous without seeing why it should be necessary. Follow what underlies all other virtues and things which exist.
Within is substance and form,
Within all things is the substance and form of Tao.
It is the essence of all things,
It is real, and here lies a true path to follow,
Many other things appear to be paths to follow, but the are incomplete or illusions created by reality to our perceptions. The only thing which one can be certain exists, is Tao which lies underneath all things keeping them together. If you follow Tao you will not be susceptible to the illusions which create small mindedness and eventual conflict.
It was there at creation, as it will be in the end,
thus I know the ways of creation.
Tao is the single thing which has been and always will be. Many things live and pass away giving the impression that nothing lasts forever. This is not true for Tao will last forever and is the source of all things. Tao is the only constant, thus Tao is the source of creation. Be with Tao and understand the ways of creation.
Commentary on Chapter 22
Yield and overcome,
bend, but follow the flow,
Do not fight force with force, but absorb force and use it against itself. Bend to the forces so you can spring back when they pass, but do not fight against them for they will surely get the better of you if you do.
Empty yourself, so you can be full.
If you fill yourself up with things, you cannot be receptive and absorb the forces you encounter and utilise them to your benefit.
Have little, but gain much,
The less you have, the more you are able to gain,
Have much, and confusion arises,
The more you have, the less you are able to gain, thus confusion sets in. Disillusionment.
The master embraces the whole,
he sets example to the world,
The master shows how harmony is created, and how things can be made to last. This is the way the whole world should be.
by being modest all hear of him,
He does not brag, thus people hear of him and respect him. He
gains reward because he does not look for it.
Without preferences, he is open to all,
He has no prejudices against things, thus all things can work
for him. He does not stop them.
By not bragging he never falters,
Bragging only causes problems. People become jealous and rumours start. People pry into the lives of those that brag to try and pull them down. People do not expect as much of him.
By knowing this and refusing that,
he knows the ways of man,
He understands the importance of modesty, and refuses to be otherwise. He understands the way men are. He can gain respect and friendship if he appears to be of like kind to them. If he is
not modest he is trying to raise himself above his fellow men, which only makes enemies. The more he appears to be like his fellow men, the more he will understand them.
Thus he can avoid a quarrel,
Men always feel threat from those that are not modest. The master does not feel threat from his fellow men for he understands that it is a part of survival. Men constantly fight for life energy, Arguing only saps people of there life energy. There is no need to take energy from fellow men when there is a far greater source which is willing to give life energy to those that are at one with Tao. By being modest the master does not take energy from people, thus they do not feel a need to fight for it back. The master thus avoids quarrels.
The Ancient Masters were empty,
This emptiness was always whole,
Yield and overcome and be full forever,
The were empty, thus full of Tao. Yield to the forces and overcome the urge to go against the flow. Do this and you will always be full.
All things will come to you,
All things you could possibly desire, come to those that go with the flow. They do not stop them from coming. By not minding
if things come, they are in a better position to receive. Thus they will be given these things.
Commentary on Chapter 23
In nature nothing lasts forever,
High winds soon disperse,
as does heavy rain,
Things begin, flow, and end.
So why do men seem to talk forever.
When silent, there is no conflict between the heart and mind.
Talking too much can create problems. The mouth cannot always say what the heart feels. In silence the two remain in harmony. If you have nothing to say, it is better to remain silent. If you feel nothing it is better to remain silent. When you talk, begin, flow and end. It is then better to let other people talk. Let what you say come to an end, so that a reply can be born from the silence. If you do not listen to what others say, no one will listen to what you say.
Heaven and Earth are eternal,
for they create there own kind each generation,
When things die, they are renewed so they last forever.
Men cannot make things eternal,
because they interfere, ruining things,
Things could last, but man has a habit of going against the natural order of things and thus destroying them. A trees may grow, and so men chop them down. Skies are clear, and so men pollute them with poisons. A person is given medicine and cured of disease, and so men fire bombs and destroy entire populations.
He who follows Tao, is at one with it.
He who genuinely follows Tao, understands its value otherwise he would not follow it. Him and Tao become at one.
He who is virtuous, is at one with virtue.
He who is virtuous, understands the value of virtuosity, and thus him and virtue become at one.
He who loses the way, feels lost.
Him who looses all sense of virtue and the Tao feels lost. He does not know where he is going or where to turn to for help.
When at one with Tao,
Tao is welcomes with open arms,
When at one with Virtue,
Virtue is in your heart,
When you are at one with Tao, The virtue of the Tao resides in your heart. If you are positive of attitude, goodness and luck will follow.
When you are at one with loss,
loss welcomes you with open hands,
When at one with loss, you will only attract more loss. If you are negative of attitude , loss will always follow.
Commentary on Chapter 24
He who stands on his toes is not stable,
His toes soon heart, throughing him off balance, One can try hard to stand on your toes to make yourself seem taller, or to see what you normally cannot see if you do not. But by doing so you are struggling. You loose your balance and fall to the ground where you see less than you did before.
Life is often like this, when you try too hard for things, you end up with less than you started with. If you do not set firm foundations to hold you up, there is a certain unreliability about your position.
He who strides cannot maintain a pace,
He becomes tired quickly, and his muscles start to loose there strength. If one does not stride one can keep up a steady pace without becoming tired. Consistency is important, if one it is better to be slower but consistent then to start of fast and come to a stop before you have completed your tasks. A long distance runner knows only too well how important pacing yourself is. Again though this pacing yourself is important in all walks of life. Do not rush anything. If things are rushed they run the risk of becoming inconsistent.
He who shows off, is not wise,
Those that show off, think that they know more than others, thus they do not learn anything. Plato writes about Socrates and the story of the magic mirror. The mirror says that Socrates is the wisest man in Greece. Socrates however did not, to quote him, ‘There is only one thing I know, and that is that I know nothing’. The point of this is that Socrates did not show off, instead remained humble. Because of this he was open and receptive to all new thoughts and ideas. This alone made him the wisest man in Greece.
He who justifies his actions, is not worthy of respect,
If he feels the need for justification he feels he has done something wrong. Know one can be someone else. So no one can know everything about someone. If you ask someone about themselves they may tell you. If you are receptive towards people you understand that they tell you things anyway even when you don’t ask. If people feel the need to justify actions then it suggests that they feel there actions were inadequate or inappropriate, and that they feel guilt because they could have done better in the situation. This justification shows that rather then try hard and do what is right, they will try to give themselves respect, if people respect themselves too much they are not worthy of respect. If a correct action is taken from the heart then there is no need for justification or desire for respect.
He who boasts, achieves nothing,
People who achieve little and are full of desire wish to have respect like many men. Unfortunately though the do not wish to work for it. Seeing as they do not achieve anything they have to go about some other method to try and gain respect and appreciation from fellow men. This usually takes the form of boasting. You can look at boasting and judge exactly how much people achieve. If they boast allot, they achieve very little. Consider that someone who does not boast will see certain achievements as being insignificant or unimportant. Someone on the other hand who achieves very little will make the same achievements as before and think that they are great.
He who promotes himself, will not endure,
people will not believe him so he will fall in respect. If someone is continuously promoting themselves it suggests that they feel they are worthy of respect for great achievements. Such people tend not to achieve much or be worthy of respect. They will try to promote themselves and to many people for a while might come across as being great indeed. This never lasts though, these people build themselves up on a stool which is above others around them, unfortunately there is no foundation upon which the stool can be stable and so they fall. People realise that these people are not what they say they are, and thus loose all faith and respect completely. These people are neither wise, consistent or reliable.
These things are excessive and wasteful,
They are all extreme cases which have detrimental effect. They are wasting energy and effort which would be better spent elsewhere. Initially many things appear desirable, but this is because they have not been considered carefully enough. If you cannot see over the top of a fence, is it better to try and stand on tip toes, so you can see a little and then collapse, or is a better solution to stand on something so that you can easily see over the other side. The later option seems the more obvious solution to choose but all too often people do not choose the simple solution, which is usually the best.
They attract disfavour,
Disfavour and unhappiness follow those that follow these ways. If one is not simple, one will literally attract disfavour. If one does not remain consistent, create a foundation for everything before he attempts to do it things cannot remain intact and disfavour follows. Bragging and other such traits people exhibit only pull them down even further than they were before.
Followers of Tao avoid them,
Thus remain happy and in favour with people and everything that is around them. Once they accept that the small achievements really aren’t so great, they can go on to achieve truly great things. If they think they achieve great things people tend not to feel the need to achieve anything greater. The wise master always knows that there is another, possibly better way. The Tao or the way is infinite by nature.
Commentary on Chapter 25
Before Heaven and Earth, Something Formed,
It is mysterious, But for something to manifest from the unmanifest, Tao was needed. You could say that the space between things manifests befor the physical appearence. The interval between two notes exists befor the two notes are played in harmoney reveiling it. The empty space in a vase exists befor the vase is created putting this space into use.
Silent and from within the void,
The Void contained its essence, from the unmanifest evolved the manifest. It formed without effort which is in keeping with the Tao, suggesting that Tao created itself from itself.
Alone and constant, always present, and always flowing,
It was the single constant, separate from all other things and yet present along with all other things keeping them moving.
It created the ten thousand things,
Everything emerged from the initial source Tao.
I do not know its name, so I call it Tao.
It has many names given by man, but it has no real name. Some men call it god, others call it Tao, or `the way' because it is the way for all things to go, and all things to be.
I call it great as well.
It is the greatest thing that is, all other things that appear great only exist because Tao underlies them.
Being great it flows,
nourishing the Ten thousand things,
It underlies everything, giving everything else the energy of life, or existence. It is everywhere.
From whence it came, I do not know,
Its origin is possibly beyond the comprehension or knowledge of man.
So Tao is great,
Heaven is great,
Earth is great,
The ten thousand things are great,
If Tao is great, and Tao lies beneath or within everything, then everything else is great also. Heaven was created by Tao thus heaven is great. Earth was created by Tao thus Earth is great. Everything in nature was created by Tao thus Nature is great.
These are four great powers in the universe,
one is the ten thousand things,
They are all great powers, the ten thousand things are one and are the whole which man should try to become at one with.
Man follows Earth,
Earth follows Heaven,
Heaven follows Tao,
Tao is what is natural,
Tao is what is natural, thus all the things which manifest from Tao are natural also in the true sense of the word. From one opposite Tao manifests the other. Man follows earth, individuality and the whole. Earth follows Heaven, above and below. Heaven follows Tao, the manifest from the unmanifest.
Commentary on Chapter 26
When one is full of Tao,
There is stillness and peace,
The master goes with the flow of Tao, thus everything works around him. He does not take action upon things around him, but lets the things around him move without interference. The master is still and peaceful. He does not see himself as moving with things around him remaining in stillness. He sees himself as still with the things around him moving and changing in harmony.
When one is empty of Tao,
There is Chaos and Activity,
One does not run with the natural flow of Tao, thus nothing seems to work as it should. The movement around him appears to be chaotic, without order or purpose. To try and overcome this Action is taken to try and change and manipulate the environment. The result is interference with Tao, thus causing more chaos.
The master lives in stillness and peace,
thus he is full of Tao,
He remains still and peaceful, and thus is full of Tao, he understands that there is no such thing as risk or hardship if you let these things move around you, he understands that there is order to everything. There is no thing as coincidence when you look at everything as the whole. He goes with the flow be remaining still, thus one thing flows to the next.
Though there are beautiful things around him,
he remains at one without attachments,
He does not attach himself to the things he sees around him, for he is a part of the same thing they are. He does not try to possess them, or treasure them as more special then other things. He remains at one with Tao, thus he can see all the beauty around him without prejudice or desire.
When there is chaos and activity, Tao is lost;
stillness and peace yield to loss of control.
Activity interferes with the natural flow, appearances are of chaos. No two events seem to have any relation to each other. Chaos and activity are forever changing without apparent order, as the Tao which lies between things holding them together in harmony, has been lost. Nothing seems to go as it should.
One cannot be peaceful and still, as one is overwhelmed by loss of control. By attempting to gain control through action, one has lost control.
Commentary on Chapter 27
When at one with Tao, nothing is left unfinished,
When one flows with the Tao, all things take there natural course and so come to completion. One could say ‘The way’, is the way of completion. It is full and complete, thus if you are at one with the Tao or you are like the tao, you are complete. Being seperate from the things around you, is incompletness. You constantly look for answers, but no conclusion is reached.
For a man can walk without leaving any trace,
He has left no sign behind him of where he has been, because he does not damage the things along the way. People will not have reason to follow him, and if they should find reason, they will not be able to find him.
A good speaker knows his part,
A good speaker knows what they speak about, thus when questioned they can answer. When people are not with Tao, they often talk about what they do not know to try and impress. Also A perfect speaker will bring all conclusions about without the need for questions.
A good door needs no bolt,
as there is nothing behind it that needs protecting,
Thieves will not want to steal anything so there is no need for the bolt. The completion of the door, is not the door alone but what is behind it. If there is nothing to hide, there is no need to build barriers for protection. A man of Tao has nothing to hide thus has no barriers and is complete.
A good teacher stays with a student until his job is done,
if the student is left, the teacher deserves no respect,
A teachers job is to teach the student, even if they are not good students. If he does not persist until the student has learned, the teacher has left the student in a half educated state. If would be better for the student to know nothing than to think he knows something, if he does not.
To become a good teacher always use the Tao first,
Show the student the way to learn, rather than what he should
learn. If the student understands Tao, he will know how to learn. This will have advantage of him not only gaining knowledge, but understanding it from within also.
If this is unsuccessful words must be used,
If the student is unable to grasp the way to learn for himself, then he should be given the knowledge with explanation to aid his understanding.
When words are used, confusion can arise,
Words and language have certain barriers which can lead to confusion. No two people may make the same sense out of a single word, sentence or essay. No two people have the same world view entirely, one can only gain understanding of objective truths if they search from within. Knowledge is what words can supply, this does not necessarily lead to understanding however.
The ancient masters offered the Tao and said little.
They could see the only way to teach people anything completely, was to show them the way to learn. One cannot be sure
of knowledge, only of how to learn it. The way to learn is to accept that you do not know anything. Be simple and you do not stop yourself from receiving knowledge. If you think you know everything, you will not learn anything. Tao can be intellectualised but until it is put into practice it is meaningless.
-THE END- Please contact me with suggestions or comments, or if you think I should continue :) at Thoth_a@yahoo.com