Verse 25: Tao Is Not Dependent

Verse Twenty-Five
This is what Tao is not:

• It is not a thing.
• It is not a sound or any other vibration.
• It is not divisible into parts.
• It does not change.
• It cannot be diluted or augmented.
• It has no partner or complement.

This is what Tao is:

• It is one; it is unity.
• It determines everything.
• It comes before everything.
• It is the law of everything.

The clearest, most helpful word I know to use for Tao is How; because Tao is the principle of how everything works.

Remember that while it has no form or qualities, it is everywhere, all the time, forever.

Imagine four levels of infinity: people are infinite in a sense; the earth is infinite; the cosmos is infinite; Tao is infinite. Although each of these four may be infinite in a way, the first three are subject to the next greater one.

People are dependent on the earth. The earth is dependent on the cosmos. The cosmos is dependent on Tao.

But Tao is not dependent on anything.
~John Heider rendition ~

Normally, this is where I would add other commentary about today's verse. However, I find that Heider's rendering above states it quite well. So, I'm going to let it stand on its own and wait for those of you who'd like to comment to fill in any gaps or to expand on the themes.

This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.