Reflections on the TTC Series

On July 17, I started off on a journey to present and analyze all the verses of the Tao Te Ching. To be completely frank, I didn't think through what I was committing myself to. Sure, I well knew that this work featured 81 verses, but I hadn't really thought through what it meant to write an analysis of one verse per day for 81 consecutive days! That's nearly 3 darn months.

I think that one thing that really helped me keep to the schedule is the fact that I'm an aspie! Since I crave pattern and routine in my life, this became one of my (sort of) daily routines. I say "sort of" because, if truth be known, I tended to write several entries ahead. As an example, during mid-August, one day I wrote a week's worth of entries and scheduled each entry to post on the appropriate day. As another example, I finished writing the last five entries (October 1 - 5) and this entry itself on Wednesday, September 30.

The reasons I tended to write ahead are twofold. First, because keeping to my own pre-determined posting schedule was of the utmost importance to me and there are days due to my various physical infirmities when concentrating and writing cogently can be difficult, this tended to relieve my own anxiety and stress. Being a few entries ahead most of the time meant that I could allow myself a few days off here and there without feeling I was letting myself down.

The second reason I finished this assignment ahead of time may sound a bit morbid, but, if I was suddenly to drop dead or wind up in the hospital with a coma, I would know in my fleeting moments of consciousness that all 81 verses will be posted. This is important to me because I loathe projects (particularly ones undertaken by me) that inexplicably get dropped midstream. So, I wanted to insure I followed this all the way through to the end.

Now that I'm done, I feel relieved, yet a bit empty. I'm relieved because I don't have to think so fervently everyday. ; ) While I really got into researching the various opinions and commentaries for each day's verse, it was a lot of work I hoisted upon myself. So, I'm looking forward to simply writing stuff that comes out of me own noggin and not feeling the need to correlate what I write with the comments and quotes of others all the time.

On the other hand, I feel kind of empty because their aren't any more verses! While I enjoyed each step along the journey, I've reached this destination. :(

As indicated previously, I plan to replicate this effort with the Book of Chuang Tzu. However, this won't happen tomorrow or next week simply because I'm not as familiar with this book as I am with the TTC. I'll have to go back to read and re-read it several times before I would even attempt to commit to such a series. In addition, there aren't as many sources to draw from, so this means a lot of time searching for and researching the books and sites I can find. And, of course, Chuang Tzu's book is a helluva lot longer -- my copy spans nearly 300 pages!

The final point I want to address is YOUR participation in this endeavor. I am so thankful for all the comments left throughout the series. Many times you explained things far better than I and offered great food for thought. It is because of each of you that this endeavor proved so worthwhile.

From the bottom of my heart I say -- THANK YOU! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!!

This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here
To view the list of posts for the entire series, go here.

Verse 81: Do No Harm

Verse Eighty-One
True words are not beautiful
Beautiful words are not true
Those who are good do not debate
Those who debate are not good
Those who know are not broad of knowledge
Those who are broad of knowledge do not know

Sages do not accumulate
The more they assist others, the more they possess
The more they give to others, the more they gain

The Tao of heaven
Benefits and does not harm
The Tao of sages
Assists and does not contend
~ Derek Lin translation ~

And now we come to the last installment in this 81-day series -- the final verse. In many ways, it's nice to get to the end, but, in all honesty, I'm going to miss it. (I'll write more about my feelings in a post tomorrow.)

Of all the myriad of messages contained in the TTC, I think the message of "Do No Harm" is one of the most important ones for humanity. It is the one I wish more of us could take to heart and I think it's the one that would have the most dramatic affect on our society and history.

It is bound up in the idea of viewing existence as interconnected and that to harm one aspect, harms all. It goes along the same line as the Martin Luther King, Jr. thought that a threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Even more importantly, this core message can be found in almost every religion and belief system -- the idea that we should treat others as we ourselves wish to be treated. When this concept is fused with the understanding that all things are manifestations of the One, then we can know intuitively that willfully creating disharmony in any aspect of our existence only spreads disharmony throughout the entire cosmos.

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

Verse 80: Simple Lives

Verse Eighty
If you want to be free, learn to live simply.
Use what you have and be content where you are.
Quit trying to solve your problems by moving to
another place, by changing mates or careers.
Leave your car in the garage.
If you have a gun, put it away.
Sell that complex computer and
go back to using pencil and paper.
Rather than read every new book that comes along,
reread the classics.

Eat food grown locally.
Wear simple, durable clothing.
Keep a small home, uncluttered and easy to clean.
Keep an open calendar with periods of uncommitted time.
Have a spiritual practice and let family customs grow.

Of course, the world is full of novelty and adventure.
New opportunities come along every day.
So what?
~ John Heider rendition ~

This verse doesn't need a lot of extra commentary because Heider's rendition is a commentary unto itself!

It goes hand in hand with the saying: Live simply so others can simply live.

When we each lead simple lives, there is more for everyone. When we lead complex lives, there is less for everyone and we have to spend a great deal of time and resources protecting what we have from those who have not.

At the end of the day, all the money, possessions, power, status and fame a person can sop up won't make you a contented person -- instead it will make you a person who always is striving for more. The more you strive, the more stress you will feel throughout your body. The more stress you take on, the worse you will feel about yourself and the world around you. So, you will try to obtain even more money, possessions, power, status and fame to fill the void. It becomes a never-ending vicious circle.

Live simply and you free your being to walk a path of enlightenment.

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

Verse 79: Right by Tao

Verse Seventy-Nine
Sometimes,
when an argument is settled,
feelings of resentment still remain
on either side.
What's the point of carrying a grudge?

The Masters care
about what they owe other people,
not what other people owe them.

People who are in touch with Tao
do their duty.
People who aren't
try to force others into submission.

Tao doesn't play favorites.
But if you do right by Tao,
Tao will do right by you.
~ Ron Hogan rendition ~

Does anyone ever really win an argument? Sometimes, it's a draw with all participants frustrated by the entire encounter. At other times, there is a more clear cut "winner", but does the loser really get over it?

I like how John Lash addresses the first part of this verse.

There is really nothing that one can do about it. The history of the world is a history of such resentment. Such resentment comes from having been exploited, or having been humiliated, or having been conquered, and it can last for centuries. Therefore, the Tai Chi person does his utmost to avoid conflict and the manipulation of others. If the Tai Chi person must use Tai Chi to defend himself, it is a sign that he has failed in his journey. The whole point of Tai Chi is to become one with others. The use of self-defence shows that the Tai Chi person has lost his way.

As with most things discussed in the TTC, what we're talking about here is an ideal. It would be unrealistic to expect humans not ever to disagree simply because we each view the world through our own subjective lenses. Often, these subjective vantage points conflict with each other and, in the process of threshing out these differences, we will find ourselves at loggerheads.

But I think Lash makes a very astute point -- it's the way we try to resolve our disagreements that matters. It's important to be respectful of another person's or group's perspective -- as you may have noticed, I have often have a bit of trouble in this area! Disagreements are okay as long as we engage in honest discussion. We humans tend to fail -- again, this often represents one of my shortcomings -- because "winning" the debate becomes so important that we resort to attempting to manipulate, humiliate, demean or conquer the other person or people involved.

Even worse, when engaged in a heated debate or discussion, most of us have two kinds of ground rules -- one set for everyone else and a special set for ourselves! When another person breaks one of these precious ground rules, we immediately jump up to cry FOUL! You're not being fair or honest or straightforward, we screech.

However, when the shoe is on the other foot and we're the ones abusing the process, we're quick to offer a convenient justification for our recalcitrant behavior. We always feel that we're the only ones who merit a get out of jail free card.

In the end, a Tao person doesn't go out of their way looking for an argument. However, if the situation is at an impasse and a discussion ensues, make your points honestly and respectfully, then leave it at that. Don't try to win at all costs because those costs are almost always too high.

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

Verse 78: Contradictions Abound

Verse Seventy-Eight
Water is the softest and most yielding substance.
Yet nothing is better than water,
for overcoming the hard and rigid,
because nothing can compete with it.

Everyone knows that the soft and yielding
overcomes the rigid and hard,
but few can put this knowledge into practice.

Therefore the Master says:
"Only he who is the lowest servant of the kingdom,
is worthy to become its ruler.
He who is willing to tackle the most unpleasant tasks,
is the best ruler in the world."

True sayings seem contradictory.
~ John McDonald translation ~

To get us started today, I want to share with you a keen observation made by Roger Ames and David Hall about the nature of contradiction.

An hour spent with the Oxford English Dictionary might persuade us that, in spite of our common sense assumptions about the literalness and specificity of language, this linguistic phenomenon of the inseparability of opposites -- "appropriate language seems contradictory" -- is not unfamiliar within the evolution of the English language itself, perhaps recalling an earlier processual sensibility. "Terrific," for example, is both "bad" and "good"; "prodigious" is both "marvelous" and "ominous"; "enormity" is both "immense" and "horrendous"; "awful" is both "unpleasant" and "inspiring".

As I've written here before, I often had problems in job interviews when asked to list three positive traits about myself. In the same vein as the quote above, I have always figured that I simply have personality traits and it depends on the situation and/or the person making the judgment as to whether these traits are viewed as positive or negative.

For example, I tend to be very focused and persistent. If you agree with the subject or perspective I'm currently focused on, then you might view it as a positive and noble attribute. You might say, "Trey is the kind of person who will fight for the underdog to the very end; he's like a dog on a bone. I admire him for that!"

However, if you disagree with the subject or perspective I'm focused on, then you might view this trait in a very negative light. You might say, "Trey, give it a rest! The battle's over. Move on to something else."

I think this is true of most things in life. Almost every attribute I can think that a person might possess can be viewed as good or bad. It all depends on the innumerable variables involved. In essence, everything about each of us could be viewed as a contradiction.

And, in Taoist writing, the greatest example of contradiction is water. On one hand, it is shapeless, formless and appears as soft as possible. Yet, as Diane Dreher points out, its appearance can fool you!

Have you ever seen the Grand Canyon, carved by the Colorado River through miles of solid rock? How about Carlsbad Caverns or Mammoth Caves with their amazing stalagmites and stalagtites created as water deposited minerals drop by drop over centuries? These are nature's monuments to the power and persistence of water.

To live a Tao life, though it might seem counterintuitive, we need to learn to embrace the apparent contradictions and, in doing so, we fill find that they really aren't contradictions at all.

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

Verse 77: Drawing the Bow

Verse Seventy-Seven
The way of tian is like archers drawing their bows.
To hit something high in the air, they pull the string downward;
To hit something lower, they pull the string upward.
When they draw the string too far back, they let some go,
And when they have not drawn it far enough, they pull harder.

The way of tian is also to let some go where there is excess
And to augment where there is not enough.

The way of human beings on the other hand is not like this at all.
It is instead to take away from those who do not have enough
In order to give more to those who already have too much.

Who then in having too much is able to draw on this excess to make
an offering to the world?
Perhaps only those who are way-making (dao).

It is thus that sages act on behalf of things but do not make any claim on them,
They see things through to fruition but do not take credit for them.
It is in such a way that they refrain from making a display of their worth.
~ Roger Ames and David Hall translation ~

Both today's and tomorrow's verses return again to the idea of the apparent contradictions that are manifested in philosophical Taoism. As today's translation highlights, to hit something high, you must pull the drawstring low and to hit something low, you must pull the string up.

As John Lash sees it, this principle of opposites offers a strong commentary on humans within society.

Those who seek to be high with fame and money are violating the principles of the Tao and will never find Oneness, peace, and harmony. Those who live a life of humility and who are moving towards Oneness with all things will succeed because the universe is with them. Thus they achieve the highest pinnacle of human existence.

When a person seeks material and emotional baubles, enough is never enough. No matter how much you have, you always want a little bit more. You work to reach this platform only to find that your desire has now moved higher. So, your life becomes one lived on a treadmill. Since enough is never enough AND you're always worried that you will lose what you've previously gained, you can never be at peace. Your life will be marked by constant stress and tension.

The person who lives a life of simplicity has far less needs and so can more easily accept what they have. If more comes or does not come their way, they are content. There is little within them to generate stress and tension. So, they find peace.

What characterizes the human condition is that we each try to complicate our lives in our pursuit of balance and harmony, when, in truth, the simple and humble life is what will bring us what we crave most.

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

Verse 76: Rigidity

Verse Seventy-Six
While a person is alive, he is soft and yielding;
When dead, in the end they become stretched out stiff and rigid.
All living things including trees and plants are flexible and fragile while alive;
When dead, they become dry, withered and rotten.
Therefore it is said that those who are stiff and rigid are companions of death; while those who are soft, yeilding, flexible and fragile are companions of life.

A rigid weapon thus will be defeated;
A rigid tree thus will break.
What is rigidly large dwells below;
What is soft, yielding, flexible and fragile dwells above.
~ Nina Correa translation ~

In reading the TTC, one might get the idea that rigidity is always a bad thing. This verse, in particular, suggests that being rigid is the path to death and flexibility is the path of life. But I think it's important to talk a bit about what flexibility entails before we completely cast rigidity aside.

To be flexible is not a static state. It's not one position or movement. When a tree or person is flexible, it means that each can move or react differently depending upon the situation. In some instances, we need to stand up straight and strong -- in a rigid position. At other times, we need to bend or step to the side in an easy and fluid manner.

The continual warnings in the TTC regarding rigidity concern how we make this our default reaction. If we react to every situation with a stiff resolve and refusal to budge an inch, this is where we will find ourselves in trouble. Every situation is different and every situation calls for a movement that flows with it, not against it.

While bending and pliability are great virtues in Taoism, we must remember that if anything is bent past it's breaking point, it may well snap in two. In other words, even when we are behaving in the most flexible way possible, there still is an essence of rigidity involved that keeps the person or the tree from breaking apart.

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

Verse 75: The Good Leader

Verse Seventy-Five
The group will not prosper if the leader grabs the
lion's share of the credit for the good work that has been done.

The group will rebel and resist if the leader relies on
strict controls in an effort to make things come out a
certain way.

The group members will become deadened and
unresponsive if the leader is critical and harsh.

The wise leader is not greedy, selfish, defensive, or
demanding. That is why the leader can be trusted
to allow any event to unfold naturally.
~ John Heider rendition ~

Someone else once said that the best leaders are those willing to serve others. As Heider makes clear in his rendition, such individuals do their best "leading" by getting out of the way and allowing the group to unfold naturally. When we try to orchestrate things toward a preconceived objective or solution, it's almost always not the best objective or solution simply because it is predetermined and we have not allowed new information or ideas to alter the course.

For me, I think the best leaders are those who serve as humble role models. It is those individuals who lead lives of simplicity, compassion and contentment. When we encounter people like this, most of us are in awe. We want to learn from and work with them because they make us feel good about ourselves and the community at large.

In essence, the humble leader/role model motivates us to try to replicate those aspects that make such leaders/role models beloved. A leader who is beloved can expect the greatest devotion and zeal from their constituents or disciples. People will go to the ends of the earth or give their lives to meet the objectives the leader and the group promote.

If you look at today's world, few of those kinds of leaders exist anymore. There don't seem to be any Dorothy Days, Martin Luther King Juniors or Gandhis out there. Today's so-called leaders are NOT humble and, thus, they aren't beloved. They lead by force and coercion. They try to orchestrate all movements of the group or nation. And then they wonder why they are not beloved?!

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

Verse 74: An Empty Threat

Verse Seventy-Four
If people's lives suck,
and they look forward to death,
what good does it do
to threaten to kill them?

If people are afraid to die,
and the wicked are condemned to death,
then who would dare to commit evil?

But that doesn't mean you or I
can just take life and death
into our own hands.
That'd be like walking up
to an industrial buzzsaw
and trying to use it
without any training.
We'd only end up hurting ourselves.
~ Ron Hogan rendition ~

Again, I'm going to step out of the way to share Nina Correa's commentary on this verse.

When society tries to mandate people's behavior, there has to be not only a threat of punishment, but actually carrying out the threats in order to get people to comply with the laws. If someone who breaks the law sees others being punished for their crimes, wouldn't that seem to be sufficient to prevent them from doing anything wrong? Throughout history, those forms of threats and punishments haven't prevented people from breaking laws, have they?



In an effort to cast blame on others rather than themselves, people set up a judicial system which is supposed to fairly determine who are the criminals and who are the law-abiding citizens.

The judicial system is given ultimate authority. A skilled carpenter determines what it is he's going to carve, then hacks away the parts that don't fit into his design. If the judicial system takes over the authority for running the world, determining who's to live and who's to die, then those who don't fit into the mold society has designed will be cast off like sawdust or wood shavings.



When people are fearful of their own deaths or receiving punishments from others for what they might have inadvertently done, then give control of the world over to a few people who promise to protect them, they might suddenly find themselves on the sharp end of the executioner's ax. People who side with the executioner, trying to rid the world of those who don't follow society's rules, will eventually end up receiving punishments and retribution themselves.


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

Verse 73: A Wide Net

Verse Seventy-Three
The Tao is always at ease.
It overcomes without competing,
answers without speaking a word,
arrives without being summoned,
accomplishes without a plan.
Its net covers the whole universe.
And though its meshes are wide,
it doesn't let a thing slip through.
~ Stephen Mitchell translation ~

For me, this verse underscores a major difference between the Abrahamic religions and the Taoist philosophy. The former hold that all existence was created and is overseen by a sometime benevolent and sometime angry being -- Yahweh, God or Allah -- which humanity should worship. Taoism, on the other hand, sees no being or entity at all. We view the underlining of life to be a process and we call that process Tao.

And the most remarkable thing, from a Taoist perspective, is that each of us is part of this process. There is no and can be no separation or estrangement from it. While a Christian can say that a person has turned away from God, a Taoist would never suggest it is even possible to turn away from Tao because Tao incorporates everything and everything is incorporated in it. It would be like saying that a person could hide from their own shadow!

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

Verse 72: Restrictions

Verse Seventy-Two
When people no longer fear force
They bring about greater force

Do not limit their place
Do not reject their livelihood
Because the ruler does not reject them
Therefore they do not reject the ruler

Therefore the sages:
Know themselves but do not glorify themselves
Respect themselves but do not praise themselves
Thus they discard that and take this
~ Derek Lin translation ~

The observation has been made by many that, if we wanted to aligned Taoist philosophy with a political philosophy, we would end up with a form of libertarianism. Carl Abbott of Center Tao writes,

The political right seeks to control our personal behavior while the political left wants to control economic behavior. The libertarian ideal seems to reflect this Taoist view of not pressing down on either. Alas, we are too insecure to trust ourselves enough with such freedom.

As a socialist, you might think I would disagree with this assessment. However, you would be wrong. If the basic ethos of our society was more Taoist-based, I would probably consider myself a libertarian. The prime reason I favor leftist political ideals in the here and now is borne by the fact that our society is NOT Taoist-based in the least and so I believe the underdog needs to be protected from the leviathan of the powerful.

Our world is one in which SELF-interest is considered the prime virtue. Whatever brings each individual the greatest profit, power and enjoyment is deemed the goal of each life. The most ruthless and aggressive amongst the community are able to scratch and claw their way to the top, casting aside the needs and dreams of anyone who might get in their way. Once on top, they become divorced from the lives of the rabble and exert tremendous force upon the community itself.

It is this utter lack of community-interest that necessitates the need for restrictions. Under a libertarian system, there are few, if any, controls placed on people in their individual lives. While it sounds worthwhile, in principle, it means that the already powerful would be granted a green light to amass as much control and power as they can snatch up.

Some might say that resembles the system in place right now! What differs is that government still exerts a modicum of control -- through rather weak laws and regulations -- to limit the amount of power obtained by any one individual or group. It is this rather weak power of restriction that angers the Glen Becks and Rush Limbaughs of the world.

In my mind's eye, the only way in which libertarianism would be practical is if the me-first mentality was replaced with an us-first mentality and the "us" would be inclusive of everything. As has been noted in this series again and again, it is the view of separation -- each of us as an island unto ourselves -- that causes so much of our individual and collective problems.

It is only when my needs are synonymous with your needs and your needs are synonymous with your neighbor's needs that a libertarian system would serve society well.

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

Verse 71: Knowing Not Knowing

Verse Seventy-One
Knowing you don't know is wholeness.
Thinking you know is a disease.
Only by recognizing that you have an illness
can you move to seek a cure.

The Master is whole because
she sees her illnesses and treats them,
and thus is able to remain whole.
~ John McDonald translation ~

If you've never visited the Dao Is Open website, you're missing out on a real treasure!! Operated by Nina Correa, it provides a myriad of insights and things to ponder from a Taoist perspective. In fact, her analysis of today's verse is, in my opinion, so spot on, that I'm going to step out of the way completely!!

This is one of the shortest chapters of the Dao De Jing, yet it's filled with insights.

I don't think Laozi is talking about Knowledge in the sense of knowing the musical scale or how to build shelves. He's talking about a deeper Knowledge which forms a basis for beliefs and how we choose to approach the Road of Life.

It's so easy to determine we've found a Knowledge that can't be disproved, no matter what we've base our opinions on. It can be like a raft on the ocean that offers a sense of security. No matter how many things might happen that show us our Knowledge might be flawed, we have a hard time admitting that we might be wrong. We might be wrong about so many things, and that mis-Knowledge can make us both emotionally and physically ill. It sure takes a lot of energy trying to convince ourselves and others of how "right" we are.

Just think of how emancipating it would feel if there was no need to cling to anything as being The Truth. All of a sudden, it's like a great weight has been lifted. You no longer have to cling to that life raft for dear life - the ocean just naturally buoys you and carries you along ..... To what? Maybe to realizing that what you thought was keeping you floating was actually like an anchor around your neck.

Those who think they Know will always have to prove their theories. Those who accept the fact that there are always things they can't Know become uplifted by all the incredibly fascinating and diverse aspects of life. Pretending you don't Know doesn't get at it, if you still hold onto the idea that something out there will eventually give you the ability to Know. It's only when you let go of the idea of Knowing anything that your spirit can soar.

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

Verse 70: Look Inside

Verse Seventy
My teachings are easy to understand
and easy to put into practice.
Yet your intellect will never grasp them,
and if you try to practice them, you'll fail.
My teachings are older than the world.
How can you grasp their meaning?
If you want to know me,
look inside your heart.
~ Stephen Mitchell translation ~

Humans are social creatures. Not a one of us could survive without being nurtured by others. We need our families and friends to draw strength from and to provide a shoulder to cry on when times are tough.

In order to live together in society, we need rules, parameters and, in some cases, a "social contract". We need to obtain the skills of socialization and we're instructed in these ways by our families, religions, schools and even the government. Yet, despite all these many facets of external learning, the most basic lessons of being a person in this universe come from no other place that inside ourselves.

There is no book, blog, video or teacher that can uncover the secrets written inside our own hearts. To be certain, there is no issue with seeking the counsel of others, but, at the end of the day, we have all we need already. It's there in its utter simplicity.

I think the simplicity factor goes a long way toward explaining way we so often overlook it! We live in a complex society that revels in its own complexity. Simplicity is too often viewed as ignorance or ineptness, but, as Nina Correa sees it:

We try to make life so complicated, don't we? It seems like we're always looking for some problem to solve. Maybe that's because we've been told all our lives that we're only valuable human beings if we can solve a problem? So, we create problems that aren't even there? Laozi suggests how simple life can really be if we don't go around looking for ways to complicate it.

And how do we complicate things again and again? By letting our egos occupy the driver's seat! We allow our wants and desires to control our thoughts and movements. Instead of living effortlessly, we try to manipulate and force life to match our wills and this creates untold amounts of friction, conflict and stress wherever we go.

In a manner of speaking, our egos are the part of us most influenced by outside forces. It is the part of our being that soaks up all the information that's shared with us through the socialization process. But, as Nina Correa cautions,

Do you look to parents, teachers and Masters to tell you what you should do in order to have a happier and more fulfilling life? All those people have done is listen to those who preached to them, and then pass on the rules that were told to them. Do you think they have any greater understanding of what life's about than you do?

If you want to know the way to live your life in touch with Tao, look inside. The message has always been there waiting for you.

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

Verse 69: Deployment

Verse Sixty-Nine
There is a saying about using the military:
I would not think of taking the offensive
But only of defending my ground;
I would not think of taking an inch
But only of giving up a foot.

That is what is called
Deploying forward without bringing the troops,
Throwing a punch without raising a hand,
Grasping tightly without having a weapon in hand,
Launching an assault without confronting an enemy.

There is no calamity greater than underestimating the enemy,
For underestimating the enemy is tantamount to losing your treasures.
Hence, when two armies, evenly matched, cross swords in combat,
It is the side that laments the need to do so that wins the day.
~ Roger Ames and David Hall translation ~

In preparation for writing the post for today's verse, I read the commentary by John Lash in The Spirit of Tai Chi: Essential Principles. His comments centered around the martial arts aspect of it. He talks about "yielding to aggression," withdrawing so that the opponent will "lose his balance as he finds no resistance," and viewing Tai Chi as the art of self-defense.

Amidst the wonderful discussion, I found this gem of a comment:

If you know absolutely nothing about self-defence and you are attacked by someone, your only recourse is to use a weapon. The less you know, the more violent you have to be.

While Lash is speaking of a physical attack, I think this thought applies well to all facets of our lives!

For starters, it would seem to run against another theme that Lao Tzu visits again and again, namely that we need to unlearn much of what we already know. But Lash isn't talking about book learning or ego-based information. When he refers to "know", he's talking about understanding the situation -- the flow of what's taking place before us. If one can't see the lay of the land, then our actions will tend to be more aggressive.

Think back to a recent argument or fight you had with a family member, loved one, friend or co-worker. In my experience, I tend to lash out more when I'm feeling uncertain or not in balance with the situation. So, to makeup for my feelings of uncertainty or inadequacy, I grab hold of some powerful or ugly words and swing them around with tremendous force. My anger -- too be candid, I don't get upset very often, but, when I do, you DON'T want to be around -- turns into an uncontrollable fury and I'm prone to use any weapon (words, again) I can get my hands on.

In my life, then, I can certainly say that Lash's words ring true. When I am more in tune with what's going on around me and I feel more centered, I state my case in a truly self-defensive manner. The little tempest rarely flares up into something more. Though the other person involved may resort to the use of weapons, I yield to their thrusts and sidestep their parries so that they meet little resistance.

In Verse 69, the military can be viewed as a metaphor for our lives in the social world. How do you deploy your forces and why? The answer to this question will provide you with an apt definition of the real measure of your character.

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

Verse 68: Not Striving

Verse Sixty-Eight
A good soldier is not violent.
A good fighter is not angry.
A good winner is not vengeful
A good employer is humble.
This is known as the Virtue of not striving.
This is known as ability to deal with people.
This since ancient times has been known as the ultimate unity with heaven.
~ Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English translation ~

At one time or another, all of us are in a hurry to get someplace. Maybe we piddled around for too long and now we realize we're in danger of being late for an important gathering, meeting or appointment. So, as we try to rush to where we need to go, we increase the stride of our step. Unfortunately, it's not infrequent that we end up stumbling or falling down. By overstepping, we lose our sense of balance and put ourselves in harm's way.

Over striving is the emotional counterpart to over striding. It is when we try too hard -- forcing our will on others -- that we lose our sense of balance and find ourselves involved in one conflict after another. I found an old blog, SpaceAgeSage, that speaks to this issue:

There is an old Yiddish phrase that goes, “If you are out to beat a dog, you are sure to find a stick.” If I live my life this way, I am always looking for the negative. It would be like having conflict as a default setting on my outlook on life. If that is the case, the world becomes them vs. me. All my viewpoints get filtered through the glasses of doubt, mistrust, and wariness.

Chapter 68 is about living a life free of conflict. Like a willow bending in the wind, a person moves with life instead of against it. Like water flowing in a river, a person travels with the current instead of fighting it. I have found that conflict or resistance or opposition causes an equal and opposite reaction in the other person. Chapter 68 is about neutralizing that reaction.

And why do we seem always to want to force our will on others? As Carl Abbott of Center Tao explains, it's all about fear!

The fear of loss lies at the heart of this dynamic. When I feel threatened with the loss of something I cherish, I either react in anger or dig in my heels and hang on. When I need to be SOMEBODY, or when I fear losing personal status, I’m unable to be humble. When I cling to my opinion as though it were life itself, I join issue—I argue. When I feel week and vulnerable I strive to appear strong and ‘cool’. By knowing this dynamic, I not only know myself better, but find the world much easier to deal with.

All actions seem to stem from a fear of loss—losing order, solitude, friends, health, wealth, and so on. When I reach out for something, it is because I LACK something I FEEL I need. I’ve lost contentment with what I have hear and now, or I fear losing what I have here and now.

The sublimity of heaven lies in the truth that the universe doesn’t care about anything in particular. It’s all embracing and yet neutral and shows no favoritism. Life, on the other hand, chooses ‘this’ over ‘that’. It is biased in its cares. While I can, as a life-form, never match this full sublimity of heaven, I can match it through my understanding, which broadens my circle of caring; the more universal this love, the greater peace I know.

A life built on conflict is one built on insatiable competition. It's a life of separation, one that does not embrace the connection of all things. Far worse, leading an adversarial life means there will always be winners and losers. As John Lash points out,

Winning causes resentment and bitterness in the loser. To be vengeful in victory always increases this resentment which, in turn, increases the chances that the conflict will be renewed at a later time.

As we examine the lives we lead, if those lives are embroiled in conflicts of every hue and at every turn, rather than blaming the world for being "out to get us", the Tao person will look in the mirror. More likely than not, that is where we will find the chief protagonist!

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

Verse 67: Three Jewels

Verse Sixty-Seven
I have three priceless treasures:
The first is Compassion
the second, thrift
And the third is that I never want to be ahead of you.

If I have compassion, you will die for me. I know that.
If I waste nothing, I can give myself to you all -
And if I don't seem perfect, then you'll trust me to lead you.

These days people scorn compassion. They try to be tough.
They spend all they have, and yet want to be generous
They despise humility, and want to be the best.

I tell you that ways Death's.

If you have loved your people, you will know it
they will fight tooth and nail for you in attack or defense.

This is the protection of Heaven, and your harvest.
~ Man-Ho Kwok, Martin Palmer & Jay Ramsey translation ~

Having dealt with the third jewel in the previous two verses, I will focus on the first two in today's post.

In my mind's eye, the first two jewels simply are different facets of the same thing. The person who deeply cares for the world will not run around wasting its resources! Put another way, how could a person be wasteful and still think that they could extend compassion and mercy to all? You can't have one without the other.

Roger Ames and David Hall express this thought very well.

The text describes these conditions as "three treasures," but in fact they are three dimensions of the same temperament. A sense of frugality reflects an abiding respect for the integrity of things and an unwillingness to compromise them. It is the respect for other things that allows one to be magnanimous and accommodating in dealing with them.

And an unwillingness to contend for domination over other things is again a reluctance to sacrifice the creative possibilities of either oneself or one's environing others through recourse to coercion.

If you add these three treasures together, what you end up with is selfless love. It is when we see ourselves not as distinct islands in a sea of life but as the sea itself, we are able to see the connection of all things. Since most of us treat ourselves with great compassion, if we are one with the world, then all things are treated compassionately.

Diane Dreher underscores this point when she writes,

The Chinese term for compassion, tz'u, combines two characters. Hsin means both heart and mind, the source of all thought, feeling, and motivation. The character tzu (abundant vegetation) placed above hsin indicates an open and compassionate heart. Taoist compassion unites the individual with all creation. As there's no inner division in Chinese between head and heart, with compassion there's no outer division between ourselves and our world.

To put this in perspective, think about a person who hoards great wealth and also slovenly wastes a significant portion of their largess. That waste represents subsistence living for many. While this person may brag about their great level of philanthropy, their planned giving is more than canceled out by their less than compassionate lifestyle. Donating bread crumbs while wasting hundreds of loaves of bread is vulgarity in the extreme!

But a person doesn't need to be a billionaire to exhibit the same behaviors. When ANY OF US take more than we can use or toss away things cavalierly, we're wasting resources that others may need simply to live.

Selfishness is not compassionate.

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

Verse 66: Low Places

Verse Sixty-Six
Lake and rivers are lords of the hundred valleys.
Why? Because they'll go lower.
So they're lords of the hundred valleys.

Just so, a wise soul,
wanting to be above other people,
talks to them from below
and to guide them
follows them.

And so the wise soul
predominates without dominating,
and leads without misleading.
And people don't get tired
of enjoying and praising
one who, not competing,
has in all the world
no competitor.
~ Ursula LeGuin rendition ~

For me, this verse is about service. While I usually don't paraphrase the Christian Bible, I will in this instance. Somewhere in the New Testament it states the first will come last and the last will come first. I'm fairly confident this same message is most likely found in other great religious and philosophical works.

Of course, in our society, we have it ass backwards. To lead, one sits at the top of the pecking order and shouts out directives to underlings. That's the whole point in the madcap rush to be numero uno -- to be free from the expectations of others as well as to wield immense amounts of power.

We celebrate those individuals who have "pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps" and climbed to the summit on the backs of others. It rarely matters how ruthless a person must act in order to claw their way to the top; the only thing that matters is that the can claim victory.

In my book, the best leaders are those who selflessly serve others. When your whole being places the community first, it means that you are a person of vision, compassion, humility and justice. Your example motivates others to get involved. Such a leader often doesn't earn the credit she or he is due, but they don't care a wit because status and recognition are not what each is about.

It's hard to not want to be lionized for our contributions. All of us yearn for some level of acceptance and recognition. We want to feel like others can depend on and look to us in times of need. Too often, however, our desire to be lauded for our charitable work takes precedence over everything else and we become outraged or jealous when others receive credit and/or we are slighted.

There's nothing wrong with wanting a little praise, now and then. Positive feelings and good vibes help us keep our noses to the grindstone, particularly during those times when we wonder if all our dedication and work is making a positive difference. But we should never lose sight of what it is that we seek to accomplish by our actions and not allow ourselves to get caught up in who gets credit and who doesn't.

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

Verse 65: Keep It Simple

Verse Sixty-Five
In ancient times,
leaders who were right with Tao
didn't teach everybody
how to become enlightened.
They kept people's lives simple.

People who know too much
can't be taught anything.
Leaders who try to be clever
always screw things up.
Leaders who keep things simple
always make things right.

If you get that,
you'll understand
the mysterious power of Tao.

That kind of power is so deep,
so extensive,
it penetrates into every level of existence.
~ Ron Hogan rendition ~

How many of us haven't thrown up our hands trying to figure how to do our taxes or fill out some complicated application? Every paragraph of the instructions is filled with references to other paragraphs on other pages and, when we track those down, they too cite other parts of the instructions or, even worse, a separate document that we don't even have! Arghh!!!!

More often than not, we humans have a terrible penchant for taking simple and straightforward ideas and concepts only to turn them into convoluted and complicated labyrinths. And what does all this pretzel-making do for us? It generates untold amounts of anxiety, stress, frustration, resentment and anger.

It's bad enough that most of us engage in these disharmonious actions during our routine lives -- often without even realizing it -- but it's even worse when cunning people in government do it on purpose as a strategy to achieve their own ends. In a manner of speaking, I'm talking about conquest through manipulation.

When you come right down to it, governments can always choose to employ the use of force to get what they want, but why force an issue or a sought after result when you can manipulate the people into doing what you want them to do willingly and voluntarily?

As John Lash points out,

A government that manipulates its people will not be of benefit to its citizens and must ultimately fail, since it violates the principles of Tao. But our governments are the product of individual citizens. We cannot be manipulative in our individual lives and expect to have a community life that is not manipulative. So each individual part of the Tao is responsible for the whole.

Of course, this brings us back yet again to this idea of interconnection and Oneness. If we view ourselves as separate actors and focus all of our attention on looking out for ourselves, then manipulation is attractive because it can help us to satisfy our individual desires. If, on the other hand, we see the connection of all things, then our thoughts and actions are steered toward satisfying the needs of the overall world community.

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

Verse 64: Journey of 1,000 Miles

Verse Sixty-Four
Things are easier to control while things are quiet.
Things are easier to plan far in advance.
Things break easier while they are still brittle.
Things are easier hid while they are still small.

Prevent problems before they arise.
Take action before things get out of hand.
The tallest tree
begins as a tiny sprout.
The tallest building
starts with one shovel of dirt.
A journey of a thousand miles
starts with a single footstep.

If you rush into action, you will fail.
If you hold on too tight, you will lose your grip.

Therefore the Master lets things take their course
and thus never fails.
She doesn't hold on to things
and never loses them.
By pursing your goals too relentlessly,
you let them slip away.
If you are as concerned about the outcome
as you are about the beginning,
then it is hard to do things wrong.
The master seeks no possessions.
She learns by unlearning,
thus she is able to understand all things.
This gives her the ability to help all of creation.
~ John McDonald translation ~

A few aspects of Taoism have permeated modern culture. The words yin and yang, along with the pictorial representation of such, can be seen often in stores and on bumper stickers. The line from this verse about the "journey of a thousand miles" is another example. Many people are familiar with the reference, but like with yin and yang, they are clueless as to its connection to Taoism.

In the translation being featured today, we have the most commonly known version of the famous line: "A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single footstep." However, other translators have interpreted it in a slightly different way. For Nina Correa, the line goes like this: "A journey of one thousand miles begins from where one stands." Others like Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English translate the line as "A journey of a thousand miles starts under one's feet. "

Some people may find some value in arguing which translation is most accurate, but to my way of thinking, it's really not that important as each version imparts the same basic message and that message is a continuation from the previous verse.

No matter how long or far our journey may be, we can only travel our path one step at a time. When our focus is on the far off distant horizon, we can easily be tripped up by our steps because we're not paying close attention to what we're doing NOW.

It's the very same problem we commit when we don't handle problems in the beginning when they are most manageable. We're so busy looking toward a brighter day that we don't do the most fundamental things necessary to make that brighter day possible. And then we sit around bitching and moaning about how all our plans have blown up in our face!!

As the author of the blog, Tao Wow, understands this famous verse,

This seems so simple, yet we all find things a little overbearing at times. Some keys to the method are other lines in the chapter that remind us to act when we can, doing a little at the right time can make the big task much easier. Acting at the right time is part of Wu Wei and taking things bit by bit is both Wu Wei and the way of Tao.

Of the many various lessons included in the 81 verses of the TTC, I think that one of the most important ones is for each of us to learn to slow down and to let our lives unfold naturally. This is a difficult lesson to embrace in our fast-paced modern world, but we could each have better peace of mind if we could only embrace it nonetheless.

Nina Correa puts this idea to perspective when she writes,

Nothing that exists happened overnight. Everything follows a slow, natural progression of growth. In our modern society we tend to forget that, and look for immediate results.

In our big rush to get to something done, we can end up destroying the beauty of it because of our motivations and expectations. Everyone's had those times when they wish they would have moved slower in a situation instead of rushing head on. If we cling to the idea of what we want desperately, we find that the need to cling in itself removes our objective ever further away.

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

Verse 63: Be Prepared

Verse Sixty-Three
Act without considering it to be acting.
Work without considering it to be working.
Taste without considering it to be tasting.
Big or small, many or few - respond to complaints with virtue.

Plan for difficult times when they're still easy to change.
What becomes enormous was once something minute.
All the difficulties in the world arise from what was originally easy to change.
Everything enormous in the world arises from what was originally minute.

It's natural for the wise person to end up not having to act on what's become enormous, and therefore has the ability to achieve what's great.

You see, lightly making promises must show a lack of sincerity.
If many things are taken lightly, then many things will cause difficulty.

It's natural for a wise person to keep in touch with what might become difficult.
Therefore, he ends up without difficulties.
~ Nina Correa translation ~

When most of us cut or scrape a finger, the first thing we do is wash it to rid the wound of germs. Next, we might apply some antibiotic ointment, then, if it's a large or deep gouge, there's a good chance we'll affix a band-aid or bandage to try to keep the wound clean to promote better healing. Treating a wound in this manner simply is commonsense.

What if we didn't do any of these things? For starters, the wound might heal on it's own. On the other hand, this small wound may grow larger. It might fester and spread infection to adjoining tissue. If this occurred and we still refused to take remedial action, we might become very sick. If we continued to ignore the problem, we might just arrive at the point in which the finger may need to amputated and/or the accompanying infection might result in our death. All of these potential ramifications would come about because we refused to deal with the matter appropriately when it was easy to manage!

If we're honest with ourselves, most of the problems we encounter in our lives occur because we fail to handle things when they are manageable. When an issue first arises, we come up with all sorts of excuses and rationalizations to procrastinate. The more we put off dealing with the situation, the more onerous it gets and the more onerous it gets, the more we don't want to deal with! Soon, it becomes a perpetual cycle of negativity.

To provide a personal example of this cycle, I tend to be a very cluttered person. I have a definite tendency to make great piles of important papers and documents. Because I'm disabled and I receive services from a number of state and federal agencies, I'm always being asked to furnish various forms of documentation.

If I would only take the time to file the various papers and documents when they are received, I would save myself a great deal of anxiety and frustration. Unfortunately, though I'm getting better at it, I too often continue to chuck these things into piles and, when I need to access a particular document, I can never seem to find it!!!

Of course, this drives me stark raving mad. "I'm sure it was in THIS pile," I screech, but, of course, it's not there. So now, I'm forced to cull through every frick'n pile and eyeball every damn piece of paper. After all this, I sometimes STILL can't find it.

After one of these episodes, I vow to do better. However, because I've allowed the piles to grow so large, it looks like an insurmountable task and so I tell myself I'll get around to organizing them...soon. But soon never seems to come fast enough and, before I know it, I'm again searching for a document I can't seem to find.

All this frustration is borne of the fact that I have refused to deal with the problem when it was easily manageable.

How about you? What sorts of problems do you allow to fester and grow from tiny seeds into impenetrable thickets?

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