Tao te Ching

The Tao that can be expressed is not the eternal Tao.

The name that can be named is not the eternal name.

Without naming comes the origin of the heavens and the earth.

The appointed one is the mother of all things.

So, the one who is free of passion sees the secret of life.

The one who contemplates life without passion, see its results manifest.

The secrets and their manifestations are of the same nature.

They are given different names when they are made manifest.

However, both can be called the cosmic mystery.

The mystery of the mysteries is the door to the secret of life.

Basically, chapter one, continues with our words theme. That what we are is before words, descriptions, ideas, wants, desires, needs, attachments, passions, etcetera.

The beginning and the creator of our beginnings exists without concept, it cannot be conceptualised. The moment a person starts to bring concepts into describe the first being, our origins and by extension us, they walk away from the truth of experience.

To see the secrets and beauty of this world in fullness one has to see them, experience them, see and experience only. Description/words removes experience, creates an identity, i.e. words to describe the manifestations of creation, of concept, of idea.

To be able to see without using words and describing what we see is where the truth of existence lives. Hence, from a healing/seeking perspective one has to break all attachment to every word and story, especially the ones which are the tool of ego identification, belief, faith, hope, passion.

When beauty is recognised, ugly comes into existence.

When good is recognised, the bad is created.

So, being and non-being mutually require one another.

Easy and not easy mutually compliment each other.

The large and small contrast one another.

High and low measure each other.

Tone and voice result in harmony.

Front and back are a party.

That’s why the wise conduct their affairs without acting, preaches and teaches without speaking.

All the manifestations the wise do not reject, instead gives them life without holding onto them.

The wise act without taking ownership.

Realise their work without taking credit.

Because one does not ask for merit it cannot be taken.

Duality, one of the most important concepts of Taoism, is introduced in chapter two. Specifically pointing out that relationship between two things as a concept interferes with original truth: light and dark, good and bad, up and down, front and back, left and right, simple and difficult, man and woman.

Opposites, the basic meaning of duality.

The discussion regarding the wise simply means that life is accepted for what it is, experience comes and goes, the free person understands and allows it to flow without grappling and grasping for anything to hold on to, good or bad. They do, just do, and move on, their achievements are not used for any form of credit, payment, receiving.

The non-action discussion opening a world of opportunity is about doing what needs to be done when it needs doing. No planning, no view towards an outcome of receiving, no anything other than getting done what is required. Therefore, there is no need for reinforcement of actions, desiring attention, being seen as something great. None of it matters, hence it is non-action, even though action is required in the doing.

Most important line is the last one, the free person does what needs to be done, that’s it, does not care for any other motivation, there is no ego involved in the activity, hence nothing can be taken from the work completed. Only ego requires validation, and only ego gets upset when validation is not received, ego is the only thing holding you in a world where duality dominates your being. To live freely is to live without ego, any at all, the wise know this.

When the talents/materialism of people are not exalted, communities do not scheme and fight.

If objects of monetary value are not emphasised neighbours will not steal.

When nothing of value is displayed the hearts of people remain whole.

So, in the government the wise maintain empty hearts, fill stomachs, weaken ambitions and strengthen bones so the people may be purified of their thoughts and desires. The cunning do not try to interfere.

Gratitude towards action without acting allows all to live in peace.

Pretty self-explanatory, when we place high value on people and stuff separation, greed, desire, theft is created. Empty hearts means having no desire for the materialistic, including the substanceless acts of receiving kudos (pats on the back) from others.

Therefore, a government who actually gives a shit about its people pays attention to what matters, the health of the population, and removes emphasis on the stuff that does not matter, materialistic pursuits, rubbish within other’s borders, war. Therefore, no point in stealing, creating tension, breaking communities apart through gossip because the pursuit of peace breaks the walls of separation.

When peace is the motivation of a population there is no need for turmoil, confusion, separation.

The Tao is an empty container that can never be filled.

It is the source of all things, fathomless.

The Tao rounds its sharp edges, untangles its knots, moderates its light, covers turmoil.

Throughout it remains transparent like quiet still water.

The Tao is nobody’s child, while being an image of that which existed before all Gods.

Chapter three and four go together, the empty heart theme is given more understanding. It means without desire or want the heart is always open to opportunity. As per the Tao, it can never be filled while continuously being accessed and expressed in a zillion zillion ways.

All the feelings and experiences of humankind can be included in the zillion zillion, still the heart, the Tao, remains completely empty and open to the next experience. Concept, stereotypes, desires, expectation are the things that fill the heart and make it unaccessible to the vastness of opportunity. Remove these traits and life, full free life becomes available.

The Tao, cannot be owned, nor can you and me. Remove ownership/possession over others and myself and one can exist in the time before concept. Again, gaining access to all things.

Nature is not sentimental, it treats all things equally.

The wise are not sentimental, they treat all things as equally.

The universe is like a screaming baby, it is empty of concept yet its screams are inexhaustible.

The more the universe is made to work the more she produces.

The excess of words exhaust intelligence.

It is better to hold to the essential.

Nature, she does not prioritise one of her creatures, beings, things over any other, there is no priority. Hence to live in the natural order of the world the wise follow the same suit, no priority to anything/anyone, all things treated equally. This means my biological family is no more important than strangers I have never met, to the dogs we had as pets, they are exactly the same. Only my sentimentality, attachment, stops me from seeing everything as equal, it is my discrimination, prejudice, bias that creates separation.

Letting the universe work, made to work, means that I surrender to experience, allow the universe to flow through and live through me. Then, it gives its absolute abundance, pure beauty into experience. The more I interefere through separating myself the less I am allowing the universe to do what it does best, experience myself, my life, the universe that I am, we all are.

Words again, get in the way. Especially the excess of them, not being able to speak the simple point of your musing creates confusion, moreso shows you are confused. That you cannot be intelligent without words means you are not intelligent at all. True intelligence exists when words are not the basis for it. Therefore, is better to just say what needs to be said instead of all the worthless other rubbish designed only to make people think you are something special.