(Te Section)

This is the first verse of the "Te" chapter (the previous 37 being Tao). Some debate, as ever, as to the source of these verses, but they still fit the big picture and style of the rest of the book. Some say these chapters on Te are more Confucian but in fact Te is how Tao relates to man and can be visualized in nature. If anything, Te is easier to "get" but is still just as "unnameable and knowable" as Tao. So again we, like Lao Tzu and any other writer, break the rules of attempting to explain it...

----

At first glance this chapter does seem to be talking of Man and not Tao, yet on a closer look it is just reiterating messages from the Tao chapter but from the view point of Tzu observing Man.

"A man of sure fitness, without making a point of his fitness,
Stays fit;
A man of unsure fitness, assuming an appearance of fitness,
Becomes unfit."

and many more lines of this nature make up most of the verse. Come the end it says that to be operating most naturally one should be at the root of things, avoiding flowery words and flowery people. The message comes over much more clearly with "The wise don't say, those who say don't know." but here we see it coming from a less direct angle. Plus there are a good few lines of wisdom here in addition to that message.

Again a long verse, many lines on how nothing could be without Tao, the conclusion of it all being that we shouldn't make too much of a fuss and leaders would be best if they could act with humility and not be guided by self servitude.

This point of the Te chapter makes me think that the Te section was added by other authors to the book of Tao (pinned on to the end) - Many times messages are just recomposed, speak of "if only things were different" and talk more of the folly of man. Yet do not be put off as there are some very nice chapters coming. In fact they are all good in some way, I just have little to say here besides point that the available translations of some parts of the Te chapter miss the point of Tao (that things just are this way) and ask for change - this is probably down to translators and not original intent. Good messages and awakening lines and verses do exist in the Te section, so onwards...

From Ron Hogan

"Tao is always heading
back to where it came from.
Tao advances by not pressing forward.

Things exist because they are.
They are because they once were not."

and great! The Te chapter is back in action with a much shorter chapter pointing to Tao (but the action of Tao (Te)). Saying that Tao all is in relation (Yin Yang, complimentary opposites) and acts by Wu Wei (action by non action).

In fact this chapter has is all, to the point, pointing to Tao (as it can't be said directly) and using the concepts of Tao, Yin Yang, Te and Wu Wei.

I like it. A lot.

Another good one, quite a classic verse, maybe tints of Confucian order (as it points to Man) but in fact, this is how Te verses should be. This is Tao in action and its relationship to Man.

Starting with how the Wise take to Tao instantly, the Average try, go and come back and the Fool laughs - and how great this laughter is, because "without laughter there could be no Tao".

Then we go on to see the apparent paradoxes in the Tao, "difficult appears easy" and so on - smartly pointing to the unknowability of Tao, how we "Know it when not knowing it".

So Tao is outside of concept, beyond big and small, containing all the terms we can use and their opposites yet having non of them as qualities. What we see in this Chapter is that from that unknowable, we get something knowable, from that, its opposite, and from that, a whole multitude of things.

"from Tao, the one, the two and the three. From the three, the multitude of things."

It is written this way due to Gui, a bunch of lines used in divination and relate more to Taoism and the I Ching that the concept of Tao. Ignoring them for now, as I don't want to digress, lets look at the main point in action.

"from knowing the multitude of things we can know Tao."

That is working it backwards to Tao itself. Not getting lost in the multitude of things that can only be described in relation to one another, and don't truly exist by themselves, but instead - "going back to the root".

Another nice, short, to the point, chapter.

The power of doing nothing, yielding to change and circumstance. This is close again to the Wu Wei concept.

"The softest overcomes the hardest. Tao can penetrate the small and overcome the large."

Again our old friend 'water wearing away stone'. Best described by the flexible tree in winter - The flexible tree and the stiff tree take a heavy weight of snow, the flexible yields and lives on to spring, the tough one holds on but has some snapped branches.

The simple life, a true Tao chapter, pointing to the simple person with enough and how they can avid misfortune.

"What is worth more to you? You or what you own."

And when you have grasped that little gem and put it into action, there is nothing to lose, the simple life will give you only simple problems and wonderful, true, natural, simple pleasures.

Do nothing by acting (Wu Wei) and the world will come to your way. If you go on acting and looking for reward, you will never be satisfied and never hold on to any of it.

"Skilled people seem clumsy. Those who try too hard, look worse in failure."

This is a very good Te chapter and shows the benefit of the Te chapter and how Te and the unwritten Wu Wei are fine things to grasp and tough to truly master. Not tough because you must do anything hard, but tough because they are against the apparent flow of the world - yet in fact easy as they are in direct flow with Tao so easy and very beneficial.

I don't think many people will have trouble with this chapter, it may be nice to discuss though so I will begin this with a quote and leave it there, feel free to comment.

"In a land where the way of life is understood
Race-horses are led back to serve the field;
In a land where the way of life is not understood
War-horses are bred on the autumn yield.
Owning is the entanglement,
Wanting is the bewilderment,
Taking is the presentiment:
Only he who contains content
Remains content."

(The above is from Witter Bynner)

Great chapter, interpreted many ways (surprising as it is so short) but has two messages as I see it;

"You don't need to go anywhere as the core of it all is deep within you."

"The way to do is to Be."

and that for me says a lot, they are both much more than the words on the paper, to truly live that way takes mastery. Don't just flip by these simple looking words, they have a lot of depth.

Doing less, knowing more. Chuang Tzu gives this message very well in his work. Here in the Tao Te Ching we have to deduce it ourselves from this direct pointing.

"A person wishing to acquire knowledge adds more and more each day. A person getting right with Tao does less and less each day."

This does not mean be lazy and do nothing, it is the Wu Wei idea of action without action. "Lose yourself in life."

"Be good to the good and good to the bad - this is true goodness."

When you act in such a way, drawing no attention, drawing no conclusion, then you are a real person and people will come to you.

Easy? well, sounds it, but a little tougher to be that way all the time. Just wait and see how long it takes to have a prejudiced thought.

1, 2, ...

"They who spend their lives trying to stay beautiful, fit and live for many years - they will die too."

The true I, the Tao, not the I with your name, lives forever. If you can know you as Tao, and avoid the grasping to self, looks and longevity, you will never grow old and never die.

Continuing from the important message in Chapter 50 we see how.

"Tao gives life to all and asks for nothing in return. If you can act this way you are true and real."

So all is nourished by Tao, it does not hold on to any of its creations, it moves on. This dispassion, as it has no rule, is true compassion.

This chapter is describing qualities of the Tao then asking you to live that way too. Following the method Tao lays out will leave you in good standing.

"Tao leads to all and so all naturally depend on Tao. That natural relationship is how you should relate to that around you. You do it, it is done, naturally connected to you for that reason only. For that you should ask nothing from your doings and they will not burden you."

To be honest this chapter needs personal work to get into, describing it is a little silly. This could be said for all of the Tao Te Ching, in fact chapter one already said that was the case, so while I brush over them you must look at them all for yourself. Please come back to discuss your personal findings.

Balance.

We talk of leaders with too much, more than they could ever use, yet not true happiness. As they have to take to have, they are leaving mess in their wake, and this is not acting well with Tao. Also be fond of the aspects of Tao (the things) but be fond of Tao too. See them both in each other, to hold on to one aspect of life is to disregard another. That tough act is why in struggling to get with Tao, you can fail and by just getting on with life you get it right - yet living too much in the world and leaving Tao obscured, you see the balance is not just a matter of forgetting one and getting on it is of balance without trying to balance.

As the Tao is the source of all it will out live anything. Therefore getting right with Tao will be the surest hold you can make in life, one that will outlive you, the next generation, the life of a nation, the life of a planet, and the universe.

So we are told; "If an person gets right with Tao he will flourish, if the whole family gets in touch, it will blossom, if an nation ..." etc... and if the whole world gets right with Tao - WOW!!

..and how does Lao Tzu know this is the case? Because it all began in him - and thereby it begins in you too.

Connected to the Tao you are immune to mishap (as you are Tao and not that body you are sitting inside). Lao Tzu points to how a baby is right with Tao "The baby can scream all day and not get a sore throat." It is acting as intended.

He also goes on to say how trying to extend life, or superficial things like beauty are silly too. Imagine that you did and then you lost that beauty, you would have lost it all, the same with your life. If you are instead focused on Tao, nothing can be lost.

Classic!!

"Those who know do not tell,
Those who tell do not know."

Well here is the point that writing about Tao is silly, but he goes on to say that it is about balance (again). Thereby getting himself and all the other writers off the hook.

I have to leave this verse to personal investigation, but I am interested on anyones feedback all the same.

The world is governed by no acts at all because Tao is the supreme master to Wu Wei. By not acting at all, everything we can see and so much more is here. So that is how we should act, and leaders too.

"By making more laws, we have more criminals.
By being cunning, things go astray.
If I keep silent, it comes right by itself."

So if only we could leave the world alone long enough, a natural paradise would come about.

This chapter can be said in lots of ways, it relates to a previous one about not trying to meddle too much in life. My favourite way to sum this up is with the classic line;

"Rule a nation like you would cook small fish."

That is don't interfere too much, and don't overdo anything.

A continuation of rules for ruling and the idea of not interfering too much. This chapter brings us back to the need for balance. Again with the fish, you do have to do something, leaving alone is just as bad as overdoing it. So here we are told to find balance and they who do, do best.

I jumped ahead with the small fish reference which appears now in chapter 60. It is just such a good metaphor that it does relate well to all these chapters. So here it is in its rightful place. (hey I leave convention to others, this is the natural low of Tao after all.)

"Handle a large kingdom with as gentle a touch as if you were cooking small fish."

and in doing things wisely with such a deft touch and balance, you will do no harm and have none come to you.

Here I will just directly quote Ron Hogan as his modern, to-the-point, rendering of this chapter is about what I would try to say myself in my brief overview.

"Power flows down
to every level of existence
like a river to the ocean.

Victory comes
from lying perfectly still
and waiting for power
to come your way.

If you yield to someone
less powerful than yourself,
you will be in a position
to influence them.

If you submit to someone
more powerful than yourself,
you create an opportunity
to get your own way.

So if you want to get ahead,
lay low and bide your time.
That way, everybody's happy."

Easy huh?

Time for a contradiction or two and a need for internal looking at this one, it won't come over properly here in words.

Tao is the wise mans hold he can never lose, but Tao is there for the bad person too. So don't feel better than anyone or underestimate anyones power as Tao is there for all. So why then should one take time to get right with something that is there for everyone with no effort? Well look at those who have done best, who have lived perfect simple lives, smoothly, with seemingly no effort and not left a trace of mess behind them. They were right with Tao and didn't have to look or hope that what they did was right. Being so certain of their source of power they were able to get by perfectly.

Here I will take a snippet from Witter Bynner's translation of this chapter which shows the main points bing made.

"Could have been faced when it was simple,
The biggest problem in the world
Could have been solved when it was small.
The simple fact that he finds no problem big"

There you go, think about it for a minute and check the whole verse in the translations available to you. This a powerful meaningful verse, one that grows deeper with each new level of understanding.

This chapter continues from 63 by adding many more examples and then the classic, perhaps over used, line;

"Every journey begins with a single step."

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.

I will be brief in my explanation here as the words say it very well themselves. This chapter sums up the previous few and adds that keeping it simple again is a good rule. Allowing things to go simply and smoothly their own way, things will be right. Just think of the opposite to prove this, the more you meddle the more things will get tangled, just ask a small boy with a scab on his knee as to why it is still there in a months time.

Simple to say, less so to do. Comparing a good person to the ocean. The ocean becomes great (the king of all the rivers) by staying lower than them and on a level. The good person should act this way too, not trying to get above them (or too far below). By getting people level they will never grow tired and always come to you.

This is the closest the Tao Te Ching comes to laying out rules that are directly knowable, but just to keep it in line they are explained in the way of Tao and given in a way that should not be followed to the letter. Strict rules are not the way of the flowing Tao.

We begin by pointing out that Tao has great power through being unknown, then to say that the power is only there due to the inability to know it - if we could directly know Tao it would become a thing and subject to the mind and the world of opposites.

The rules a commonly translated to something like; care/compassion, humbleness/modesty, and the key one fairness/balance. The 3rd key quality is what stops the other two being conventional rules as being completely humble for example brings great danger of being trodden on.

A continuation of the ideal ways to act to get by well in life.

"A great victor wins with out raising his voice." (fist, sword, temper...)

Again taking the way of Tao and being powerful by ever forceful quietness and Wu Wei.

Another example of how to use the values expressed in chapter 67 is the way of the warrior, which you can translate into your life as just getting by in the modern world.

"Raise your hand, show no fist." and the well known "Rather retreat a foot than advance an inch."

Defending yourself with openness this way is unstoppable yet is most well know when the opposite takes place and you attack an attack and see the repercussions of that for time to come. Truly it is the best way to yield, let it pass and move on.

So the way of Tao seems easy, yet it is hard, and if it were an easy fad, everyone would try it and it would pass away like fashion.

So, if you choose to take it on, remember that it sounds easy, looks simple, yet is a jewel and master art.

This is part quote, part explanation.

"As long as you know how little you know you are well. When you think you know it all then that is a sign of being unwell. Masters know that there is more to life than can be known and they get on so well because of this."

This chapter is to balance a person who may be beginning to think they know the Tao. As it is unknown there is a danger that if you feel you know it you can be caught out.

"When you have noting to fear, something can come to truly put fear into you."

So we must be wary, maintain the balance and while we should be aware of Tao, we should never claim to know it or be protected by it. This goes along side the saying of 'those who say do not know' and is a warning to anyone talking the Tao too literally and thinking that they can know it.

A continuation of the warning of imbalance and a great statement on Tao.

"Who dares to be brash can die in action."

"The Tao does nothing yet nothing is left undone, says nothing yet nothing is left unsaid."

Imbalance in one can affect the many.

People starve when they are oppressed by the demands of bad leaders. The faults and suffering in their lives are brought upon them. With a leader so fat and unhealthy, trying to say whats best for others while not doing the best for himself - in fact the man stealing bread for his family is a better man that that.

Death is no fear for a person oppressed as such (previous chapter), only a person with too much value of their personal self can fear to lose it. So we could control those who value their lives above that of others by threats of death - but taking the job of nature into our hands would have far worse repercussions. We would be acting like a child with a gun, truly those who know the fullness of a simple live of balance, act best.

Call to yield, go with the flow and adapt to change.

"A baby is soft and supple, and old man hard and brittle." (consider the ability to learn at both ages too, the mind.)

"A soft tree will flex, a strong one break."

The meaning is quite apparent and the translations themselves are very telling of this powerful message.

This is quite a self explanatory and chapter, at least on the surface, I will quote Witter Bynner and leave the deeper meanings for discussion.

Is not existence
Like a drawn bow?
The ends approach,
The height shortens, the narrowness widens.
True living would take from those with too much
Enough for those with too little,
Whereas man exacts from those with too little
Still more for those with too much.
Now what man shall have wealth enough to share with all men
Save one who can freely draw from the common means?
A sane man needs no better support, no richer reward,
Than this common means,
Through which he is all men's equal.

The idea of water again (another section where we can see that the Tao Te Ching, and especially the Te section, may have been added to the Tao of Lao Tzu).

The important message is how the weak can overcome the strong, think of removing somethings foundations or animals removing the root of a large tree. And that if we take on the problems of others then we can lead them. The opposite case of telling people how to live and having no direct knowledge of their life being the worst example of not living by this rule. In fact trying to cover a problem rather than getting to the root.

Even after arguments are settled, still poor feelings remain, therefore it would be best if we could think before each action and take the low ground. Taking the low ground, acting without too much thought of self will bring a quicker smoother end and less or no resentment. Although Tao does not take favourites we can follow its example in taking the low to mater the high. (Oceans are fed by rivers.)

This chapter sounds more like a Chuang Tzu story. He like Lao Tzu made points by pointing to extreme cases and often made a joke out of people getting it wrong. There is no out and out humour in this chapter but the story told has rings of Chaung to it.

The story is of a place so simple and right that people could live their whole lives in perfect peace without ever thinking of going anywhere else. People so right with Tao that they would not even know they were right with Tao.

This is quite a brilliant summary of the Tao Te Ching, I often find myself dipping into various copies at random but on the times I do read a copy fully I quite often read from back to front. This chapter is a great ending but also a great introduction to living by the Tao.

"The more you yield to others, the more they yield to you,
Those who think they are right can talk all day, the wise do not argue."

and more along these lines too, mainly making the point of true balance and that one who is right with Tao does not even know it and is unlikely to even mention it unless asked.