“When they know that they don’t know,
people can find their own way.”
– Lao-Tzu
The Tao Te Ching – whose name translates as something like The Book of the Way – was written by Lao-Tzu (Laozi) in China at about the same time as Buddha was teaching in India. The tenets of Taoism were deeply ingrained in Chinese life by the time Buddhism spread there centuries later, and when the two world views came together, they produced a very unique form of practice that blossomed as Zen. This extract from the Lao-Tzu’s book – the 64th and 65th chapters – offers insight into the wisdom of holding lightly the elements of one’s life. Rushing or forcing things, becoming clever or rich – these are habits that lead away from living in step with the natural way of the world, from ‘letting things take their course’. According to Lao-Tzu, the wise person is the contended person who shows all people the way ‘back to their own true nature.’
What is rooted is easy to nourish.
What is recent is easy to correct.
What is brittle is easy to break.
What is small is easy to scatter.
Prevent trouble before it arises.
Put things in order before they exist.
The giant pine tree
grows from a tiny sprout.
The journey of a thousand miles
starts from beneath your feet.
Rushing into action, you fail.
Trying to grasp things, you lose them.
Forcing a project to completion,
you ruin what was almost ripe.
Therefore the Master takes action
by letting things take their course.
He remains as calm
at the end as at the beginning.
He has nothing,
thus has nothing to lose.
What he desires is non-desire;
what he learns is to unlearn.
He simply reminds people
of who they have always been.
He cares about nothing but the Tao.
Thus he can care for all things.
The ancient Masters
didn’t try to educate the people,
but kindly taught them to not-know.
When they think that they know the answers,
people are difficult to guide.
When they know that they don’t know,
people can find their own way.
If you want to learn how to govern,
avoid being clever or rich.
The simplest pattern is the clearest.
Content with an ordinary life,
you can show all people the way
back to their own true nature.
Lao Tzu (circa 6th century BC)
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I too have come back to the Tao. I too prefer Stephen Mitchell’s translation having compared it to many. I have been going deep into other ancient Chinese writings. And finding so much wisdom and thoughts for reflection. Perhaps we could correspond🕊️