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Tao Te Ching Summary
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About Tao Te Ching Book
In what may be the most faithful translation of the Tao Te Ching, the translators have captured the terse, enigmatic beauty of the original masterpiece without embellishing it with personal interpretation or bogging it down with explanatory notes. By stepping out of the way and letting the original text speak for itself, they deliver a powerfully direct experience of the Tao Te Ching that is a joy to come back to again and again.
And for the first time in any translation of the Tao Te Ching, now you can interact with the text to experience for yourself the nuanced art of translating. In each of the eighty-one chapters, one significant line has been highlighted and alongside it are the original Chinese characters with their transliteration. You can then turn to the glossary and translate this line on your own, thereby deepening your understanding of the original text and of the myriad ways it can be translated into English.
Complementing the text are twenty-three striking ink paintings brushed by Stephen Addiss and an introduction by the esteemed Asia scholar Burton Watson.
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Simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world.
LAO TZU
81
Knowing others is intelligence;
knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is strength;
mastering yourself is true power.
LAO TZU
85
Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know.
LAO TZU
72
Tao Te Ching
The Tao Te Ching teaches that the Tao, the underlying unity and harmony of the universe, can be accessed and followed by humans. By aligning our actions and attitudes with the natural flow of the universe, we can tap into a deeper sense of purpose and meaning and find our place within the larger whole.
12
Meaning Of Tao
The Tao is a concept in Chinese philosophy and religion that refers to the underlying unity and harmony of the universe. It is often translated as "THE WAY "
11
Chapter 1
Tao Te Ching introduces the Tao, an indescribable force that underlies all of existence, and suggests that by aligning ourselves with it, we can live in harmony with the universe. The chapter also touches on the idea of balance through embracing duality.
11
Simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world.
4
The Journey
The Journey of a thousand miles starts from beneath your feet.
2
The Path
There lies the path, it's ends are two.
The path is perfect, it fits just one.
One stands the spirit, the other stands the truth.
One decides the truth, for the truth is not one.
The truth that can be named is not the eternal truth.
The path changes one, for truth enters him.
Something must leave, hence the old dies.
Hence the path removes the tread.
The path is movement, it respects vitality of the three.
Who run parallel acknowledge, others see change.
The path is just perfect, for extremes are not the flow.
Who persists arrives.
1
It will change the way how you look for your life
Verses From the Book of Tao
The universe is everlasting.
The reason the universe is everlasting
Is that it does not live for Self.
Therefore it can long endure.
Therefore the sage puts himself last.
And finds himself in the foremost place;
Regards his body as accidental,
And his body is thereby preserved.
It is not because he does not live for Self
That his Self achieves perfection?
1
Learn the ability of moving forward by staying still
Know The Masculine, Hold To The Feminine (Part 1)
Often looked upon as the softer of the two, the idea of holding to the feminine actually takes more strength than the former. You can think of the masculine as moving forward with persistence or simply being active where the feminine can be described as tranquil, calm, or yielding. Knowing the way forward and persisting takes grit but overtime people have become unbalanced in its conquest giving way to corruption and chaos.
1
Know The Masculine, Hold To The Feminine (Part 2)
By holding on to the feminine and staying centered, one cannot stray away from their innate being. The mind goes from motion to rest seamlessly and when these mental gates open and close we have to remember to remain calm and observe the active mind instead of acting on the coming and going of thoughts. Knowing the way and forcing a way are extremely different takes on traveling through life.
1
We need to unite and live in harmony.
Get Over Yourself
There is no individuality in this world. All things are connected as one. When nature acts, it does not cherry pick. There are no classes or hierarchies in nature. It is best to be impartial just as the universe is. Detaching from outcomes and creation is the ultimate way of being. Manifestations only occur with labels and opposites occur with naming. If all things were nameless, there would only be the now.
1
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