Do not show wealth to others, or even yourself.Ĥ - The Tao is directly imperceptible, infinite and outlasts all.

High reveals low, short shows us long.ģ - A focus on material wealth (as revealed through the concept in 2) will fill the heart with anguish and desire to be more, to want more. Selected Highlights and Notes from the 81 Chaptersġ - the only true expression of the Tao is that which is lived, not that which is written about or discussed.Ģ - We live in a relative world, there is no thing that is absolute. The Tao is one of the ways in which we may be guided through the forest. There are paths that lead to the mountain that have been trodden by those who have gone before us, but we may not be able to recognise them. We may wander aimlessly for as long as we want, but there must come a moment where we must choose a direction, where we choose to make our way towards the mountain. The forest doesn't care what we do, though-this is just the way of the forest. Life is the forest, through which we can take any path we choose. The best way to look at it, though, is like the forest and the mountain. The Tao must be lived, not just read about and discussed. We are all on the path, whether we know it or not. Others might call it 'God's Will' or 'the laws of nature'. It applies to everyone, in every walk of life because it is simply the way of things. Confucianism and Buddhism) because it is so generic. The Tao Te Ching is largely compatible with any religions or alternative philosophies that it encounters (e.g. Having said all this, none of this is that important-they're only the messengers-the principles inside are what matters most. It was eventually declared 'finished' and definitive by Wang Bi about 800 years ago. It's essentially open source wisdom.Īfterwards, it was adapted and edited by various sages throughout China. Rather, it is said that he was essentially summarising the collected wisdom of the previous few thousand years. The Tao existed long before Lao Tzu is reported to have written it down, when he did so for an admiring army officer.

Lao zi tao te ching