Tao Te Ching

This chapter asserts that qualities are defined by their opposites. For example, something is defined by nothingness, just as what is difficult is defined by what is easy. The qualities of long and short and high and low are also defined by their contradictions to each other. Noise and silence work well together, as do the concepts of before and after.

Following this idea, a ruler, or sage, must rule by taking no action and using no words. In order to rule, a person must not take control of anything or ask for any thanks or recognition. Because the ruler does not ask for recognition, the ruler receives this recognition.

In this book, the author explains how to keep people peaceful. In order to produce peace, rich people should not receive special recognition. In addition, people should not be taught to value rare goods, so that they are not tempted to steal. They should also not show anything desirable, so that they can be peaceful.

A ruler, or sage, should satisfy people’s basic needs, such as hunger and their bodies, but should not give the people knowledge or desires or feed their minds. To create an orderly world, the ruler should not take any action.

The way can always be followed, and it cannot be overused, as it is ancient. The author tells people not to try and to be weak (unlike the “sharpness,” “the knots,” and “the glare”). The author tells the reader to follow the easiest path. The way is not really something that can be seen, and it’s hard to know where it came from, or what it is related to. The author writes that the way comes from what existed before God.

In this book, existence is painted in a dire light, as both life on earth and heaven are “ruthless,” and rulers are also “ruthless.” However, the space occupied by the tao is, like a bellows, constantly renewing itself. Speaking, on the other hand, leads only to silence, so it’s better to stick to the “void,” or the way, and to avoid speaking. 

This book is about the “spirit of the valley,” or the fertile, female force (10). The female force is so potent that it gives rise to both heaven and earth, even though it’s not visible. This force can never be used up and lives on.

Heaven and earth are eternal because they do not think about themselves. Similarly, the ruler is able to be first because he or she puts him/herself last. The ruler can get things done because he does not think about him or herself.

In this book, water is extolled, because it helps others in a peaceful way and settles where it flows. In fact, water is the closest force to the way. The author then lists a series of adjectives that describe different objects, such as the location describing a home and the depth describing a mind. All these attributes—location, depth, benevolence, faith, order, ability, and timeliness—are true of water. Water cannot be guilty of anything because it is selfless.

This chapter is about not trying too hard. The author says it’s better to stop filling a vessel than to have to try to struggle to keep it upright. It’s better to only hammer something to a degree that the object being hammered isn’t sharp. There are a lot of priceless goods, such as gold and jade, but no one can possess them all. If, on the other hand, one is arrogant about one’s goods, it will bring disaster on that person. Instead, what to strive for is to do one’s work and call it a day. 

In this chapter, the author asks the reader a series of questions about learning to embrace the way. The author asks whether one can embrace the way; whether one can concentrate on one’s breath, in order to become as flexible as a baby; whether one can empty one’s mind; and whether one can rule without taking any action, among other things. The way is capable of giving life to people yet not getting any thanks. While the way controls everything, it does not claim authority.