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Tao Te Ching Verse 21

translated by Lok Sang Ho

To tell the virtuous from all the others.
You only need one criterion:
does he follow the Dao?38
The substance of the Dao is impalpable and intractable.
While it is impalpable and intractable,
It manifests itself in the phenomenal world,
And it is not without substance.
While it is shadowy and empty,
It shows itself in the spiritual realm.
The spiritual essence of the Dao is
both truthful and dependable.
From the ancient times till now
The name of the Dao has persisted,
And it has pleased the wise masters.
How do I know about these wise masters?
I use the criterion mentioned above.

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Practicing the Quantum Tao

To practice observing the Quantum Tao, I can do a simple thing: I can observe all of the expressions of the Tao around me.

I think one of the ways we can get started in practicing this verse is to observe the world around us without placing judgments of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ on anything.  So let’s consider where we’re at right now.  

I’m looking at a couple little bonsai trees enjoying the sunlight.  Yesterday, I was in traffic on the way to the city.  Maybe you’re doing the same, or maybe you’re doing something that doesn’t require a lot of action on your part - chores, or even a repetitive task.

I’d like us to pause for a moment and become aware of our surroundings.  The furniture that’s there.  Maybe the noises from outside, from other people.  Are there any people you can see?  Let’s take a moment to see everything as what it actually is - manifestations of the Tao.  Those little trees - yes, they were manipulated by a human’s hand, but isn’t that still a manifestation of the Tao?  That furniture - sure, it came from trees and preservatives were added to it, but isn’t that all material that originated from the Tao?  Taken for what it is, isn’t there a certain connection we can experience with it?  Now those people we can see - or imagine.  They too are manifestations of the Tao, aren’t they?  Regardless of what they say, think, or do, they never stop being manifestations of the Tao - just like you and me.

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Tao Te Ching Verse 20

Translated by James Legge

When we renounce learning we have no troubles.
The (ready) 'yes,' and (flattering) 'yea;'--
Small is the difference they display.
But mark their issues, good and ill;--
What space the gulf between shall fill?

What all men fear is indeed to be feared; but how wide and without end
is the range of questions (asking to be discussed)!

The multitude of men look satisfied and pleased; as if enjoying a
full banquet, as if mounted on a tower in spring. I alone seem
listless and still, my desires having as yet given no indication of
their presence. I am like an infant which has not yet smiled. I look
dejected and forlorn, as if I had no home to go to. The multitude of
men all have enough and to spare. I alone seem to have lost
everything. My mind is that of a stupid man; I am in a state of
chaos.

Ordinary men look bright and intelligent, while I alone seem to be
benighted. They look full of discrimination, while I alone am dull
and confused. I seem to be carried about as on the sea, drifting as
if I had nowhere to rest. All men have their spheres of action, while
I alone seem dull and incapable, like a rude borderer. (Thus) I alone
am different from other men, but I value the nursing-mother (the Tao).

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Depending on the Tao

From the point of view of the ‘rest of the people in the world,’ Lao Tzu says he alone appears slow and stupid.  I don’t know about you, but this certainly doesn’t make following the Tao appealing!  Yet I have experienced so much goodness with it, that I am compelled to look further than my own limited perspective in this line.  Here’s what I think:

There is a lot of comparison and contrast in this verse, and as we saw in the middle section, these qualities are what my judging mind has constructed.  So when Lao Tzu is saying he seems slow and stupid, could it be perhaps that he is criticizing his own ego?  Imagine for a moment that his ego is really just the ‘other people’ in the world.  Then it makes sense.  Instead of saying ‘to the world’ I seems slow and stupid, we can re-imagine it like this:  To my ego’s perception of me, I appear slow and stupid.  Mmm, now we’re getting somewhere.  

I love the last line in this verse, as it takes everything we’ve been taking about and shapes it into perfect context:  Lin Yutang translates, “I alone differ from the other people, And value drawing sustenance from the Mother.”  Of course by Mother, we mean the Tao.  

We can put this another way using 2020 language:  My higher self, different from my ego’s perception of other people, prefers to draw life from the Source.

OK, let’s assume that’s the case right now.  We have Higher Selves and we have the Ego Selves.  Remember we have the power to choose where we direct our attention; therefore, we can concentrate on Source, or the Tao, or we can concentrate on fulfilling our worldly selves by satisfying the senses of the ego.

For me, that’s the big paradox for right now:  how gifts of the Tao can appear undesirable until I actually experience them.  But to get there, I need to let go of this false sense of separation that I call my ego so I have a chance.  I suppose that’s where my journey is leading me.

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Tao Te Ching Verse 19:

translated by Lin Yutang

Banish wisdom, discard knowledge,
   And the people shall profit a hundredfold;
Banish "humanity," discard "justice,"
   And the people shall recover love of their kin;
Banish cunning, discard "utility,"
   And the thieves and brigands shall disappear.
As these three touch the externals and are inadequate,
   The people have need of what they can depend upon:

   Reveal thy simple self,
   Embrace thy original nature,
   Check thy selfishness,
   Curtail thy desires.

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Simplify yourself, embrace your original nature, check your selfishness, and abandon desires.

This isn't really the first place we've seen those who talk about this. Verse 3 talks about right-sizing our Ambitions, verse 7 talks about abandoning our identities and verses 11 and 13 discuss being useful and serving others. So what he prescribes here is a recurring theme that we will continue to see an upcoming versus as well.

Simplifying ourselves seems pretty easy to do since we're simplifying. But we're being encouraged to begin this long process Of deconstruction. Deconstruction of our senses of self, in my interpretation. And how do I start doing this? Where do I start? What's the process?

I feel like this takes more work for some than others - and I'm one of those people who need more work. I needed to go through a lengthy process just to be convinced I needed to do this. Suffice to say that everyone's method looks different, though I did notice some similarities I can pass on.

• It never stops and I never ‘arrive.’
• Growth is really just this long process of shedding or letting go.
• Many people have come before me.

There are so many things to listen to, watch, stream, read, go to, Etc. Personally, I have looked for and connected with a group of friends with whom I can discuss spiritual matters. I'll use Reddit and Facebook to connect with others when I can't see them face to face. I do enjoy reading spiritual books as well as self-help books - just 15 or 30 minutes a day is all I need. I’ve developed a spiritual practice that allows me to dismantle that sense of self.

That practice has helped me to carry out the advice Lao Tzu gives us at the end of Verse 19.

It helps me practice embracing my original nature.  Put another way, it helps me develop and nurture self-love which is so important for leading a meaningful life.

It helps me curb my selfishness - I've found my selfishness to be the primary cause of my own suffering and a practice helps me to be less selfish and therefore suffer less.

It helps me to abandon my desires - desires for the Fulfillment of my perceived corporeal needs. I'm so much more efficient when I'm not going around and wanting things. People are more enjoyable, and more creative, and I experienced flow a lot more.

Verse 17 18 and 19 have been this great and wonderful look at how to use the Tao to improve our leadership styles. Remembering that we are leaders in everything we do, we can keep in mind that we have choices.

Lao Tzu urges us to lead with the Tao and abandon the things that cause disharmony. And he advises us to simplify ourselves, embrace are original Natures, check our selfishness, and abandon our desires. So in a short three verses he outlines a basic treatise for what we call enlightened, or servant leadership.

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Tao Te Ching Verse 18
translated by Stefan Stenudd at taoistic.com

When the great Way is abandoned,
Benevolence and righteousness arise.
When wisdom and knowledge appear,
Great pretense arises.
When family ties are disturbed,
Devoted children arise.
When people are unsettled,
Loyal ministers arise.

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Allowing people to be people

If we find ourselves behaving differently than the ideal, Lao Tzu and Chuang-tse provide us with a way to level up until we’re back in harmony with the Tao. And that is to allow people to be people, nature to be nature.

It’s clear to me that Lao-Tzu and Chuang-tse are saying the ancient Chinese version of, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”  “leave well enough alone.”

That’s really easy to see sometimes - we get counsel from our colleagues, our friends, and our family.  But what about the times when it’s not as clear?

What if we’re at work and our employees or colleagues are straying from the mission? How do we address that and allow people to be people?

What if our friends are constantly getting themselves into trouble and then want us to help them carry the load, despite all our advice?

What if we see our children or spouses making bad choices that will lead to real consequences for them?

Honestly, I feel like there’s not much we can physically do initially - especially since we can’t lead these people’s lives for them.  Further, if we consider a moment that Nothing is permanent, we’ll realize that perhaps these seemingly dire consequences aren’t really that important, all things considered.  I’m not saying we have to stick our heads in the sand and ignore problems, no - that wouldn’t be the Way of Things either, wouldn’t it?

Perhaps I can think about what people naturally do, then create an environment that incentivizes them to move back toward mission - and if and when they stray, instead of criticizing them, maybe looking at my own mistakes.  Maybe I didn’t create the right environment!  Of course it takes time to get good at this - but I feel that at least being aware of other things we can do gets us taking that first step in the thousand mile journey.

If my friends are making mistakes, about the only thing I can do is to offer my counsel - they are free, just like everyone else, to travel on their own paths.  So what does leading without them knowing I’m there look like?  Idk, maybe it’s being there for them to listen when they make mistakes - and disengaging with them when they keep repeating the same mistakes - and waiting for them, always willing to help in whatever way seems appropriate to my higher self, always asking how I can help in a way that’s in harmony with the Tao.

For the kids and family - well, this is for sure a challenge, but I think it’s a more intense mix of creating environments and being there to support.  And undoubtedly, it’s more hands-on than the first two cases.  I don’t consider myself an expert on family or parenting, so I’ll refrain from proselytizing here - I suppose the thought I can offer on this one is to always be seeking ways to apply the first type of leadership here.

In practicing leading with the Tao, it seems to me that, from moment to moment, I’ve got a choice.  I can either do what is the easiest thing and hope it’s right, or I can strive to do the next best thing and stay aware, open for learning opportunities so I can get better, always closer to leading anonymously.

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Tao Te Ching Verse 17:

Translated by James Legge

In the highest antiquity, (the people) did not know that there were (their rulers). In the next age they loved them and praised them. In the next they feared them; in the next they despised them. Thus it was that when faith (in the Tao) was deficient (in the rulers) a want of faith in them ensued (in the people).

How irresolute did those (earliest rulers) appear, showing (by their reticence) the importance which they set upon their words! Their work was done and their undertakings were successful, while the people all said, 'We are as we are, of ourselves!'

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You are Always Leading

Let's consider the leaders that you have in your life.  Perhaps you’ve got leaders at work, at school, at home.  They typically fill roles like, your boss, your teachers, or your parents, or in my case, my spouse.  Now let’s think about you as a leader.  You don’t have to have ‘people under you’ in order to be a leader.  No, you’re a leader in many different ways, sometimes in different roles.  You are a friend who’s been asked for advice from time to time.  You’ve got relationships where you are looked up to continuously for the qualities you possess.  You may have children or are thinking about having children.  I think it’s safe to say that we are all leaders of different scope, roles, etc.  So as we talk about this verse today, I’d like you to consider yourself a leader.  Ask yourself, how does this apply to me as a leader in my life?

Types of Leaders

Lao Tzu breaks down four different types of leaders here.  He says the first one is one that no one knows is actually there - this is the person who leads with subtlety.  The next type of leader is the one who is loved and revered.  After that are leaders who are feared - they ‘get things done’ because people are afraid to disobey them.  And then the last  type -  the ones everyone hates.

In considering myself a leader, I’ll be honest with you.  Before reading this verse, I thought that being the leader who is loved and revered would be the leader I’d like to emulate.  Whether it’s in my professional life, or at home, or in my social life - I want to be loved and respected.  I thought that was actually the highest form of leadership, actually.  But this whole allow others to not know you’re there thing kind of makes sense to me now.  

And why?  Well, I think it’s because of the whole idea of losing my self that is presented here in the TTC.  LT is always calling on us to abandon identity, like in verse 7.  He calls on us to right-size our ambition in verse 3.  We’re encouraged to allow perfection in verse 9, be useful in verse 11, and serve others by detaching in verse 13.  Most of the verses in the TTC have to do with the letting go of selfish things, so it’s only appropriate that we are urged to lead unobtrusively in this verse.

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Tao Te Ching Verse 16

Attain the utmost in Passivity,
Hold firm to the basis of Quietude.

The myriad things take shape and rise to activity,
   But I watch them fall back to their repose.
Like vegetation that luxuriantly grows
   But returns to the root (soil) from which it springs.

To return to the root is Repose;
   It is called going back to one's Destiny.
Going back to one's Destiny is to find the Eternal Law.
   To know the Eternal Law is Enlightenment.
And not to know the Eternal Law
   Is to court disaster.

He who knows the Eternal Law is tolerant;
Being tolerant, he is impartial;
Being impartial, he is kingly;
Being kingly, he is in accord with Nature;
Being in accord with Nature, he is in accord with Tao;
Being in accord with Tao, he is eternal,
And his whole life is preserved from harm.

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Practicing Immortality

I’m imagining being in bed now.  I’m cozy, wrapped in blankets, and I’m just waking up from a good night’s sleep.  I had pleasant dreams, and I have this feeling of freshness, newness.  I’m already thinking.  And my brain is already in motion.  I’m thinking about a bunch of things, probably, and what my day’s going to look like.

It seems to me that in that transition between the sleep and the waking state, I go from restfulness to an awareness of my self.  Sort of like the transition between a yin energy state and a yang energy state.  My conscious thoughts cycle between the manifest and the unmanifest state, don’t they?

We just talked about how my form is going to change when this body dies.  And we talked about how what’s left is this unchanging part of me that is the Tao.

So if we put these two ideas together - that our no-self and our self is always going back and forth always changing - we can observe that since forms are always in motion, there must be a still part of things - just like the sound underneath the sounds!  So my life force is the force underneath my life.  Like the Tao, it’s always been there or been not-there, however you like.

And if it’s always been there, it will always be there as a part of the Tao.  By practicing awareness of this aspect of ourselves, we can actually practice immortality.  Immortality doesn’t mean that my body won’t age, of course not.  Immortality means that I, as a life force, an essence, will continue on forever, with the Eternal Tao.

It will continue, regardless.  But I may risk losing this awareness if I come out of stillness and engage with my thoughts, others and their thoughts, and so on.  If I start taking things too seriously again, I, as Lao Tzu puts it, do not know the Eternal Law and therefore court disaster.  

So it seems I have a choice, don’t I?  I may set aside stillness because it seems uninteresting or unimportant.  I can get caught up in things that seems to have value, things that feel good.  I get caught up in the corporeal senses and lose my Inner Vision, as we discussed in verse 12.

So when we say that pleasing the senses isn’t really the point of it all, we look to this verse to realize that the point is unity with the Tao, for that’s what’s really important - mostly because it is more real than what we experience when we’re not still.

If I can allow that sense of separation to abate by becoming still, I allow my ego to die daily.  And in so doing, I am returning to Source - I am the Tao - I am Eternal.

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Tao Te Ching Verse 15

Translated by Xiaolin Yang

People in the past who practiced the DAO understood the real essence of the world so deeply that the ordinary people could not appreciate them.
Because these people cannot be appreciated and understood,
I will try to give you a rough sketch of them.
They acted very cautiously, like walking on thin ice.
They behaved very carefully, like being watched by everybody.
They looked very dignified, like going to a banquet.
They were very warm and kind, like being able to melt ice.
They were very plain, like a block of uncarved wood.
They had a very big heart, like a deep valley.
They were very tolerant, like a flooding river that contains everything.
Who can get clear water from mud by letting the mud settle slowly?
Who can create new things gradually from stillness by taking the initiative?
These people who kept the DAO were never conceited.
Only because they were not conceited,
Were they able to create the future while preserving the past.

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Practice means growth

So here’s the thing: I would think that being aware and conscious all the time would be an easy thing to do, since it involves doing nothing.  But as we discussed, I find it difficult to  not be acting on impulse all the time.  Maybe that’s my lizard brain that I need to constantly be overriding.  

Whatever the case may be, I know one thing:  that if I keep trying, I am in a much better position to be able to practice those things Lao Tzu stalks about - awareness, dignity, humility, authenticity, open mindedness, and clarity.

So if the first part of verse 15 is a look to the ideal, and the second part says to gain clarity as much as possible, the third part basically tells me that practice makes perfect.  OK, maybe not perfect, I don’t think there’s such a thing actually, but practice means growth - a pushing forward into richer life experiences, deeper love, and greater serenity.  Now, seeing that all I have to do to get those things is be still once in awhile,  the time is well spent, isn’t it?  I think so.

To me, Lao Tzu seems to be saying that look, you’re not always going to be aware of things - you should try for the ideals our ancestors exhibited.  It’s not reasonable to expect that you can manage keeping those great qualities we mentioned in an ‘always on’ state.  So instead, turn your thoughts and attitudes into harmony with the Tao and the Tao will do the rest.  

In the short time that I’ve been practicing, I have gained some wonderful gifts, some of which I’ll share now:

1. Meditation has grown more meaningful
2. The Tao has become more precious to me
3. Helping others is now my vehicle that puts me into harmony with the Tao, which means that I’m in much less worry, fear, and anger.  I actually experience more joy and calm now.
4. My automatic negative thinking has turned mostly into automatic positive thinking
5. I am aware of the positive impact that I can have on others, which helps that automatic positive thinking become more...automatic.

So I think I’ll keep practicing.  From what I can gather, moving into Harmony with the Tao never stops providing me with growth.  

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Tao Te Ching Verse 14

Translated by Gia-Fu Feng & Jane English

Look, it cannot be seen - it is beyond form.
Listen, it cannot be heard - it is beyond sound.
Grasp, it cannot be held - it is intangible.
These three are indefinable;
Therefore they are joined in one.

From above it is not bright;
From below it is not dark:
An unbroken thread beyond description.
It returns to nothingness.
The form of the formless,
The image of the imageless,
It is called indefinable and beyond imagination.

Stand before it and there is no beginning.
Follow it and there is no end.
Stay with the ancient Tao,
Move with the present.

Knowing the ancient beginning is the essence of Tao.

Photo by Martin Widenka on Unsplash

Here begins what Lin Yutang calls Book III - the Imitation of Tao.  Lao Tzu seems to be reminding us of the un-namable and mystic quality of the Tao in this verse.  I feel like he’s saying, ‘before we begin, let’s remember the eternal nature of the Tao.’  

How the Tao is like a shadow

Can’t see it, can’t hear it, can’t touch it.  And yet it’s the thing that’s responsible for the known Universe and beyond.  A statement like this, even in 2020, will get you filed away as someone who’s lost it.  Imagine what it would have been like  for Lao Tzu! 

Trying to name something that eludes all senses seems, on the surface, like an exercise in futility, doesn’t it?  But for us, we happy humans who have had a beautiful introduction to the Tao thus far, we can glimpse, if even for a fleeting moment, the invisibility, the inaudibility, and the intangibility of this all pervasive force.  We looked at  Verse 12, the one that talks about inner vision.  It was obvious from that verse that fulfillment only of the corporeal and egoistic senses are unfulfilling.  It’s only when we discover the Tao though our inner vision that we become awakened to this seeming no thing.  

And really, all we can do at our very best is talk about it, hint at it, say what it’s not, and in so doing only get a feel for the Tao’s negative.  I like to compare this to the idea of a shadow of something.  The shadow itself only indicates what is causing it.  Try to capture a shadow, and you’ll come up empty every time.  The shadow is a negative of what is actually creating it.  So it’s kind of like a negative indicator.  It reveals what’s not there.

We can observe the shadow.  But the shadow is actually the absence of light!  How can we see the absence of light?   We can’t hear a shadow, nor can we touch it.  But it’s there.  We can sense it, can’t we?  And we even have a name for it, but when we pause to consider what it actually is, we can’t really pin it down.  Similar to the Tao.

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Tao Te Ching Verse 13

translated by Chao-Hsiu Chen

Accept favour and disgrace as a threat that troubles the body like a disease.
What does it mean to accept favour and disgrace as a threat?
Everyone seeks to be favoured.
No one seeks to be disgraced.
When one receives it, it causes alarm.
When one loses it, it causes alarm.
Therefore favour and disgrace are both threatening.
What does it mean that the disease troubles one's body?
One suffers from the disease because one treasures one's body.
If one does not love one's body, one will no longer suffer from the disease.
Therefore
entrust the land under Heaven to the one who does not treasure his body,
sanction the land under Heaven to the one who does not love his body.
He who does not love even his own body will not treasure rulership, and so he will truly care for all things.

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Agitation and Fear

I like how Lao Tzu introduces the contents of this verse in the first part.  In another of my favorite translations of this verse, Lao Tzu says success and failure are two spots on an unstable ladder, and hope and fear are both phantoms that arise from thinking of the self. 

Agitation, he says, is caused by two things:  both success and failure.  

I feel excited and exhilarated when other people tell me I’m good enough, either with formal recognitions or awards, or informally, through telling me, ’good job,’ or ‘attaboy.’  Conversely, when I perceive that I’m not achieving a certain thing, I feel as if I’ve failed.  I haven’t measured up, I’m falling short of the mark, things like that.  And those too cause a stirring of my emotions.  So in both cases, each one of these things produces different sensations of agitation.

Still in the first part of the verse, Lao Tzu talks about fear in terms of the feeling we get when our bodies are threatened.  So yeah, fear of death.  We can push into this a little more and just examine this basic feeling of fear.  Fear of not being...enough...of anything.  And when we flip that coin, we see hope on the other side - hope of being alive, hope of life, hope of being...enough...for anything.  Just like the success and failure thing causing agitation, LT says that the body, or the self, is what causes us to be susceptible to fear and hope.  

Of course, there’s a larger implication at play, which we find out at the end of the verse, so this isn’t just a study in agitation and fear.  The end of this verse is like a gift that’s just sitting there, waiting to be opened once I can digest the fundamental aspects of these two things.  

Classic Lao-Tzu - always stretching my conceptions of the Tao.  However, it does seem important enough to examine these two things in the verse, so that’s what the next two parts of this section talk about.

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Tao Te Ching Verse 12 (James Legge):

Colour's five hues from th' eyes their sight will take;

Music's five notes the ears as deaf can make;

The flavours five deprive the mouth of taste;

The chariot course, and the wild hunting waste

Make mad the mind; and objects rare and strange,

Sought for, men's conduct will to evil change.

Therefore the sage seeks to satisfy (the craving of) the belly, and not the (insatiable longing of the) eyes. He puts from him the latter, and prefers to seek the former.

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The illusion of fulfillment through the external senses

This verse talks about 3 senses - sight, sound, and taste.  We can expand this to all five and include smell and touch, of course.  Let’s consider for a moment, how, when we see things, we are actually assigning meaning to them.  We use physical objects to help us attach meaning to whatever they represent.  A tree - what does that represent?  A table?  Maybe eating, fellowship, or even work?  And songs - there’s usually any number of songs that mean something to us.  They remind us of our relationships, trying times in our lives, or really great times in our lives.  And what does good food remind us of?  We could go real deep into that one - does emotional eating ring a bell?  Well it does for me, anyway.  So we can see that while our senses give us information about the world around us, it’s our minds that actually attach meaning to what we’re experiencing, isn’t it?

Lao Tzu references sight, sound, and taste.  But then he talks about the thrill of the hunt with horse racing, hunting, and chasing - and the accumulation of wealth - rare valuable goods, in his words, which we can attribute any number of forms of wealth today.  Cars, houses, stocks, positions, assets, and the list goes on for a long time.  So what are these senses?  I would argue they’re senses of pride and accomplishment, and just as with sight, sound, and taste - they mean things.   

Going back to touch - touch can sometimes represent validation of my worthiness to be loved.  

 There are symbols of material success - the car, the house, the significant other, the awards, the influence, the power.  These things are only symbols of material achievement - they’re objects.  And what we do is place meaning and importance on things that have literally come out of the ground.  Yes, they’ve been formed, refined, polished, and nicely painted.  And to be sure, there’s nothing like sitting in a well crafted driving machine.  The smell, the feel, the sound - sound familiar hehe?  But lemme ask you: are these things, while they occupy your senses - are these things the things that give you a sense of purpose, or are they signs that you’re doing the right things?  Of course, they're just signs.  They’re not actual fulfillment.  

Fulfillment seems to me to be a sense of doing what I’m supposed to do at the moment - and at the same time - being aware of it in the moment.  Yes, sitting in that awesome car in the showroom is cool and all, but it really pales in comparison to the other.   

But in the moment of fulfillment, I am free of my wants and needs because I have exactly what I’m searching for right there, in that moment.