Taoism84

Laozi's Tao Te Ching Chapter 81: Truth, Fine Words, and the Way of the Tao Chapter 81, the final chapter of Laozi's Tao Te Ching, serves to concisely summarize and conclude the core ideas of the preceding 80 chapters. By contrasting outward splendor and artificiality with inner truth and simplicity, it succinctly presents the essence of the Tao and the way of life of a sage who follows it. It demonstrates the paradoxical principles of the Tao—that truth is unadorned, t..

Laozi's Tao Te Ching Chapter 80: The Ideal Small State Chapter 80 of Laozi's Tao Te Ching concretely describes the ideal society as envisioned by Laozi—a community where the principles of the Tao are realized. It proposes a 'small state with a sparse population' (小國寡民), where artificial development, civilization, and external interactions are minimized, and the people live simple, self-sufficient lives with deep contentment. This stands in contrast ..

Laozi's Tao Te Ching Chapter 79: Resolving Resentment and the Virtue (德) of Non-Contention Chapter 79 of Laozi's Tao Te Ching begins by pointing out that even after resolving a deep resentment or a major conflict, the emotion does not completely disappear, and a 'lingering resentment' (餘怨) may remain. Instead of this imperfect method of resolution, this chapter discusses how the Sage (聖人) who follows the Tao approaches relationships with the 'virtue' (德) of non-contention. It explains..

Laozi's Tao Te Ching Chapter 78: The Weak Overcomes the Strong Chapter 78 of Laozi's Tao Te Ching powerfully re-emphasizes the principle presented in Chapter 76—'the soft and weak overcome the hard and strong' (柔弱勝剛強)—through the concrete analogy of 'water.' It presents the paradox that water, which appears to be the weakest thing in the world, overcomes the strongest. It then speaks of the profound wisdom that a Sage-ruler who knows this principle becomes ..

Laozi's Tao Te Ching Chapter 77: The Way of Heaven is Like a Bow Chapter 77 of Laozi's Tao Te Ching explains how the Tao, the source of all things—specifically the 'Way of Heaven' (天之道)—operates and brings harmony to the world. It states that the Way of Heaven is like 'drawing a bow,' achieving balance by lowering what is too high and supplementing what is deficient, thus guiding all things to harmony. In contrast, it criticizes the 'Way of Man' (人之道) for act..

Laozi's Tao Te Ching Chapter 76: The Flexibility of Life, The Decline of the Rigid Chapter 76 of Laozi's Tao Te Ching explains the vitality and state of all things by comparing the opposing qualities of 'softness/weakness' (柔弱) and 'hardness/strength' (堅強). It presents the universal principle of nature that living things are soft and weak, while dead things become hard and strong. By applying this principle to human society and conduct, it is one of the core chapters of Taoist..

Laozi's Tao Te Ching Chapter 75: The People's Suffering and the Ruler's Three Flaws Chapter 75 of Laozi's Tao Te Ching is a chapter that directly criticizes the fundamental reasons why the people's lives become impoverished, why they become difficult to govern, and why they even come to make light of death. It attributes these problems to the wrongdoings of the ruler (those above): 'greedy taxation,' 'meddlesome actions,' and a 'disregard for life.' It contains a powerful warni..

Laozi's Tao Te Ching Chapter 74: The Net of Heaven and Not Forcing Death Chapter 74 of Laozi's Tao Te Ching is a chapter that warns against the folly and danger of a ruler attempting to control the people by using 'death' as a tool. It suggests that when the people no longer fear death, threatening them with execution is ineffective, and that the Way (Tao) of nature (Heaven) already has its own mechanism for retribution for wrongdoing. Through the metaphor that a rul..

Laozi's Tao Te Ching Chapter 73: The Net of Heaven and the Victory of Non-Contention Chapter 73 of Laozi's Tao Te Ching explains the two contrasting outcomes of artificial 'courage' (勇) and how the Way (Tao) of Heaven (nature) controls and operates all things without artificial effort or intention. It states that courage that recklessly dares leads to ruin, while courage that preserves itself by not contending leads to survival. It presents the profound wisdom that the Way of He..

Laozi's Tao Te Ching Chapter 72: Not Forcing Awe and the People's Peace Chapter 72 of Laozi's Tao Te Ching is a warning about the danger of a ruler imposing artificial majesty or authority to instill fear in the people. It suggests that only when a ruler respects the people's space and lives without interference will the people, in turn, not despise or fear the ruler, presenting a reciprocal relationship between the ruler's attitude and the people's peace. The chapt..

Laozi's Tao Te Ching Chapter 71: The Wisdom of Knowing What You Don't Know Chapter 71 of Laozi's Tao Te Ching presents the unique perspective of Taoist thought on 'knowing (知)' and 'not knowing (不知).' It states that truly 'knowing what one does not know' is the highest form of wisdom and the supreme state, while conversely, 'not knowing, yet thinking one knows,' is compared to a sickness (病). It paradoxically explains that by 'recognizing this sickness as a sickness,' ..

Laozi's Tao Te Ching Chapter 70: My Words Are Easy to Know, But Hard to Practice Chapter 70 of Laozi's Tao Te Ching discusses the paradoxical reality that while the teachings of the Tao may seem very simple, easy to understand, and easy to practice, in truth, the people of the world fail to properly understand or practice them. It explains that although the Tao's teachings have an ancestral source (宗) and a sovereign principle (君), people do not know their essence, which mak..

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