8
The highest good is like water.
Water gives life to the ten thousand things and does not strive.
It flows in places men reject and so is like the Tao.
In dwelling, be close to the land.
In meditation, go deep in the heart.
In dealing with others, be gentle and kind.
In speech, be true.
In ruling, be just.
In daily life, be competent.
In action, be aware of the time and the season.
No fight: No blame.
If we lived by just this one verse alone, we would live a peaceful life. Don't force anything. Be humble. Live close to nature. Seek the root, not the branches. Be gentle and kind to all. Be honest. Be fair. Make yourself useful. Act at the right time. Let go of competition. No one is to blame; life is simply happening.
Stephen Mitchell's translations says, "When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you."
9
Better to stop short than fill to the brim.
Oversharpen the blade, and the edge will soon blunt.
Amass a store of gold and jade, and no one can protect it.
Claim wealth and titles, and disaster will follow.
Retire when the work is done.
This is the way of heaven.
When we focus on finishing or expectations of any kind, we prepare for an ending. When you reach the top, where is there to go but down? Do just enough. Be content with only doing what is needed each day and having only the basic necessities and you will never have to fear loss.
10
Carrying body and soul and embracing the one,
Can you avoid separation?
Attending fully and becoming supple,
Can you be as a newborn babe?
Washing and cleansing the primal vision,
Can you be without stain?
Loving all men and ruling the country,
Can you be without cleverness?
Opening and closing the gates of heaven,
Can you play the role of woman?
Understanding and being open to all things,
Are you able to do nothing?
Giving birth and nourishing,
Bearing yet not possessing,
Working yet not taking credit,
Leading yet not dominating,
This is the Primal Virtue.
A newborn child sees only what is right in front of her. A newborn child is nothing but her absolute true self. Can you approach each day and each situation with this same attitude? Can you do only what is needed, acting only with love because you have not been taught to fear? Can you be open to all things with wonder and trust? Can you seek no reward because you don't know what a reward is? This is riding the wave of life. This is living with the Tao.
11
Thirty spokes share the wheel's hub;
It is the center hole that makes it useful.
Shape clay into a vessel;
It is the space within that makes it useful.
Cut doors and windows for a room;
It is the holes which make it useful.
Therefore benefit comes from what is there;
Usefulness from what is not there.
We can do many things. We can create many things. But it is always the spirit surrounding those things that give them their meaning and usefulness. What is beneficial we can see, but what is useful we cannot see. Seek the useful.
What beneficial things am I seeking in life? How could I reduce this seeking and seek only the useful? What would this look like in terms of my possessions, my job, my relationships, my need to understand?
Think of something you truly value in life. What is visible in that thing? What is invisible? What does this teach you?
12
The five colors blind the eye.
The five tones deafen the ear.
The five flavors dull the taste.
Racing and hunting madden the mind.
Precious things lead one astray.
Therefore the sage is guided by what he feels and not by what he sees.
He lets go of that and chooses this.
Too many sensations disturb our focus and rob us of joy. Less is always more. Savor less and you will savor more. Rather than seek the many, enjoy the one. Listen to your heart and soul and not too much to your senses.
How is your life complicated by too much to see? Too much to hear? Too much to taste? Too much to obtain? How could you simplify? Having a beautiful home has always been important to me, and though I've worked hard to achieve this, it seems to elude me. I have spent hours looking for ideas on Pinterest and in magazines. I have some beautiful objects, perhaps too many. One day I decided to take away all the clutter and for once I saw my home as beautiful, not because I had purchased just the right items, but because I finally made space the most important aspect of the house. How can you increase your peace and joy by doing and having less?
13
Accept disgrace willingly.
Accept misfortune as the human condition.
What do you mean by "Accept disgrace willingly"?
Accept being unimportant.
Do not be concerned with loss or gain.
This is called "accepting disgrace willingly."
What do you mean by "Accept misfortune as the human condition"?
Misfortune comes from having a body.
Without a body, how could there be misfortune?
Surrender yourself humbly; then you can be trusted to care for all things.
Love the world as your own self; then you can truly care for all things.
This verse begins with the word "accept," and this is one of the Tao Te Ching's most important messages to us. So much anguish comes from wanting and expecting our lives to be better than they are. Lao Tzu tells us that difficulty and imperfection are a part of life, so why spend so much time and energy trying to fight them? Instead, just accept them. "This is the way life is, and that is okay with me!" It's amazing how much peace and contentment come when we simply let go of expectations and accept life as it is given to us. Lao Tzu ends this verse with what has come to be known as the Golden Rule, but he elevates it just a bit. Instead of saying, "Love your neighbor as yourself," he says, "Love the world as your own self." He says this because life is not just about humankind. It is about every part of the Tao from the smallest to the grandest. Everything is part of the great whole.
14
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.
When I begin to understand the Tao, I want to hold it in my hands and shout, "Yes! I finally understand it!" But if I understand it, it is not the Tao I understand. It might be a portion of the Tao. It might be the Tao I want it to be. Part of understanding the Tao is accepting that it doesn't fit into the bounds of knowledge established by man. When I accept the eternal and unknowable nature of the Tao, I begin to connect with it and realize my utter humility in its presence. Knowing the Tao is the ancient beginning of existence makes me feel connected to everything that has been or will ever will be.