The Tao Te Ching, translated to "The Way of Power" or "The Classic (Ching) of the Way (Tao) and Virtue (Te)." Virtue, then, is dependent on the Way of Power, the way of the truth, the eternal, and the unmanifested.
This little book, at only 7000 words, is a spiritual scripture, a meditation guide,and a leadership manual all rolled into one. It is a philosophy of power obtained by being harmonious with nature. In spite of being a 2300 year-old text, it is still relatable and applicable to modern life.
The Tao is basically a timeless, formless spirit that (to borrow from Star Wars) surrounds us, binds us, penetrates us, and binds all that is together. It can't be defined nor can it be broken down and simply explained. You don't even have to call it the Tao; it is synonymous with "Divine Providence" "Presence" "the Universe,"to any Carl Sagan or Neil Degrasse Tyson fans "Cosmos," or whatever. Making a graven image is hardly a sin since it will never truly explain or represent it. - it isn't even God, as God is a conscious entity that is a manifestation of the eternal Tao.
The book, broken up into short passages, show how to be in attunement with the Tao. It represents an ordered cosmos that we must work with, and not one where we are left completely alone and on our own. Ultimately, it is this attunement that can make life more effortless, and helps us find what we need with less struggle.
When you are in tune with the Tao, your actions no longer feel like action. In modern times we call this type of action "flow" or "flow state" or "the zone." Regular action, not attuned to the Tao, tends to require considerable willpower or less-than-noble deeds.
Leadership According to the Tao
To Lao Tzu, there are two types of leaders: those rooted either in yang or in yin. The yang leader is the warrior that achieves by conquering and dominating; the yin leader is focused on healing, partnership, and service to all. The yin-rooted leader blends into the background so that their people can achieve great things on their own. But in order for people to function well, leaders must not be one aspect but let them work in unison and harmony.
In business, this is comparable to the hard-driving micromanaging boss. But this top-down authoritarian style of leadership can hold an organization back. Some companies base their business on teamwork, partnership, synergy, profit sharing/stock options, and transparency. They increase their effectiveness by sharing their power; they have a better chance of producing things that genuinely benefit other people.
In Lao Tzu's mind the most ideal leader isn't measured by his bank account or the size of his harem, but by how they let their organizations flow with the Tao. Good leaders don't seek to impress or to gain recognition; in turn they end up achieving great things anyway. Listening, yielding, cooperation, being open, seeking an outcome for the highest good of all involved - these are the elements of yin; they must balance with ying aspects - assertiveness, determination, ambition, competitiveness, and toughness.
How to Be More Successful by Letting Go
Even though the message of the Tao Te Ching seems to be to surrender and go with the flow, it is a little more nuanced than that. Sometimes living in the present, enjoying simple pleasures, and trying to force things to bend our way may be a necessary in going after our desires.
This means that you put faith and trust in the Tao. This intelligence that governs the cosmos will also give us peace, joy, and personal power. Sometimes, the best path is not the one with the most striving and adversity.
How to Read
in terms of sheer length, you could finish this book in less than 30 minutes. But if you read it this way you will miss out on the experience. Instead, each short chapter should be read a few times in a row and meditated upon. Here is a good way to read the Tao Te Ching
Read it from start to finish once. Slowly, with long reflective, meditative pauses between each chapter.
Afterwards read 1 or 2 chapters, in any order as there is no linear narrative, and reflect on it for a day or even a week. In your mind, think how it relates to your own life, to your community, and to the world. Argue with each chapter if you do not agree - treat it in equal parts as a meditation and a conversation.
After that, come back to it every once in a while. In my paperback copy, I have a few dog-eared pages. On some days I randomly turn to these chapters and reflect on them.
It will probably enhance your ideas of life and achievement.
Taoist Principles in Harold and Kumar
Just about any mentor in fiction will talk about finding your zone,or being in attunement with the universe. Terrick Jackson has been bullied and pushed around his whole life, yet he keeps calm and positive in the face of adversity:
My Favorite Passages
These are from the Stephen Mitchell version. These are the passages that I came to again and again:
Quote:Quote:
The tao that can be told
is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named
is not the eternal Name.
The unnamable is the eternally real.
Naming is the origin
of all particular things.
Free from desire, you realize the mystery.
Caught in desire, you see only the
manifestations
Yet mystery and manifestations
arise from the same source.
This source is called darkness.
Darkness within darkness
The gateway to all understanding
-----
If you overesteem great men,
people become powerless.
If you overvalue possessions,
people begin to steal.
The Master leads
by emptying people's minds
and filling their cores,
by weakening their ambition
and toughening their resolve.
He helps people lose everything
they know, everything they desire,
and creates confusion
in those who think that they know.
Practice not-doing,
and everything will fall into place.
-----
Throw away holiness and wisdom,
and people will be a hundred times happier.
Throw away morality and justice,
and people will do the right thing.
Throw away industry in profit,
and there won't be any thieves.
If these three aren't enough,
just stay at the center of the circle
and let all things take their course.
-----
He who stands on tiptoe
doesn't stand firm.
He who rushes ahead
doesn't go far.
He who tries to shine
dims his own light.
He who defines himself
can't know who he really is.
He who has power over others can't empower himself.
He who clings to his work
will create nothing that endures.
If you want to accord with the Tao,
just do your job, then let go.
----
There was something formless and perfect
before the universe was born.
It is serene. Empty.
Solitary. Unchanging.
Infinite. Eternally present.
It is the mother of the universe.
For lack of a better name,
I call it the Tao
It flows through all things,
inside and outside, and returns
to the origin of all things.
The Tao is great.
The universe is great.
Earth is great.
Man is great.
These are the four great powers.
Man follows the earth.
Earth follows the universe.
The universe follows the Tao.
The Tao follows only itself.
----
True perfection seems imperfect,
yet it is perfectly itself,
True fullness seems empty,
yet it is fully present.
True straightness seems crooked
True wisdom seems foolish
True art seems artless.
The Master allows things to happen.
She shapes events as they come.
She steps out of the way
and lets the Tao speak for itself.
----
If you want to shrink something
you must first allow it to expand.
If you want to get rid of something,
you must first allow it to flourish.
If you want to take something,
you must first allow it to be given.
This is called the subtle perception
of the way things are.
The soft overcomes the hard.
The slow overcomes the fast.
Let your workings remain a mystery.
Just show people the results.
----
If you want to be a great leader,
you must learn to follow the Tao.
Stop trying to control.
Let go of fixed plans and concepts,
and the world will govern itself.
The more prohibitions you have,
the less virtuous people will be.
The more weapons you have,
the less secure people will be.
The more subsidies you have,
the less self-reliant people will be.
Therefore the Master says:
I let go of the law,
and people become honest.
I let go of economics,
and people become prosperous.
I let go of religion,
and people become serene.
I let go of desire for the common good,
and the good becomes common as grass.
----
Some say that my teaching is nonsense.
Others call it lofty but impractical.
But those who have looked inside themselves,
this nonsense makes perfect sense.
And to those who put it into practice,
this loftiness has roots that go deep.
I have just three things to teach:
simplicity, patience, compassion
These three are your greatest treasures
Simple in actions and in thoughts,
you return to the source without being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world.
----
When taxes are too high,
people will go hungry.
When its government is too intrusive,
people lose their spirit.
Act for the people's benefit
Trust them; leave them alone.
----
Men are born soft and supple;
dead, they are stiff and hard.
Plants are born tender and pliant;
dead, they are brittle and dry.
The hard and stiff will be broken.
The soft and supple will prevail.
