To know when you have enough is to be immune from disgrace,

To know when to stop is to be preserved from perils.

Only thus can you endure long.” ¹²

Describing Aristotelean-like prudence, Laozi warns the reader that following the Tao means recognizing what goods are sufficient for happiness and when cessation of action comports with noninterference in the course of nature. In addition, self-control with respect to desire and self-restraint with regard to actions are the two principles that bring about immortality and enlightenment.

“There is no crime greater than having too many desires;

There is no disaster greater than not being content;

There is no misfortune greater than being covetous.

Hence in being content, one will always have enough.”¹³

Laozi takes the near universal philosophical position: fulfilling desires does not lead to contentment; rather contentment originates inside oneself existentially and in turn paradoxically leads to freedom from desire.

 “Those who are good I treat as good. Those who are not good I also treat as good. In so doing, I gain in goodness.”¹⁴

Personal virtue arises in the self, not from external things. Goodness is thus immune to external forces and need not be sought in the world.

“It has been said that he who is a good preserver of his life

Meets no tigers or wild buffaloes on land,

Is not vulnerable to weapons in the field of battle.

The horns of the wild buffalo are powerless against him;

The paws of the tiger are useless against him;

The weapons of the soldier cannot avail against him;

How is this so?

Because he is beyond death.”¹⁵

One who follows the Way – the path to virtue, goodness, and contentment – knows how to live and thereby becomes invulnerable to threats to one’s life. Immortality is not, at last, deathlessness, but a level of aliveness that transcends biological death.

“Sincere words are not sweet,

Sweet words are not sincere.

Good men are not argumentative,

The argumentative are not good.

The wise are not erudite,

The erudite are not wise.

The Sage does not take to hoarding.

The more he lives for others, the fuller is his life.

The more he gives, the more he abounds.

The Way of Heaven is to benefit, not to harm.

The Way of the Sage is to do his duty, not to strive with anyone.”¹⁶

In his final chapter, with the last words we will ever hear from him, Laozi leaves no doubt: the pinnacle of human existence is the Sage. And the Sage follows the Way seeking not knowledge, but wisdom; not contention, but harmony; not one’s own desires, but the benefit of others. Apotheosis, it turns out,  is found at the intersection of mysticism and humanism… in adherence to the Tao.

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¹²Wu, John C.H., Tao Te Ching. Shambala Publications, Boston & London, 2003, ISBN 1-57062-961-7, page 103 (Chapter 44).

¹³Lau, D.C. (translator), Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching. Penguin Books Ltd., Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England, 1963 (reprint dated 1986), Page 107 (Chapter 46).

¹⁴Ibid., page 111 (Chapter 49).

¹⁵ Yutang, Lin, The Wisdom of Laotse. The Modern Library, New York, NY, 1976. Page 233 (Chapter 50).

¹⁶Wu, John C.H., Tao Te Ching. Shambala Publications, Boston & London, 2003, ISBN 1-57062-961-7, page 181 (Chapter 81).

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“Tao gives them birth,

Te fosters them.

Makes them grow, develops them,

Gives them a harbor, a place to dwell in peace,

Feeds them and shelters them.

   It gives them birth and does not own them,

  Acts (helps) and does not appropriate them,

  Is superior, and does not control them.

  -This is the Mystic Virtue.”⁷

Laozi introduces the virtuous power, Te, the operative force of Tao that unifies all of existence. This ‘Mystic Virtue’ is also models principles of human conduct which comport with Tao and foster the enlightenment of the sage.

“High Virtue is non-virtuous;

Therefore it has Virtue.

Low Virtue never frees itself from virtuousness;

Therefore it has no Virtue.

High Virtue makes no fuss and has no private ends to serve;

Low Virtue not only fusses but has private ends to serve.”⁸

Laozi is telling us that true virtue for humans is informed by Te, that is, action complementary with nature rather than through motivation to be virtuous according to the standards of human-defined morality.

“In the pursuit of learning one knows more every day; in the pursuit of the way one does less every day. One does less and less until one does nothing at all, and when one does nothing at all there is nothing that is undone.”⁹

Here Laozi defines the path of natural virtue and provides the quintessential description of his concept of philosophical inaction. Next he explains what action comports with the Way.

“Do that which consists in taking no action; pursue that which is not meddlesome; savor that which has no flavor.

Make the small big and the few many; do good to him who has done you an injury.

Lay plans for accomplishment of the difficult before it becomes difficult; make something big by starting when it is small.

Difficult things in the world must needs have their beginnings in the easy; big things must needs have their beginnings in the small.

Therefore it is because the sage never attempts to be great that he succeeds in becoming great.”¹⁰

We see that philosophical inaction is not in fact complete inactivity, but action limited to only that which is essential, perfectly timed, and based on wisdom derived from the knowledge of nature and the Tao.

“I have Three Treasures;

Guard them and keep them safe:

   The fist is Love.

   The second is, Never too much.

   The third is, Never be the first in the world.

Through Love, one has no fear;

Through not doing too much, one has amplitude (of reserve power);

Through not presuming to be first in the world,

One can develop one’s talent and let it mature.” ¹¹

Laozi reveals his greatest values are compassion, frugality, and unpretentious selflessness. These we understand direct his action and inaction.

(further continued next post)

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⁷ Yutang, Lin, The Wisdom of Laotse. The Modern Library, New York, NY, 1976. Page 242 (Chapter 51).

⁸Wu, John C.H., Tao Te Ching. Shambala Publications, Boston & London, 2003, ISBN 1-57062-961-7, page 85 (Chapter 38).

⁹Lau, D.C. (translator), Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching. Penguin Books Ltd., Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England, 1963 (reprint dated 1986), Page 109 (Chapter 48).

¹⁰Ibid., page 124 (Chapter 68).

¹¹Yutang, Lin, The Wisdom of Laotse. The Modern Library, New York, NY, 1976. Page 291 (Chapter 67).

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I thought it might be worthwhile to extract and rearrange portions of the Daodejing to demonstrate the depth of Laozi’s wisdom which challenged even Confucius. Be aware I will choose among the three translations in my possession the version I find most consistent with my particular understanding of Laozi’s message.

We begin at the beginning:

“The Tao that can be told of

   Is not the Absolute Tao;

The Names that can be given

  Are not the Absolute Names.”¹

First we learn that the word Tao does not name a thing as such for Laozi, but only serves as a word referencing that which is responsible for the origin and processes of the universe.

“There was Something undefined and yet complete in itself,

   Born before Heaven-and-Earth.

Silent and boundless,

Standing alone without change,

Yet pervading all without fail,

It may be regarded as the Mother of the world.

I do not know its name;

I style it ‘Tao’

And, in the absence of a better word, call it ‘The Great.’ ”²

Laozi reiterates ultimate reality is incomprehensible, magnificent, and finally beyond any human label. We also hear a bit of his cosmology.

“Thus Something and Nothing produce each other;

   The difficult and the easy complement each other;

The long and the short off-set each other;

   The high and the low incline towards each other;

Note and sound harmonize with each other;

   Before and after follow each other.”³

Mysteriously Tao originates being and non-being as well as the innumerable mutually sustaining opposites which underpin the world. Everything is explained by the Way.

“The way is empty, yet use will not drain it.” ⁴

The Tao is also paradoxically nothingness and infinity, without substance but inexhaustible.

“The way begets one; one begets two; two begets three; three begets the myriad creatures.

The myriad creatures carry on their backs the yin and embrace in their arms the yang and are the blending of the generative forces of the two.”⁵

We have an almost Biblical description of the arising of the universe, unified by the yin and the yang.

“Of old, these came to be in possession of the One:

Heaven in virtue of the One is limpid;

Earth in virtue of the One is settled;

Gods in virtue of the One have their potencies;

The valley in virtue of the One is full;

The myriad creatures in virtue of the One are alive;

Lords and princes in virtue of the One become leaders in the empire.

It is the One that makes these what they are.”⁶

Laozi again affirms the unity of the cosmos via the One, the Tao.

(continued next post)

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¹Yutang, Lin, The Wisdom of Laotse. The Modern Library, New York, NY, 1976. Page 41 (Chapter 1).

²Wu, John C.H., Tao Te Ching. Shambala Publications, Boston & London, 2003, ISBN 1-57062-961-7, page 53 (Chapter 25).

³Lau, D.C. (translator), Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching. Penguin Books Ltd., Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England, 1963 (reprint dated 1986), Page 58 (Chapter 2).

⁴Ibid., page 60 (Chapter 4).

⁵Ibid., page 103 (Chapter 42).

⁶Ibid., page 100 (Chapter 39).

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Laozi guides us down the path of Te. It begins with adopting a natural morality: (1) hiding oneself in the lap of nature, (2) trustful acceptance of nature’s processes, and (3) the imitation of nature’s silent ways.¹⁰ One discovers the most effective way to solve problems or adversity is not by contention, but by yielding which does not mean submission or capitulation, but the taking of the “way” of least resistance.¹¹ Laozi tells us: “To hold first to the submissive is called strength.”¹² This includes knowing self-restraint and what it means to be truly content, especially by learning to abandon desires and to place oneself last. The lesson is almost Kantian: “A man can achieve his own happiness only by pursuing the happiness of others…”¹³

We revisit the Taoist paradox; outward inactivity and passivity (unseeming and unstriving), the absence of fixed purpose, and subjecting oneself to the Law permits the right outcome. “Do nothing and everything is done.”¹⁴ It turns out “Quiescence (philosophical inaction) is the Master of Motion.”¹⁵ But one must never forget: one deserves neither credit nor blame for the results of following the Way. On the contrary one is blameworthy for the bad outcomes when one fails to follow the way.¹⁶

Following Laozi’s guidance one can reach a state of contemplation that radiates virtue, the ‘Inner Princedom’ and the ‘Kingdom of Heaven.’¹⁷ Heaven is “within the deep realizations and secrecies of spirit.”¹⁸ One who connects to ultimate reality in this way achieves apotheosis and becomes according to Laozi – a sage – not a saint or a  hero as in the West, but perhaps a mixture of the two. The sage has deep knowledge of the Tao and of the cycle of life and death and thus enlightenment.¹⁹ In the end, the deep thinking and meditation of the sage allows one to model oneself on the Tao which is the ultimate goal of human life.

I end with two poignant quotes:

“Life is lived well only when man is completely in tune with the whole universe and his action is the action of the universe flowing through him.”²⁰

“To him in whom is this harmony, the secret of the Eternal is known, Wisdom is throned upon it.”²¹

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⁴Zaehner, R.C., Encyclopedia of the World’s Religions. Barnes & Noble Books, New York, 1997. ISBN 0-76070-712-X, page 376.

⁵Beck, L. Adams, The Story of Oriental Philosophy. The New Home Library, New York, 1942. Page 347.

⁶Ibid., pages 349.

⁷Lau, D.C. (translator), Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching. Penguin Books Ltd., Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England, 1963 (reprint dated 1986), Page 35.

⁸Koller, John M., Oriental Philosophies. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1970. ISBN 684-13668-6, page 237-238.

⁹Yutang, Lin, The Wisdom of Laotse. The Modern Library, New York, NY, 1976. Page 14.

¹⁰Durant, Will, Our Oriental Heritage. Simon and Schuster, New York, 1963. ISBN0-671-54800-X, page 652.

¹¹McGreal, Ian P. (editor), Great Thinkers of the Eastern World. HarperCollinsPublishers, New York, 1995. ISBN 0-06-270085-5, page 11.

¹²Lau, D.C. (translator), Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching. Penguin Books Ltd., Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England, 1963 (reprint dated 1986), Page 29.

¹³Ibid., pages 39-40.

¹⁴Yutang, Lin, The Wisdom of Laotse. The Modern Library, New York, NY, 1976. Page 12.

¹⁵Beck, L. Adams, The Story of Oriental Philosophy. The New Home Library, New York, 1942. Page 351.

¹⁶McGreal, Ian P. (editor), Great Thinkers of the Eastern World. HarperCollinsPublishers, New York, 1995. ISBN 0-06-270085-5, page 12.

¹⁷Beck, L. Adams, The Story of Oriental Philosophy. The New Home Library, New York, 1942. Pages 352-353.

¹⁸Ibid., page 352.

¹⁹McGreal, Ian P. (editor), Great Thinkers of the Eastern World. HarperCollinsPublishers, New York, 1995. ISBN 0-06-270085-5, page 14.

²⁰Koller, John M., Oriental Philosophies. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1970. ISBN 684-13668-6, page 237-233.

²¹Beck, L. Adams, The Story of Oriental Philosophy. The New Home Library, New York, 1942. Page 354.

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“The unnoticeable law of the earth preserves in the sufficiency of the emerging and perishing of all things, in the allotted sphere of the possible which everything follows, and yet nothing knows. The birch tree never oversteps its possibility. The colony of bees dwells in its possibility.”

In Part II, we examined ultimate reality as offered by Laozi in the Daodejing, particularly in Book 1, the Daojing. We discovered a monism there in which the absolute and inscrutable Tao originates the unitary cosmos which in turn cycles eternally between mutually defining opposites through the Tao’s governance within all things individually and collectively.

Today we delve into the Laozi’s description of human participation in Tao by examining the other great principle of his philosophy, Te. This word is translated at times as ‘Virtue’ and others as ‘Power.’ Perhaps we may grasp the concept best as the reciprocal convergence of the two words – that is, the ‘power arising from virtue’ and ‘virtuous power.’ Te can also be defined as the natural potential for excellence instilled within each and every thing including humans but which is actualized spontaneously and effortlessly without training or outside intervention.¹

What ethic is distilled from the Tao? It has two nuances. The first is ‘quiescence’ or the abstaining  from action. Laozi explains: good order is integral to the universe and alas, we at an early stage of intellectual and spiritual evolution and as such are not yet fit to fully use the double-edged sword of the gift of Knowledge. We understand only the first steps of the Way, and while we are part of the Law, we must not contravene its processes, but instead obey them in harmony and peace.²  Stillness and silence are the signs of this manifestation of Te.

The second nuance is wu wei which we may translate as both effortless activity and virtuosity (excellent action). Wu-wei is instinctual or intuitive activity which is in harmony with the world and free of self-consciousness, cultural influences, and excessive deliberation. Laozi uses the example of the simplicity and humility of a child, and the metaphor of the uncarved block of wood (that is, unchanged by external molding). Wu wei is also the harmonious mixture of yin and yang. Human excellence occurs when one spontaneously puts oneself last so that, as in the case of water, one’s actions benefit all, and thus most resemble the Way.  Mastery is indicated by perceptiveness, caution, unpretentiousness, spirituality, and sympathy for all things.³

(continued next post)

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¹McGreal, Ian P. (editor), Great Thinkers of the Eastern World. HarperCollinsPublishers, New York, 1995. ISBN 0-06-270085-5, page 12.

²Beck, L. Adams, The Story of Oriental Philosophy. The New Home Library, New York, 1942. Page 344-346.

³Ibid., pages 347-353.

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Laozi tells us our differentiation of opposites is a kind of illusion founded limits on our knowledge. Since all manifest the Tao, no thing is greater than or entirely distinct from its obverse. Nevertheless he cautions that the search for greater knowledge of some imagined superior attribute or good (such as virtue or wealth) only works against the natural flow of existence. In the end, our striving for subjective preferences (including moral codes) arising from or developed through learning, rather than wisdom, results in disharmony.

Laozi offers the example of Heaven and Earth – important opposites neither of which is intrinsically benign or malignant – both being ultimately indifferent. The Tao, it turns out, is above benevolence and partiality. Amorally obeying the ‘Law’ (the Way) is the path to harmony and peace. Endurance, not striving, is the means to continuation. He also uses the powerful metaphor of water: “its excellence is seen in its benefiting all and occupying without dissent the lowest place which none chooses.”¹³ Here is revealed another tenet of Laozi’s philosophy, the priority of yin over yang, the passive over the active.

In summary, Laozi’s monist ultimate reality is a unitary cosmos, eternally cycling between mutually defining opposites originating from and governed by the immanent, absolute, and inscrutable Tao within everything. We are left with much to think about!

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¹⁰ McGreal, Ian P. (editor) Great Thinkers of the Eastern World. HarperCollinsPublishers, New York, 1995. ISBN 0-06-270085-5, page 14.

¹¹Magill, Frank N. and McGreal, Ian P. (editors), Masterpieces of World Philosophy in Summary Form. Harper & Row, Publishers, New York, 1961. Page 113.

¹² McGreal, Ian P. (editor) Great Thinkers of the Eastern World. HarperCollinsPublishers, New York, 1995. ISBN 0-06-270085-5, page 14.

¹³Beck, L. Adams, The Story of Oriental Philosophy. The New Home Library, New York, 1942. Page 347.

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“I recognized that then that in this book is the perfect source of all things. It is the sublime Master of Kings and the inestimable Treasure of the people”

The Daodejing (Tao Te Ching) is, in fact, two books, the Daojing (or Tao Ching, meaning the Book of the Way) and the Dejing (or Te ching, meaning the Book of Virtue or the Book of Power). To a large extent the first of these describes ultimate reality for Laozi and is the focus of this part. The second book details the means by which human participation is possible and will be discussed in the next part.

Laozi develops his philosophy through a deep contemplation of Nature, so much so that in his text, Oriental Philosophies, John Koller calls Taoism “The Metaphysics of Nature.” While the I Ching is not mentioned by Laozi, one cannot help but think he was influenced by it – perhaps he had come across it in his readings as the imperial librarian.

Laozi’s metaphysics is a monism circumscribed by the fundamental doctrine that there is a unity of everything in the universe pervaded by Tao or the Way (perhaps best understood as the Way of Nature).² Tao is the source and principle of all things including yin and yang, and being and non-being.³ It is ontologically prior to the things of the world and in that sense, is the First Cause.⁴

Laozi tells us Tao is nameless; and as such, we need to understand that grammatically the word Tao is not the name attached to a specific thing, rather it is akin to an article of speech like the word ‘that’ in the phrase “that from which being arises.”⁵ Consequently it cannot be defined and has no characteristics, though it can be pointed to through its functioning in Nature or Te.⁶ Nevertheless, through a kind of negative analysis (like the via negativa with respect to God in the West), that to which we are pointed is limitless, formless, indivisible, invisible, soundless, indeterminable, and incomprehensible.⁷ It is also impartial and impersonal.

L. Adams Beck quotes Chapter 4 from the Daodejing:

“How unfathomable is the Way – like unto the emptiness of a vessel, yet, as it were, the honored Ancestor of all. Using it we find it inexhaustible. Deep and unfathomable. How pure and still is the Way! I do not know who generated it. It may appear to have preceded God.”⁸

But Tao is not external and transcendent to the world, rather immanent, meaning it is operative within all things. It is source of the patterns and processes inside entities that generate their existence and natural course, and it is responsible for the rhythm of the world. It is above opposites in a universe of opposites. Thus it is subtle, Absolute, and Supreme.⁹

(continued next post)

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¹Beck, L. Adams, The Story of Oriental Philosophy. The New Home Library, New York, 1942. Page 356.

²Durant, Will, Our Oriental Heritage. Simon and Schuster, New York, 1963. ISBN0-671-54800-X, page 652.

³Koller, John M., Oriental Philosophies. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1970. ISBN 684-13668-6, page 234.

⁴Beck, L. Adams, The Story of Oriental Philosophy. The New Home Library, New York, 1942. Page 343.

⁵Koller, John M., Oriental Philosophies. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1970. ISBN 684-13668-6, page 236.

⁶Ibid.

⁷Beck, L. Adams, The Story of Oriental Philosophy. The New Home Library, New York, 1942. Page 343.

⁸Ibid., page 346. Two other translations may enhance the reader’s understanding of this passage.

John C. H. Wu, translates this same Chapter:

“The Tao is like an empty bowl, which in being used can never be filled up. Fathomless, it seems to be the origin of all things. It blunts all sharp edges. It unties all tangles. It harmonizes all lights. It unites the world into one whole. Hidden in the deeps, yet it seems to exist forever. I do not know whose child it is; it seems to be the common ancestor of all, the father of things.”  – ( Wu, John C.H., Tao Te Ching. Shambala Publications, Boston & London, 2003, ISBN 1-57062-961-7, page 9)

And Lin Yutang translate it as:

“Tao is a hollow vessel, and it use inexhaustible! Fathomless! Like the fountainhead of all things. Its sharp edges rounded off, its tangles untied, its light tempered, its turmoil submerged, yet dark like deep water it seems to remain. I do not know whose Son it is, an image of what existed before God.”  – (Yutang, Lin, The Wisdom of Laotse. The Modern Library, New York, NY, 1976. Page 63)

⁸ Beck, L. Adams, The Story of Oriental Philosophy. The New Home Library, New York, 1942. Page 343.

⁹Ibid., page 346.

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The mystic Laozi derides Confucius with regards to his passion for the ancient thinkers and his desire for fame and influence:

“Those men of whom you speak are dead and their bones dust. Only their words remain, When the times suit the princely man he mounts aloft, when they do not his feet remain entangled… For the wise man loves obscurity. He avoids public employment knowing that at his death all he can hope is to leave a few true maxims entrusted to a chosen few. He will not unbosom himself to the world, but regards time and circumstance. He who possesses a treasure guards it and does not boast of it to everyone he meets.”

Laozi ends their encounter with a question for Confucius:

“And you – have you also learned to know the Divine Intelligence – the Way?”³

To which Confucius supposedly replies:

“Alas, I have not. I have been a seeker for nearly thirty years and have not found it.”⁴

The epigram starting the last post represents the reported final thoughts of Confucius regarding Laozi.

Whatever the case, the story of Laozi’s life story continues when later, noting the decline of that state, he decides to leave, but before departing comes upon the ‘Keeper of the Path’ who asks him to record his wisdom. After a period of 2-3 weeks, he leaves that man two short books, the Tao ching (Book 1 of 37 chapters) and the Te ching (Book 2 of 44 chapters) totaling 81 chapters of about 5000 Chinese symbols altogether. Supposedly he is last seen outward bound on the back of an ox after which he lives to an old age (at least 87, though undoubtedly not 160 as some have claimed).

More recent scholarship converges on the belief that Laozi is most likely a fictional person and that the Daodejing was written and compiled by several thinkers. Neverless for the rest of our discussion I will refer to Laozi as if he were an actual person and the sole author of this precious text.

Next time we look at the (‘Divine’) Way that eluded Confucius and Laozi discovered.

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³Beck, L. Adams, The Story of Oriental Philosophy. The New Home Library, New York, 1942. Pages 245-246.

⁴Ibid. Page 246. One reason to rehearse Ssu-ma Ch’ien’s tale is its moral. Confucius, the great humanist, recognizes that there is something greater than humanity, and that without its discovery, life is not fully complete. In other words, the human world is not ultimate, and a life devoid of ultimate reality is not fully meaningful. As such, the story of Laozi and Confucius reinforces the argument that participation in ulitmate reality is a key component of the meaningful life.

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“…Confucius told his disciples, ‘I know a bird can fly, a fish can swim, and an animal can run. For that which runs a net can be made; for that which swims a line can be made; for that which flies a corded arrow can be made. But the dragon’s ascent into heaven on the wind and the clouds is something which is beyond my knowledge. Today I have seen Lao Tzu who is perhaps like a dragon’ ”

In the last six posts we looked at the ancient and revered text, the I Ching, which in its extant form reflects the contributions of several great Chinese historical figures. Ultimate reality in their synthesis comes down to a metaphysical mix disclosed in 64 ideograms: (1) cosmic order instantiated as a mathematical harmony, (2) the fundamental principle of change as the only constant in the universe and manifesting in two modalities – alternation and transformation, (3) the perpetual interplay of yin and yang, (4) the theory of opposites – e.g. motion and rest – interacting in a manner analogous to magnetic fields, (5) the supreme triangle of Cosmos, Nature, and humankind, and (6) the ‘sublime’ as summum bonum. In addition to its metaphysical offerings, the Book of Changes can be interpreted as a guide for human conduct, including inferred virtues of humility, truthfulness, perseverance, and synchronization with Nature and the Way or Tao.

Today we move to the ostensible founder of Taoism (Daoism), Laozi (also known as Lao Tzu, Lao Tan, Lao Tse, and Lao-tse), the legendary author of the Chinese classic, the Daodejing (also known as the Tao Te Ching, or Book of the Tao and the Te). The historicity of this obscure individual is quite difficult and understandably controversial. Of course the practical philosopher need not ascertain the authenticity of his personhood, but only a curmudgeonly skeptic would explore the message of the Daodejing without at least some discussion of the colorful accounts of its author. I am in good company in this as all ten of my sources (three of which are different translations of the text) devote at least some time to the author’s identity and story. However, the reader may choose to consider this part a mere entertaining diversion prefacing the serious examination of the text presented in Part II.

It is worth noting thst the problem here is the absence of first-hand or even contemporary accounts of Laozi. Most of my sources place him as an elder contemporary of Confucius (551-479 B.C.E.) although some scholars think he lived later than Confucius. According to the former account, mostly derived from the writings of the great early Chinese historian, Ssu-ma Ch’ien (Sima Qian), he was born in the early 6^th century B.C.E. (? 571 B.C.E. making him 20 years senior to Confucius) in the Li village of Hu Hsien in the state of Chou (Ch’u). His surname is thought to have been Li and his personal name Ehr.²

(continued next post)

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¹Lau, D.C. (translator), Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching. Penguin Books Ltd., Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England, 1963 (reprint dated 1986). Page 8.

²Ibid.

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THE RECEPTIVE

 “Creation and development through receptivity is beneficial if correct in the manner of a mare.”⁵ We are told that strength can be gentle acquiescence in response to guidance and direction in the Way, just as the mare is yielding, but strong. Only when yin follows yang can growth and development progress to secure a right way of life and social well-being.

The first yin or broken line symbolizes the statement: “Treading on frost, you come to where it solidifies into ice.” Here we are warned that negativity (“frost”) deepens into counterproductive pessimism (‘ice”).

The higher second yin signifies the guiding principle that one initially follows the unpracticed or natural ‘earthly way’ of honesty and correctness which leads over time to greatness wherein receptivity mirrors the celestial design.

The third yin refers to faithful, unpretentious service to the order of society.

The fourth yin – “Wrap up the bag, and there is neither blame nor praise.”⁶ By handling oneself correctly and downplaying one’s knowledge and accomplishments, one avoids blame in return for lost praise.

The fifth yin refers to the humble, middle course of leadership through service, not self-promotion, by which balance is maintained.

The top yin symbolizes the culmination of growth where the chance of resistance, conflict, and injury increases – “the battle in the field.” We are told the yin way involves nonresistance, consistency and constancy.⁷

Thus the second hexagram offers an alternative type of human ascendancy; that of the supporting cast under those who lead according to the Way. Excellence, it turns out, can be gentle steadfastness and positivity, coupled with honesty, fidelity, righteous behavior, and humility.

In short we see two complementary forms of human excellence displayed in perhaps the two most important hexagrams in the I Ching. These symbols of ultimate reality become paradigms of guidance on self-actualization in the promotion of a flourishing society when following the Way or Tao.

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⁵Cleary, Thomas (translator), I Ching: The Book of Changes. Shambala Publications, Boston, Massachusetts, 2003. ISBN 1-59030-015-7, page 4.

⁶Ibid., pages 7.

⁷Ibid., pages 4-8.

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