Tao te ching_ annotated & explained - Derek Lin [37]
4 In this context, “flowers of the Tao” is not a positive description. The basic idea is that flowers have a pleasing appearance but none of the satisfying goodness of fruits. Therefore, they are a metaphor for individuals who look good but lack substance. People who possess knowledge without real virtue fall into this category. They may project a knowledgeable image, but in fact they are ignorant in fundamental ways. (back to text)
5 This is an admonition for us to focus on the inner essence instead of the veneer of superficiality. Instead of fussing over etiquette and knowledge, we should reach for benevolence, virtue … and finally the Tao. (back to text)
39 Annotations
1 “Oneness” is a synonym for the Tao, because the Tao is the unifying principle at the core of everything. This oneness manifests itself not only in the external world but also in our inner selves. In fact, aspects of the external world reflect our internal world in highly specific ways. This is the key that will allow you to decode the following lines. (back to text)
2 When we connect with the Tao, the oneness we attain gives us clarity in the mind, like the clear skies; tranquility in the heart, like the peaceful landscape; divine essence in spirituality, like the powerful gods; and abundant energy to live with zest, like the fertile valley overflowing with life. (back to text)
3 Conversely, when we lack that connection, we experience the opposite. We struggle with confusion in the mind; we feel unsettled and ill at ease; the spiritual strength we enjoyed before has become an empty void; we are tired, listless, and unable to stir ourselves into action. (back to text)
4 How can we lead with the Tao, if called upon to do so? The clues are everywhere. Nature shows us that the high must be built upon the low. The lower half of the mountain supports the upper half, and most of the mountain supports its majestic peak. It is the same in life: the highest honor must be built upon the lowest and most sincere form of humility. (back to text)
5 This is why the sages never wish to shine brightly like gems. Instead, they prefer to be more like rocks, with only steadfast, solid consistency and no dazzling brilliance. This is also why the rulers of ancient China tended to use the lowliest terms to refer to themselves. Over time, the practice lost its meaning, but its original intent was very much congruent with the Tao. (back to text)
40 Annotations
1 That which reverses course, reflects back, or returns to its point of origin characterizes the cyclical motions of the Tao. Because the Tao underlies everything in existence, we observe the same cyclical patterns everywhere. (back to text)
2 “The weak” refers to things that exhibit flexible pliancy. They characterize the Tao because the Tao drives life forward. Living things are always soft and yielding; while dead things are stiff and unyielding.
This applies to the mind as well. An awareness that is in tune with the Tao is adaptable to new ways of thinking. In contrast, a mind that stubbornly clings to preconceptions and automatically rejects anything different is, in a real sense, already dead. (back to text)
3 “Being” can also be translated as “existence”; “nonbeing” can be translated as “nonexistence.” These lines describe how everything that has a tangible reality seems ultimately to come from nowhere.
Consider a tree. It is real; it has substance. It grew from a seed, which used to be inside a fruit, which came from the parent tree. The parent tree can trace itself back in time through the same process to its own parent. When we look back like this, we quickly get to a point where the tree, the seed, the fruit, and the parent tree had no existence and existed only as