The Tao works but claims nothing, nourishes but does not hold on, merges with all things and hides humbly. When one opens oneself to the Tao and embodies it completely, one sees everything fall into place. One can be oneself only by living the Tao. Those planted in and embracing the Tao cannot be moved they are genuine their families flourish their country is an example for others, and the universe sings. Doing nothing and reaching non-action allows the Tao to act. Every day one adds a bit of knowledge and drops a bit of the Tao. When they hear of the Tao, superior people embody it instantly average people half-believe and half-doubt, and fools laugh. In the end, all things flow back to the Tao. The Tao's net covers the universe and nothing slips through. Every being is an expression of the Tao and spontaneously honors it. The Tao flows everywhere and in all things. All things are born from the Tao, but it creates nothing. Through a variety of figures of speech, the Tao is shown to be inexhaustible, older than God, birthing both good and evil, never born, never dying, desiring nothing, and present for all. Whenever he feels his 'improvisations' are too radical, he provides the literal text in endnotes.įrom the outset, the book differentiates a path that can be expressed (lower-case tao) from the inscrutable, eternal Way (upper-case Tao). Translator Stephen Mitchell aims to provide in English the effect that Lao-tzu would have had on an ancient Chinese reader. TAO TE CHING (pronounced roughly: Dow Deh Jing) is a classical work of Chinese philosophy dating from the time of Confucius (551-479 BCE), authored by Lao-tzu, whose name means 'The Old Master' or 'The Old Boy.' It talks about the art of living with humor, grace, large-heartedness, and deep wisdom.

Stephen Mitchell presents it in a free translation, with endnotes that offer literal translations in some cases, short commentaries, and examples. The TAO TE CHING by Lao-tzu is a classic work of Chinese philosophy that talks about the art of living, embracing an inscrutable, eternal Way (Tao).

Tao te ching by stephen mitchell