Tao Te Ching: 29-47

As I read through the Tao, I am beginning to see a certain repeating concept, I believe. Previously, the Tao stated that we should not interfere with the natural course of things, of everything. Now in chapter 29 I see this coming up again: “The universe is sacred. You cannot improve it. If you try to change it, you will ruin it. If you try to hold it, you will lose it.” (Twenty-nine). In my interpretation, we are encouraged to let things flow naturally, therefore performing “inaction”. It was a connection I made, the fact that in the Tao we are constantly taught to do nothing, "A truly good man does nothing / Yet leaves nothing undone." (Thirty-eight), and the concept of “inaction” that the Bhagavad-Gita introduced to us.

So, the way I understand it, by doing absolutely nothing we leave nothing undone. How is that so? Probably by remaining completely inactive in a way we have nothing pending to be done. Get it? Every single thing we leave undone is left that way because we planned for it to be done. So if we set off our minds and do nothing, nothing is left undone. Confusing actually. But aside from my lame interpretation, I still found it strange that one can attain success by remaining inactive. Isn’t all the opposite? Performing positive actions and helping other through what you have?

Further on, the Tao goes into war. Clearly it is against it, for it portrays the use of weapons as a bad action, one which the wise evade. “Good weapons are instruments of fear; all creatures hate them. Therefore the followers of Tao never use them. The wise man prefers the left.” (Thirty-one). This is actually pretty useful nowadays, were we live in such a violent society. This is another example were the Tao can be used to society’s advantage.

As for more applicable knowledge, I found an interesting passage in chapter forty-four: “He who is attached to things will suffer much. He who saves will suffer heavy loss. A contented man is never disappointed.” It is a very true thing in fact, and I find it a useful teaching to learn how to be detached from all material things. Actually I believe this is the real way to reach the “sage” or whatever the maximum stage of superiority in the Tao is. Overall, balance!