The origin text gives no impression that improving the world is impossible “Do you want to improve the world? I don’t think it can be done.” This is an often-quoted translation of the initial line of verse 29 of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching. It leaves many people puzzling. Why on earth would Lao Tzu…
What are the Three Treasures of Lao Tzu? In Verse 67 of Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu succinctly put together the three things that he truly treasured in life. Discrepancies in translation, however, have made people confused as to what these three treasures really are. One way to avoid confusion is to check the translations against…
In Tao Te Ching SUCCESS is a state of being We often associate success with materialistic possessions. Big money, huge houses, flashy cars; the list goes on. This seems to be in stark contrast with what Lao Tzu teaches. He stresses moderation, conservation and contentment in Tao Te Ching. Does it mean that Lao Tzu…
Do not be too eager to judge, as judging is giving an answer and it stops the real answer from unfolding. If Tao is hard to define, so are many things around you. Why are you not as pretty? Why do you have to work doubly hard? Why can’t you be as rich as the…
Embrace its abundance, even when you cannot explain what it is! Tao is powerful, but the concept is so elusive Lao Tzu had to begin the book Tao Te Ching by saying, “The Tao that can be described is not the eternal Tao.” So how are you going to benefit from Tao, when you don’t…
Set yourself free, the sky is your limit! Set yourself free so that you can unleash the best within you. We are often prisoner of our own mind – which dictates what we can or cannot do. By removing the walls of self-imposed confines, we can realize much of our hidden potential. How do you…
A simple way to tell whether you are the true boss is to ask yourself, “Do I have to tell my people that I’m the boss?” It is not difficult to be a boss in title. So long as you’re willing to pay for people to work for you, or be bestowed a position of…
A useful Taoist analytical tool – The Three Endowments We often say that Tao teaches us to flow with nature. If we can do as Tao says, then we will be able to perform whatever things effortlessly — a state of non-doing or wuwei. Theoretically, this is easy to understand and agree to. The challenge…
Taoism is perhaps the world’s most established philosophy on longevity … Taoism is perhaps the world’s most established philosophy on longevity, and Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu a manual for healthy life. While how long one can live relies on factors that are beyond one’s control, there are quite a few things one can do…
There are many facets of the art of non-doing. Taking no action when no action is called for is one. Once upon a time, there was a farmer who was extremely impatient. While it was a delight for him to see the young shoots in his rice field breaking through the soil and growing a little…
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