The Way Simplified *From The Archives*

Another entry pulled From The Archives. This one is my own interpretation of the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu. This is essentially translated as “The Book of The Way”. I have condensed this already short text into a very simplified version without sacrificing any impact on its timeless message.

Enjoy

The Book of The Way Simplified

Introducing The Tao

The Tao can never be fully known
The Tao is the net covering the entire Universe
It arrives without summoning
It accomplishes without planning
The Tao is both treasure and refuge
Seek and you will find

The Tao is the Mother of the Universe
Eternally Present
All beings come from and return to The Tao
Spontaneously Existing

Opposites are necessary
They compliment each other
The Path of Light appears dark
True Power appears weak
Great Wisdom seems childish

Simplicity, Patience, Compassion
Return to Self and accord with Being

This is how we Reconcile the Whole World 🌍

Here is the beginning of the simplified version of Tao Te Ching. The Way of Nature and how Human Existence arises from it, returns to it, and can be harmonized with.

As much as I am a writer and could go on and on with the metaphors and explanations, I’m going to do my best to write a simple and concise explanation.

tl;dr

you can't understand The Tao
but we are going to talk about it anyways


Simplicity

The simplest pattern is the clearest
Be Content with ordinary life and you become one with the Universe
This is your true Nature
Do what you enjoy, Be completely present
Express yourself, Trust your natural responses

There is a time for All feelings
The Universe is forever out of control
Accept this and you accept Self
Be truly Whole

The Tao is water
Giving life without trying
Content in low places
Always present
Available for all actions

Let all things come and go
The gentlest will overcome the hardest
Mastery is gained by allowing
The Tao is our well, use it and it will never dry

Become One with The Tao by not clinging to Ideas
Presuming to know is a disease
Heal Self of all knowing
Untie your knots, soften your glare, settle the dust
This is primal identity
In knowledge things are added
With Tao practice things are dropped

What people focus on is the essence they lack
The higher the ideals, the lower the result
Without disappointment, your soul doesn't grow old
Compete with no one and no one can compete with you

tl;dr

what happens is beyond our control
respond and feel as you need to

Patience

The Tao was never born and will never die
When you approach The Tao there is no beginning
Follow it, there is no end
The Tao births, but does not create
Nourishes, but does not hold on to
It can't be known, but you can Be in Universal Harmony, even amidst great pain

Do you have patience for the mud to settle and your water to clear?
Remain calm at the beginning and the end
Trying to control the future will harm you
All things change, so don't hold on too tightly
Accomplish the great task by a series of small acts

Success or failure, which is more destructive?
A ladder is still dangerous whether you are going up or down
Let go of fixed plans and concepts
By not seeking or expecting you are completely present
Have peace in your heart🩷

Compassion

The Tao births good & evil, saints & sinners
The Tao takes excess and gives to the deficient
The Tao is a bow, bending both up and down to achieve balance
View each part with compassion to understand the Whole

Be shaped by The Tao, rugged and common as a stone
Keep sharpening your knife and it will dull
Care about others approval and you become their prisoner

Putting too much faith in the few makes the many powerless
When we lose trust in our Self, we turn to authority
When we lose awe in the mundane, we turn to religion
Fulfill your obligations, correct your mistakes
Do what you need to and demand nothing of others

Trust people; Leave them Be
Love people; Lead them without dominating
Observe the world, but trust your inner vision
Love the world and its inhabitants as yourself
Keep your heart as open as the sky

Hold nothing back from life
Flow from the core of your being
Compete only in the spirit of Play

Look inside your heart
The newly born are tender, pliant, soft, yielding, supple
The dead are hard, stiff, brittle, inflexible
Water is soft and yielding, but dissolves the hard and inflexible

True words aren't always eloquent
Truth is paradoxical
The wise have no point to prove
Be nourished without force
Lead without imposing.