Taoism and Lao Tzu
I’ve been asked about this idea of the “Sage that embraces simplicity”, and what that means. This connection to the Tao becomes clear in the next chapter or verse, where the opening line of the Ma-wang-tui text says,
“The Way is that toward which all things flow.”
It’s a reminder of what can be seen as a sanctuary, something valued by good men—and, I’d add, women.
It’s what protects and supports even those who are not good. At its core, Taoism has always embraced the need for a sanctuary while living a life that harmonizes with it. For me, it’s what it means to be a Master Gardener.
Early on, there was a belief that practicing alchemy—using formulas and ingredients to create what was called an “external pill”—was the way forward.
That we need a symbolic reality that provides us with a way to make sense of the world without reducing it to morality or ideology. To something that activates and nurtures the spirit within us. To something almost all indigenous peoples look to as their traditional cultures.
It is what reminds us that we are a part of something much bigger than ourselves that gives us the feeling of being connected. A big part of this is remembering what we have forgotten that contributes to our own eternal presence.
Efforts toward immortality came to focus instead of alchemy to calming the mind, steadying the breath, and reducing desire. This included turning to ethics and practicing both internal and external physical techniques, all paired with the right mental attitude to be effective in extending or prolonging life.
This idea of simplifying our lives and creating a sanctuary from where we could cultivate our highest self becomes the Way of the Tao as it manifests through us.
What Lao Tzu tells us is that beautiful words can be bought and sold and that honored deeds can be presented to others as gifts. That we should not abandon people when they are bad.
To what it means to look beyond words, images, and implied meaning. So that when emperors are enthroned or ministers installed, they don’t sit above or rival the one who sits and offers up the Way of Virtue, the Tao.
What the ancients taught was it would be the sage who through inner simplicity would seek the value of what was to become the Tao. What must first manifest from within oneself that would tell the story of his sanctuary that would become the portal to the universe and his eternal spirit.
Even though someone may have earlier committed offenses, or regarded by others as being no good, he too can seek and attain goodness. As the ancients would remind us that “The Tao doesn’t leave people; people leave the Tao”.
Verse 62 – Cultivating humanity through simplicity.
Remaining at the lowest point of mediation where everything else comes to meet. As if the confluence, or gathering point, of great rivers that all come together to create a united front or way.
Acting as if this great river of life sustaining water irrigates your life and your garden. Remaining humble, as if the needs of others are shared and understood by all as each becomes nourished through your enlightenment.
Standing alone each is like a turnip found in the garden of the sage. Picked while still small they are tender and sharp, if allowed to get to large, the turnip becomes tough and bitter.
Like the gardener, the sage cultivates humanity as if picking the turnips while they are small, thereby saving him much misunderstanding in the end.
The sage becoming simply a watershed making people content with the way they are. Showing the way, he attains the highest by remaining the lowest. By uniting and leading others, he succeeds by joining and serving others.
In the truest sense he is cultivating humanity simply by tending his garden as he tends to all around him.
62. 培养和
立足于万物前来汇合斡旋之最低处，此处如同大河合流成为一体的地方…
就像生命之河灌溉你的生活和花园一样劳作，保持谦恭，如同众人分担和理解他人之需。你的启迪教育着每一个人。
孤身独立，每个人就像圣人花园里的一根萝卜。在萝卜仍然幼小，柔嫩和辛辣之时就应该收获。如果等到萝卜长得太大，就会变硬和苦涩。圣人培养和谐如同园丁收获小萝卜，最后避免了很多的误解。
圣人成了集雨区，使人民得到该得到的满足。圣人展示道，保持低调，从而获得最高的成就。通过团结和引导众人，圣人与众人打成一片，提供服务，从而取得成功。
用最真实的语言来表达的话，那就是圣人培养和谐，就像他爱护他的花园和身边的人一样。
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