THE

Secret Tao
 THE

Secret Tao
Uncovering the hidden history AND MEANING OF lao tzu

With an updated translation of the Tao Te Ching

D. W. Kreger
Windham Everitt

 Copyright © 2011 by D. W. Kreger, Ph.D.
Original English Translation: Copyright © 1999 by D. W. Kreger, Ph.D.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or
any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission from the
author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review or article.

First Edition 2011

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kreger, D. W.
The secret Tao : uncovering the hidden history and
meaning of Lao Tzu : with an updated translation of the
Tao te ching / D.W. Kreger. -- 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
LCCN 2011936898
ISBN-13: 978-0-9833099-0-1
ISBN-10: 0-9833099-0-6
1. Taoism. I. Laozi. Dao de jing. English.
II. Title.
BL1920.K74 2011 299.5’14
QBI11-600164

Windham Everitt Publishing Company

P. O. Box 901330, Palmdale, CA 93590
www.windhameveritt.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Illustration & Photography by D. W. Kreger

Printed in the United States of America

 For my mother,
Dorothy Christina Knopp Kreger
1922-1975

And special thanks to my patron and friend, Rob,

in whose house in Berkeley, amid piles of old nautical equipment, antiques and
books, I found the peace and tranquility needed to complete the first draft of this
translation.
 Contents
Preface ix
Part I: Deconstructing the Tao 1
Chapter 1 The Legend of Lao Tzu 2
Chapter 2 Discovering the ‘Ancients’ 8
Chapter 3 The Yang Shao Culture of Ancient China 18
Chapter 4 The Tao Te Ching as History 25
Chapter 5 The Deconstructed Tao 34
Part II: The Tao of Social Ecology 47
Chapter 6 Love, Ecology, and Not Trying to be the World’s Best 48
Chapter 7 Anarchism: When the Way is Lost, Justice Appears 55
Chapter 8 Pacifism: I Will Not Be The Aggressor 60
Chapter 9 Moral Ecology: When The Way Is Lost, Virtue Appears 65
Part III: The Esoteric Tao 73
Chapter 10 No Transcendence, No Paradox 74
Chapter 11 The Secret Tao: The Hidden Metaphysics of the Ancients 79
Chapter 12 Tao: The Way of Virtue 92
Chapter 13 Te: The Virtue of the Way 102
Chapter 14 Being and Non-Being: Shamanic Existentialism 110
Chapter 15 The Creation of the Universe is Now 118
Part IV: Tao Te Ching, By Lao Tzu
Book I: TAO 125
Book II: TE 201
Appendix: Exploring the New English Translation 291
Notes 297
References and Suggested Reading 306
 The Secret Tao

viii
 Preface
I have read Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu for more than
20 years in many different translations. My spiritual
interests collided with my scientific curiosity when
I noticed significant differences between various
translations of the Tao Te Ching. I began researching
the original Chinese characters to try to understand
how different translations could vary so much. My
quest for the true meaning of Lao Tzu led me to re-
examine the nature and meaning of Taoism itself. In
the course of working on this translation, I began to
see things that I had never seen before, wonderful,
obscure, small things.
This book is meant to be neither a scholarly
thesis on Taoism nor the definitive translation of the
Tao Te Ching. Rather, it is my intention to provide the
reader with some new perspectives on the history and
meaning of this ancient belief system. I also provide
the reader with a completely new type of translation,
which hopefully captures more of what I think is the
very essence of Lao Tzu.
The Interpretation
Translating Lao Tzu for me meant taking a stand on
issues such as who was Lao Tzu. Did he really write the
Tao Te Ching? And, who were the ancients of whom
he spoke?
The inspiration for my interpretation of
the Tao Te Ching came to me while studying the
anthropology of the late Neolithic and early Bronze
Age. I was especially intrigued by the work of Dr.
Marija Gimbutas on the cultures of that period. She
suggested that the older, Neolithic cultures were
ix
 The Secret Tao
not patriarchal, but were predominantly goddess
worshipping matriarchies, led by women and with
more of a female focused society. It was only later
that many cultures become more male-dominated as
civilization developed.
One day, while sitting next to a creek in the
woods, it occurred to me that perhaps the cultural
changes of the late Neolithic and early Bronze age, that
Dr. Gimbutas noted in Anatolia and all across Europe,
might mirror changes that took place in China prior
to the Shang Civilization. Subsequent research on
the topic confirmed my suspicions. A similar kind
of transition had in fact taken place at the end of the
Neolithic and the beginning of the Bronze Age in Asia.
Suddenly, I saw a whole new interpretation
of the Tao present itself. The philosophy of Lao Tzu
is ardently anti-civilization, and curiously pro-female.
This had always been puzzling to me. Now, it all
started to make sense.
Perhaps the most intriguing mystery for me
had been the issue of the “ancient ones”. Whoever
they were, they supposedly existed before the first
Dynasty, which would mean the Late Neolithic or
early Bronze Age period. We have little else to go
on, except that they lived as one with Nature and,
according to Chuang Tzu, “they cared more for their
x
mothers than for their fathers.” This too now made
more sense.
Suppose the ancient ones were the pre-
civilization peoples of late Neolithic China, and they
practiced a form of pagan goddess worship. And,
we know that this was eventually over-turned by
the feudal war lords at the beginning of the Shang
Dynasty. When you reconcile this cultural perspective
with the text of the Tao Te Ching, the corresponding
fit of the two is uncanny! This perspective opened up
a whole new interpretation of the Tao, and clearly
illuminated aspects of the Tao Te Ching which had
previously puzzled scholars for ages. The themes of the
Tao are different from what we know of the Chinese
culture, because the Tao is not from the Chinese
civilization as we know it, it is a rebellion against it.
The Translation
This book contains an experiment in the art of
translation. I have tried to do something with my
translation that no one has done before. I actually
created two translations, a literal translation and a
figurative translation, and I present them side by side
with each other. This solution came to me after years
of struggling with the challenges of translating ancient
Chinese into modern English. My goal was to show
 Introduction
readers exactly what was written in Chinese, but that’s
not as easy as you might expect.
One problem with translating the Tao
Te Ching has always been the issue of translating
enigmatic Chinese poems into grammatically correct
English sentences. I believe that translating these
ancient poems into perfect linear English sentences
often looses a great deal in the translation. For this
book, I first developed a literal English translation that
I hoped would give the reader some idea of what it is
like to read the original Chinese characters, which are
both puzzling and profound. These writings are very
much enigmatic, even in Chinese. The Chinese often
call Lao Tzu “The Book of Riddles”. Certainly any
English translation that seems fully self-explanatory
is probably losing or adding something in the
translation.
Ask yourself, how would the Chinese translate
Hickory dickory doc, the mouse ran up the clock, into
proper Chinese? What character in Chinese would
correspond to the word dickory? Suppose they
translate it as: the mouse named Doc was scurrying
around on a piece of hickory wood one day, when
he suddenly ran up onto a clock. That may be more
intelligible for Chinese readers, but does it do justice
to the original English verse? Well, this is the problem
of translating the short, puzzling poems of Lao Tzu.
The original Chinese consists of short catchy verses,
the kind that could easily be sung or chanted.
In the literal translation of the Tao Te Ching,
I tried to preserve the enigmatic and poetic quality
of the original Chinese text, sometimes leaving open
multiple possible interpretations. I purposely did not
try to translate the verses into proper English. I think
my translation reads very much like it might sound
to hear an elderly Chinese grandparent speaking
enigmatic wisdom in broken English. Even though
they may seem like riddles, the more you ponder them
the more you see.
The figurative English translation, which I call
the “Interpretation”, is more like other translations
available. It is written out in long and proper English
sentences. I had one advantage though; because
the literal translation is right next to it, I felt freer
to write what I thought the author meant, without
feeling constrained by the style or structure of the
original. The result was a figurative translation, which
I hope really conveys the sentiment of the original
better than other translations available. The figurative
translation also utilizes my research into the history
and archaeology of the people of China, and my own
beliefs as to what the original text meant.
xi
 The Secret Tao

Trilogy on the Tao different reasons over the years. I only hope that in my
translation I have approximated some of the brilliance
My analysis of the Tao Te Ching is written in three
and artistry exhibited by these other fine scholars.
parts. I didn’t really plan it this way originally, but it
seems fitting. The three sections neatly correspond D. W. Kreger
to a continuum from objective analysis to subjective December, 2010
experience. 1) The first section is the archaeology
and history of the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu, and the
people of that region. As such, this section is the
most objective and dispassionate. It’s basically just the
facts, with some logical inferences and speculations
based on the facts. 2) The second section is an analysis
and interpretation of the verses themselves, using
our knowledge of history and archaeology to help us
understand what they mean. This is still rooted in the
evidence laid out in section one, but any interpretation
is by definition a more subjective process. 3) The third
and final section is the most subjective of all. This is
my own perspective on what the Tao is, and what it
means for me personally and spiritually.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge all of the
excellent and varied English translations that I studied
and learned from in preparing this work. Out of all
the translations I’ve read, there are four translations
that I especially like: Gia-Fu Feng, Man Jan Cheng
& Tam C. Gibbs, D. C. Lao, and Robert Henricks.
Each of them has been an inspiration to me for

xii
 Part I

Deconstructing the Tao

In order to understand Lao Tzu, first it would help to answer questions such as
who was Lao Tzu? Did he really write the Tao Te Ching? If he didn’t, who did
and why? Unfortunatley, we know very little about the origins of this ancient
book. All we can do is to explore the history and archaeology of ancient China,
and to look for clues that may help explain the origin of the mysterious Taoist
beliefs. The true meaning of Lao Tzu will be found by deconstructing the Tao.

1
 The Secret Tao

man we call Lao Tzu. The only reason why we know as

Chapter 1 much as we do about Lao Tzu is probably because of
The Legend of Lao Tzu his well known protégé, Confucius.
No one is sure exactly who Lao Tzu was or
where he came from. Scholars still argue about his
According to legend, thousands of years ago, before
identity. The name Lao Tzu is really just a nickname,
Alexander the Great, before Julius Caesar, before
meaning old boy, or old philosopher. Reportedly,
Socrates, Buddha, or Jesus, there lived a great
Lao Tzu was a man named Lao Tan who lived
philosopher known in the ancient world as Lao Tzu.
approximately from 604 to 531 BC. But, it has also
A very important person at the time, it is believed that
been suggested that Lao Tzu was another man named
Lao Tzu was advisor to the Emperor, royal librarian,
Li Erh. No one can be certain, though. There are no
and elder teacher of the young philosopher, Confucius.
records that survived, except for his book and reports
As the legend goes, one day when Lao Tzu
of meetings that he had with the famous philosopher,
was old and disillusioned with civilization, he left the
Confucius.
confines of the Zhou Dynasty, where he lived and
It is widely believed that this person, Lao Tzu,
worked. Wanting only solitude in nature, he went off
was the royal librarian of the Zhou Dynasty which was
into the Chungnan Mountains toward Tibet. As he
one of the greatest and oldest of Chinese Dynasties,
was leaving the West Gate of the Empire, an officer on
lasting 900 years, from 1122 to 221 BC. We know that
duty there begged him to create a book of his wisdom
he lived during the lifetime of Confucius (551-479 BC),
before he left. In response to this request, he produced
and that Lao Tzu was much older than Confucius.
two volumes, one labeled Tao, the other labeled Te,
We know this because it is written that the young
and then he disappeared into the mountains.
Confucius went to the great Zhou library to study
His two-volume book, the Tao Te Ching,
philosophy under the tutelage of Lao Tzu.
laid a foundation that was built upon by philosophers
When Confucius went to the Royal Library at
in Asia for the next two millennia. He was to the
the capital of Zhou, he was a young scholar interested
East what Socrates and Plato were to the West.
in learning all he could from Lao Tzu and the great
Unfortunately, we actually know very little about the

2
 Part I: Deconstructing the Tao
library. We don’t know exactly what happened at his
initial visit, but it is recorded that Lao Tzu was critical
of the young Confucius. Lao Tzu chastised him for
his preoccupation with knowledge, humanism, and
justice. This must have been puzzling to the young
Confucius, eager to learn all he could of these things.
Lao Tzu told the young Confucius that the writings in
the library were like footprints, and that one should
not mistake the print for the foot.
As the royal librarian of a Dynasty that lasted
for 900 years, Lao Tzu would have had at his disposal
many hundreds of years worth of knowledge from
the Zhou Dynasty alone. The library may also have
contained works from most if not all of the Shang
Dynasty, which preceded it for another 600 years.
Perhaps even greater than the famous ancient library of
Alexandria, the library of Lao Tzu may have contained
as much as 1500 years worth of knowledge. This made
him in charge of one of the oldest libraries in the
ancient world.
The Library of the Zhou Dynasty was
probably more like a museum than a modern library.
It likely consisted of scriptures and scrolls to be sure,
but it probably also contained relics with inscriptions
on bone and jade. These may have spanned the entire
history of their civilization. Some items might well
date back to the early Bronze Age and before. Exactly
all that was contained in the library we may never
know since it was eventually destroyed in the siege of
the Zhou capitol. But, the one legacy of Lao Tzu that
has been preserved and passed down to us today was
his book, the Tao Te Ching. Originally written Te Tao
Ching, the title roughly means Passages on The Way of
Virtue.1
The legend only says that the book was
passed down from this philosopher known as Lao
Tzu, approximately in the 6th century BC, but it is
not clear whether or not he personally wrote it. It
may have been an original work, or it might have
been a collection of verses from different authors, or a
combination of both.
Most experts agree there was probably no
single author that wrote all of the 81 separate passages
and poems of Tao Te Ching. One reason is that the
different poems contain a variety of different writing
styles. Also, some poems mean basically the same as
others but they are written in slightly different ways,
as though different authors were giving their version
of a common theme. To make it even more confusing,
the oldest versions were not broken into numbered
passages, but rather they were written as one long 5000
word tome. The passages, assembled in two volumes,
3
 The Secret Tao
appear to be grouped in some vague order. There are
a few poems about warfare clumped together, and
then there are a few passages about desire and greed
clumped together, and so on. It makes sense that
Lao Tzu, being a librarian, would edit a collection of
ancient wisdom from all the thousands of scrolls and
artifacts in the library. So, the Tao Te Ching could well
have been an anthology on the Way of Virtue, written
by a variety of authors, and could have dated back
hundreds and maybe even thousands of years prior to
the life of Lao Tzu.
If this scenario is true, and Lao Tzu
transcribed these verses from an ancient collection
of scrolls and relics, in the vast, dusty vaults of the
Zhou library, then it is anybody’s guess when or who
might have first written them down. Some of these
texts may have been known and passed down through
oral tradition long before being written down. Some
may have been written in early pictographs and then
translated into Chinese characters by Lao Tzu. Some of
the rhyming verses may have been passed down in the
form of songs from ancient times, possibly from as far
back as the late Neolithic, before the advent of written
language. Some of them might have been created in
the form of shamanic chants, which were then written
down on sacred relics and then stored in the library for
4
hundreds of years, until Lao Tzu found them. This fits
with the short rhyming style of many of the verses.
Knowing exactly when these verses were
first conceived is important. There have been over 70
English translations of the Tao Te Ching, and each is
slightly different from the others. The verses are very
enigmatic and it’s hard to be certain of their meaning.
By knowing who wrote these passages and when, we
get a clue as to their true meaning.
For instance, what kind of culture did these
people have? What conflicts did they face? There
are certain themes repeated over and over again in
these passages. Why were these themes so important?
Often, it appears that the verses are just riddles. What
were they trying to say, and why were they written so
cryptically?
Even though the Tao Te Ching might have
been a collection of works that spanned hundreds of
years by various different authors, the book clearly
does represent a single, over-arching theme. The
verses primarily deal with the Tao, which in Chinese
means a path or way. According to Lao Tzu’s text, this
philosophy of the Way was considered vastly ancient.
Lao Tzu stated that the ancients who practiced the
Tao predated the Emperors. If taken literally, this
would mean that the philosophy of Taoism was known
 Part I: Deconstructing the Tao
and practiced in the Stone Age, what we call the late
Neolithic period, more than 4000 years ago.
According to legend, the first to discover the
Way was the first Emperor of China, the fabled Yellow
Emperor, Huang Di. The Yellow Emperor met one
of these ancient Taoists in the Chungnan Mountains,
nearly 5000 years ago. The Emperor asked for the
secret to immortality. The Taoist told him:
”If you want to live forever, don’t exhaust
your body or it’s vitality. Your eyes should
see nothing. Your ears should hear
nothing. Your mind should know nothing.
Let your spirit take care of your body, and
your body will last forever. Concentrate on
the inside. Ignore the outside. Knowledge
will only harm you.” always used to try to understand the Taoist riddles of
-Chuang Tzu
The problem with this story is the problem
with understanding Taoism in general. This story was
actually written well over a hundred years after the
death of Lao Tzu, by a writer named Chuang Tzu. His
writing contains some themes that are similar to Lao
Tzu, and some that are different. And, this is the real
problem in understanding the Tao of Lao Tzu. Most
of the books and stories that we use to understand
the philosophy of the ancients were written hundreds
and even thousands of years later, by people living in a
different cultural climate, with a different zeitgeist, and
a different collection of concerns and attitudes. So how
do we know that they correctly interpreted the original
meaning?
If Lao Tzu was right, and the ancients of
whom he spoke lived before the first Dynasty, then
they must have had a very different perspective on
life. The meaning of the verses might be very different
than previously thought. After all, the mind-set of
someone singing a shamanic chant in a Neolithic
village 5000 years ago is probably not the same mind-
set of an urban priest living in the 6th Century AD.
Unfortunately, it is these later writings that we have
Lao Tzu.
Many people don’t realize that it was over 600
years after the death of Lao Tzu before the very first
Taoist religion was established in China, in the first
century AD. Prior to that, Taoism was something only
associated with the ancients. Then, for the last 2000
years, Lao Tzu’s writing has been interpreted in light
of this new Taoist religion. In other words, Taoism is
a 2000 year old religion, created by people in order to
5
 The Secret Tao

live like their ancient ancestors, who lived thousands of ancient Taoists were as ancient to Lao Tzu, as he is to
years before them. us! We study a philosopher who lived 2500 years ago,
Did you ever play a game called gossip? It’s a and he wrote of ancients who lived as much as 2500
common kid’s game, also called telephone. The idea is years before him. So, this one book represents a thread
that you get a circle of friends. One person whispers of thought that dates back more than 5000 years. Who
a secret to the person sitting next to them, then that knows what form or meaning the Tao held for the
person whispers the secret to the person sitting on the ancients who practiced it?
other side of them, and so on, around the room, until
everyone has heard the secret. By the time the secret Deconstructing the Tao
gets around the room it has completely changed, often
The purpose of this book is to provide an alternative
in comical ways. That’s what’s so fun about the game
approach to understanding the Tao of Lao Tzu.
is seeing just how mutilated and mutated a single
Perhaps we can deconstruct this Tao of the ancients by
message can get when it is reproduced six to ten times;
looking at the history and archaeology of the actual
each generation looses something. Well, that’s one way
ancient people who lived before the Bronze Age. Then,
of looking at the history of Taoism. Each generation
we can look for connections between what we know
has interpreted and reinterpreted the Tao, based on the
about the ancient peoples of prehistory and what Lao
scholarly wisdom of the previous generations, over and
Tzu said about the mythical “ancients” of the Tao. If
over again, for hundreds of generations.
we do find a connection, then it proves that Lao Tzu’s
If Taoism is a social construct that evolved
verses were, in fact, based upon some actual ancient
over time, then it’s very difficult for us to know about
beliefs, as he said they were. This may also help us to
the Tao of the ancients2. Obscured by thousands
better understand the cultural context that existed
of years, and thousands of books written by people
when the Tao was first conceived. And, this may tell
immersed in the mindset of their own age, the
us how the idea of the Tao evolved over time up to the
original meaning of the Tao Te Ching is separated
6th Century BC, when Lao Tzu wrote his book.
from us by thousands of years of culture that colors
Archaeologists know a good deal about the
our perceptions, thoughts, and ideas. Just think, the
people of the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age.

6
 Part I: Deconstructing the Tao

There are many archaeological sites and artifacts from

that period, which have been exhaustively studied. We
know about their settlements, their art, their pottery,
their burials, and their buildings, but we know very
little about their religious or spiritual beliefs. So,
looking for a connection to the philosophy of Lao
Tzu’s “ancients” is a bit of a long shot since we don’t
know much about the philosophy of the actual ancient
people of prehistory. But, if we are successful, the
reward is nothing less than a significant step forward
in the study of both early Taoism and Neolithic
shamanism. The text of Lao Tzu may be the missing
link, if you will, between the social construct of
Taoism as it has evolved over time, and it’s origins in
the people of prehistory.

7
 The Secret Tao
Chapter 2
Discovering the ‘Ancients’ Late one day, a shepherd is running with a group of
What do we actually know about the ancients? That
depends. This deconstruction of Taoism may benefit
those studying archaeology more than those studying
Taoism. If we can make a connection between the
writings of Lao Tzu and the ancient people of China of
whom he wrote, then we would be able to gain fresh
new insights into the lives of Neolithic people. We can
see more than just what they wore or what they ate. We
can see into their beliefs, almost into their minds. We
might also get a glimpse of the pressing concerns and
debated issues of that time. Perhaps the verses preserved
by Lao Tzu can give us a more insightful narrative of
the end of the Stone Age and the beginning of the
Bronze Age, from the perspective of those who lived it.
Before we can appreciate the teachings of Lao
Tzu as a possible late Neolithic belief system, we first
need to establish what we already know about the
people of that time. We need to orient ourselves to
what life was probably like in the late Neolithic period.
We need to discover some basic facts about Stone Age
people, and debunk some common myths about them
and their beliefs as well. So, lets go back in time. Back
to about 5000 years ago.
8
The Iceman Cometh
villagers high into the Alps, on the border between what
is now Austria and Italy. It’s a cold day and a storm looks
like it’s approaching. The shepherd is wounded. His
forehead is bleeding and he’s clutching his shoulder in
pain. It is dangerous to be so high in the Alps this time
of year, but they are frantically escaping danger. They
are fleeing a warlike tribe of invaders who burned their
village. The shepherds and farmers are no match for the
foreign-looking warriors, but they fought valiantly as
best they could. The shepherd pulls off his pack, and he
huddles under his cloak for warmth. His comrades try
unsuccessfully to remove the arrowhead from his shoulder.
The shepherd tries to fashion a new bow and arrows from
wood collected along the way. Aware that he is slowing
them down, he urges his friends to continue without him.
They eventually agree. He closes his eyes for just a little
rest, and slowly the storm moves in, as the temperature
drops.
The above scenario, or something very much like
it, happened one day about five thousand, three hundred
years ago. One of the best anthropological finds that we
have of the Neolithic period was discovered in 1991, when
a Neolithic sheep herder was found frozen under the top
of a glacier near Innsbruck, Austria. With that discovery,
 Part I: Deconstructing the Tao
modern anthropology was turned on its head.
Many of the assumptions that experts had
made about these people were wrong. Judging by the
ax that he carried, they assumed him to be from the
Bronze Age, 2000 BC. It turned out that carbon dating
revealed him to be from the late Neolithic period,
approximately 3300 BC. This man was a contemporary
of the ancient Neolithic ancestors of Lao Tzu. Never
before had a person been so well preserved from so
far back in time, literally frozen in a block of ice for
thousands of years. And, he had with him all the pieces
of equipment of daily life, not just the things you
find placed in burial tombs, or abandoned in rubbish
heaps.
The Neolithic iceman was wearing finely
made leather clothing, with a fur hat, sturdy shoes,
fish net socks, and a waterproof straw shawl as a
raincoat. He had well made implements, with a flint
knife, and an ax made with a finely crafted copper
head. He used three feathers to stabilize the end of his
arrows, a concept not improved upon in 5300 years of
aerodynamics. He also had a frame pack, with extra
tools and materials for mending his equipment and
various medicinal items, such as dried mushrooms
kept on a string, which are known by indigenous
people to have antibiotic properties. There was also
evidence of domesticated wheat (einkorn), berries, and
other features of a diet not unlike ours today.
What does this person from the Neolithic
tell us about the people of that time? More than
anything else, it breaks the myth that Stone Age
people were ignorant savages. It tears apart the idea
that these people were somehow less complex or had
a less intricate society simply because they didn’t have
more complex technology or live in huge cities made
of stone. As cultural anthropologists know today
from studying indigenous peoples around the planet,
technology and stone monuments are not a fair way
to judge the sophistication of a society or their belief
systems. The idea that technological advancement
necessarily implies cultural progress is seen as a myth,
now more than ever.
The iceman from the Alps had dozens
of tattoos on his body, almost all of which were
unintelligible to us today. Some of them look like a
variation on the I Ching, with a series of lines clumped
into groups of three parallel lines. Some we simply
don’t understand, such as a cross on the knees and
other marks on the ankles and other parts of the body.
It is assumed that these may have had a medicinal
meaning. Tattoos have been used by tribal shamans as
part of healing rituals. This man may have had some
9
 The Secret Tao
arthritis in his joints. The tattoos are concentrated on
his joints and on his lower back. In spite of a touch of
arthritis, he was in his late forties climbing to the very
top of the Alps, and he also had almost all his teeth.
Clearly the medicine and health management systems
of the Neolithic were working for him. It appears that
his downfall may have been a blow to the head or
hypothermia, or perhaps a combination of both.
Another interesting feature is the number of
different types of wood he used. The iceman had many
different tools and devices made of wood, including
the frame for his pack. In all, he had 17 different types
of wood. And, it did not appear haphazard which
types of wood he used for which purpose. The woods
used for arrows were tough but pliable, and would not
easily break in the quiver or upon entering the tough
hide of a prey. The wood of the pack was tough, pliable
and lightweight, not unlike the rods we use in tents
and backpacks today. Hardwood was used for the ax
and knife handles. The iceman clearly had knowledge
of nature that approximates the refinement of modern
technology, except that it was all natural. He learned
how to use the refined technology provided for him in
nature.
When combined, the iceman of the Alps
together with the Taoism of Lao Tzu, they give us
10
some idea of the potential complexity and richness of
Neolithic culture. It provides tantalizing clues as to
the depth and breadth of their cultural knowledge and
resources. It appears clear that, like many indigenous
people today, many Neolithic people probably had
well developed systems of medicine, philosophy, and
religion, as well as elegant and effective technologies,
utilizing nature much more so than we do today. The
biggest failing of these people, with regard to their
legacy in history, is that everything they used, except
for their pottery and stone tools, were biodegradable.
So, other than finding a man and all his possessions
frozen in ice for 5300 years, almost every trace of their
culture is gone.
If only we could have a more permanent
record of their culture, in the same way that writings,
buildings and artifacts of ancient Rome and Greece
still exist today, perhaps we might have a greater
appreciation for their society and culture. On the other
hand, the fact that these people lived for thousands of
years, and yet left little trace of their existence behind,
shows that they were following the Tao, according to
Lao Tzu. Their sustainability was an accomplishment
we may not be able to match today. Everything they
owned was recycled by the Earth and they had no
desire to conquer either time or the ephemeral nature
 Part I: Deconstructing the Tao

of life. Perhaps this was their greatest accomplishment.
Though from a different part of the globe
than that of Lao Tzu’s ancestors, the discovery of
the Ice Man of the Alps helps to set the stage for
understanding the people of that time. Unfortunately,
there are still many questions. For instance, who
attacked this man? He clearly did not look like a
warrior. What happened to him and his people? Who
was he running away from? Ironically, as mysterious
as this is, there are yet even stranger mysteries of the
Neolithic involving their religious beliefs.
were a worldwide phenomena. Neolithic goddesses
have been found all over Asia, Central China, and
Mongolia, with many excellent examples found in
Japan from the Neolithic Jomon Period. In Asia,
they have been found as far west as Pakistan, and
everywhere in between. Variations have been found
in the Indus Valley, throughout Asia Minor, all over
Europe, and in certain forms even in the Americas.

The Venus Factor

For decades archaeologists have discovered a curious

thing about sites that date back to the Neolithic Age.
All over the world, just prior to the Bronze Age, we
discover little figurines of females, often referred to as
fertility charms or “Venus figures” after the ancient
goddess of love. These tiny dusty clay forms are
exclusively of women. They are almost always naked,
sometimes pregnant, sometimes in the act of giving
birth, and frequently display a sense of power.
These goddess figures have been found all over
the world, and date back to over 20,000 years ago.
The most well researched goddess figures have been in Above is the Goddess of Willendorf (24,000BC). Below are
Europe and the Middle East, but the goddess figures examples from the Jomon period in Japan.

11
 The Secret Tao
Various goddess figures from the Mediterranean and Anatolia.
Some of the most interesting figurines have
been found in ancient Anatolia, in the region of
modern day Turkey. Goddess figurines are frequently
found there with a small male on their lap or at
their side. These are strikingly similar to Christian
depictions of the Madonna and child, except that they
are thousands of years older. Often there are stone
carvings of the female genitalia as well. We’re not sure
12
what this means but it looks like our ancient ancestors
were in awe of women and their reproductive powers.
Then, at the beginning of the Bronze Age,
suddenly there were no more goddess figurines. There
were other changes as well. With the beginning of the
Bronze Age, weapons and technology became more
common. Bronze swords and axes are found where
there had been goddess figurines left before. What
happened? Did the new technology change their
beliefs somehow? Was it the wars that wiped away their
culture?
Some goddesses still remained here and there
among Bronze Age artifacts, but much less frequently.
The image of a goddess with a small male on her lap
survived to some extent in classical mythology. In the
Mediterranean, we know them as Venus and Cupid.
Then when Christianity developed, artists copied
the ancient images of Venus and Cupid in order to
depict the Madonna and child, and so this one ancient
goddess image remained relatively unchanged in
popular culture, up to the present day.
For many years, experts have tried to
understand the true meaning of those little figurines.
The prevailing theory was that patriarchal tribes
used them to insure that they had fertile females and
abundant crops. This may be at least partially correct,
but it may not be the whole story. Until the 1970’s,
 Part I: Deconstructing the Tao
the supremacy of men and patriarchal tribes was never
questioned, and the subordinate role of women in
society was never doubted. It was always just assumed
that the male was dominant in their culture and their
beliefs. That was before feminist archaeology.
In the last 40 years there was something of a
revolution in the archaeology of Neolithic and Bronze
Age Europe, pioneered by Lithuanian-American
archaeologist Marija Gimbutas. She was a professor
of archaeology at UCLA from 1963 to 1989. In 1974
she published her landmark book The Goddesses and
Gods of Old Europe, and later she wrote other books
in which she combined linguistics and mythological
interpretation with archaeological evidence to form
a new perspective of Old Europe. She proposed that
Neolithic Europe was mostly goddess worshipping,
matriarchal and matrifocal, but that this changed
rapidly in the Bronze Age, giving way to a warlike,
male-dominated society. This helped to unlock the
meaning to previously puzzling and misunderstood
artifacts, which otherwise made little sense. Noted
mythologist Joseph Campbell compared the work of
Gimbutas to that of the Rosetta Stone in deciphering
the riddles of Neolithic culture.3
Nowadays, these figurines are commonly
recognized as symbols of goddess worship. Clearly,
these ancient cultures were obsessed with the female
reproductive powers. The practice of goddess worship
in the Stone Age was probably much more common
than previously thought. The same kind of goddess
worship that we see in some forms of paganism today
may have been the norm for most of the Neolithic era.
Like many indigenous cultures today, it seems clear
that Neolithic societies were probably matrilineal and
matrifocal, with property and possessions being passed
from mother to daughter. Although it is not without
some debate, the general theory means that there may
have been far more female tribal leaders and shaman
than earlier thought, and a greater role for women in
society as a whole. 4
One thing we are pretty sure of is that these
Neolithic female images carved in stone were likely
more than just fertility charms. In the late Neolithic,
it was probably symbolic of some kind of Earth
goddess, or Mother spirit, who gave birth to all things.
According to this belief, the goddess is our creator,
our Mother, and we were created in her image. The
little male, which is sometimes depicted as sitting
on her lap, is the first man; we might say Adam. The
image of the yoni (a female equivalent of a phallus)
was symbolic of the life-giving womb. This was the
foundation of their belief system. At the very least, we
know that symbols of the womb, goddess, and female,
were important for them, and central to their beliefs.
13
 The Secret Tao
The Chinese Neolithic Goddess: Nükua
In Central China, according to local mythology,
there was the Creator/Goddess known as Nükua
(pronounced Ny-kwa, or Ny-Wa), a winged serpent
or dragon goddess, who fashioned the first man out of
yellow clay in the Yellow River valley. There are many
ancient stories of her, and to this day she is a popular
goddess, seen in statues sold on the streets of China. In
addition to creating humanity, she is attributed with
repairing the wall separating Heaven and Earth, and
thus stopping the ancient flood (symbolic of repairing
the rift between yin and yang). She is also attributed
with the creation of the rainbow, reflecting the colors
of the supernatural rocks she used to patch the sky.
She is also connected to stories about how first colored
glazes in Chinese pottery were created. Ancient Nükua
figures have been found throughout Asia, and many
goddess sculptures have been unearthed in China that
date to around 5000 BC, the Neolithic period.
The Cultural Revolution of Prehistory
So, what happened to these Neolithic goddesses? Based
on the research of Marija Gimbutas, Riane Eisler,
and others, we know that in Europe hordes of warlike
Kurgan tribes swept down from the eastern steeps
14
and invaded Asia Minor and Southeast Europe at the
beginning of the Bronze Age. When this happened
they brought with them the philosophy, symbolism,
and kinship traditions of their patriarchal tribes. They
worshipped a vengeful male God of war, dominion,
and conquest, who lived in the sky. Men were
exclusively the tribal and family leaders. And, all men
were expected to be warriors. According to Roman
historians, in tribes such as the Amazons, even the
women were expected to be warriors.
It now appears that the introduction of
patriarchy was a kind of cultural revolution that
occurred at the dawning of the Bronze Age, and
this was the very beginning of recorded history. The
beginning of civilization as we know it, four to five
thousand years ago, is correlated with a gender shift
in human society at that exact same time. Perhaps
progress, technology, and the development of large
civilizations had a lot to do with a fundamental shift
in perception related to gender and gender roles in
society.
This reminds me of the old saying of how
pessimists see a glass half empty and optimists see it
half full. Well now think of two different cultures,
one worshipping the power of the life-giving womb
symbolized by a chalice or a bowl, and the other
 Part I: Deconstructing the Tao
worshipping the power of the phallus symbolized by
a sword or a club. Think of it. One society seeking to
conserve, cherish, and nurture. The other society was
seeking to build, expand, and make their mark on the
world. This must have marked a dramatic change in
the way they looked at the world.
Over a period of a few hundred years, societies
were transformed in their values, attitudes, and even
their perceptions. With patriarchal tribes came social
hierarchies. This marked a shift in human society from
what had been more of a communal social order, with
little signs of differences in status or power among
them. In the new social order, there was a pecking
order, and the top dog was allowed to impose their
will upon, and even abuse, subordinates. Strength
determined a person’s rank in the tribe. The tribe as
a whole took this same approach with other tribes
as well. So, stronger tribes invaded and dominated
weaker tribes, waging war for profit and growth.
This cultural revolution at the beginning
of the Bronze Age appears to have altered people’s
disposition on the whole, from a communal
partnership mentality to a hierarchy or dominator
mentality, from seeking union to seeking dominion.
This sets up a kind of dichotomy of beliefs, which
were in conflict at the beginning of the Bronze Age.
It was a clash of values, of harmony vs. competition,
acceptance vs. striving, and humility vs. pride.
Curiously, the above scenario highlights the
main themes of Lao Tzu. The Tao Te Ching warns us
not to dominate anyone or anything, to not even try to
dominate the outcome of a situation. Among his three
great treasures, Lao Tzu lists “not trying to be first”,
literally not trying to be number one. Rather, his verses
tell us to harmonize with everyone and everything.
He indicates that it is only in a partnership state of
consciousness, in harmony with Heaven and Earth
and all living things, that we can be happy and endure.
The alternative is to view other people, nations, and
even nature itself, as a potential enemy or simply as
resources to be exploited, and consumed. And, he says,
“This is not the Way.”
The Invention of Written Language
Recently, there has been another explanation for
this cultural revolution of the Bronze Age. It’s been
suggested that perhaps it was the development of a
written language, which lead to the downfall of the
goddess worship in prehistory.5 The idea is that the
beginning of the Bronze Age also marks the beginning
of formal written language. The old images and
mysterious religions of the Late Stone Age must
15
 The Secret Tao
have lost their value as the linear sequential logic of
linguistics shaped our modern consciousness.
Being literate makes the world more concrete.
It imposes order on your thoughts. It might even make
people think more logically, linearly, and sequentially.
We now know that the speech and language centers are
in the left hemisphere. The right hemisphere is more
creative and emotional. In short, the development of
written language might very well make people more
left-brain, and less right-brain. At the same time, it
might make the world a less dark and mysterious place,
with less vagueness and less wonder. Written language
itself may have been responsible for the disappearance
The image on the right shows a progression from crude pictograms
to early written characters (left to right). The inscription on the left
shows these characters being used as words or “names”.
16
of the Neolithic goddess cultures, by changing the way
people think and perceive the world around them.
As a neuropsychologist myself, I see the
logic of this argument. There are basic shifts in
consciousness that occur during the acquisition of
written language. But for me what is most interesting
is, again, the uncanny connection to the verses of Lao
Tzu, which refers to the dangerous proliferation of
“names” and of knowledge. Were the authors of the
Tao referring to Chinese characters when they warn
against the use of “names”? Were they warning against
the invention and spread of written language?
The verses of Lao Tzu warn that names and
knowledge are destructive to a sustainable way of life.
This view of written language reminds me of the way
many indigenous people today feel about photographs.
Many people in indigenous cultures believe that
a photograph steals the soul of the person being
photographed. The philosophy of Lao Tzu seems to
have a very similar idea about written words and book-
knowledge. Book-knowledge lacks soul compared to
insight and experience, and renders a world void of
depth or meaning. Names, as he calls them, categorizes
and labels things; thus we don’t really see something
for what it is, we merely see how it fits into our lexicon
of knowledge. In other words, once we create the tree
 Part I: Deconstructing the Tao
category, then a tree is a tree is a tree. But, without
that filter, each tree is a completely new and unique
experience.
This idea, that written language changed
human perception at the beginning of the Bronze
Age, fits like a puzzle piece in explaining both why the
goddess religions died out, and why the philosophy of
Lao Tzu may be so against the learning of names and
knowledge. As language became more wide spread,
their old beliefs were dying out. Chinese characters
themselves may have been partially responsible for the
end of their ancient religions. In the late Neolithic,
information was exclusively passed down in oral
tradition and song. Written language must have been
seen as a threat. It is ironic that it is only because these
verses were eventually written down that we are able to
discuss them today.
Summarizing the ‘Ancients’
We now know a good deal about the people of the
late Neolithic, especially in Europe. We know they
had dramatically different kinds of religious beliefs
than we do today, and that it was probably some form
of goddess worship. We also know that in Europe
there was some kind of cultural revolution at the
beginning of the Bronze Age, right at the same time
as the first written language was developed. We think
that this cultural change involved adopting patriarchal
traditions with social hierarchies. We know that this
period in history was accompanied by a combination
of increased warfare, and the development of a larger
and more complex civilization.
Could this research in Europe mirror a social
upheaval that occurred in Asia at approximately the
same time? If so, then that would make the verses of
Lao Tzu far less puzzling and mysterious. Lao Tzu said
that the Tao was practiced by those who lived before
the first Emperors, which would have been the late
Neolithic period. So, it’s not surprising that some of
these themes of the late Neolithic are the very same
themes that are echoed in the Tao Te Ching. In fact,
the more you look at the archaeology of the Neolithic,
the more the themes in Lao Tzu begin to make sense.
17
 The Secret Tao

Chapter 3 designs. Overall, the Yang-Shao artifacts reveal a

The Yang Shao Culture of Ancient China fundamentally different cultural ethos, which can only
be described as communal and feminine in nature.
During the late Neolithic Period, Asia was enjoying
a two thousand year period of peaceful agricultural Peaceful Pan-p’o-ts’un
settlement in the Yellow River Valley. From all One of the prime archaeological digs of the Yang-
accounts, the early Chinese were a peaceful agrarian Shao culture (4000 to 1700 BC) is at Pan-p’o-ts’un,
people with beautiful and elaborate arts and crafts. in the Shinsi province. Here one sees evidence of a
In China, the late Neolithic Age is referred to as the uniquely peaceful and egalitarian people. The village
Yang-Shao period. The Yang-Shao people flourished housed about 600 people in small houses. Using the
in central and coastal China during this time, mostly ancient art of Feng Shui, all the houses faced south.
in the river valleys. Following the Yang-Shao, the The individual family homes surrounded a large
Lungshan culture developed at the very end of the late round house, recessed one meter into the Earth, in
Neolithic and the beginning of the Bronze Age. the center of the village. The hierarchy of status and
With the Bronze Age came many new things, uneven distribution of wealth, seen later in the Shang
among them a written language and the very first Dynasty, did not exist at Pan-p’o-ts’un.
Dynasty of China. The first Dynasty was called the
Shang Dynasty, and it consisted of a hierarchical
system of feudal lords, ruling the emerging Chinese
civilization.
The Yang-Shao and Lungshan cultures were
very different from the Shang civilization. Neolithic
cultures, especially the Yang-Shao, had a different
pattern of settlements and a dramatically different look
to their arts and crafts work. Interestingly, some of the
Yang Shao pottery look similar to Native American
An artist’s recreation of buildings found at the Pan-P’o-Ts’un excavation.

18
 Part I: Deconstructing the Tao
According to anthropologist Robert Wenke,
we can learn a lot about the Pan-p’o-ts’un culture
by noting the “similarity of residential units and
their contents, the absence of any monumental
architecture or apparent intensive craft specialization,
and the uniform graves. It is likely that there was
little differential access to wealth, power, or prestige
in Pan-p’o-ts’un.”6 From what we can tell, this was an
egalitarian society, what we might call a communal or
partnership society.
From the archaeological record, the people
of the Yang-Shao culture appear as peaceful as they
were egalitarian. According to Dr. Wenke, “the almost
uniform absence of walls, fortresses, mass burials,
and weapons, suggests a peaceful era of low-level and
infrequent (hostile) contacts between villages.” Another
interesting feature that supports this is the proximity of
settlements to each other along the Yellow River Valley
and the apparent ease of movement between them.
To preserve the fertile topsoil, the ancient peoples
frequently moved their village for several years at a
time to let the fields lie fallow for several seasons before
returning. In spite of movement into neighboring
territories, there is no evidence that they were prepared
for or actively engaged in defensive measures to defend
against attacks or sieges from neighboring armies.
The people of Pan-p’o-ts’un, like all of the Yang-Shao
people of ancient China, appear to have lived in peace
with their neighbors.
Organic Forms and Female Motifs
Pottery found at excavations from this period have
a distinctive organic style and often incorporate
symbolism of the female.7 Both in the shape of the
pottery as well as in the painted decoration, there is
a design theme that seems to echo their Neolithic
cultural beliefs. The shape of the pottery is distinctly
rounded and often uses images of female anatomy
as a decorative motif. This is especially true in the
traditional three-legged pitcher, which continued to
evolve for thousands of years in Chinese culture. In the
Neolithic samples, the legs are often shaped somewhat
like a woman’s breast, with the feet being shaped
like nipples. Perhaps drinking nourishment from the
pitcher was symbolic of drinking from a mother’s
breast.
Cross-sections of Yang-Shao pottery, with the classic three-legged pitchers.
19
 The Secret Tao
Similar types of pottery, but with a high waist
and three large rounded hollow legs, have been found
as late as the Lungshan period (2000-1850 BC). These
look like a woman’s body with large hips and thighs.
These pitchers clearly evoke images of Neolithic
goddess figures. All of these vessels are uniquely
shaped in a rounded sensual motif compared to the
pottery of later periods.
The patterns that were painted on the pottery
are distinctly organic. Swirling patterns of organic
waves, whirlpools, growing vines, spirals, tendrils, and
flowing lines make the Yang-Shao pottery distinct
from later Chinese motifs and more reminiscent of
the Neolithic European civilizations that flourished at
the same time. And, some of the pottery designs from
this period appear as if they were early images of the
Taijitu, the famous Taoist symbol of yin and yang. The
theme appeared to be a celebration of both Nature and
harmony.
Classic Yang-Shao pottery, showing the distinctive swirling organic pattterns.
20
The organic, free flowing, rounded patterns,
and female symbolism of Yang-Shao pottery marks
a unique period in Chinese History. The Yang-Shao
people created beautiful and decorative pottery and
crafts, which represent a very different cultural motif
than that of the Bronze Age which followed.
In addition to these finds, there is evidence
of ancient maternal worship all over China. There are
ancient standing stones called bülbül (grandmothers)
found in Mongolia, and Mesolithic vulva carvings
found in the Ningxia province. In southwest China,
locals say the ancient carvings of vulvas at Shibaoshan
were worshipped on equal terms with God.
Civilization Emerges
All this changed around 1800 BC with the escalation
of Chinese civilization and what later became known
as the Shang Dynasty. Even in the Lungshan culture
(2000 to 1850 BC) in what is now eastern China,
the culture appeared to have changed
dramatically. It’s at this time that we begin to
see signs of beheading and scalping, previously
unseen in the Neolithic period. According
to Wenke, “Collectively, this evidence would
seem to argue a relatively intense level of
conflict.”
 Part I: Deconstructing the Tao

As civilization increased, warfare increased

and weapons production became an important part
of their culture. There was a dramatic increase in the
production of swords, daggers and weapons of every
kind. Arrowheads, spears, and clubs also begin to
appear frequently in the archaeological sites of the
early Bronze Age. The more frequent appearance of
weapons in the burial sites indicates an increase in the
amount of weaponry that people carried at that time.
It also indicates the importance that weaponry held in
the culture at the beginning of the Bronze Age. The
heart of the cultural ethos of China was changing.
The pottery that we find from the beginning
of the Bronze Age demonstrates the power of the
blade as an emerging symbol in their culture. The
blade seems to have replaced the life-giving breast
as a cultural motif in pottery, arts and crafts. The
classic three-legged pitcher with legs in the shape
of breasts began to be constructed with legs shaped
like three daggers. This could be partially due to the
technological differences between forming clay and
casting bronze, but the symbolism was extended to
other aspects of the culture as well. The painted and
carved decorative patterns on their pottery and bronze-
ware also changed and became much less organic and
Above are cross-sections of bronze artifacts typical of the Shang Dynasty.
became increasingly block-like and geometrical.
Below, we see a progression of the three-legged pitcher over time (bottom to top).

21
 The Secret Tao

From free-flowing organic patterns with
feminine motifs to blocky geometric patterns with
warlike motifs, the interesting thing about this change
in the pottery is that it resembles a shift in gender.
The pottery of the Yang-Shao people looked more
of what we today would call feminine. Contrast this
to the geometric and warlike designs of the Shang
civilization, which look distinctly masculine. These
masculine themes begin to dominate the look and
shape of the arts and crafts of the Bronze Age. The
archaeology speaks for itself. The cultural revolution
that occurred at this time was almost definitely related
to what looks like a gender shift in their culture.
It was at this time, during the early Shang
civilization (approximately 1850 BC), that written
language first developed. Things were identified and
categorized according to a pictographic lexicon. These
same pictographs, with a little stylization, became the
characters of the modern Chinese language.
Some of the early Bronze Age sword and knife
blades were carved with the very first early pictographs,
indicating the importance of writing in this emerging
civilization. Some of the oldest of these blades were
carved out of human bones. This indicates a curious
link found between ancestral worship, or possibly
human killings, and the very first written language.
The Asian people were forming a new cultural
foundation. In contrast to the peaceful Yang Shao, the
theme of the Bronze Age seemed to be about conquest
and aggression, facilitated through written knowledge
and technological progress in weapons production.
It was at this time that society as a whole was
becoming more complex and stratified. People began
to show concern for status and material possessions.
In addition to monumental architecture and written
records, the Bronze Age settlements show increased
evidence of large differences in wealth, power, and
prestige. Apparently, as civilization developed, along
with war and written language came greed and a
classist society.
An inscription from a bronze vessel, excavated at Chang-chia-p’o.
(From Ch’ang-an Chang-Chia-p’o Hsi Chou t’ung-ch’i ch’ün, Peking,
Wenwu Press, 1965.)

22
 Part I: Deconstructing the Tao

Finally, even the geographic pattern of

settlements changed during this time. The Shang
capitols of An-yang, Cheng Zhou, and Lo-tan are
spread out in a pattern of separate and more defensible
provinces, which is the general pattern of settlements
in the Bronze Age. This indicates decreased trust and
cooperation, and less closeness between neighboring
states. The prevalence of feudal lords and warring
provinces appears to have begun in the Shang
civilization (1850-1112 BC). This is in sharp contrast to
Neolithic settlements, which were virtually side-by-
side all along the Yellow River valley, in an chain of
neighboring tribes, peacefully coexisting. Map of the side by side Neolithic sites in the Yang-Shao period.

Ancient People of the Tao, Revealed

Ancient artifacts from China reveal the same pattern

as seen in Europe and the Near East at the end of the
late Neolithic period and the beginning of the Bronze
Age. A great and terrible transformation occurred here,
approximately 4000 years ago. Archaeological evidence
of the Yang-Shao people puts a human face on the
mysterious ancients, which Lao Tzu wrote about.
Now we can see the ancients, not as immortal wizards,
but as a beautiful and fragile people who were likely
conquered by invading warlike tribes. In the process
their culture was all but lost forever. Map of the widely dispersed Bronze Age sites of the Shang Dynasty.

23
 The Secret Tao

Remember the “iceman” of the Austrian Alps, narrative about a clash of values and of cultures, which
from 5000 years ago? What appears to have been a is clearly reflected in the artifacts from that period.
civilized and peaceful shepherd was violently attacked. Knowing what we know now about the Yang-Shao
He appears to have been on the run, with a blow to people, we can never again read Lao Tzu’s lines about
the head and an arrowhead lodged in his shoulder. Of the “ancient ones” and their warnings of coming
course we may never know for sure the circumstances danger, without thinking of the sad plight of these
of his death, but based on the research of Marija gentle souls who dwelled in the river valleys of China
Gimbutas, as well as the narrative of Lao Tzu, it now so long ago.
appears that the story of our Austrian iceman may have
been emblematic of a larger trend during that time
period.
In fact, the fate of the iceman may have
mirrored that of many of the Yang Shao people as
well. One thing we know for sure is that, one way or
another, the Yang-Shao were eventually replaced by
a warlike, patriarchal culture, at the beginning of the
Bronze Age. Now, in addition to its philosophical
concepts, we begin to understand the alarm and
urgency of these ancient verses. Their people were
literally being attacked and killed. Their villages were
being sacked and plundered, from what we can tell,
after many centuries of peacefully coexisting with thier
neighbors.
Fortunately, it seems as though Lao Tzu
somehow preserved for us a kind of chronicle of this
period. Through his passages we can read a human

24
 Part I: Deconstructing the Tao
Chapter 4
The Tao Te Ching as History
Lao Tzu himself may not have even known the exact
age or origins of this philosophy. Perhaps he merely
collected and preserved those ancient verses that he felt
were most mysterious and intriguing. Perhaps some
of these scriptures were carved into stone, or wood.
Perhaps some of them had to be translated from early
pictograph into the modern Chinese characters of his
day. Put yourself in the position of being the court
librarian in the sixth century BC. How strange and
enigmatic these sacred relics and scrolls must have
appeared. Lao Tzu must have seen that some of these
documents could probably be traced back to before the
dawn of civilization.
Our emperors, it preceded -passage 4
No one understands
No one practices
Words having an ancient source
Deeds having an ancient precedent -passage 70
Lao Tzu may have simply written down
and preserved for us what he felt was an important
and integral Chinese philosophy, and one that the
modern world of his time had forgotten. The path
of civilization, according to Lao Tzu, obviously had
strayed far from the path of his ancestors. It appears
likely that he drew from the oldest sources he had to
put together a concise compendium of ancient verses
to express the virtues of his ancestors, and to clearly
define their Way of Virtue.
It began with the making of names
Now there are too many names
We should naturally know to stop
Knowing to stop, we can avoid danger
-passage 32
It is not just the claims of Lao Tzu that makes
us think this is a very ancient philosophy. There are
passages that just seem out of place at the end of the
Zhou Dynasty of China. For instance, the passages
vehemently condemn these modern values of wealth,
status, and aggression. The author is also alarmed by
how common weapons have become. Other passages
are about those newfangled “names” and how there
are just too many of them now, and how we should
go back to counting on rope the way we used to. Yet,
all these things had become commonplace in Chinese
culture, twelve hundred years earlier. The passages read
like something out of a time capsule from 1850 BC.
25
 The Secret Tao
Either Lao Tzu was a stubborn, head-in-the-
sand Luddite or he was echoing sentiments that more
likely originated in the beginning rather than the end
of the Bronze Age. His references to the ancient ones
tell us that he was not simply a curmudgeon who
hated the modern world. He accurately described an
alternative lifestyle that did, in fact, exist in China
more than a thousand years earlier. The alternative
lifestyle he described was the Yang-Shao culture.
Whether purposely or accidentally, it appears
that Lao Tzu preserved for us a kind of chronicle of
the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age. More than
anything else, the passages document a clash of ideas
and values that must have taken place during the
rise of the Shang Dynasty. Two very different and
competing world views were clashing at this time,
with different religious and spiritual beliefs, and very
different lifestyles.
The Yang-Shao Chronicles
The Tao Te Ching, if seen as a historical document
from this period, talks about how things used to
be, before the Emperors, and how bad things have
become. Probably the biggest difference between the
Neolithic and the Bronze Age is the development
of written language and thus written knowledge. As
26
mentioned before, Lao Tzu is distrustful of written
language and book-knowledge. According to Lao Tzu,
the knowledge that comes from naming things only
confuses people, but wisdom comes from looking
within. Lao Tzu states that insight and intuition are
the only true knowing, not the learning of names.
These are odd sentiments for a librarian, yet they fit
with what we might expect of a shaman of the late
Neolithic, warning against the hollowness of written
knowledge.
The verses go on to warn against the
accumulation of wealth, and status. Lao Tzu’s text sees
these as a corrupting influence in society. The text
says that wealth breeds poverty and crime, a subtle
and profound observation even today. He writes that
collecting precious things causes other people to steal.
Greed is one of the few things in the Tao Te Ching
that are referred to as evil, an evil that breeds more evil.
Lao Tzu’s text is also against trying to
govern people with a codified law or a rigid social
organization. These are seen as ineffective substitutes
for good values and they actually make people more
corrupt and cause them to have even worse values.
The verses say that the more strict the government
is, the more clever the people become. The verses say
that when the Tao is lost, then humanism and justice
 Part I: Deconstructing the Tao
appear. They go on to say that rules are only the husk
of the mind’s truth, and when that fails people use
their fists. In short, Lao Tzu’s text is warning against
the civilizational order that characterized the first
Dynasty.
Of all the warnings in Lao Tzu’s text, the
sternest condemnation is of war and weaponry. It is
written that we should not celebrate victory if it means
taking pleasure in human slaughter. According to
the text, a weapon is a shameful thing, and violence
goes against the Way of Heaven and Earth. It is an
unsustainable way of life according to Lao Tzu. He
says that the more weapons people carry for defense,
the more dangerous the country becomes.
Lao Tzu says that people have lost the Tao,
the Way, of the ancients. He says that people eat too
much and drink too much; their clothes are gorgeous,
but other people are starving because the granaries are
empty. He sees civilization as being a disposable way of
life. He talks of waste. People consume and consume,
but they do not recycle. This also extends to the use
of human resources as well. The text says that people
should not be used up and discarded, that people
should be conserved and recycled too, and that even
the worse person has potential.
Lao Tzu goes on to describe the civilized
person as over-stimulated. The text says that too many
colors cause a person’s eyes to go blind, and too many
sounds cause a person’s ears to go deaf, and too much
rushing around drives people mad! The glamour of
society offers a kind of unfulfilling addiction. The
more we do, the more we want, and the less happy we
are. So we want more and more in order to be happy,
and we are less and less happy as a result.
At the heart of all this madness is the sin of
desire. According to the text, desire will not be true to
you. It is a dangerous illusion. Desire means putting
your needs above others. Once you start down that
path it can lead to great suffering, including violence.
Lao Tzu’s text echoes modern cries that there can be
no peace without justice. The verses state that, when
people are filled with desire, this will create wealth and
status for some, which necessarily creates poverty and
oppression for others. This will naturally create crime.
As long as there is crime, we will need ever more laws
and weapons to fight it. If we apply this same logic
to foreign policy, then it is the desires of nations that
invariably lead to a never-ending cycle of war.
Of course, all these aspects of civilization,
which seem so shocking to Lao Tzu, had become
commonplace nearly 2000 years earlier. This leads
us to believe that they are the sentiments of a much
27
 The Secret Tao

earlier time, but it’s not definitive proof. These are
observations about the absurdities of civilization that
could be made by people of almost any generation.
What is even more striking is the alternative culture
that is advocated by Lao Tzu. As an alternative, the text
consistently and accurately describes detailed aspects of
a culture that had not existed for thousands of years.
Shaman of the Sacred Valley
The text repeatedly refers to the “holy person”,
and urges us to follow their path (Tao). In the late
Neolithic, as in modern indigenous tribes, every tribe
probably had a tribal shaman who was the spiritual,
psychological, and sometimes medical advisor to
the tribe. They told the tribe how to live. They were
experts in Feng Shui and in promoting good Chi (life-
force) in daily life. They are the ones who created the
chants and songs, passed down in oral tradition from
the late Neolithic. If the Tao Te Ching preserves any
of the sentiments of the late Neolithic, then it’s only
logical that they would ask us to always remember and
follow the path of the shaman.
The Tao Te Ching refers to the shaman as a
role model. Most of the passages have a section at the
end that refers to the Way of the Shaman in contrast
to the way of the modern world. A typical verse from
the Tao Te Ching will focus on a topic, then at the
end it will say something like: “Therefore the Shaman
(employs non-action, etc,...)”. This part summarizes
the moral of the verse, using the shaman the example
that we should follow.
The shaman of the Tao teaches us how to live
as the ancients did, and teaches the power of emptiness
and the sin of fullness. They teach us about the Valley
Spirit, and teach that the valley and flood plain are
symbolic of true virtue.
For centuries, these teachings have been
interpreted in many creative ways. Being seen as
riddles, translators have tried to understand the
passages as best they could. They often created their
own great words of wisdom inspired by these passages,
without having any idea of the real meaning behind
the symbolism. Knowing what we know now about
the end of the late Neolithic period, however, these
teachings suddenly make perfect sense!
The people of the late Neolithic lived
primarily in valleys and flood plains, which were
abundant with food and game. As we showed in the
last chapter, at the beginning of the Bronze Age, the
pattern of settlements changed and people moved to
higher ground and more defensible locations. The
shaman begs us to remember the gentle nurturing
of the valleys and the flood plains. And, there is also

28
 Part I: Deconstructing the Tao
another meaning to the symbolism of the valley.
Valley’s spirit not dying
Is called Dark Anima
Dark Anima, it is doorway
Is called Heaven and Earth’s root-source Eternal nature of virtue not corrupted,
-passage 6
The word Anima, according to C. G. Jung,
represents the feminine aspect of our unconscious
mind. You could also say “the hidden female”.
Remember that from what we know of the late
Neolithic period, goddess cults were the dominant
religion. Images of the female vulva are frequently used
to express the power of the life-force among goddess
cults. But, what many may not think of is that a valley
is a natural yoni, the female equivalent of a phallus.
So when the shaman says to act as a little
valley, they are saying to give life and nurture all
those around you. It is actually goddess symbolism
that represents both their ancient homeland and the
womb of all life on Earth, which for the Yang-Shao
people were one and the same. Not unlike the Native
American shaman seeing the Grand Canyon as the
symbolic womb of all life on Earth, the Yang Shao had
a similar interpretation of the Yellow River Valley.
Know the male, keep to the female,
Acting as Heaven below’s little valley.
...Acting as Heaven below’s valley,
Eternal nature of virtue not corrupted.
Return to original, uncarved block. -passage 28
Tao Records Cultures in Conflict
More than anything else in the Tao Te Ching, these
themes represent a polarized struggle between the
Yang-Shao culture and what centuries later became
the Shang civilization. This cannot be underestimated.
Judging from the artifacts of each, the two cultures
were diametrically opposed to each other.
Imagine the impact of a peaceful, goddess
worshipping, matrilineal tribe in a lush valley, being
invaded, subjugated, and slowly indoctrinated by
hordes of warlike, hierarchical, patriarchal tribes, and
moved to hilltop fortresses. This would certainly set
up a dichotomy of male and female, hard and soft,
up and down, good and bad. Now imagine that this
polarized perspective somehow dove-tailed with the
shaman’s religious beliefs. The result would appear to
the shaman as a holy war of two opposing forces of
nature, with the fate of the human race in the balance.
29
 The Secret Tao
From what we know of the Yang Shao and
other late Neolithic tribes, theirs was a culture that
worshipped life, and revered all aspects of the miracle
of life. This probably included all aspects of love,
sex, reproduction, and death. They probably saw the
delicate dance of the male and female in all aspects of
nature. They saw that when the balance was right, life
flourished and channeled the life force that imbued all
living things with health and longevity. They probably
noticed how some plants and animals flourished
and remained perennially while others died out. By
studying and worshipping nature, theirs was an earth-
based spirituality, based on nature and ecology.
Now put it all together. Two diametrically
opposed cultures, one lead by men, and the other
worshipping a goddess with a shaman who studies
the male and female forces of nature and the life-force
that they create. Undoubtedly, the shaman might well
have interpreted this violent cultural revolution in
terms that they could understand. The shaman was
concerned about the longevity of his people, and he
saw the new culture killing off his people and wiping
out their culture. The shaman saw the invader’s culture
as one that violated the ways of nature, one that could
not be sustainable. The shaman feared that the human
race may die out under the rule of these greedy, short-
sighted thugs.
30
Remember that the Yang-Shao had what looks
like a much more feminine culture, compared with
the masculine culture that followed. This must have
spoken volumes to the shaman, whose job it was to
carefully read and interpret the forces of nature. They
likely saw that male forces were growing violently out
of balance with female forces, causing a lifestyle out of
balance with nature. From what we know of ancient
Chinese philosophy and other pagan beliefs, this
imbalance of gender was probably seen as resulting in a
blockage of life-force, which could cut short the health
and longevity of the human race.
The shaman must have seen the paradoxical
nature of these changes. Not only do the verses of the
Tao Te Ching read like paradoxes, but the early Bronze
Age was a paradoxical time. Just think about it; clearly
the new world order of the Bronze Age was much
more powerful than the old ways, more powerful
weapons, more conquests, more of everything. This
certainly could not be a blockage of life-energy, or
could it?
To the shaman this was a paradox. It was
precisely the excess of brute force that was eclipsing
the life-force. It was an abundance of manifest energy,
which explained the blockage of spiritual energy. Also,
the people were not respecting the female and not
 Part I: Deconstructing the Tao

honoring the Mother of Creation. This was obviously
not good for the health of their people, not because of
a lack of manifest energy (being) but rather because
of a lack of negative space (non-being). In short, the
world was over-dosing on male hormones. There was
too much being, and not enough non-being. Too
much life energy and not enough room to breath.
Yin and Yang
is female, non-being, the negative pole, the power of
darkness, heaviness, and also peace, softness, yielding
and tranquility. Further, yang is knowledge and written
language; yin is all things dark, secret and mysterious.
Yin is the root; yang is the fruit.
Heavy acts as light’s root
Tranquility acts as the impulse’s controller
-passage 26

A polarized perspective, combined with a belief system

The character of yang actually comes from a
based on male and female life energies resulted in
pictogram of the sun above the horizon shining rays
the most prominent feature of the Tao Te Ching, the
of light. The character yin depicts a cloudy sky. So,
dichotomy between yin and yang. This is enumerated
together they literally mean light and dark, as in the
ad infinitum in the verses. Lao Tzu contrasts soft and
Taijitu, the popular symbol of yin and yang. These
hard in one passage, then contrasts heavy and light in
parallel and combine with other dichotomies, such as
another, and then openness and secrecy in another. In
action and stillness, being and non-being, and positive
another he contrasts dark and bright, and somewhere
and negative. Interestingly, in modern Chinese, yang
else strong and flexible, then sharp and dull, and
now means glory whereas yin means something like
then empty and full. In each instance, their specific
Hades. Though it’s not clear when this association
relationship to each other is made clear. All of these,
came about, by the Bronze Age people saw yang not
bright and dark, light and heavy, male and female, are
just as positive in an abstract sense but as truly positive
aspects of yin and yang.
in every sense. Likewise, yin was clearly negative. Yang
The metaphysics of the Tao are not spelled
is all things bright and beautiful, and yin is all things
out in detail, but some things are clear. Yang is male,
dark and secretive. Yang is warm, yin is cold.
being, the positive pole, the power of the sun, light,
Throughout the passages of Lao Tzu, we are
strength, hardness, striving, impulse, and action. Yin
taught to favor one side rather than the other. But, the

31
 The Secret Tao

verses do not tell us to choose the path of light, they

tell us to keep to the darkness. We are taught to err
on the side of the soft rather than hard, weak rather
than strong. We are taught to choose ignorance not
knowledge, dull not sharp, and dim not bright. We are
taught that not acting is more virtuous than action.
The shaman was promoting the virtue of yin! Now
you can see how the Chinese historically viewed these
verses as riddles and paradoxes, it was like saying that
bad is good and wrong is right.

Is called Wonderful Secret Know the white, keep to the black -passage 28
The soft and flexible shall overcome the hard and
strong -passage 36 According to the ancient shaman, this
philosophy of a balance between yin and yang was
Of course, a key concept of yin and yang
paramount in trying to stop the madness and change
is balance. You need both yin and yang in order to
the world back to the peaceful society it had been.
have anything. This reminds me of a figure-ground
Desire is yang. Everything that is strong, forceful,
relationship. In other words, look at everything that
striving, potent, substantive, or full is yang. Non-desire
exists as a white silhouette against a background of
is yin. Everything that is tranquil, peaceful, yielding,
black, non-being. The shaman warned us to not loose
hollow, empty, or void is yin. With written language,
sight of the background, non-being. If you do you will
technology, and progress, the shaman saw that life
be fooled. Life is like an M.C. Escher drawing, figures
was moving out of balance. Knowledge conquering
dissolve into the negative space, which reveals new
ignorance and war conquering peace were both
figures. In life, as in an Escher, half the picture is in the
manifestations of yang overshadowing yin! The shaman
negative space.
had to somehow convince people of the importance
and goodness of yin, female energy.

32
 Part I: Deconstructing the Tao

The female nature,
Its acceptance overcomes the male -passage 61
More than anything else, Lao Tzu argued
for the power of yin. The shaman sought a balance
of yin and yang, reversing the idea that yang is good
and more yang is better. By doing this, they hoped to
restore sanity to the culture, and to insure peace and
longevity. Longevity was especially important. It seems
that they were worried about a premature ending or
extinction. It’s not clear whether they were referring
to their culture or to the sustainability of the human
species as a whole, but they probably were referring to
both.
valley, and urges each of them to be a little valley for
the Earth. The shaman praised the power of yin.
Suddenly, by looking at the Tao Te Ching in
this way, a whole new dimension of Taoist thinking
opens up to us. Curiously, a similarity to Celtic and
Native American spirituality begins to emerge. By
understanding who created the sentiments expressed in
the Tao Te Ching and why, we can finally get the true
meaning of the Tao. We can finally begin to hear the
voice of the ancient shaman coming through the lines
of Lao Tzu.

Shaman’s Notebook

The Tao Te Ching can be seen as a shaman’s notebook

from the early Bronze Age. Contained within it are
warnings about this new way of life with written
words, status and wealth, lethal weapons, and
too much bloodshed. The shaman saw everyone
rushing around, self important, thinking they are
knowledgeable because they learned written names of
things. Desire was seen as a social disease, wiping out
their ancient sacred culture. The shaman eloquently
tries to remind people of the undying spirit of the

33
 The Secret Tao
Chapter 5
The Deconstructed Tao
What religion are we left with if we strip away
thousands of years of commentary and look at the
actual Yang-Shao people, the ancients of the Tao? Is
it the same Taoism that we know of today? Many of
the concepts of Eastern religions are still present, Yin,
Yang, Qi, and Wu-wei, but we see these differently
now. Finally we have the historical context for these
ideas in the indigenous pagan beliefs of their Chinese
ancestors. Understanding the context of their origin
completes the missing pieces of their puzzling ancient
beliefs.
As I mentioned before, the Tao Te Ching is
a kind of missing link. Anthropologists have known
about the religious and shamanic practices of the
late Neolithic for some time, but only from artifacts,
drawings, and shards of pottery. There was never a
recorded chant or song. We never had an opportunity
to hear the voice of the shaman as she talked about
those little goddess figures that we found. We never
heard how the ancients talked about their beliefs, their
gods and goddesses. The Tao Te Ching, as a record
of ancient history, gives us a glimpse into the mind
of a Neolithic shaman. It may well be a first person
34
narrative of a late Neolithic religion.
Goddess of the Tao
The Tao Te Ching tells us that all living things arise
from tranquillity, mature, multiply, then return to
their root, tranquility. Tranquility is yin, the female
aspect. Then it goes on to say that the great Mother
gave birth to all living things, and it is to her that
we return when we die. These concepts are saying
essentially the same thing, and the only difference is
the degree of abstraction. While many passages refer to
yin and the power of the female, other passages plainly
refer to our Creator as Mother.
Un-named, Heaven and Earth it begot
Being named, of ten thousand things it is Mother
-passage 1
In the age old question of which came first
the chicken or the egg, the Taoist shaman answered
the question with certainty. There was a primordial
Mother, who gave birth to the great egg that we
call Creation. The shaman taught and preserved the
worship of the Mother/Creator. The shaman taught
that in the beginning there was yin. Un-named there
was peace and tranquility. All action, all that is
 Part I: Deconstructing the Tao
manifest, and all of Creation was born from this yin.
Being named, of all things she is the Mother. Looking
at it this way, the Taoist cosmology is a form of
paganism that we have seen all over the world from the
earliest human religions. But, rarely is it as delicately
nuanced with abstraction as in the Tao.
Heaven below being created,
Its action, Heaven below’s Mother -passage 52
The text reveals a philosophy that may be
surprising to some. Perhaps this is because it is one
of the few surviving texts that fully explain the depth
of their spiritual beliefs in a way that we could have
only guessed about otherwise. If this is a sample of the
metaphysical beliefs held by ancient people, then it is
a philosophy with more intellectual depth and subtlety
than anything we could have imagined.
I alone differ from others
And value the sustenance of the Mother
-passage 20
This Creation myth of early Taoism is not so
crude as to name a goddess who squatted and gave
birth to the Earth, Sun, and Moon. It seems much
more abstract than what we might have previously
expected. The Goddess of the Tao is not personified
as a living deity. The shaman of the Tao told a story of
Creation that was poetic, vague, and abstract. Basically,
it says that having created the world, you could call
its action like that of a Mother. This mythology
is thoughtful and deeply respectful of human
intelligence. In fact, it is not inconsistent with modern
scientific theories of the creation of the Universe. Look
at this passage below describing the Creation event and
compare it to the Big Bang theory.
Existing before Heaven and Earth were born
Silent
Empty
Singular, unique
Eternal
Spiraling out, unfolding and unending
Could be, its action is the Mother of Creation
I do not know her name
Forced to characterize it, it is said to be the Way (Tao)
-passage 25
The strength of the Taoist cosmology is that it
does not attempt to explain the mechanics of Creation.
It does not condescend to the reader, nor presume to
tell the story as if to a child.
35
 The Secret Tao
The philosophy respects the limits of human
language and knowledge. The Tao Te Ching tells us
of basic properties of the Universe; there is action
and non-action, being and non-being. This is like a
philosophical binary code for understanding existence.
But, the way the Universe manifests itself is distinctive.
It is not something that you can name, but you can
come to know of it. It is profound and sacred. It is
simply called the Way. The Way, or Tao, is synonymous
with the Creator, or Goddess, literally the “Mother of
Creation”.
Holy is the Un-Named: The Uncarved Block
While the verses elusively tells of Creation, as being
like the action of a Mother giving birth to Heaven
and Earth, neither the creator nor the religion is ever
really named. In the above verse it goes on to say
that, if forced to name it, then name it “Great”. It is
described as the Tao, which simply means the way or
the path, usually translated the Way. This is no mistake
or lack of sophistication. That the Goddess Mother is
nameless is a vital part of their beliefs.
The Way is concealed within, un-named
It is precisely this Way that nourishes and fulfills all Lao Tzu implies that most people are like
-passage 41
36
From what we know in the Tao Te Ching, the
early Taoists were opposed to written language and
book-knowledge. I think they were opposed to reducing
things to a simple name or categorical label. According
to this philosophy, the named world is not the true
world. It is a false world.
There are two likely reasons for this. First,
that which is named becomes objectified, and then it
becomes thought of as an object. And second, every
“name” becomes a social construct, which invariably
says more about the people who speak the name than
the topic they’re discussing, reducing the world of names
to a house of mirrors.8 In an attempt to avoid reducing
the All-mighty into an object, and to avoid semantics
and projections on the meaning of social constructs, the
shaman spoke of the Tao with the utmost of abstraction.
Return to un-carved block. What does that
mean? In one line of the Tao Te Ching, it says: “return
to original, as you were born”, and later “return to un-
carved block”. But un-carved block means something
more than just pure or un-corrupted. Un-carved block
is the concept that the wildness of Nature is sacred,
and that within that wildness is power. Uncarved block
means being part of a greater force in the Universe.
ornately carved jade, trying to be beautiful and in the
 Part I: Deconstructing the Tao
process loosing their natural beauty. Most people, even
though they may be clever, are cut off from the power
of the Way. Lao Tzu suggests that it is our cleverness
and our preoccupation with knowledge and learning
“names” that robs us of our unadulterated power. You
could say that the conscious mind is yang and the
unconscious and intuitive mind is yin. The former
is knowledgeable and clever but unwise. The latter
may be largely instinctual but it is wise and powerful.
The former is like an isolated ego whereas the latter is
like an uncarved block, an intact part of the pulsing
Universe.
The Way’s eternal nature,
Not being named
Uncarved block, demure
Heaven below, nothing is able to overpower it
If world leaders are able to cultivate it
Ten thousand things would naturally yield
Heaven and Earth would be in harmony
-passage 32
When you cultivate the Way in your life,
unfettered by names, then you become like the
uncarved block. You become an integral part of the
Universe. Then you have the power of the Universe
working with you. On the other hand, when you act
from your own ego then you are utterly alone. It is you
against the Universe. This is the difference between
action and non-action.
Enact non-action
Then nothing is not in order -passage 3
This philosophy is simply stated in the Tao Te
Ching. When you enact action, there is the action that
you have made, but nothing more. When you enact
non-action, then nothing is not the action. When you
act your will upon the world, all of nature will conspire
against you. When you surrender to become a partner
in harmony with the Universe, all of nature will help
and support you. To be like an uncarved block means
surrendering your ego to become part of everything,
and one with nature.
Paganism and the Sacredness of Creation
When we put together the concepts of the Uncarved
block with this unnamed Way of the Universe, and the
Mother who gave birth to Heaven and Earth, then we
start to see the beliefs of these ancients more clearly.
They are all aspects of the same thing, a reverence for
nature and an understanding of our divine role in it.
37
 The Secret Tao

This is what we commonly refer to as paganism.
When you realize that the Mother of
Creation is everything that exists, then you realize that
everything natural is sacred. All of nature is sacred.
Life itself is so very precious. A leaf, a waterfall, a
rainbow, a lizard, a kitten, a camel, each and every
living thing is a miracle. This is a celebration of the
miracle of nature.
This form of nature worship is not like a
secular appreciation for nature. This philosophy
animal spirits speak to the shaman; she in turn shares
the animal spirits’ wisdom with the people. Though
the Tao Te Ching represents a form of paganism, the
belief system of Lao Tzu is not exactly animal worship.
Taoism is a distinctly abstract form of nature worship.
In cycles,
The Way moves
In yielding,
The Way is used

involves a deep metaphysical belief system. According Heaven below’s ten thousand things,
to the Tao, there is a hidden life-energy, Qi (ch’i) Born of being
which exists within and throughout all living things. Being, born of non-being -passage 40
This is the animating energy that turns mere mud,
carbon and water into miracles. Qi is everywhere,
The Tao seems to be a belief system of
within and throughout all life.
abstractions, which were largely derived from nature
Is this paganism? Well, actually the word
and naturalistic observations. Over and over again, the
paganism derives from the Latin paganus, meaning
passages remind us of lessons learned from reducing
country or rural. So a pagan religion means country
the principles of nature into abstract truths. One such
religion or folk religion, which historically is centered
idea is that real change does not come from linear
on nature and the spiritual aspects of nature. There
movement, but rather it moves in cycles. This might be
is, however, a stereotype that we in the West think
confounding for those not familiar with other pagan
of when we think of paganism, which is more akin
beliefs. Fortunately, we do have other contemporary
to animal worship. We see this in traditional Native
pagan traditions to help us to fill in the missing pieces.
American and ancient Celtic beliefs, and different
types of native shamanism. In Lappish shamanism,

38
 Part I: Deconstructing the Tao

Common Pagan Traditions with a great, deep, and intimate spiritual feeling. This
is what separates the religion from the philosophy. Let
In Celtic paganism, as well as many other pagan
me give you a personal example.
traditions, the seasons of nature hold special
I was raised a Christian and I always loved
significance for us. The seasons of the year, the times of
Christmas. It was my favorite holiday and not just
the day, and the seasons of one’s life echo one another
because of presents. Though, I didn’t care for the
in a micro-macro axis of meaning. For instance,
nativity scenes nor the stories of the baby Jesus. What
sunrise and spring (Imbolc) are symbolic of fertility
I loved most were the evergreens, the smell of pine, the
and new birth, sunset and autumn (Lugnasad) are
branches of holly and mistletoe in our house. And, I
symbolic of old age, midnight and winter (Samhain)
loved the winter. The most exciting and beautiful thing
are symbolic of death, and so on. So every day is a new
in the world was the sight of snow softly falling. To me
cycle, and they make up a bigger cycle, the solar year,
Christmas was a celebration of winter.
and the years make up a bigger cycle, a lifetime.
As a child, I also loved candlelight and
Some of these old pagan traditions were
Christmas lights in the middle of the night, on the
carried over into our modern holidays, though we
longest night of the year. That resonated deep within
have forgotten their original meaning. Haven’t you
me. That meant something to me. It still does.
ever wondered why we celebrate Easter with a sunrise
Midnight Mass near the time of the winter solstice,
ceremony and Christmas with a midnight mass?
what does it mean? If you see a year as symbolic of the
Everything is cycles of change and renewal.
life cycle, then at the end of the fall and the beginning
Time is cyclical. Everything cycles and recycles.
of winter that is surely the season of death. In Celtic
Progress is circumscribed and limited. All things born
paganism they call it Samhain. Mid-winter is the apex
are destined to die. In this sense, linear time is an
of Samhain, the winter solstice, the shortest day of the
illusion. You are either in life or out. While you are
year.
in there is time. Outside of life, the chronometer of
What is the meaning of an evergreen in
heartbeats, time is an illusion. Time is relative.
the middle of the season of death? And, what is the
But this is more, much more than mere
meaning of candles burning bright in the middle of
philosophy or ethics. Nature worship can be infused

39
 The Secret Tao
the night, on the longest night of the year, at precisely
the middle of the season of death? To me, it is the
greatest spiritual inspiration I know. To me it is the
idea that the flame of life is eternal, and that it will
not go out ever, not even in the apex of death. There
is something that lives on, even in death. There is a
spark of light in the very depth of darkness, and there
is life after death, just as there is spring after winter.
This celebration reminds us that there will be a rebirth,
a new spring, for the Earth and for the soul, whether
you call it redemption, or reincarnation.
This holiday, mid-Winter, is a complement to
November 1st, which marks the beginning of Winter
(Samhain), and parallels with the moment of death in
the life cycle. We know of this as the Day of the Dead,
and we know of Samhain Eve as Halloween, which is
a kind of celebration of death, a reminder that death is
only a natural part of the life-cycle, and not something
to be feared. Some might say that these pagan
traditions came from a superstitious fear of death, or a
fear of a long Winter and the famine that it may bring.
But how many people in modern day Los Angeles are
afraid of the long winter? Yet, Halloween is one of
the most popular holidays of the year. I think these
celebrations are a deep reaffirmation of the rightness of
life and death as a cyclical part of nature.
40
Even as a child, I seemed to get this concept
intuitively. Now I see these holidays as celebrations of
the whole life cycle of the eternal Way, or Tao. This is a
profound and I think beautiful worship of nature and
her cycles of life. Evergreens and Holly at Christmas,
followed by the fertility symbols of flowers, eggs, and
bunnies at Easter. Then, at the end of the year, when
all the trees are dead and the grass is dead, we all dress
up as ghosts and parade around at night as though we
were haunting the neighborhood. The above memoir
serves as an example of how nature worship can be a
deeply personal and spiritual experience, an abstract
yet meaningful celebration of Life and the life-cycle.
Nature worship often involves seeing the
essence of life as an energy or medium, which can be
felt, experienced, captured, and used for healing. In
Celtic paganism this is called cwic as in the “quick
and the dead.”9 This is not unlike the Chinese concept
of Qi. The Taoism of the ancients, like Celtic pagan
beliefs, involved an intimate and profound worship
of the forces of life, within us and uniting us with all
living things. Qi is the mysterious force that animates
all living things.
Lao Tzu does not refer to any Taoist
celebrations or holidays, yet we can only assume that
the ancients observed nature and the seasons very
 Part I: Deconstructing the Tao
closely, and appreciated their significance as symbolic
of the life cycle. They must have celebrated nature in
their own way. Surprisingly, the Tao Te Ching does
not really describe the ancient religion of Taoism or
the actual practices of the ancients. There are esoteric
principles, which can be gleaned from the text, but we
are largely left to wonder about the shamanic practices
and rituals of these ancient people.
A Bronze Age Feminist Manifesto
Perhaps the most important aspect of the
deconstructed Tao Te Ching is that it reads a lot
like a Bronze Age, cultural-feminist manifesto. The
text, if nothing else, clearly represents an argument
against the zeitgeist of the Bronze Age, the patriarchal
establishment of the Shang Dynasty, and the masculine
culture that it brought. Even if the passages are not
always explicit about it - and often they are - the
philosophy of Taoism clearly stems from a more
matricentric (mother or female centered) cultural
ethos. The problem is that, while the message may
come from this perspective, it was written much more
pragmatically than that.
Once again, think of the era of the late
Neolithic and early Bronze Age. Times were changing.
The old ways were being abandoned or trampled.
The shaman was pleading with people to preserve the
virtues of the old religion. And the shaman also was
preaching against this new world order. So, the text
doesn’t so much explain the old beliefs as it does warn
against the new beliefs, and encourages us to stand
strong in the face of social change. In doing so, it
advocates the virtues of what we might call feminine
qualities. It even literally says: “know the male, but
keep to the female.” In this way, it can be seen as a
kind of Early Bronze Age feminism.
Know the male, keep to the female
Acting as Heaven below’s little valley -passage 28
This is not exactly like modern feminism.
The Tao suggests a philosophy that today we might
call cultural feminism. This is different from liberal
or political feminism, in which the goal is advocating
for women’s rights. In this kind of feminism, the goal
is to restore gender balance to a masculinized society.
Cultural feminism can be seen almost anywhere in the
last century when women have banded together and
tried to influence the direction of society, especially
when their views were generally different from their
male counterparts.
We’ve had similar movements in the 20th
Century. One example is the prohibition of the 1920’s.
41
 The Secret Tao

In the 1800’s the people who frequented saloons and
publicly drank liquor were almost exclusively men.
Women saw this as mutually exclusive with a good
family life. As women stuggled for the right to vote,
they also pushed forward the prohibition of alcohol.
When it didn’t work, they lead the way for repeal.
The right to vote represented political
feminism, the right to work as well, but the anti-
alcoholism agenda, as well as much of the progressive
legislative agenda of the early 20th century, represented
a kind of cultural feminism. This included child
labor laws, laws regulating the health and safely of
the workplace, and more. It is in this spirit that the
Tao Te Ching appears to have been written. There is
an ongoing theme of concern about weapons and a
growing Machiavellianism in their culture.
Imagine it is the dawning of the Bronze Age;
it is the time of the proliferation of war and weapons
and the disbanding of peaceful settlements. Their
sufficiency economy was replaced by the economics of
greed and conquest. The message of passage 28 above
is a plea for people to hold fast to the old virtues and
not let them waiver; to preserve their ancient values
associated with the way of softness, maternal love, and
the Mother of Creation.
The Tao Te Ching appears to advocate what
we would call a feminine paradigm of virtue and
explicitly labels it as such. This dichotomy of gender
persists to this day as part of our own modern social
construction of gender. The feminine represents
nurturance and cooperation, while the masculine
represents conquest and brute strength. The cultural
value being advocated in the passages of Lao Tzu, just
as feminists advocate it in the modern age, is one of
empowering, not over-powering.
The uncarved block, once cut, makes pawns
Shaman’s use of it, the cut makes leaders
Thus great carving does not cut down in size
-passage 28
This closing statement summarizes the essence
of the passage. The Way makes one whole. Patriarchal
society, on the other hand, cuts one down to make
servants, prostitutes, and pawns of us all. The Way
of the shaman nurtures and empowers people, builds
them up to leaders, not cutting them down to pawns.
The Way of the Shaman is the Way of the Mother.
The Way is the way of humility, concern
for others, all nurturing, and always aware of the
relational context. The converse is power over others,
seeking to possess glory and triumph, and single-
minded devotion to self-interest. Such an egoistic

42
 Part I: Deconstructing the Tao
attitude represents a deviation from the idea of Lao
Tzu’s concept of Oneness. Egoism is yang (masculine),
a desire to be the biggest, the best, the richest, the
fastest, and the top of any class.
Eternal nature of virtue not deviating,
Return to original, as you were born
... Eternal nature of virtue not corrupted,
Return to original, uncarved block almost identical to ideas expressed in modern
...Eternal nature of virtue not wavering,
Return to original, not being polarized balance. Again, the Taijitu, the yin and yang symbol,
-passage 28
Oneness vs. polarization is another issue
in Lao Tzu, which echoes some of modern feminist
literature. Duality engenders the concept of otherness.
The alternative is Oneness. Feminist writers sometimes
refer to this issue as an either/or mentality, the
alternative being a both/and mentality. Duality,
another word for polarization, is a philosophical
abstraction describing a break from the Oneness, the
uncarved block. Duality is dividing the world into
parts, and naming things. Once cut apart you are no
longer uncarved block.
Duality is men seeing women as the other, one
race seeing different races as the other, and humans
seeing different life forms as the other. In labeling
them and objectifying them, we subjugate them
mentally, and we create the rationalization for physical
oppression. Oneness, according to Lao Tzu, is the
uncarved block. Oneness is wholeness. If each of us is
part of the Oneness, thus there is no us vs. them.
This sentiment of the Tao Te Ching is
feminist literature. The philosophy of Taoism, more
than anything else, appears to be calling for gender
represents this concept with the two opposites
forming one whole. This represents a duality (yin
and yang) harmonizing, balancing, and creating an
undifferentiated Oneness, each containing a bit of each
other.
The Meaning of the Tao Te Ching
Put these pieces of the puzzle together, and you begin
to see the true message of the Tao. We understand
how important the male and female energies, or yin
and yang, must have been to the ancient shaman. It
is also clear that there was a revolution away from
a more gender balanced culture to a more male-
centered, and male-dominated culture. It appears
43
 The Secret Tao
that this new masculine culture violated the values of
the ancient goddess worshipers, which prized peace
over victory, union over dominion, communalism
over competition, and in which women held a more
esteemed position in society.
The symbol associated with the Tao is the
Taijitu, the yin and yang symbol. It visually depicts
balance and harmony. But, what does it really mean? dichotomy between male and female, being is male,
What is yin? What is yang? These are the
male and female energies of Qi, the life force. So
when Lao Tzu calls for balance and says to “know the
male, but keep to the female,” he is not warning us
about just any imbalance in our life. He is warning
against a gender imbalance in our society. And, he
is not warning against too much female energy. He
is warning against what he sees as an excess of male
energy, he is warning against cultural patriarchy.
You may well ask: if the goal is balance, why is
he not concerned about too much female energy? Why
not just promote balance? Why favor yin over yang?
The answer is two-fold. First it appears that the author
or authors saw humanity as being out of balance with
nature, due to an excess of yang energy. So, to get back
to the Oneness of balance and harmony, we need more
yin, much more yin. It’s like a recipe that calls for half
flour and half milk, but you have 90% flour and 10%
44
milk; you’ll need to add milk, a lot of milk. But there
is another reason, even deeper than that.
The second reason for Lao Tzu advocating for
yin vs. yang lies in the concept of non-being. You see,
this ancient philosophy sees non-being as eternal. It
came before being. Being was born of non-being, and
being will return to non-being in the end. In the Taoist
non-being is female. By anchoring ourselves in non-
being, the feminine aspect of life, we are sustainable.
There is no fear that non-being will overshadow being.
Non-being is the backdrop for being. You might say
that non-being is the page that being is written on. So,
building a culture based on what we might call yin
values creates a strong foundation upon which to build
a thriving and sustainable nation.
So, the true and ancient meaning of the Tao
Te Ching is a plea to restore balance to the human race
by restoring the equilibrium of yin and yang. And,
the engenderd meaning of that movement to restore
balance is what we might call cultural feminism.
The Deconstructed Tao
The ancient belief system of Taoism stands as a
backdrop to the real purpose of the Tao Te Ching. In
other words, the book doesn’t really talk about Taoism
 Part I: Deconstructing the Tao
as much as it talks about the troubling times that they
were living in. This is an important distinction. This
collection of passages was not written by someone
reveling in or celebrating their beliefs. Rather, these
passages read as though they are the sentiments of a
people who had long since vanished. The passages read
as though the revolution had already taken place long
ago, and the old ways had been all but forgotten. There
appears to be no need to explain what the old religion
was, though many passages remind us of the ancients
and their mysterious beliefs. The real urgency of the
passages is an alarm about a critical imbalance of life
energy, which had taken hold in their culture.
Based on this, along with the archaeological
record, we can place the creation of the text somewhere
in the Bronze Age, but the alternative philosophy that
it advocates appears to be much more ancient than
that. We know this for several reasons, not the least
of which is that it says so quite clearly in the text. It
says that the people were not following the Way of the
ancients. It says that the ancients existed before there
were Emperors, that they were subtle, peaceful, and
mysterious (dark) people. It says that the Way of the
ancients was very different from the way of modern
people (in the Bronze Age).
It goes on to say that the way people were
acting (in the Bronze Age) was forceful, violent,
shortsighted, and wrong. And, it was not sustainable.
The verses very clearly explain the problems facing
the world at that time, and how it was all due to
a deviation from the Way of the ancients. Then it
proceeds to lay out a complex dichotomy between yin
and yang, male and female, using a hundred different
metaphors.
The Tao Te Ching is a collection of poems,
perhaps ancient songs, to inspire people to create
harmony in the world by embracing yin, the female
aspect. The poems teach us that peace and harmony
are our true birthrights, but they can only occur if we
are balanced, and in harmony with our eternal nature.
Then we will move from the duality of yin vs. yang
and us vs. them, to what is called the Oneness.
The message of the deconstructed Tao is as
timely and relevant to us today as it was in the Bronze
Age. The book addresses the prevalence of crime,
violence, and madness in the world. It addresses
ubiquitous lethal weapons, rampant commercialism,
and the unsustainable practices of a pro-growth
economy, which takes from the masses to give to the
wealthy. It addresses the foolishness of a culture that
admires strength, power, and wealth, while viewing
45
 The Secret Tao

softness and weakness as inferior. Such a value system

creates a brutal culture in which the strong dominate
the weak, and this fuels increasing crime, violence, and
hatred.
The message of Lao Tzu is that the human
world is out of balance with our eternal nature,
which is equal parts yin and yang. The message of the
deconstructed Tao, quite simply, is that humanity is
choking on too much testosterone.

46
 Part II

The Tao of Social Ecology

There are two basic aspects to the deconstructed Tao Te Ching. The first is the
ancient philosophy of Taoism itself, and the second is a scathing critique of Bronze
Age civilization. Reading like a manual for social change, it addressed many of the
common problems of civilization that we are still dealing with 25 centuries later.
These next four chapters present some of the key points of Lao Tzu’s text on how
to build a better society. Together they comprise what could be called the Tao of
Social Ecology.

47
 The Secret Tao
Chapter 6
Love, Ecology, and Not Trying to be the
World’s Best
There are three concepts that are wholly
inter-related in the work of Lao Tzu. They are love,
ecology, and not trying to be the world’s best. The first
of these involves having a gentle, nurturing, generous,
and yielding nature, the second of these involves
the principals of recycling, frugality, and sufficiency
economics, and the last of these has to do with a
lack of desire and ego. These three are discussed in
the verses as though they were three facets of a single
entity. Lao Tzu refers to these as his three treasures.
Because mine being three treasures
Possessed and maintained
One is love
Two is ecology
Three is not striving to act as Heaven below’s best
-passage 67
The last two are inextricably intertwined.
When one’s desire or ego depletes their resources then
they are no longer sustainable. Desire, which to a great
extent is the basis of our consumer-driven economic
48
system, is not sustainable. How can we be ecological,
which to Lao Tzu means economical, when we
purchase items, and thus allocate energy and resources,
according to our desires? Surely needs and desires are
often mutually exclusive. How often is your heart’s
desire compatible with the most frugal alternatives in
the market place? Many people today want something
bigger, brighter, newer, more fun, or more cool, and
this leads to an endless cycle of desire and greed.
Sins: none are greater than excessive desire
Misfortunes: none are greater than not
knowing ‘enough’
Faults: none are greater than greed
-passage 46
Years ago, before graduate school, I worked
as an industrial designer for a manufacturer. Once, I
was working on a project to manufacture Garfield key
chains. They were big, brightly colored, and made of
injection molded, non-biodegradable plastic. They
were virtually indestructible miniature monuments
to the glory of Garfield. I have nothing against the
cartoon cat, but I remember thinking at the time just
how much resources, perhaps millions of dollars worth
of energy, technology, materials and labor, went into
making and marketing this product. And, meanwhile
 Part II: The Tao of Social Ecology
there were not enough books in the classrooms and
not enough food for the poor. In some places on Earth
people do not have clean drinking water to survive, but
thousands of years from now, there will still be non-
biodegradable plastic Garfields in landfills everywhere.
I think this is a good example of what is not the Way
of Lao Tzu.
Heaven’s Way
Reduces excess to supplement what is lacking unforeseen madness inherent in a system that is based
-passage 77
How could the above Garfield scenario
happen? Is this a justifiable allocation of human and
technological resources when we have so many other
problems to work on? Worst of all, this kind of thing
is happening every day at ever increasing rates. Why?
Well, in the Garfield case, the manufacturers did
not make the product because they loved Garfield
so much, but rather because they loved the money
Garfield would fetch for them. That’s it! Profit and
greed are the sole reasons for them to invest all this
money and effort into this eternal monument for a
cartoon cat.
Likewise, the consumers bought the product,
not because they needed it to survive, not because they
thought it was a good investment, not even because
they really thought about it at all, but rather as an
impulse item in the checkout line. They simply desired
it at the moment. And, for a buck or two, who cares?
It’s pure and simple desire.
Greed creates excess and desire buys it, on a
mass scale. This is what I think of when I hear Lao
Tzu warn us about a culture based on greed and desire,
not only the wealthy exploiting the poor, but the
on greed and desire.
This is the excess of mundane wastefulness.
Every year we have more starving people in the
world and more junk in the stores. This junk is so
proliferated in modern society that we now have a
system based on an ever increasing excess of it. We
depend on it. We call it the economic growth rate. It
is what motivates pushy salespeople and annoying
advertising. Lao Tzu warns that excess of anything has
its cost, but an entire society of excess can actually be
dangerous socially, environmentally, and spiritually.
Knowing sufficiency, not sin
Knowing stopping, not danger
Can be our sustainability
-passage 44
49
 The Secret Tao
The Chinese characters meaning sustainability,
literally meaning: “not ending”, are a central theme
in the verses of Lao Tzu. If there is one thing in all
of the verses of Lao Tzu that more than anything else
represents the meaning or purpose of life, it would
be to sustain. This, according to Lao Tzu, is like unto
the Way of Heaven. Sustainability also refers to yin,
anchoring your activity in the permanence of non-
being. These passages related to sustainability refer to
both a long life as well as a sustainable culture. This is
a central concept in modern ecology as well.
Ecologists nowadays who talk about the
unsustainability of our current pro-growth economy,
are voicing precisely the same ideas as Lao Tzu.
Constant growth is not sustainable. The Earth has
finite resources; it cannot handle unlimited people or
unlimited plundering of its resources. Some growth
has been gained by improved technology creating
improved efficiency. But we have reached a point of
diminishing returns. Many environmentalists and
ecologists are arguing precisely what Lao Tzu said
thousands of years ago; we must know sufficiency, if
we don’t stop, it is dangerous. If we don’t stop, our
society will not be sustainable. Passage after passage,
Lao Tzu says that it is the desire for absolute satiation,
which is never attainable, that drives us to our doom.
50
Those who consider the Way
Do not desire fullness
Only one not full,
Thus is able to be sheltered, not replaced
-passage 15
The above verse from passage fifteen is a
pun of sorts, but to get it you must keep in mind the
centrality of the concept of a chalice or a valley. Think
of a bowl, when a bowl is full it is no longer useful as
a bowl. It’s the bowl’s emptiness that makes it useful.
Fullness is not sustainable. Lao Tzu is full of metaphors
on this point. In many different ways he points out the
futility of striving, and does so in practical economic
terms.
The concept of non-striving specifically
involves knowing the benefit of sufficiency and
curbing your desire. I think this is even more pertinent
for our time than for the Fifth Century BC. Though
people in early civilization may have thought it silly to
spend such great energy and resources to create more
surpluses or to increase the speed of production or
communications, what would they think of us today?
So many people are living lives of tension and stress in
an endless cycle of seeking and creating more, better,
and faster of everything.
 Part II: The Tao of Social Ecology
Those who seek to improve Heaven below and force it
I see them not succeeding for themselves
Heaven below is a spiritual vessel
Not can it be forced, either
Not can it be grasped, either
...Therefore Shaman
forfeits excess
forfeits extravagance
forfeits extremes -passage 29
I don’t think Lao Tzu, or the ancient Taoist
shaman, were merely reactionary Luddites, like a Ted
Kaczynski of the Zhou Dynasty. Based on an ancient
religion of Nature-worship, it follows that it’s a sacrilege
to try improving on what is natural. This is not only
pointless and dangerous, but according to this belief
system it is also a moral sin.
In Taoism everything that exists has a spiritual
dimension, and everything you do has a spiritual
consequence. A culture of excess erodes the soul,
as it diminishes our life-satisfaction. In the current
world economy, the quantifiable standard of living in
industrialized nations may improve, but our quality of
life is diminished. There is more stress, more demands,
and less time to enjoy life.
You might say Lao Tzu argues for a philosophy
of quality vs. quantity. While large commercial farms
can produce unbelievable quantities of food rapidly,
there is tender loving care in the vegetables you grow
in your own garden and you can actually taste the
difference. The ancient Taoists would say that there
is more Qi, life energy, in them. Likewise, work is
about more than just getting a lot of money. There is
integrity in a good day’s work, and just in applying
your talent, skill, and creativity to meet your basic
needs. The most rewarding benefits of work are
intrinsic and cannot be bought, no matter how much
money you have. How many workers today have the
satisfaction of creating something that they believe in
and that they are proud of?
Ultimately, no matter how productive society
is, a culture of greed and excess is counterproductive.
Eventually the difference is both quantitative as well
as qualitative. A culture of excess simply doesn’t work
indefinitely on a pragmatic level without limitless
resources. When people continue this greedy madness,
in spite of negative consequences, it then becomes a
kind of sickness of immaturity.
In addition to social and cultural problems,
there is the cost of the destruction to our habitat,
which is not limited to rare birds and plants; it is
humanity who will pay the cost in the long run. All
living things are part of a single web of life, and to
51
 The Secret Tao
paraphrase Chief Seattle, “What we do to the web we
do to ourselves.” 9
Courts well tended
Fields well neglected
Granaries well empty
Wearing garments gorgeous
Carrying lethal weapons
Eating too much and drinking too much
Wealth and possessions being in surplus
Is called encouraging thievery
This thievery is not the Way, for sure!
-passage 53
Ecology is simply economics in the context
of a living biosphere. Working with nature, we insure
our own sustainability, through supporting, protecting,
and nurturing the biosphere that is our host. We feed
off of the Earth. She is our Mother in more ways
than one. We suckle her in a very real and tangible
sense. We are dependent on our environment to stay
alive. Working with nature we can insure our supply.
Working against it, we destroy our livelihood and
ultimately our species.
52
To care for people and serve Heaven
Nothing compares with Ecology
Ecology is called learning how things grow
Learning how things grow is called acquiring Virtue
...Is called deep roots with firm foundation
Sustainable life and farsighted vision‘s Way
-passage 59
What is so special about this concept of
ecology for me is the inherent spirituality of it. For
the ancient Chinese there appears to be no difference
between the sky, the weather, and Heaven itself. The
physical and spiritual aspects of Heaven and Earth are
inter-related. When we damage the Earth or sky, we
are damaging our spiritual home as much as our real
home, and damaging our spiritual Mother as well as
our very real food supply.
Mistaken Identity
Greed and desire both come from a case of mistaken
identity. They both derive from the notion that we
are individuals in contrast to others and nature. They
derive from and are reinforced by an isolating and
atomistic sense of self, a false sense of self.
 Part II: The Tao of Social Ecology
Sky without clarity is threatened by pollution
Earth without soundness is threatened by erosion
Spirit without strength is threatened by exhaustion
Valley without abundance is threatened with
withering
Ten Thousand things without life are threatened
with extinction -passage 39
This reminds me of a statement by environ-
mentalist, Joanna Macy. She used a marvelous
metaphore, saying that no one needs to tell you not
to cut off your arms. That wouldn’t occur to me or to
you, because they are part of you. Well, the Amazon
rainforest is your external lungs. Think about it. They
are living organs that purify air of carbon dioxide and
produce oxygen for your internal lungs. Both your
internal lungs and external lungs evolved side by side
as a single life support system, and both are necessary
for you to breath. Would you cut out your lungs?
This is a whole new concept of self. Is your
self your body or your ecosystem? Or how about your
biosphere? Most of us don’t think of it this way but
you cannot exist without this external body we call
Earth. It is as much a part of your life as the internal
body. The problem is that the human nervous system
has it’s own portable information processing organ
we call the brain. This gives rise to the illusions of
ego. Literally, this creates the illusion that each of us
is our own little self-contained universe, which could
stand alone separate from the rest of the planet and
it’s people, if necessary. This is a dangerous fantasy.
By working against nature and against each other
for personal profit, we fail to see our true role in the
world, and we create Hell on Earth in the process.
Finally, it is worth noting that the concept I
translate as sustainability is almost always interpreted
as referring to a “long life”, and it has been so for over
3000 years in China. Long life refers primarily to the
individual and their personal life, thus it is an egoistic
concept. Sustainability, on the other hand, refers to the
life of the tribe and the species as a whole. Long life
was likely a distortion of the Bronze Age zeitgeist, and
the original idea was probably something more like
“sustainability”.
Conclusion
Greed and desire reinforce this illusion that causes
us to objectify and seek to control everything that is
outside of our body, for our own personal benefit.
According to both Lao Tzu and many modern
scholars, it is both a sickness and a sacrilege. Lao
Tzu says stop naming things, stop objectifying, and
53
 The Secret Tao

start seeing the Oneness. The Oneness is all people

everywhere and the environment too, all in the same
boat, trying to survive. To paraphrase Aesop, united we
stand, divided we fall. So, we need to start preserving
and nurturing the Oneness if we are to be sustainable.
Our true identity is found in discovering our
eternal nature. Our eternal nature is found in our
origin, as an uncarved block of nature. Finding our
eternal nature, we find the key to all our social and
environmental problems. Not finding our nature, we
perish.

To know our eternal nature is enlightenment

To not know our eternal nature is disastrous
-passage 16

As with all the teachings of Lao Tzu, the

dynamic involved in the problems of greed and desire
is yang. Yang is glory and triumph! Yang is success.
But, a preoccupation with yang can lead to unfulfilled
longing and an obsession with one’s success and
possessions. This is life out of balance. In Hopi, this is
called Koyanisquaatsi. The good news is that this is not
our eternal nature. This is a deviation, a detour, from
the path of our ancestors.

54
 Part II: The Tao of Social Ecology
Chapter 7
Anarchism: When the Way is Lost,
Justice Appears to Lao Tzu. It creates problems at great expense of
Reading the Tao of Lao Tzu, one is reminded of
the Russian Anarchists of the 19th century. Piotre
Alekseyevich Kropotkin and Mikhail Bakunin saw
people as basically good, and believed that society
should naturally evolve from the people. They
believed that people were corrupted by civilization
and government, and by the rules and regulations
imposed by them. To Anarchists, trying to impose
arbitrary order on people is a pointless and endless
task, literally like trying to improve on nature.
Similarly, in spite of having very clear ideas about
what is beneficial for society, the Tao Te Ching never
advocates governmental interference to achieve those
objectives. In fact, the passages seem to indict good-
doer, institutional interventions as being part of the
problem in the first place.
The great Way is lost,
Being humanism and justice found
... Nations falls into chaos
Being patriotic ministers present previous interventions, which were only created to
-passage 18
Lao Tzu’s view of society stands in sharp
contrast to the highest virtues of civilization.
Civilization does precisely the wrong thing according
energy and resources by trying to solve manufactured
problems. Then civilization spends even more energy
and resources trying to resolve the side effects it created
in trying to solve the problems that it created.
Their government care little little
Their people simple simple
Their government strict strict
Their people clever clever
-passage 58
Governmental solutions to problems in
human behavior are never without side effects since
they are never perfect solutions. How could they
be? Can we create a system that is more perfect and
comprehensive than millions of years of evolution?
No, we probably can’t, at least not anytime in the
next millennium. So, our civilization creates ever
more interventions to solve problems caused by our
civilization, and to cure the side effects caused by their
solve the problems of our civilization in the first place.
55
 The Secret Tao
Like a cat chasing her own tail, down and down we
go in a downward spiral, always cycling further and
further away from the Way of the ancients.
For Lao Tzu cleverness is a bad thing. It
implies meddling, deceit, and a manipulative attitude.
Just as force breeds more force, your cleverness
is reciprocated by others ensnaring you in your
cleverness. The result is chaos. This principle of non-
interference is true in all aspects of life according to
Lao Tzu. From patriotic ministers who get the country
into wars to meddlesome family members who create
familial discord, it appears the less you do the better.
Because whenever you try to improve our society, it
is like trying to improve Heaven, it is like trying to
improve nature. It cannot be done, and your intrusion
will usually backfire. This is the principle of non-
action.
Non-Action
Non-action results in non-being, and thus nothing
is not done. Action results in being, being the action
done and nothing else. This is a little esoteric to read,
so lets look at the philosophy behind it.
If you work with human nature, you are using
all of nature to help you. You are marshaling the forces
of millions of years of evolution to your advantage.
56
You are steering a system that is complete right down
to the last detail on the end of a DNA chain in a gnat!
That is the power and completeness of non-action. Not
interfering is letting nature take it’s course, working
with nature, not against it. You perform no-action,
yet nothing in the Universe is left undone, because
everything in the Universe is working in harmony with
you. Everything in the Universe is acting according to
its eternal nature. Thus if what you want is in accord
with nature, you will receive infinite help.
On the other hand, when you have desire,
when you have an arbitrary and abstract notion of
what is right or wrong, then you fight the Way. You are
fighting the Way because you are trying to accomplish
something that you personally want, without seeing
the larger picture. Essentially, you are not being a team
player with nature and the Universe. In this scenario,
you are utterly alone. And, you will eventually lose.
First of all, you will accomplish your feat
without the help or cooperation of nature. Your picnic
may be interrupted by rain or ants. Your laws will be
violated by people who are acting according to human
nature. Secondly, what you create is ephemeral. It will
not last long after you create it. Whatever it is that you
create, whether of stone or a social structure, will be
worn away by time and the forces of nature, including
 Part II: The Tao of Social Ecology
human nature. So your action will be your ephemeral
action, and nothing else. All of nature, all the forces
of the Universe will appear to conspire against it, as
they go on about their eternal nature. Of course, this
is because to fight nature and to not accept nature is
denial. Nature is the natural context of life; it is reality.
Our desires are not; they are quite literally figments of
our imagination.
Forcing, fails it
Grasping, loses it
Therefore Shaman
Without forcing, so without failing
Without grasping, so without losing against our human nature, we prevent problems before
-passage 64
Loss occurs whether you follow the Way or
not, but by following the Way, even loss becomes an
integral part of the path you are on and no longer a
frustration. Following desire, you will always know
frustration. This is because loss means a loss of being
or a loss of action. But, by embracing non-being
and enacting non-action, there is no loss. Or, more
precisely, the loss too becomes part of your path.
Even though we have a justice system, and
are always adding more rules, regulations and laws, it
seems we just have more problems. According to Lao
Tzu, when we find ourselves trying to solve problems,
which are side effects to other solutions, it is a sure sign
that we almost invariably have lost the Way.
Enact non-action
Then nothing is not in order
-passage 3
Any intrusion, intervention, or action, which
seeks to intervene, change, or improve upon nature
or human nature, is almost always problematic and
ultimately not sustainable. By acting with and not
they occur. The only good resolution is to return to
our root-source, or at least to the root of the problem.
This means going back and picking up the path that
leads us on the Way.
Thus, lose the Way, and virtue appears
Lose virtue, and humanism appears
Lose humanism, and justice appears
Lose justice, and rules and regulations appear
Rules are only the surface of the mind’s truth
And the beginning of chaos
-passage 38
57
 The Secret Tao
So when it comes to government, the Way
of Lao Tzu advocates a natural and preventative
approach. Interventions and social structures, unless
they are deeply rooted in our instincts and nature are
band-aid solutions doomed to failure from the start.
Lao Tzu does not actually advocate a certain kind of
government, he simply suggests that less is better than
more.
Rule a great nation as you would cook a small fish
-passage 60
Naturally, people will always come together
to seek solutions when there are problems. That is
inevitable. But, Lao Tzu warns us not to heed people’s
words too much. No matter what people say, when all
is said and done, people will say, essentially, of course,
I knew it all along! The Way of Lao Tzu is peace.
When people loose peace, they have lost the Way, and
usually this is accompanied by a good deal of heated
discussion.
The Way of Lao Tzu preaches a wisdom that
is somewhat anarchistic. It is based on the concept
of yielding to our nature and not trying to force it
according to societies’ schemes. If we are aware of our
own nature and work with it, not against it, then we
will have no need of laws, rules, and regulations. A
58
good example of this is his attitude toward crime.
One inferior passionately advocates
One inferior fears
One inferior insults
…Take time, how one values words
When events have transpired
People say “Naturally! Of course! Right!”
-passage 17
It is written more than once that the origin of
crime is surplus and the collection of precious objects.
In our culture, we say that money is the root of all
evil. According to Lao Tzu this is so because this is our
human nature. It is against our nature to be otherwise.
Hoarding wealth tempts people. People are only
human, and they have weaknesses. Hence, hoarding
wealth leads to stealing, and an ounce of prevention is
worth a pound of cure. This concept is one of the most
basic laws of human nature and even applies to ape
behavior as well.
Many communities of chimpanzees, known
to share food with one another in the wild, suddenly
change their behavior when faced with simple
temptation. Studies have shown that when researchers
put a large stockpile of bananas in the middle of a
 Part II: The Tao of Social Ecology
tribe of chimps, the apes begin hording the bananas.
The chimps sheepishly go up to the pile and steal as
many as they can carry off. When there is no more in
the pile, they began stealing bananas from each other’s
pile. Researchers found that, in such instances, they
soon began fighting over the stock pile of bananas.
This is not typical of chimpanzees naturally grazing,
and it appears to be a direct result of the surplus
presented to them.
That may be true for chimpanzees but what of
humans? Is our nature any different? Apparently not. A
popular message on the streets of America today is that
peace is a product of social justice. Social justice means
economic justice, environmental justice, and basic
human rights. So long as some people are poor while
others hoard wealth, so long as some are persecuted
while others go free because of their wealth and power,
there will always be crime and violence. The message
of Lao Tzu is a reminder that no civilization can escape
the law of human nature.
Conclusion
The most natural thing in the world, according to Lao
Tzu, is simply to avoid that which causes problems in
the first place. This is a systemic approach. Everything
is worked out already in nature. It is foolish to try to
reinvent the wheel for every new problem that comes
up. All we need to do is work with the system, the Tao.
But, if we are not working with the system, and we
are trying to work against our human nature, then no
amount of band-aid solutions will save us.
All of nature, ourselves included, are like a
finely tuned machine. Make one modification and it’s
thrown out of balance. Lao Tzu says that a person’s
force invites repayment. This is a basic principle of
physics, that any force creates an equal and opposing
force. Using force to keep peace, we knock the system
off balance, and get even more force in return. Then
we’ll need ever more force to keep the peace, always
getting more counter-force in return, spiraling into
chaos. The same principle is true for any governmental
or societal intervention. Any intervention based on
forcing people’s behavior always backfires. This is why
it is written that when the government cares little, the
people are simple. When the government is strict, the
people are clever. And, it implies that this strictness
and cleverness makes life more stressful for all.
59
 The Secret Tao
Chapter 8
Pacifism: I Will Not Be The Aggressor
Non-action and non-force are nearly synonymous. The
term force, as it is used here is not at all referring to the
life-force of Qi. In fact, it means the opposite. Force,
referred to by Lao Tzu, means something like forcing
a mechanical device until you break it, or coercing a
friend or family member through verbal threats until
you alienate them. The clearest example of this kind of
force is violence.
Pushing, grabbing, hitting, using weapons,
and using violence to achieve your goals are not the
Way and never can be the Way. Lao Tzu is most critical
of weapons, violence, war, and all manifestations of
force.
I will not be the aggressor
Every action, defense
Not will I advance one inch
But retreat a foot -passage 69
Many might say that aggression is common in
the wild. So, if Lao Tzu is advocating a more natural
lifestyle, returning to our roots, uncarved block and
all that, wouldn’t that include more aggression as
well? structure. They have an entire tribal social order with
60
No. According to the Lao Tzu, our eternal
nature is peace. We have only been lead astray.
Remember that, according to the Tao Te Ching, we
live in a culture that is out of balance with our eternal
nature. Yang, the male aspect, is out of balance with
yin, the female aspect, causing this disturbance in our
culture. But, is this scientific? We know that violence is
natural among primates, right? Not necessarily.
Research in comparative psychology has
supported the gender hypothesis of the ancient Taoists.
In their book, Demonic Males, authors Wrangham
and Peterson suggest that violence is related to gender
in both apes and humans. 11 And, this is not just
related to individual gender and aggression. There is
research that shows that the overall distribution of
power between the genders affects the overall level of
aggression in the community, in both chimpanzees and
humans.
It was long assumed that the only way
primates resolved conflict was with force and
aggression. However, studies with other types of
primates such as the Bonobo Chimps have shown that
there are groups of primates that are distinctly non-
aggressive. And, it does not appear that the Bonobo are
simply genetically programmed to be more peaceful.
The difference in the Bonobo is in their social
 Part II: The Tao of Social Ecology
complex social customs, which are quite different from
that of their more aggressive chimp cousins. Most
chimp tribes are patriarchal, with an alpha male as the
head of the tribe. But, the Bonobos are matriarchal,
with the matriarch of the tribe leading all of the
chimps. In patriarchal tribes of chimps, conflict is
resolved through violence or threats of violence. With
the Bonobos, however, conflict is resolved through
physical affection, which often includes sexual contact.
Is this connection between gender, power, and
violence that we see in chimps merely a coincidence?
Wrangham and Peterson believe that this correlation
found in chimp cultures may reflect dynamics at work
in human culture as well. This gives a whole new spin
on the question of whether aggression is natural in
humans or not.
For Lao Tzu, there is no doubt. All force
and violence is expressing yang, the male aspect of
our species, which makes the entire culture more
violent and aggressive. Modern research has shown
that males are naturally more aggressive than females,
and Bonobos are no different. Their males also
have aggressive urges when they are young. But, the
Bonobos are different because of the different balance
of male and female power in the community. They lack
aggression precisely because the males of the tribe are
held in check by the females. So, their tribes preserve
and uphold Yin, the female aspect, because that’s the
dominant gender in their social order.
The Tao tells us that force and aggression are
not sustainable. In an evolutionary perspective, we
can see aggression as a dead-end path for such a clever
and resourceful species of primate as us. Perhaps it
was obvious to Lao Tzu’s ancestors that any creature
on Earth as smart and powerful as humans should not
dare to be too aggressive. To be so would be disastrous
for humans as well as many other life forms. Force,
aggression, and violence are not the Way of Heaven.
Weapons Control
Lao Tzu does not just talk about war and violence in
general terms. The passages address specific political
issues, which are as hotly debated today as they were
in Lao Tzu’s day. The passages refer to the issue of
weapons, and whether more weapons makes the
country safer or more dangerous. The passages also
talk about capital punishment, and whether it’s ever
right to take any life in cold blood. On these issues,
Lao Tzu’s timeless wisdom echoes contemporary liberal
positions. Specifically, the passages are clearly against
the possession and sale of lethal weapons.
61
 The Secret Tao

People having more weapons, Because weapons are shameful things

Nation is more dangerous -passage 57 They are not the tools of a Shaman
Peace and quiet are most precious to us
Lao Tzu is more blunt with his comments on -passage 31
weapons and war than with almost any other topic
in the Tao Te Ching. The verses state quite clearly: Capital Punishment
weapons are shameful things. All living things hate
If Lao Tzu is against all forms of force and violence,
them. Further, he says that war is a shameful thing,
then surely murder is the most severe form of violence.
and that a battle commander occupies a place of
If it is wrong to force people and do violence against
dishonor. He goes on to state that any pride you may
people, then how can we rationalize cold-blooded
feel in a military victory constitutes “taking pleasure in
human slaughter?
human slaughter.” This too is shameful, and your life
While most passages refer to murder and
will be cursed.
violence in general, there is one passage which
specifically refers to State executions. In this passage
A lethal weapon is a shameful thing
Lao Tzu seems to suggest that the practice of execution
All living things hate it
is such an extreme form of governmental control that
Those who know the Way, it is almost comical.
Want nothing to do with weapons
-passage 31 People’s nature is to fear death
And when they act abnormal
We arrest and execute them
Repeatedly, Lao Tzu talks of weapons as
Who dares misbehave? -passage 74
though they were the real enemy. Military opponents
are referred to as if they too were victims of the
Lao Tzu then goes on to say in this passage
common enemy of war and weaponry. Besides greed,
that it is the role of nature to take a human life.
weapons are among the very few things that Lao Tzu
Essentially there already is an executioner, which we
refers to as evil.

62
 Part II: The Tao of Social Ecology
variously call nature or fate. So, if nature normally
fills this role, then a wise ruler would let nature take its
course, without imposing life and death penalties.
He says that when a person does the work of
an executioner, he is like a worker “imitating a master
carpenter chopping wood.” He then says, essentially,
that people who imitate a master carpenter chopping
wood often lose limbs of their own. Evidently, master
carpenters in their day could cut massive pieces of
wood by impressively handling large, sharp, heavy
axes. When a novice would attempt this, they would
inevitably cut themselves as well.
Nature always has role of executioner taking life
Worker striking an ax
In role of executioner taking life
Is called
Striking like master carpenter chopping wood
Workers
Striking like master carpenter chopping wood
Few have not injured their own limbs of meaning in the original Chinese.
-passage 74
The parallel is astonishingly cogent. A mortal
man wielding an axe in the role of an executioner,
taking a life, is like a common worker trying to
strike an axe like a master carpenter. Humans who
presume to take a life are imitating a force greater
than ours. They are imitating the Grim Reaper. And,
like the old adage, those who play with fire get burnt.
In other words, how can our government be in the
business of murdering people, without having negative
consequences for us and for our society? In the modern
vernacular we’d say, it’s bad karma.
It is interesting to note that Lao Tzu does not
make exceptions. It does not say that it is sometimes
okay to execute people, or that it’s only in the most
severe cases that we should execute people. No, the
verses specifically state that it is not our business to be
killing people. Literally, Lao Tzu says that it’s not our
job to be playing executioner, taking life. It is not our
role, not in our department! I believe this is the reason
for using the character szu in this passage, which
means the verb to manage, or as a noun it can mean
department or charge, as in “he managed the project”
or “that is my department.” I translated szu as role in
this passage, but you can clearly see the greater nuance
Conclusion
In spite of his pacifist stance, never in these passages
does Lao Tzu appear to moralize to people. He appears
63
 The Secret Tao

to be far too accepting of our human nature for that. uselessness of moralizing. Chuang Tzu even condemns
Wars and weapons, which seduce and destroy people, the ideas of good and evil in his writings. But, Lao Tzu
are condemned as evil. People, on the other hand, are is not afraid to call evil evil. In discussing instruments
not described as evil, only as naïve; it is our culture and social structures, which promote violence in
that is out of balance and that is what leads us to great society, his condemnation is unambiguous. He argues
violence. in different passages that such things turn our human
In modern terms, what Lao Tzu is saying nature into human carnage.
is something like, people don’t kill people, guns do. In
other words, it’s natural for people to get angry and
sometimes they are tempted to do violence. But, to
hand an angry man a lethal weapon is evil. This is
intensified by a culture that glorifies violence and
weapons, like urging a suicidal person on a ledge to
jump! According to Lao Tzu, the use of force is a sin,
but weapons and the glorification of violence are true
evil. For Lao Tzu, it is in our nature that we are easily
seduced by our desires. This is a weakness, but not evil.
It is not people but rather civilization and the horrific
illusions and temptations within it that are seen as true
evil.
Lao Tzu seems to view people almost like
innocent children. They don’t mean to do evil, but
they are weak and tempted by desire. He rarely
passes judgment on people as morally good or bad.
This is similar to Chuang Tzu, a Taoist philosopher
who followed Lao Tzu, who explicitly stressed the

64
 Part II: The Tao of Social Ecology

Chapter 9 Tzu’s morality in relation to a Western perspective? The

answer is two-fold. The pillars of Western morality are
Moral Ecology: When the Way is Lost,
free will and original sin.
Virtue Appears
Original Sin
According to Lao Tzu, it appears that if one steals
it is just as much the fault of the one who hoards Why are people so tempted to do evil? According to
the wealth that tempts the thief, as it is the fault of Western theological traditions, this is the essence of
the thief. And, it is also the fault of the society that the concept of original sin. This is where East and
promotes the hoarding of wealth. If someone gets West divide. Original sin appears to be antithetical
hurt by a weapon, according to Lao Tzu, it is the fault to the Way of Lao Tzu. Taoism preaches the notion
of the weapon, which is itself a shameful thing, and of original goodness. This is the true meaning of the
the creator that made it. This is very different than uncarved block. The highest good is that which is
traditional Western morality. natural and uncorrupted.
In our modern American society, and
Thus the best people are, for the not good, examples
in Western traditions in general, individuals are
And the not good are, for the best people, potential
held solely accountable for their deeds. And, this
-passage 27
accountability includes responsibility for all acts of free
will, despite what the situation might be. We all have
For Lao Tzu there really are no bad people,
free will, and it is the purpose of morality in Western
nor a morally superior class of people either. Lao Tzu
culture to defy temptation and choose goodness over
sees good people as existing for the benefit of the not-
evil. Certainly, there are temptations; this is the human
so-good, to be teachers. And, all not-so good people
condition. Morality is facing down temptation, and
have the potential to become good people, in time.
doing the right thing anyway. Morality is having the
According to Lao Tzu, if there is evil among
choice to steal, to do violence, and choosing not to,
us, it is our civilization and our value system that
even though you are tempted to do so.
is flawed. Western theological traditions have the
So, how do we understand and reconcile Lao

65
 The Secret Tao
opposite perspective; civilization is good and it is
human nature that is basically flawed. We’re flawed
precisely because we’re so easily tempted to do evil;
only through exposure to civilization and being taught
civilized concepts of morality, can we hope to be good.
In Taoism there is only the Way, or not-the-
Way. We see in the Tao Te Ching that this Way is not
merely the Way of the individual; it is the Way of life.
And the Way flows through all things, good and evil.
According to this philosophy, people are basically both
good and bad, and yet neither good nor bad. Both,
neither, who can say? People are the way they are. Is a
carbon molecule good or evil?
The great Way flows through all living things
Manifest in both good and evil
-passage 34
People are the Way the creator made them.
So, going to the heart of the issue, original sin presents
us with an essential dilemma. If our nature is flawed
then ultimately this means that our Creator is flawed.
An alternative view is that our nature is not flawed,
but rather it informs us. Just as a fever informs us of
sickness, our temptations inform us of evil.
Lao Tzu has great respect for our instincts
and intuition, and values them more than knowledge
66
or ethics. This implies that our human nature has an
intelligence in its own right. We know that human
nature evolved over millions of years, and so we benefit
from the trial and error of millions of lifetimes of
natural selection. You might say that human nature,
buried in the unconscious mind, is wiser than we
know or can even imagine. It is greater than the sum
of our conscious knowledge. This wisdom is one that
we cannot force or change, but rather one that we can
learn from.
Free Will
The notion of free will is the other great pillar of
Western morality. But, for a people who worship
nature, such as the ancient Taoists, free will is not an
absolute concept. That is, it is not an all or nothing
at all proposition. It’s not something that you have
one hundred percent, but it’s not non-existent
either. Rather, it appears from the verses that we are
simultaneously constricted by our own nature and
at the same time offered a range of choices in our
behavior.
For instance, if you get sick, do you have a
choice to get a fever? Of course not, but that’s not a
voluntary action. What about sneezing? What about
vomiting? What about coughing? Each of these lies
 Part II: The Tao of Social Ecology
on a continuum of human control, but where do you
draw the line? Now extend this continuum to the issue
of temptation. What about the temptation to have
sex? Isn’t that a natural, instinctive, bodily function?
What about the impulse to have a bite of chocolate,
or to laugh? Where do we draw the line between 100%
voluntary action and 100% involuntary action. And,
what do we do with that vast gray area between the
two?
All impulses could be said to lie on a
continuum of human control. If we honor nature and
ourselves as part of nature, and if we trust our natural
instincts, then there is not such a neat dividing line
between voluntary and involuntary behavior. We
clearly have some control, to inhibit urges and make
plans, but it is severely circumscribed by our nature,
our drives, our impulses, and our instinctual behavior.
Lao Tzu doesn’t specifically talk about the
issue of free will, but he does say to ignore the eyes
and trust what you feel in your guts. The Tao Te
Ching repeatedly admonishes that knowledge will
only confuse you. And, all of the passages refer with
great affection to our eternal nature as a positive force.
It is implied that if we simply surrendered to it, and
stopped fighting it, all of our problems would naturally
solve themselves.
This is the exact opposite of the notion of a
rational individual choosing not to act on their savage
and primitive urges, making decisions based upon the
knowledge that civilization has taught them. This is
also askew to notions of right and wrong, especially
when it does not address the issues of instinct and
human nature.
Interestingly, the issue of free will pivots with
your view of original sin. If you believe in original sin,
then you need free will so you can choose not to obey
your immoral instincts. On the other hand, if you do
not believe in original sin, then free will is a bad thing,
because it tempts you to disobey your better instincts.
Western morality is based on original sin and
therefore requires the salvation of free will to choose
a moral path, as opposed to our baser instincts. In
Western culture, civilization is our salvation because
it lifts us up from the heathen sins of our savage
instincts. For Lao Tzu, nothing could be further from
the truth. It is civilization, which offers the seductive
temptation to do evil. Our indigenous ancestors
were innocent of the corruption that comes from
civilization, thus they were able to trust their instincts.
67
 The Secret Tao

Moral Ecology In other words, if you plug an otherwise good person

into a situation and get a bad result, then the problem
Lao Tzu’s position is not moral relativism, and it is not
is not in the person. It must be a bad situation
amorality. This is more like a moral ecology. People
for the person to be in, one which has pulled the
act according to their nature but the situations we face
person off course from their better instincts. These
in civilization are human-made and not necessarily
situations should be avoided and eradicated from our
natural at all. In this way, evil is seen as coming from
community. And, in time, you will get a simpler, more
the complex temptations and horrific evil potential
natural, and humble way of living.
that is found in civilization, not a flaw in either our
nature or instincts.
Not valuing the collection of precious things
The key to understanding this indictment
Causes people to not steal -passage 3
of civilization is to understand that, unlike any other
species, humanity went from living in a completely
In the beliefs of Lao Tzu, the Way created
natural environment to living in a mostly human-
Heaven, which created Earth, which created People.
made environment. It’s a given that humans probably
The Way is sacred, the Heavens are sacred, the Earth
cannot match a system as vast and minutely designed
is sacred, and thus People are sacred. The Way evolved
as the biosphere we live in. So, while our human
as Nature. Nature is sacred; so that means that human
nature is perfectly matched to the biosphere that it
nature, too, is sacred.
evolved to adapt to, our human-made environment
Our judgment of human nature is
has been repeatedly shown to be flawed or incomplete.
meaningless. It is neither right nor wrong. It is our
It is in this context that Lao Tzu looks at
nature. In fact, it is nature. It is the sum total of
the temptation to do evil and asks, essentially, what
millions of years of organic growth, development, and
is wrong with this picture? If a person is following
evolution. We would be wise to gain the humility that
their nature, then why are they tempted to do evil?
comes from grasping this concept. We, and our ideas
Invariably, Lao Tzu finds that maybe it is the situation
about morality, are utterly insignificant compared to
itself that is not so natural after all. Hence the flaw lies
the immensity of our biological context.
in civilization, or the social or physical environment.

68
 Part II: The Tao of Social Ecology
This is a pragmatic yet deeply spiritual kind
of morality. Any situation created by humans, which
causes a person to be in conflict with their God-given
nature, cannot be the Way. Not being the Way, thus it
has no virtue. Having no virtue, thus it has no benefit,
no Qi, no life energy. Not having life-energy, thus it is
not sustainable.
Pandering, Machiavellianism, & Yang
From this perspective, the very worst thing a person
can do is to pander to another person’s weakness. But,
this is the opposite of how our modern society views
pandering and human weakness. Despite lip-service
to the contrary, in our society we take much more of a
dog-eat-dog approach. In other words, people have free
reign to get away with whatever they can, as long as it
is legal. And, if you are stupid enough to get tricked by
someone else, then it is your fault not theirs.
For instance, you can get rich selling high fat,
high calorie snacks to obese people and their obese
children and most will not condemn you. You will be
seen simply as a successful businessperson. Even if you
go out of your way to aggressively sell your product,
barrage people with advertising, give away free-samples
to get them hooked, that’s all just standard business
practices. Right? But, the obese person is condemned
for having given in to the temptation. They are seen as
weak for not being able to resist the well-orchestrated
appeal, coercing them to give-in.
As long as the activity is legal, our society
sides with the panderer and simultaneously condemns
human weaknesses. The panderer is trying very hard
to get people to do what they know is wrong. Why?
Because they believe that a high fat diet is good for
people? No. It’s because of greed. They’re hoping to
make millions of dollars by targeting people where
they are most vulnerable. But, this doesn’t seem to
bother people. It’s not seen as immoral. The person
with a weight problem, meanwhile, is the butt of jokes
and is condemned for not being tough enough to resist
temptation.
I frequently hear people talk about this issue as
a matter of personal responsibility. After all, you need
to be responsible for yourself, what you do, what you
eat, and so on. But, it’s as if our society has combined
the idea of personal responsibility with a Machiavellian
sense of ethics. The result is that personal responsibility
only applies to your weaknesses and not to your
predatory instincts. In other words, it’s perfectly fine
to make a profit by assisting people in their doom,
just as long as you yourself do not succumb to your
69
 The Secret Tao
own weaknesses. This creates a society in which we
all compete to see who is the toughest at resisting
temptation, and who is the craftiest at getting rich.
Needless to say, this is quite the opposite of the Way of
Lao Tzu.
This tough, dog-eat-dog attitude is what
Lao Tzu is referring to in his ongoing plea to restore
balance to the world. It is only in a culture with
an excess of Yang, a culture which values power
and strength above all else, that you would find
people condoning the sale of lethal weapons and
simultaneously condemning people for the weakness of
using them.
An alternative view is that only our Creator,
who created our weaknesses, has the right to judge our
weaknesses. But we can and should judge that which
we create, which is our products and services. Being
the creators of our civilization, judging the products
of our civilization is our prime responsibility. We can
judge how we raise children, allocate resources, use
energy, build products, build communities, and most
of all we can judge our values. But, we are not in a
position to judge human nature.
This concept of moral ecology would
condemn the panderer and help support consumers
in freeing themselves from desire, not the other way
70
around. When people do wrong, it is usually because
they find themselves in a conflict between their own
nature and what they know to be right. Panderers
profit off of people’s sins, thus urge them to commit
more sins. From a moral ecology perspective, if you
have a gun in your home and you use it in the heat of
anger, that may be tragic but it’s an all too common
act of human weakness. After all, humanity did not
evolve with the ability to kill someone with the push
of a button, and we obviously have not yet completely
adapted to this new power either. If you make or sell
lethal weapons for a living, according to Lao Tzu,
this is considered shameful, and you must take full
responsibility for the deaths that will inevitably occur.
It is foolish to think that accidental deaths of innocent
victims will not occur. It would be like giving candy
to a child and telling them never to eat it.
Conclusion
When we compare the moral ecology of Lao
Tzu to Western thoughts on morality, we see the
absurdity of the statement: Guns don’t kill people,
people do. It presupposes that the production of
violent instruments of lethal destruction is morally
neutral. Conversely, it would have us believe that it is
humanity itself, which is the real evil.
 Part II: The Tao of Social Ecology
Why on Earth would you hold a position,
which states that what your God created (humanity) is
evil, but that which people create (guns) are somehow
morally beyond good and evil? This is not only
counter-intuitive and illogical, but it is also supremely
arrogant. Doesn’t it make more sense to say that what
God has created is beyond our concepts of good and
evil, but that which we create we are also responsible
for, to judge and correct as necessary?
We are not responsible for human nature to
decide what should or should not tempt us. That’s
not for us to judge. But, we are responsible for the
society and products we create, to make sure they
are safe, sustainable, and in harmony with nature,
and with our human nature. This means supporting
our best instincts, and not aggravating, exploiting,
nor pandering to our weaknesses. In short, we are
responsible for creating a society that functions well.
We are responsible for creating a society that works!
According to Lao Tzu the society that
functions best does so by it’s own accord, by working
with, not against, our nature.
If world leaders are able to cultivate it (the Tao)
...People would know peace and order
With no need of laws, rules, and regulations and the yang (the male aspect). When they are
-passage 32
When you combine all of Lao Tzu’s advice
into one message, it seems paradoxical. We need to
eliminate weapons, but we should not use government
intervention to do it. We need to eliminate violence,
but the perpetrators of violence are not the cause. So,
what can we do? What is the Tao of social ecology?
The answer is simple; just follow the Way.
But, how exactly do we do this? For centuries the
mysterious Way has puzzled scholars and sages.
Hopefully, by deconstructing these paradoxical verses,
we now understand that following the Way simply
means restoring balance and harmony to our culture.
This means restoring the balance of yin and yang.
Not unlike the Bonobo Chimps, if the human
species is able to support, uphold, and promote the yin
aspect of our nature, and hold the yang in check, then
all these problems would naturally resolve themselves
with no need of rules and regulations. And please note
that we are talking about yin and yang, not males and
females. All men and women have both yin and yang,
but as a culture we have too much yang, perhaps as a
side-effect of having such a male-dominated and male-
oriented society.
The Way of Nature is very simple. There are
two aspects to humanity, the yin (the female aspect)
71
 The Secret Tao

perfectly in balance, all is peace and harmony. When

they are out of balance with an excess of yang, then
some starve while others get rich, some play while
others are tortured; lethal weapons are everywhere,
and everybody is stressed, rushing around, trying to
compete to get ahead. Worst of all, there is no end to
violence and bloodshed.
One solution is all we need. Two solutions are
too many. A million solutions are not enough. Follow
the Way. Teach your children. Restore balance and
harmony to the Earth. That is the message of Lao Tzu.

72
 Part III

The Esoteric Tao

The first two sections focused first on demystifying Taoism, then on revealing its
more social activist applications. But, there is a mystical aspect to the study of the
deconstructed Tao. The problem is that the text is rather cryptic about such things.
Perhaps the goal was merely to provide clues for the reader to discover the true Tao on
their own. In this next section, the more esoteric aspects of the Tao will be explored.

73
 The Secret Tao

Chapter 10 toward the concept of transcendentalism. To see the

evidence for this, we need only look to the mythology
No Transcendence, No Paradox
of early Zen Buddhism. According to legend, the first
Patriarch cut off his eyelids so that he could meditate
There may be mystical realms to explore in the study
continuously without falling asleep. I don’t know how
of Taoism, but it may not be what you think. The
true that story is, but it epitomizes many of the stories
deconstructed Tao stands in contrast to many Eastern
of heroic devotion in Zen Buddhism and other Eastern
traditions including Zen Buddhism and many sects
religions. Certainly, it is not uncommon for a zealous
of traditional Taoism itself. This new interpretation
devotee to devote much of their entire life to striving
of Lao Tzu is, if nothing else, non-transcendental.12
for their spiritual goals.
This stems from the concept of non-action, or non-
Transcending the ordinary, achieving the
striving. And, this is something that even most modern
sublime, extreme devotion, reaching spiritual greatness,
Taoists do not always grasp; non-striving applies to
and experiencing nirvana, this is not the Way of Lao
spiritual striving as well. When we talk of spiritual
Tzu. Lao Tzu only shows us how to make our life work
transcendence, it implies going beyond. Going beyond
better and to be more sustainable.13 Though the Way
begs the question: beyond what? The Earth? Life?
of sustainability is deeply spiritual for Lao Tzu, the
Beyond the here and now?
goal is pragmatic and humble. I suspect that the goal
If you can see that the glory of Creation is
of transcendence, of reaching a glorious destination in
here and now, then you can see that the concept of
consciousness, of seeking to become something other
transcendence is corrupted with illusions of striving,
than who you are, is an interpretation whose lineage
desire, and ego. Spiritual striving and seeking an
may be traced to the spiritual avarice of those who
otherworldly consciousness is the transcendence that
came after Lao Tzu. In other words, it more closely
I am referring to, and it is not the Way of Lao Tzu.
resembles the zeitgeist of Bronze Age culture that Lao
Seeking spiritual glory embodies yang. Surely, this is
Tzu was criticizing.
not choosing the dark path.
Lao Tzu’s writing has been interpreted as a
Traditional spiritual beliefs of the East, for the
transcendental philosophy by many followers over
thousands of years since Lao Tzu, have leaned more

74
 Part III: The Esoteric Tao
the ages.14 Time and time again, however, Lao Tzu
describes a shaman who is so ordinary you would
never notice them, and who is humble enough to keep
it that way. Chuang Tzu even quotes Lao Tzu saying
as much. This contradiction, seeing a Taoist master as
transcendental yet plain, must have helped to create
the centrality of paradox in Taoism and Zen thought.
Lao Tzu and the Zen Koan
An interesting contrast is that of the paradox of the
Zen koan vs. the irony of Lao Tzu. Perhaps in striving
to understand and resolve these paradoxes, many a
sage attained great enlightenment. Yet, there doesn’t
seem to be any real paradoxes in the verses of the Tao
Te Ching. Though they may have been mistaken for
paradoxes, they are revealed now to be poignantly
ironic truths, which may sometimes baffle the
uninitiated.
How can trying to act beautiful make one
ugly? How can trying to attain more wealth, put
your wealth at risk? How can striving for something
have the effect of reducing your chances of obtaining
it? In this translation of Lao Tzu, we see these
not as paradoxical koans, but as pointed albeit
ironic statements of truth. Lao Tzu was not merely
saying to ponder imponderable contradictions and
enlightenment will come. Rather, very specific insights
into culture and human nature, which are not obvious
to the unwise, were being communicated in a poetic
style.
Heaven below it is known that beauty acting
beautiful reveals ugly side
It is known that good acting good reveals
not good side
...Give-birth, yet not possess
Act, yet not expect
Work accomplished, yet no claim (of credit)
-passage 2
When you know the sound of one hand
clapping, when you know the sound of a tree falling
in the forest that is not heard by human ears, this is
surely transcendental. Seeing the futility of striving for
spiritual perfection, however, is neither a contradiction
nor even a paradox. It may be ironic that by striving
too hard you sometimes fail, but it’s no riddle. Thus,
the paradoxical elements of traditional Taoism and
Zen appear in contrast with a more ironic and less
paradoxical quality found in this interpretation of the
Tao Te Ching. Consider the following passage.
75
 The Secret Tao
Blood and breath embracing to become one,
Able without separation, hmm?
Concentrate Qi for resiliency
Able to become a newborn, hmm?
...Heaven’s gate, opens and closes
Able without the female, hmm?
... Birth it, nurture it
Birth, but not possess
Act but not expect
Grow-long but not dominate
Is called Dark Virtue
-passage 10
A good example of non-transcendentalism
is here in passage 10. Many scholars translate these
verses as a challenge, implying that one needs to work
harder if they are to attain all the spiritual treasures
available. In other words, you too can be like Buddha
and become as supple as a newborn, and keep your
blood and breath (body and soul) from separating,
if you try hard enough. Yet the conclusion clearly
indicates the reverse. At the end of the passage it says
“give birth (create), but not possess,” and “act without
expectation.” In other words, free yourself of your
76
perfectionism and lofty goals. Do your work and
nurture your projects, but don’t concern yourself with
their outcome. Do for the joy of doing, not for ulterior
motives or personal benefit, and not for delusions of
grandeur.
When you go back over these verses, you see
that Lao Tzu was being sarcastic. You can practice
Qigong and Tai Chi for health, but do not expect to
become as supple as a newborn baby. And, no matter
how hard you try to attain union and wholeness,
your soul, though it may be immortal, will separate
from your body at death. When we attach desire to
our endeavors we loose the spirit and essence of that
endeavor. When we act with expectations, we are no
longer in the moment, in the sacredness of the here
and now of Creation. Then the action is isolated
from Creation, thus devalued. Not only is striving for
perfection futile but when we strive for something, we
actually loose it.
When we nurture with the desire to harvest,
we taint our produce. When we try to dominate the
outcome of an endeavor, we poison it, no longer does
that endeavor hold the entire Universe within it. When
a businessman spends all his time working so that he
will be able to enjoy the good life with his family, he
looses time with his growing children that can never be
 Part III: The Esoteric Tao
replaced or bought. Thus the good life with his family
is lost.
When a monk dreams of enlightenment,
then chopping wood and carrying water is no longer
seen as a part of the spiraling of the galaxy, as part of
the singular unfolding, but rather it becomes merely
a means to an end. He is thinking, if I chop wood
and carry water long enough and hard enough, I’ll gain
enlightenment. Thus a glimpse of enlightenment is
lost. When we possess that which we create, we loose
it. By giving it away your action is redeemed and
validated. This is the philosophy of non-striving, of
non-expectation, of non-action. This is what Lao Tzu
calls the dark Virtue, meaning the mysterious virtue of
yin. And, while it may be too subtle for most of us to
easily grasp, it is not a paradox or a riddle.
Striving for spiritual transcendence is a stark
admission of a person’s lack of wisdom. Seeking
spiritual transcendence, you are cut off from it.
Desiring a blissful state of consciousness, you miss
the Nirvana that exists here and now. Looking for
perfection, you ignore the perfection that you have.
The simple truth is that striving is striving, even if it is
striving to be non-striving. Perhaps this is why Lao Tzu
so often reads like riddles.
Non-striving is not something you do, it is
something that you do not do. Non-action cannot be
an action; if it were then it would not be non-action.
The hardest spiritual discipline for us to undertake is
to live our normal life, and savor the infinite spiritual
depth and bliss that exists within each and every
moment, even in tragedy. Without trying, without
striving, simply let yourself be empty. It is only in
this emptiness that you make room for the fullness of
spirit.
Individualism vs. Communalism
This non-transcendental issue is related to another
feature of ancient Taoism. In traditional Taoism and
Zen Buddhism, there is much less talk of economics,
crime, and politics, and more concern with the
spiritual practice of the individual. Lao Tzu, on the
other hand, seems most concerned, even obsessed,
with the welfare of the community at large and much
less so with individual spiritual growth. This focus on
individual vs. communal seems related to the issue of
transcendentalism. They both reflect aspects of yang.
To concern yourself with your own spiritual
prowess indicates desire and a strong sense of self and
ego, which undermines your spiritual growth. On the
contrary, to forget your self and be concerned for the
community, does lead to spiritual growth. Ironically,
77
 The Secret Tao
Lao Tzu says that the reverse is also true. Again, it
reads like a paradox. When people strive to solve
social problems, things get worse. But when people
mind their own business with love and compassion,
social problems resolve themselves. According to Lao
Tzu, peace may come from individual non-striving, yet
it must manifest communally to be fully realized. From
each, non-striving and non-action; to each, the fullness
of spirit. Thus spirit fills the community.
Focusing on the spiritual benefits for the
individual only breeds desire and striving, and it
maintains the illusion of an atomistic self. Lao Tzu
warns us that we should work yet expect no profit
from our labor. Our only reward is a long life and a
sustainable culture. This contrasts with an individual
striving for a spiritual goal, which represents yang, and
is clearly not the dark path of yin.
Conclusion
Pursuing Taoism for your individual spiritual growth,
striving to attain enlightenment, and working toward
the goal of spiritual transcendence, all involve aspects
of yang. These represent the exact opposite of the
teachings of Lao Tzu. The Tao Te Ching urges people
to seek darkness not light, humility not glory, non-
striving vs. striving, oneness not individualism.
78
This ancient Taoism does not correspond to
a concept of a spiritual goal or a destination that you
are trying to reach. It is merely a path that you are
on. The path is the destination. You can wake at any
moment to witness Creation. So long as you are in the
moment you will know constancy, thus sustainability.
The benefit is the excellent world we create in the
process. The benefit is the world we create for our
grandchildren, and for all living things on Earth. Any
individual benefits that you may gain are the flower
and not the fruit of the Way.
Lao Tzu implies that any concept of linear
progression that you may have is an illusion. All
progress follows the same course, which is ephemeral
and always ends. Constancy is non-linear, outside of
linear progression; you can only go in and out of it.
Taoism is non-striving. If you find yourself struggling
to be a good Taoist, then you don’t understand the
principles of the ancient Tao. If you practice diligently,
it is because you are on the Way, not because you seek
the Way. There is no trying to follow the Way. You do,
or do not follow the Way. In the words of Yoda “there
is no try.” If it’s confusing perhaps it’s because it’s as
old as nature itself. According to Lao Tzu, it is evident
in the creation of the Universe.
 Part III: The Esoteric Tao

Chapter 11 belief system. Lao Tzu must have had some theology
or cosmology, which shaped and guided his views.
The Secret Tao: The Hidden Metaphysics
But, what it might be is hard to say. The philosophy
of the Ancients of the I Ching accounts for some of the ideas. But,
Lao Tzu does allude to certain unique beliefs, which
In the last few chapters I have repeatedly written how
are otherwise unknown. We have suggested Neolithic
the true Tao is not something transcendental, it is just
goddess worship as a possible context for Taoist
a philosophy designed to help us lead peaceful and
thought. But, what was their theology exactly? If only
sustainable lives. This is true for the most part, but
the verses were more explicit then it would be easier
there does seem to be some underlying beliefs alluded
to understand them. This brings up a good point;
to in the verses. The problem is that Lao Tzu never
perhaps Lao Tzu had to be secretive about his beliefs.
really focuses on any metaphysical or even theological
Perhaps the author’s beliefs were not popular with the
concepts.
Emperor, or consistent with the popular philosophy of
There are fundamental questions that are not
the times he lived in. After all, there are many ideas in
answered in the Tao Te Ching. For instance, is there a
the verses that seem to run counter to the patriarchal,
god or goddess, or a Creator of some sort? How big is
yang-focused, Zhou dynasty in which Lao Tzu lived.
the universe? How old is it and how long will it last?
Over and over in the verses, Lao Tzu says that
Where did we come from? These are questions that
no one listens to him or practices what he teaches.
almost all religions address in one way or anther. The
Imagine if this was actually the case. Could the Taoism
Tao Te Ching, however, seems devoid of theology or
of the Zhou dynasty have been a secret cult of some
cosmology. Instead, most verses just sound like good
sort? Their leaders, such as Lao Tzu, were perhaps
advice given to a king or a would-be sage. There are
seen as wise old wizards with strange ways. Their
lots of proverbs, witticisms, pearls of wisdom, and of
beliefs may have been kept secret to the uninitiated.
course many ironic observations, but what are they
This would explain a lot. In that case, you could see
based upon?
how this book may have been written almost in code.
Most scholars agree that the author or authors
To the average reader they were just old sayings of
of the Tao Te Ching must have had some underlying

79
 The Secret Tao

wisdom, but for those who knew of the secret Tao
there may have been a deeper, hidden meaning in the
verses.
This idea of talking in code is not unlike how
parents often talk in front of their children about sex
or other adult topics. There is often a double meaning
that only adults understand. Did Lao Tzu attempt
to do such a thing in these verses? Maybe, but how
would we go about cracking such a code written over
2500 years ago? Fortunately, there are three passages
that come to mind, in which we may be able to get a
glimpse of the secret Tao.
Passages 1, 25, and 42, each give us important
clues about the underlying theology, cosmology, and
metaphysics of the author of the Tao. Chapter 1 is
kind of a preamble. It introduces a short laundry list
of features that are critical to understanding the Tao.
Most importantly, it may very well suggest that this
book is written in a kind of code. Passage 1 suggests
that there are 2 different levels to the verses, with a
secret Tao within the verses of the Tao Te Ching.
Passage 25 is basically the Creation myth of
Taoism, and answers a lot of theological questions that
are addressed in most religions. Finally, passage 42
reads like a user’s manual for Taoist metaphysics. Also
written in code, this passage is the most esoteric and
profound, and perhaps the most secretive with its true
meaning being very subtle and hard to decipher.
These three are not necessarily the only
passages that we could analyze in this way. The same
analysis we do with these passages could probably
be done with other passages as well. These three
are, however, some of the richest in their tangible
theological or metaphysical content, as you will see.
Now, let’s go through them one by one.
Passage One: The Preamble
The first of these passages is, appropriately enough,
number one. As I mentioned above, this passage lays
out a short laundry list of issues. By this I mean that
these items may seem unrelated to each other, but
like any good preamble or introduction, this passage
gives you an overview of the verses that follow. More
important, the passage introduces some of the core
concepts of the entire book.
The passage opens up by introducing the
concept we call the “Tao” (meaning way or path), but
says essentially that it is not something easy for us to
understand. It says that we cannot walk this path, just
as we cannot name its eternal name. Then it says that
this un-named way or path gave birth to the Heavens
and Earth.

80
 Part III: The Esoteric Tao
Ways can be went
Not the eternal Way
Names can be named
Not the eternal name
Un-named, Heaven and Earth it begot
Being named, of ten thousand things, it is
Mother - passage 1
It says that the Tao is the Mother of Creation,
literally the Creator, what we might call God. Since
he refers to it as Mother, it would probably be more
appropriately called the Goddess. It is auspicious to
make such a statement in the very first part of the
first passage. It announces, right up front, what type
of belief system this is. It says this is a book about
the “Tao” and that this Tao is our Creator. More
important, it suggests a link to other goddess cults of
that time period and in the late Neolithic period, such
as the Goddess Nükua.
The next core concept in this passage, which
may seem unrelated, is the role of desire. He suggests
that desire acts as a critical factor in whether you can
clearly see the Tao or not. He says that if you are free
from desire you see her wonders, but so long as you are
filled with desire you only see her illusions.
An important point here is the character
I translate as “wonders”, meaning wonderful and
amazing. It is sometimes translated as “secrets”. Both
translations are acceptable, and both meanings would
probably be apparent to the ancient Chinese reader.
While wonders is more literal, the word secrets adds a
special meaning that is important to understanding
this passage. So, wherever it says “wonders”, just
imagine it saying “secret-wonders” or just “secrets”.
He’s doing two things here. First he’s telling us how
this un-named path relates to us, and indicates what
we need to do to follow it. But he is also setting up a
basic dichotomy, between secrets and illusions.
Thus, eternal-nature not being desire
It’s seeing her wonders
Eternal-nature being desire
It’s seeing her illusions
- passage 1
These two concepts of “secret-wonders” and
“illusions” actually correspond to the concepts of
yin and yang. The words are similar but opposite.
Yang is light, open, clear, plain as day; it is all things
manifest, it is what you see on the outside. Yin, on the
other hand, is dark, hidden, mysterious, subtle, but
81
 The Secret Tao
wondrous. So, both words refer to a similar concept
of something amazing that can be discovered or observed,
but at the same time they have opposite meanings,
one superficial and one hidden. The word I translate as
“wonders” represents yin, and the word that I translate
as “illusions” meaning outward appearance, or
manifestation, represents yang. This is no coincidence.
Lao Tzu is trying to tell us something. He is saying
that there are two levels to the Tao. One level is only
on the surface and that is merely an illusion (yang).
Then there is a deeper level, a secret Tao (yin), but to
discover that Tao your heart must be pure and free
from desire.
It is interesting that the author would even
bring up this business of secrets vs. illusions in the very
first passage. This actually confirms the very premise
of this book: that there is a superficial or obvious
message in these verses, but there is also a secret Tao
that lies in between the lines of this text. Further,
we can imagine that few if any people of Lao Tzu’s
time knew of the secret Tao. Perhaps the Emperor
would not approve of Lao Tzu’s true beliefs because it
threatened the patriarchal order of their society. So he
spoke somewhat in code in order to facilitate a double
meaning to the verses. There is a manifest (yang)
meaning, and there is a hidden (yin) meaning. Further,
82
in this passage he gives us a key to decoding the verses,
which is found in the dichotomy of yin and yang.
Later, at the end of the passage, he
acknowledges the similarity between the words wonders
and illusions, and says basically that both these words
stem from the same root, and both are dark. Dark and
darker.
Compare these to each other
Together arise, but differently named
Together call them Dark
Dark are they, and Darker
To all wonders, it is doorway
- passage 1
The word dark again has double meaning.
It can be translated as mysterious or profound, but
it also can mean the dark or black, and as such it can
refer to yin (the female aspect), the dark side of the
Taijitu. Because of its context in the verse, this word
is usually translated as mysterious or profound, but
once you understand the code the alternative meaning
becomes clear. Dark is code for yin. So, in one line
there are two messages, one superficial (illusion) and
one secret (wondrous). The superficial or manifest
 Part III: The Esoteric Tao
meaning is that whatever you get from the Tao, it will
be mysterious and profound. Then there is a secret
meaning that what you seek from the Tao will be found
by looking within the yin, dark/female, aspect.
At the end of the passage, he says that “it”
(literally: he, she, or it) is the gateway to all secrets.
By “it”, it is presumed he means the Tao. It could
also mean this book or this passage. Again, I think
there is a secret message here too. By “it” he may well
be referring to the dark, yin aspect, from the line just
before it. So the manifest meaning is that this book
contains all the wonders of the Tao, but that doesn’t
really tell you anything specific. The secret meaning is
that all the secrets of the Tao will be found by following
the yin, dark/female, aspect. This is the secret or coded
knowledge that he is conveying.
So, he essentially says that you are now
entering through a doorway. This first passage is like
a portal. You are being introduced to the Tao. But,
in this first passage he has also set up a dichotomy
of meaning within the verses. One meaning literally
opens a door for the initiate who knows what to
look for; the other is a benign decoy to pacify the
dilettantes, which might include the Emperor.
Now you see how this passage acts as a
preamble to the Tao Te Ching. It sets it up for you. It
says that the Tao is a path, but not one that is walked
with your feet. It also says that all things do have an
eternal name, but not one that you can say with words.
And so, it implies that this is why we use the word Tao,
meaning simply a way or path, to describe this most
important and holy concept. Its true name cannot
be named, just as this path cannot simply be walked.
What is so important about this way or path? It is the
creator of the universe! It is literally a mother-goddess
that gave birth to the Heavens and Earth.
We can summarize the foundational concepts
of this passage with these five tenets: a) the Tao is an
unspeakable concept: names cannot name it, so we call
it the path or way, b) the Tao is, in a very real sense,
the Mother-Goddess/Creator of the Universe, c) in
addition to the manifest Tao, there is a secret Tao, and
a hidden teaching in these verses, d) your heart must
be free of desire to learn of the secret Tao, and e) the
Tao manifests as the cycle of yin and yang, but the root
of the secret Tao will be found within the yin (female)
aspect.
This passage really shows why I began to
see connections between Taoism and ancient pagan
worship. They do indeed worship a Creator, which
they think of as a Mother. And, they clearly have a bias
toward yin, the female aspect; suggesting a matrilineal
83
 The Secret Tao

or matriarchal society. This belief system might reflect preamble to the text and the conceptual doorway to
the pre-historic, goddess worshipping people of understanding the secret Tao.
ancient China, but it bore little resemblance to the
patriarchal religion called Taoism, which developed Passage 25: The Creation Myth
in the centuries after Lao Tzu, or even to the Zhou
The second of the metaphysical passages is passage 25;
Dynasty of Lao Tzu’s own time. This may explain why
this is the Creation story of the Tao. All belief systems
he is so coy about his beliefs. This first passage sets the
have a creation myth, but few are as beautiful, subtle
stage for how to read and interpret the entire text that
and abstract as this. Though vague in detail, it is quite
follows.
explicit in what it is talking about. It quite literally
In the end, the passage seems to acknowledge
talks about what was here before Creation, and what
its role as the preamble of the two volume set of verses.
happened to create all this. It answers how big the
The author says to whomever reads it that this is the
Universe is, and how long will it last.
doorway to all wonders. It’s interesting to note that
What struck me most about this creation story
some scholars believe that this was not the original
is its similarity to the Big Bang Theory, which is the
order of the verses, that the order has changed. Well,
creation myth of science. It says that before creation
if this was not the first passage of the Tao Te Ching
there was silent emptiness. Within that void existed
originally, then it should have been.
a singularity, which is eternal. Then it unfolded in a
This passage acts as a doorway in a very real
spiral pattern, and continues to do so to this day, for
sense, setting up the conceptual framework for the
it is unending. I’ve studied creation mythology of
entire text that follows. Most importantly, this passage
cultures from all over the world, and few so accurately
tells you that this is a wonderous book, a book within
capture the essence of the Big Bang. There is only one
a book, a magical book that can be read on two
difference; this scenario is far less violent then the
different levels. It says that words alone are misleading,
scientific Big Bang. In fact, you might say that this
that one must read between the lines if one is to grasp
scenario is strangely serene. It emphasizes the gradual,
the secret teachings of the Tao. And, that this path
beautiful unfolding of Creation.
lies within the yin, female. This passage is both the

84
 Part III: The Esoteric Tao

This is not an explosion of inert matter; this Forced to name it, it is said to be Great
is a model of the organic growth of life. So we see a Great, it is said to be flowing outward
dovetailed concept of organic growth combined with Flowing outward, it is said to be going out
infinitely
the birth of the Universe. Both are consistent with
Going out infinitely, it is said to be returning
modern science in their own way.
unto itself
Thus The Way is great
Existing before Heaven and Earth were born
Heaven is great
Silent
Earth is great
Empty
Humans, also great
Singular, unique
- passage 25
Eternal
Spiraling out, unfolding and unending
Could be, its action is the Mother of Creation The Tao created the universe (literally the
I do not know her name heavens above), which created the Earth, which created
Forced to characterize it, it is said to be The humanity. The word that I translate here as “evolved
Way (Tao) from” can also be translated as modeled by, patterned
- passage 25 after. The syntax is hard to translate, but the meaning
is clear.
As in passage one, these verses again identify
our Creator as a Mother, but in a more abstract sense Humans evolved from Earth
than other religious beliefs. It says essentially that Earth evolved from Heaven
because of its action (creating the universe), this could Heaven evolved from the Way
be the Mother of Creation. It says that we describe her The Way evolved as Nature
as Tao (a way or a path), and if you had to name her, - passage 25
then you’d have to name her “Great”. Then it lays out
four dimensions to the universe, the Tao, the Heavens, The entire verse is describing what we would
the Earth, and humanity. call Creation. As such we could figuratively translate

85
 The Secret Tao
each line with the words created by, but the meaning is
the same.
Later on in other passages, Lao Tzu will
talk about us as the children of the mother, literally
children of the Tao. This concept reminds me of the
Judeo-Christian story of Genesis where it says Man
was created in God’s image. In a more abstract way,
this is saying basically the same. We are descendants
of the Tao, the Goddess. We’re her children. The
passage then ranks humanity as a basic dimension of
the Universe, not animals, not all life, just humanity.
This is reminiscent of most other belief systems, which
ultimately seeks to explain human existence and create
a meaningful context for our existence.
This one little passage is not really so
important in understanding the rest of the book,
unlike the other two, passages 1 and 42. But, I think
it is important because it completes a gap in the
cosmology and theology of the Tao. It definitively
answers certain basic questions that most all religions
address. Who are we? Where did we come from? What
created all this? Is there a Creator? Who or what is the
Creator?
The answer is that we are part of a great and
eternal unfolding that stretches to infinity. There is a
Creator. We call it the Tao (the path / the way), and
86
in essence she is our Mother. She gave birth to the
Universe, which gave birth to the Earth, which gave
birth to humanity. As her descendents, we have a
rightful and important place in the Universe. And, it is
quite explicit about this point; it definitely emphasizes
the importance of humanity as one of the four
dimensions of the Universe.
The world’s core being four great dimensions
And humans, claim theirs as one of them
- passage 25
Passage 42: The Heart of Taoist Metaphysics
The third and most important passage is passage 42.
Almost everything you ever wanted or needed to
know about the Tao, or the symbol of the Yin and
Yang and all its meanings are all right here in this one
passage. The passage ends by saying basically, “This
is the essence of my teaching”, which I believe to be
absolutely true. If you get this one passage, then you
get the core, the guts of ancient Taoist metaphysics.
The passage starts off fairly enigmatically, with
a vague bit of numerology. What does it mean? It is
never really explained, at least not explicitly. These are
some of the most enigmatic lines in the entire Tao Te
Ching.
 Part III: The Esoteric Tao
The Way gave birth to Oneness
Oneness gave birth to Duality
Duality gave birth to Trinity entire book, which is the primacy of yin. While this
-passage 42
One way scholars have interpreted the
meaning of these verses is in relation to the I Ching.
According to the I Ching, the words yin and yang are
written as a broken and a solid line, respectively. So
yin is written with two dashes (- -), and yang is written
with one continuous line (---). As you can see each
line is actually made of three segments, yin is open
in the middle, and yang is continuous across all three
segments. So, some scholars suggest that yang is the
oneness, yin is the duality, and the trinity is the cycle
of yin and yang together (- - ---), or perhaps the three
segments of each line. This analysis would suggest that
the verse actually means that the “Tao created yang
(one), and yang created yin (two), and yin completed
the cycle (three).”
This line of reasoning is interesting, but there
are problems with it. Could Lao Tzu be saying that
the Tao created yang, the male aspect, first? Then it
was the yang (male) that created yin (female)? This
reminds me of Genesis where God created Adam, and
out of Adam came Eve. This is consistent with many
patriarchal beliefs and certainly those of Lao Tzu’s
time, but it goes against the dominant theme of the
explanation may be clever, it seems to miss the mark.
One thing is for sure, however, I do think that the
“duality” refers to the duality of yin and yang. Let’s put
this aside for now and move onto the next section.
Ten Thousand things,
Wearing yin and holding yang
Emanating Qi,
Its action, synthesis
-passage 42
These next lines get a little more specific and
intelligible. What is often missed, however, is the
multilayered quality of this verse, and especially the
sexual morphology of the description of “wearing yin
and holding yang”.
There are actually three levels to these lines in
the original Chinese. The first is a metaphor. It is like
a person wearing a cloak on the outside, and inside
their arms they are holding a package. The second
level is sexual in nature. Of course, yin is female, and
yang is male. So, the vagina surrounds and covers the
penis like a cloak, just as the penis fills the vagina like
a package filling your arms. We, like all living things,
87
 The Secret Tao
exist in the dynamic interaction between the two, we
are inside of yin, and filled with yang.
The third level is the relationship between
being and non-being. The dichotomy of yin and
yang parallels the dichotomy of being and non-being,
with yin corresponding to non-being, and yang
corresponding to being. Just like anything that exists,
our bodies are made up of being. You might say we
are filled with being. But, around us is the negative
space of our being, which is non-being. So again,
we are inside of, or enveloped by, non-being (yin/
female), but we are filled with being (yang/male). This
dynamic interaction between yin and yang produces
the life-force, Qi, just as sex between men and women
produces new life. So, in between the two (yin and
yang) is not just space, it is an energy we call Qi,
synthesized by the interaction of the male and female
aspects, and flowing throughout all living things.
Note that I use the word synthesis in
my translation, but more commonly this word is
just written as harmony. This is clearly seen in the
image of the Tao, the Taijitu, with the yin and yang
balancing and flowing harmoniously into each other.
Interestingly, another translation of the word synthesis
could be marry, as in the yin and yang are married
together to form Qi, the life-force. This underscores
88
the sexual metaphor and extends it to the next level.
The implication of this is that we exist within
a dynamic interface between yin (female/non-being)
and yang (male/being). All around us, like an aura, is
Qi, the energy field that exists where being and non-
being meet. We, our consciousness, our life, exist as a
dynamic interface between being and non-being, yin
and yang. But, in other passages it suggests that all life,
and yin, and yang, together makes up a Oneness, a
perfect union that we might call Creation. It suggests
that to be conscious of the Oneness, is to be one with
the Tao. Hence, there is the Oneness (Tao/Creation),
the Duality (yin and yang), and the Trinity (Qi, the
synthesis, or harmony, of the three). Now you see
that the reference to numbers at the beginning is
starting to make some sense. But how do we know this
interpretation is right? This analysis may seem a bit of
a stretch to some. But the next few lines of the verse
confirm that we are on the right track.
What’s really wonderful about this passage is
that right after all that numerology and metaphysics,
the very next lines seem to change topics completely.
Lao Tzu brings up “rulers”, saying they take the names
“lonely, desolate, and helpless”. This seems strange
to most readers, and even scholars. What does lonely
rulers have to do with numbers, or yin and yang, or
 Part III: The Esoteric Tao
Qi for that matter? What you may not realize is that
this is nothing less than a metaphor illustrating the
Oneness, the Duality, and the Trinity in human life.
He has presented a little pearl of wisdom, which for
most readers is merely an ironic observation. But, there
is a secret meaning to it, for the true initiate.
That which one hates
Only is to be lonely, desolate, and helpless
Yet rulers of the public take such names
Thus, some things benefit, yet from it lose,
Some lose, yet from it benefit
-passage 42
The duality is easy to find. First, there are
the lonely, desolate, and helpless, (literally orphans,
widows, and the hungry) which are clearly to be pitied.
Secondly, there are the public rulers, literally kings
and princes, which are clearly to be envied. These two
groups obviously represent opposites, a duality not
unlike the yin and yang. Then he says that “lonely”,
“desolate”, and “helpless” are actually what the rulers
call themselves. This indicates that the two groups
actually have something in common. They are both
called the same names. As such, together they form
one group, or a oneness. The last lines represent the
trinity, which is the two opposites in harmony with
each other, in relation to the oneness. The trinity is the
dynamic relationship of the duality in contrast to the
Oneness. But, what does it mean? Clearly, the moral
of the proverb shows us how yin and yang manifest in
our fortunes. Privilege brings loss, and loss has its own
privileges. The moral, however, is less important than
what it illustrates. The manifest meaning is a proverb,
but the secret meaning illustrates a oneness, duality,
and trinity.
Then, just as a wise teacher can anticipate
the questions of his pupils, Lao Tzu gives us an even
easier metaphor for this same concept, and underscores
its simplicity by saying essentially, “I teach the same
thing that others teach.” Then he goes on to give his
variation of the well-known Western saying: live by the
sword, and you will die by the sword.
That which one teaches,
I also teach it:
The too-aggressively natured
Not do they get satisfying deaths
-passage 42
Again, these lines puzzle scholars. What does
this have to do with the lonely rulers? On the surface,
these lines don’t relate to the rest of the passage. Some
scholars even suggest that it may be a line from the
89
 The Secret Tao
next passage that was accidentally cut off and put at
the end of this passage. Or, perhaps these lines were
added-on by some over-eager scribe. Its relevance
to the rest of the passage is actually not so hard to
understand if you know the secret meaning.
Lao Tzu is simply taking the previous scenario
and boiling down the concepts of oneness, duality, and
trinity even further, so that even the simplest minds
can digest it. You have two opposites, how you live,
and how you die. This is the duality. But, they have
something in common; they are both too aggressive.
In this way they form a single group, a oneness. And
lastly, there is the trinity, which is the synthesis of the
three, the moral or lesson of the proverb: the faster you
live, the faster you die. The harder you live, the harder
you die. That relationship of the two to the one, forms
a unique system made up of the three. The passage tells
us that this same process can be seen everywhere in
life.
Trinity gave birth to ten thousand things this passage goes a long way to explaining how and
-passage 42
Okay, so what does it mean? Why have us
learn about this oneness, and duality and so on? I
think it suggests a spiritual dynamic not unlike the
concept of Karma. Whatever we do carries a weight
90
to it. If you grasp too hard, things slip through your
fingers. If you spend too much time working for your
family, you soon find that your kids are grown and
you hardly know them, because you were too busy
working. Over and over again the text tells us that we
should not act too aggressively, nor be too passive.
The key to following the Tao, the natural path, is to
be in step with the universe, without holding back
or rushing ahead. All manifestations flow from the
Trinity, the synthesis of yin and yang in relation to the
whole, the Oneness.
In addition to this simple concept of karmic
weight, there is a more interesting and subtle concept
being conveyed. This passage suggests that irony is not
just the mainstay of good literature, but of life itself.
It suggests that life is inherently ironic. Perhaps this
is why irony is so powerful in literature, because it
captures a true likeness to the world around us, one
that cannot be seen or explained in any other way. Life
is inherently ironic. This may not be a new idea, but
why this is so, as part of a grand metaphysical scheme.
This particular irony of life is a dominant
theme of Lao Tzu. You will see in passage after passage
this same theme comes up. Often, it comes out like
paradoxes, but if you examine them they are really
 Part III: The Esoteric Tao

ironic truths, made up of the Oneness, the Duality, I think of the famous line about the town of
and the synthesis of the three, the Trinity. This same Oakland, California. “There’s no there there.” I’m sure
basic concept is a theme repeated over and over that many readers and even scholars have thought the
throughout both books. same thing about the theology of Taoism. Common
wisdom says that it’s not really a religion so much as
I hold to this, its action, my teaching’s father a philosophy. Hopefully, these three passages give us
-passage 42
a glimpse into the metaphysics, which underlies this
philosophy. It may have been well hidden, but it is
The last line basically says: This is the basis
there if you know where to look. In the end, we can
of all my teaching. Just as the last line implies, if you
conclude that, while rarely explicit, there is indeed a
get this, then you get it! You’ll understand the secret
“there” there. This is truly the secret Tao.
Tao. But, as we have seen, this is not so easy for the
uninitiated.

Conclusion

In the following chapters, I will attempt to describe

these vague and subtle concepts of Tao and Te,
being and non-being, what they mean, how you can
conceptualize them and how you can experience them
in your life. But, we see in these three passages (1, 25,
and 42) that there is a substantial infrastructure to this
belief system, even if it is rarely spelled out as such.
Behind the 81 verses if the Tao, there is a great and
complex metaphysical theory about the nature of life
and Creation. Yet, he doesn’t talk about it explicitly,
and if there were other books that did, they have been
lost to history.

91
 The Secret Tao

Chapter 12 is a recognizable form that does not conform to any

particular form. It is an identifiable pattern that is
Tao: The Way of Virtue
never repeated exactly the same way twice. Lao Tzu
calls it a non-image image. Such descriptions have
Almost every passage of this two-volume text is
puzzled students of Taoism for centuries. Nevertheless,
devoted more or less to describing a single model,
when you read all 81 passages and think of what the
which is both an overall concept and an underlying
verses are trying to describe, a tangible image does
principle or pattern. Lao Tzu writes in one passage
come to mind. In one passage Lao Tzu even says, “My
that, essentially, “If forced to describe it, I’d call it tao,”
words are very easy to understand!” Many a frustrated
meaning a path or a way to go. It can also be described
scholar and seeker would argue with that opinion. The
as a pattern, or a principle, a style, or a model. Lao Tzu
Way that Lao Tzu describes often seems like riddles.
sometimes refers to it as the “great model”. But, words
Yet, once you get it, it can be comprehended as a
fail when trying to describe it. Of all the concepts in
simple common pattern seen everywhere in people, in
Taoism, the most basic and yet difficult to explain is
life, and in nature.
the Tao itself.

Superior student learns the Way

To those who follow the great model
Diligently they practice it
Heaven Below comes to them

...Inferior student learns the Way

...The Way that comes from the mouth
A big laugh they make
Seems bland, being without flavor
Not laugh, not is its action the Way
-passage 35
-passage 41

In so many ways Lao Tzu says that this The Great Model
concept cannot be adequately communicated to One of the best metaphors for the Way is water. Later
someone, it must be experienced. Perhaps this is why I will discuss the concept of Qi, and how it is like the
he is so vague on exactly what the Way is. The Way nurturing essence of water. For now, I speak of the

92
 Part III: The Esoteric Tao
form of water, the way it moves, and the principles and
physics involved in the movement of water. This is not
only true for water. The pattern is also seen anywhere
you have two mediums of liquid, solid, or gas, with
different densities, interacting with each other under
gravity, thermal expansion, or some other force. Chaos
theory helps to explain this curious pattern that exists
throughout the Universe. Unfortunately, understand-
ing Chaos theory for many people is even more diffi-
cult than understanding the Tao Te Ching. But all you
need to do is study the way water moves in nature. The
great model is the watercourse way.
Highest good is like water
Water gives life to ten thousand things, and allows a bit of breathing room among some physicists
does not compete
...Thus it approximates the Way
-passage 8
Put simply, what water and the great Tao
have in common is a path of yielding, an ever-vigilant
seeking of the path of least resistance. Water squiggles
out a curiously recognizable pattern in rivers, streams,
in the smallest trickle, and even in capillary action. It
always squiggles out a path of least resistance, whether
a big river is cutting through a canyon, or a small
amount of water sinking into the Earth, around rocks
and through dirt. This pattern can be seen in flowing
liquids or gases.
We see this pattern in oozing lava; we see it
in molten glass, metal, and stone. We even see the
same pattern in electrical currents and lightening.
This is a universal and omnipresent pattern. We see
it everywhere in nature and all over the Universe. We
see these patterns in the dried riverbeds on Mars. We
see this pattern in flowing gases from across the galaxy
through the Hubble telescope. Just as Chaos theory is
seen as an underlying mathematical principle of the
Universe, the Way of Lao Tzu is kind of a low-tech
version of the same thing. And, just as Chaos theory
for the existence of God, the watercourse way for
Taoists reveals the signature of God in nature.
The same curious squiggle pattern of water in
rivers, deltas, and creeks also manifests very much the
same way in life. The same identifiable squiggly pattern
in the veins and branches of water occurs in the veins
and branches of life. This pattern is seen in the veins of
our body, in the veins of almost all living things, and
even in the veins of leaves and the branches of trees.
The pattern is similar because the process is the same,
seeking out the path of least resistance.
93
 The Secret Tao
Is this the same action as water? Well, not
exactly. When life flows the watercourse way it is often
opposing gravity. Just as when branches reach up to
the sky, they are spectacularly defying gravity not
sinking down to it. I guess you might say that, with
regard to plant life, the Way is the same principle as
the watercourse way, but in reverse.
With trees and plant life, there appears to be a
force of life, pulling the limbs up, just as gravity pulls
water down. We see this most clearly in the valiant
struggle of roots and branches of plant life, often
splitting rocks or pavement, to reach up to the light
or to reach down to find water or soil in the Earth. It’s
Is this an X-ray of a human breast, or a moon of Jupiter?
Answer: Europa, a moon of Jupiter, suspected of harboring life.
94
the same pattern we see in water, it’s just propelled by
a different force. But, it is still taking the path of least
resistance. Life is pulled up to Heaven, just as water is
pulled down to Earth.
Have you ever held your hand up to a bright
light and seen the veins in your hand? The veins in
your body follow the same squiggly pattern! And when
you think of it, arms and fingers kind of shoot out
from larger parts of the body, almost like a clumpy
version of the watercourse way. Is this a coincidence?
No. Evolution, too, follows the watercourse way. Our
veins themselves don’t exactly flow the watercourse
way, though the blood within them does. Rather, our
veins evolved the watercourse way. Likewise, the larger
branches of the human organism, arms and legs, hands
and fingers, all follow a similar pattern. We, like most
creatures, evolved the watercourse way, as a natural
adaptation to our environment.
It is as if life itself has a signature pattern.
It follows a predictable path of growth in both
maturation and evolution. Water sinks the watercourse
way down into the Earth. Plant life follows the
watercourse way up to Heaven. Evolution itself,
struggling to adapt, evolves veins and appendages
the watercourse way. All carbon-based life forms,
connected in a medium of water and air, are flowing,
growing, moving, and evolving the watercourse way.
 Part III: The Esoteric Tao
From what we see in deep space, the same
watercourse pattern exists throughout the galaxy and
beyond, throughout the Universe. You might call it the
Way of God. Lao Tzu calls it the Way of Heaven and
Earth, or just the Way (Tao).
A Model for Living
Clearly you can see that when you try to describe the
watercourse way, the path of least resistance, it is a
difficult thing to define. It is stubborn yet yielding, it
is tenacious yet non-striving, it has a sense of direction
(gravity) yet always seeks the path of least resistance
to get there. It is a very recognizable pattern, yet you
cannot predict which way it will move next, because
it depends on the dynamic interaction between the
masses and forces. Always the same, never exactly the
same; it is the predictable pattern of unpredictability.
It is acting as a non-image image
-passage 14
As basic as this concept is, it is described
over and over and over again in the Tao Te Ching, in
many different and sometimes enigmatic ways. In each
different way that it is described it is connected to a
facet of human life. In this way it seems most puzzling.
What does the movement of water have to do with
economics, war, pride, desire, greed, crime, and the
wise rule of an empire?
This model, the Way, can be accurately
described as the path of least resistance, but it is not
simply avoiding problems. Quite the opposite, Lao
Tzu suggests that a shaman does not avoid troubles
but rather directly confronts them with non-action. In
the same way, water does not avoid gravity but rather
actively seeks the center of the mass that attracts it,
while taking the path of least resistance to get there.
Enact non-action
... Many things easy, made hasty,
make many difficulties
Therefore Shaman confronts difficulty
Thus in the end, nothing’s difficult
-passage 63
Kokyo Dosa
This reminds me of the practice of Aikido. There is
a technique in Aikido known as Kokyo Dosa. This
is a type of Aikido wrestling, in which two people
face each other while kneeling on the floor. There
are different ways of doing Kokyo Dosa. Different
95
 The Secret Tao
styles teach it in different ways. One style of Kokyo
Dosa is distinctly Taoist in nature. You kneel on the
floor facing your opponent, called the Uke. The Uke
stretches out their arms toward you, not to attack but
to provide resistance. They do not move, they simply
sit still at first. You gently raise your arms to softly
greet the Uke’s arms, but you do not grab their arms.
The purpose is to feel the other person’s energy, and
to move the person with the least possible effort. Uke,
strong, centered, and balanced, is resolute not to move.
Yet, you do move Uke, but without trying to move
them. You focus on and blend with their energy, you
become one with them. Thus you feel their center
of gravity. Once you and Uke are one, then with the
slightest leverage and movement Uke falls over.
How is this done? The trick is to follow the
path of least resistance. You find a fracture line, that
same squiggly line seen in rivers and veins, but you
find it in the weight and balance of Uke. You find a
whole or a crack in their balance, the fracture line of
least resistance. You move with it, breathe into it, never
forcing it. You follow it; you never lead it! You don’t
know which direction it will take you. You stretch out
with your feelings. You let Uke’s energy tell you which
way it wants to fall. Even though they are trying to
oppose you, Uke’s energy will lead you to the easiest
96
way for them to fall. But this can only be done from
a place of balance and Oneness, with Uke and within
yourself.
It is tempting to cheat and try to maneuver
the person by the arms, or to raise your body up to
gain advantage. Many instructors teach this technique.
But, if you do, a good Uke can throw you down
immediately. If you rise up, you raise your center
of gravity, and therefore you are easily pushed over.
Neither can you simply relax and daydream. If you
loose your concentration for one second, Uke will
sense it and throw you down. Rather, you are alert and
yet serenely calm; you focus as if in meditation. You
breathe into that fracture line, stretching down from
their center of gravity. Breath by breath, as you follow
it, Uke moves without knowing they are moving.
Eventually, Uke reaches the point of no return, looses
their balance and falls. You move Uke the same way
that a river finds the sea. You follow the watercourse
way.
The Great Model in Daily Practice
How do we apply this knowledge of the path of least
resistance in life? Other than throwing an opponent
in Aikido, how can we actually practice the Tao in
 Part III: The Esoteric Tao
our lives? The path of least resistance, though being a
very real and constant pattern in all of nature, is even
more valuable as a metaphor for everyday life. The
watercourse way applies when we try to understand the
human predicament.
How do we get what we want? Should we
forge ahead, undeterred, forcing our will on others and
on nature? No, that does not work. It didn’t in Lao
Tzu’s day and it still doesn’t. The way water overcomes
stone is a combination of sustainability, perseverance,
and the path of least resistance. This is like the Aesop
fable of the Crow drinking water from the pitcher by
adding pebbles to slowly raise the water level. The Way
of Lao Tzu is the Way of perseverance and tolerance. It
is patiently working with nature.
I think that the reason why the squiggly
pattern of rivers and the veins in leafs and in your
hand all look the way they do is because they are not
pre-conscious. That is, they have no pre-conceived
notions of how they should look. The water feels its
way in the world being pulled this way and that, and
never resisting. It moves guided completely by outside
forces. Though it may have an ultimate direction that
it is persistently moving towards, it is not guiding its
path. It is feeling out its path unconsciously, with no
set idea of how the path should go. It has no brain, no
ego to guide it.
For us this means moving through the world
guided by the determination of your guts not the
distractions of your head. It is moving through the
world with the softness of a blade of grass not the
brittle rigidity of granite. The Way of Lao Tzu means
feeling, not thinking. It means sensing in your guts the
right direction to go, then it means feeling out, with
ultimate softness, the path of least resistance to get
there. What do your guts tell you? Look within. The
eyes can mislead you.
Following the Way in your life means
sensing your way through life, looking within, feeling
the groove that you’re in. It also means not being
distracted by what you see or think, or what others see
or think.
Therefore Shaman
Acts from the guts, not acts from the eyes
Thus, lets go of one and chooses the other
-passage 12
The Way is a model of living that is inherently
different from most everything we have been taught
or practiced throughout the history of civilization. It
teaches non-striving vs. striving. It advocates inner-
knowing and intuiting vs. knowledge and naming
(categorizing). It involves what Lao Tzu calls non-
action vs. action.
97
 The Secret Tao
Things of magnificent strength, followed and The Way of Balance
respected
Is called not the Way
Not the Way soon ends
-passage 30
In short, the great model means seeking out
the path of least resistance in your life. This doesn’t
mean giving up. You can be tenacious and persistent
but not confrontational and not competitive. It means
working with and not against people. It means rolling
with the punches instead of butting heads. It means
looking for a window instead of beating your head
against a wall. It means learning to bend instead of
being so rigid that you break.
Following the watercourse way means learning
to let go of control. It means learning that the only
thing I can control in life is what I do, today. And,
it means surrendering to the inevitability of life, and
not trying to force it, stop it, or change it. This means
learning to accept loss and disappointment too. Then,
finally, once you have surrendered to the unstoppable
wave of life beneath you, then you get to your feet,
find your balance, and surf it. Find your balance on
the wave of life and ride it! Soar along on the great
flow, without trying to predict and control it. Just be
there, in the moment, and see where it takes you.
98
The Way of Heaven and Earth is preserving balance
and harmony in your life. You cannot surf the life
force, if you loose your balance. In Taoist metaphysics
this means balance between the forces of yin and yang.
For Lao Tzu in his day, as well as for us in our world,
this specifically means embracing and embodying yin
in your daily life. From reading the Tao Te Ching,
it seems clear that this can be accomplished in part
by getting in touch with and expressing your female
aspect to its fullest.
You also need to look within to sense that you
are in balance within yourself. In other words, some
women may need to learn to strengthen and express
their male, yang energy. But, most men and women
today will likely find themselves overwhelmed with
yang, male energy. Remember yin manifests as peace
and tranquillity. Few of us nowadays, men or women,
have an excess of peace and tranquillity.
According to Lao Tzu, yin is essential to the
concept of surrender, no longer trying to dominate
and control the world around you. It is only from this
place of balance, that we can clearly look within and
feel our way through the world in peace and harmony.
Finding peace and tranquility in your life comes from
acceptance. It is as natural as water rolling downhill
 Part III: The Esoteric Tao
when you are in balance with your self and with
nature.
Tao and Evolution
One final issue on the great model of Lao Tzu
involves evolution. I am sure that neither Lao Tzu
nor the ancient Taoists of China had anything like a
modern view of evolution. But, I am not so sure that
they were completely alien to the idea. After all, our
Western concept of evolution came from naturalistic
observation. This too seems to be the basis for the
ideas of ancient Taoism. As mentioned before, the texts
of the Tao Te Ching seem almost obsessed with things
ending prematurely or dying out too soon. I wonder
if the ancient Taoists did not have more foresight
than we have given them credit for. Perhaps, they saw
changes occurring in the Bronze Age as a bad omen for
us today.
Keep the ancient Way
Control of the present, it has coming to full fruition.
-passage 14
Have you ever seen a map of the species in
evolution, where some survived and some died out? Or
even a family tree? They too look like the watercourse
way. Perhaps the real purpose of the great human
mind is simply to sense with clairvoyant insight the
path of sustainability. That is, to sense the main line of
the family tree of evolution, to live, grow, and evolve
for as many millions of years as possible. Perhaps, the
real goal of the Tao is simply to be sustainable, and in
doing so help the rest of the biosphere to survive and
flourish for as long as possible.
As we feel our way through the world as
individuals, we need to be mindful of our health as
a species. We are over-populating the planet at an
alarming rate. We are consuming natural resources at
an alarming rate. This is definitely not the watercourse
way. Wars and violence of all types have been
increasing world-wide, not decreasing. And, what is
our solution to these issues? The planet is constantly
producing more and more government, justice,
laws, rules and regulations, and of course with that
comes more corruption. All this leads me and others
to believe that Lao Tzu’s dire predictions are finally
Some might say, we humans are part of nature
too. Aren’t we? We evolved on this planet too. So how
could our knowledge and our civilization be anything
other than natural? We are simply following our
nature, right?
99
 The Secret Tao
I am sure that it is not just humans who err
in following the Way. I’m sure there have been many
unsuccessful creatures in the history of evolution,
which attempted to evolve a certain way, but alas,
it was not The Way. Many a bug, plant, and critter
followed an evolutionary offshoot and became extinct
in the process.
The unfailing teleological nature of life is
not so unfailing after all. Life is neither perfect nor
infallible. Lao Tzu says that a human in the province
of death has a 30% chance of living. We lack a definite
certainty of outcome in predicting the course of life.
All we can do is maximize our probability of life. This
is precisely why we have Taoism.
If I am bordering on good sense
I go on the high Way
Only give this caution
The high Way is well cleared
Yet people are fond of short-cuts So, how do you capture the esoteric essence of the
-passage 53
Lao Tzu refers to our sustainability and our
eternal nature over and over again. It occurs to me
that he was trying to tell us something that he had
no other words for. Taoism helps us to find the path
of sustainability, our eternal nature, vs. the alternative
100
evolutionary dead-end path. If you think of the word
eternal being translated as perpetual, then he is saying
that one path leads to perpetual life and the other
leads to extinction. The Way of Lao Tzu is a brilliant
discovery of a pattern that exists in all living things,
and in evolution. If we can learn from it, it can make
us more sustainable. But when we stray from it, its
lack can hasten our extinction. This is what the Tao Te
Ching tells us in so many ways.
Perhaps, we humans are facing a crossroad
in evolution. Perhaps, we as a species have been at
this crossroad since the beginning of the Bronze Age
(a brief time in the history of our species). Unless
we are very astute in the Way of Life and the Way of
evolution, the exponential growth of our civilization
may well reach an evolutionary dead-end.
Conclusion
great model? This, the great model, the watercourse
way, is the first great mystery of the Way. When
you begin to sense the great model in your life and
all around you, it will change the way you look at
everything forever. Giving up control and seeking
the path of least resistance, the path of yielding and
acceptance, facilitates tolerance and compassion. There
 Part III: The Esoteric Tao

is no good and there is no evil. Things simply are what

they are. There is the Way of life, and then there is not
the Way. You can feel it in your life, and you can see it
in the world. Seeing the great model gives one the first
glimpse of the Oneness.

Yield, become whole

Bend, become straight
-passage 22

101
 The Secret Tao

Chapter 13 So why did Lao Tzu refer to the un-named
Te: The Virtue of the Way Way and its virtue so frequently, and yet rarely use
the character of Qi? It is doubtful that the ancients
Of the two volumes of the Tao Te Ching, one is named underestimated the importance of the breath of life.
Tao and the other Te. In the oldest versions of this It’s the very basis of nearly all Chinese philosophy
book, the order was reversed and the work is called the related to life science. But, the name Qi is merely
Te Tao Ching, or the Way of Virtue. So, what is Te? a metaphor. When we say Qi, we are really saying
breath, as in the breath of life.
Cultivated virtue found Perhaps this term was not in-vogue during
The Way followed the time the texts were written, though it is used here
-passage 21 and there. More likely, I think that the ancients didn’t
want to name or label this unseen energy of life with
Te means virtue, but it can also mean a anything other than the most generic terms of the Way
force, a talent, a gain, or an advantage. I think that and Virtue. Keeping it nameless made it untouched
Te, in the Tao Te Ching, is the un-named essence of by human minds, uncorrupted, and unobjectified.
that which flows the watercourse way. That is, Te is Perhaps, to keep it nameless the ancients simply called
that virtue which one finds from following the Way. it the “Virtue”, in the same way that Moses said that
Though patience is a virtue, and courage is a virtue, the name of God is “I am that I am.”
the ultimate virtue, the ultimate Te must be Qi, the
life energy itself. The Way is concealed within, un-named
It is puzzling and ironic that Lao Tzu only It is precisely this Way that nourishes and

uses the character Qi in a few verses.15 Yet, as you will fulfills all -passage 41

see, Qi is at the very heart of the Way of Virtue. Qi,

the breath-spirit of life, is the hidden life energy of the Qi is integral to traditional Taoism and
Way that flows throughout all living things. It flows Chinese belief systems even up to present times. It is
through the Way; it is the thread within the Way. Qi is the basis for Chinese medicine and Feng Shui. It is the
truly the Virtue of the Way. basis for Tai Chi, and Qigong (Chi Kong). In Japan it

102
 Part III: The Esoteric Tao
is called Ki, and also plays a central role in Aikido. As
in China, it is well known throughout the East, and
it is also synonymous with health. Because there has
been so much written on this topic, I know that I can’t
do the topic justice in a few pages. What follows is just
a brief introduction for the novice, based on Lao Tzu
and other sources. For more information, there are
many good books available and I have listed a couple
for you in the bibliography.
Qi is an observable phenomenon of life,
which science has only recently begun to understand.
In Fritof Capra’s book, The Tao of Physics, he relates
the concept of Qi to discoveries in modern quantum
physics. Thirty years ago, the concept of Qi would
have sounded like superstition to any hard scientist.
However, given what we now know from scientific
research, we see that the concept of Qi is not entirely
unlike the concept of quantum field theory.
In spite of its similarities to modern scientific
theory, this is actually one of the most ancient concepts
of metaphysics known in the East. Similar concepts in
the East include Shakti, Kundalini, and Tantra. Even
Heraclitus referred to a concept of eternal flux. In
Michael Page’s book, The Power of Ch’i, he discusses
these parallel concepts and goes on to reveal Qi (ch’i)
as the basis of Chinese mysticism, even what we might
call Taoist magic. It is an evanescent, invisible quality
within life that is only tangible spiritually.
Look of it, not seen, call it ‘nothing there’
Sound of it, not heard, call it ‘very rare’
Grasp of it, not touched, call it ‘thinner than air’
Consider these three phrases, not can they be
understood
Thus, combine them and make one
It’s top, not reflecting light
It’s bottom, not darkened
-passage 14
What all these theories of physics and
metaphysics refer to is a kind of structure or medium
of energy. This medium is so ever-present we don’t
see it, yet our very life depends upon it each and
every second. It is not just a medium we live in, but a
medium we evolved in, so that we are as much a part
of it, as it is of us. Like the organs and cells of your
body, which are bathing in and breathing blood. Body
and Qi are like organs and blood; they comprise one
symbiotic system.
Qi is the thread within, connecting and
nourishing all living things. Qi is like the blood of
103
 The Secret Tao
life flowing within and throughout all organisms. It
connects us and binds us together. Every human, every
dog, ant, tree and flower on Earth are suspended in
a medium, in a flow, a dynamic flux of energy. This
energy can be tangibly felt in the body. This is why we
practice Qigong, Tai Chi, Yoga, and various types of
bodywork and breath-work to keep our bodies supple
and alive.
Concentrate Qi for resiliency common medium shared by all people and creatures
-passage 10
Qi is Like Breath
Air or breath is one of the best metaphors for Qi.
In fact, this concept of the breath-spirit is almost
universal. In Chinese, as well as in Hebrew, Latin, and
other languages, the word used to refer to the spirit
often comes from the root word meaning breath. In
English when someone dies we say they have expired,
coming from the Latin root referring to the breath. It
literally means that the breath of life has gone out of
them. Likewise, we say inspire to mean an infusing
with spirit, taken from the same Latin root, literally
meaning to breathe in.
Air is all around us, yet we never really see it.
It keeps us alive. We cannot survive long without it,
104
seconds, maybe minutes, without drinking it into our
bodies, organs and cells. Yet, how often do you notice
this clear medium around you? I don’t mean notice
what’s in it, such as smoke or smells, but do you notice
it, the clear medium of air itself? The breath is a perfect
metaphor for understanding Qi, the life energy. It is
necessary for life, always around you, yet completely
invisible, within the very air itself.
Do you realize the air you breathe is a
of the world? Can you feel that connectedness? Just
imagine, the same air molecules keeping you alive
now may have been taken in and exhaled by a person
half way around the world, or by a camel or a goat.
This same molecule was then blown across the sea and
land, and then recycled by plants and trees only to be
inhaled by you. The same air molecules, cycled and
recycled through plants, oceans, and algae around the
world, are keeping you alive every day. So, the concept
of breath also helps us to understand the Oneness of
life, referred to by Lao Tzu.
But now imagine that there is another
dimension to our world. That, between the points
of space in the air, there is more. There is another
dimension to our Universe. This may not be
inconsistent with modern science either. The revised
 Part III: The Esoteric Tao
Super String theory tells us that the Universe has,
in fact, many dimensions, coexisting with us here,
occupying the same space.
Heaven and Earth
Perceive its space being that of a bellows
Empty, yet not without potential
When it moves, more comes out
-passage 5
Qi is Like Water
Qi is also like the essence of water, another metaphor
revealing another aspect. We used water a great deal
in discussing the great model of the watercourse
way. Water is explicitly used by Lao Tzu to describe
both the Way and the virtue of the Way. Water flows
through the valley, nourishing all living things.
The Way flows Heaven below
Like a river through a valley
From brook to river and back to the ocean water, but you would not refer to the Snake River in
-passage 32
When you are empty like a valley, your life energy does
not stray from you, it flows right through the center of
you. It does not waver in you, or run dry in you. Thus,
you have a long life in good health and you nourish
all living things around you. That is another reason
why Lao Tzu says to be like a valley. There is a direct
connection between the valley and the flow of water.
This metaphor of water is a useful way of
understanding both Qi and the Way and the inter-
relationship of each to each other. The Way is how life,
the Universe, and all things manifest, how they move
and flow. But Qi is the substance of the life force. It
is the teleological aspect of the Way, the force pulling
it. Qi is to life, what gravity is to water. Qi is the force
that animates us. This is the force that makes the plant
move upward to seek light, or sink down to seek water.
Great fullness seems like infusion
Its use, not draining out
-passage 45
To understand the relationship of Qi and the
Way (Tao), think of two aspects of a river. The river is
Idaho as merely “some water over there in Idaho.” The
way it moves and how it manifests are as much a part
of it as the substance of which it is made. Now, think
of the Taoist concepts of Qi and the Way and their
inter-relationship to each other. Qi is the substance
of life energy, the essence and source of all power in
105
 The Secret Tao
life, like the water in a river. The Way (Tao), as the
great model, is how it works, how it moves, how it
manifests, how you can use it, and how you should not
use it. The Way of Virtue is how Qi flows in nature,
and how it can be used to our benefit, how to make it
spread and flow freely throughout. Qi is the force; the
Way is the path it takes in manifesting in your life.
Mind controlling Qi is forceful then to steam, there is a fire-like quality that exists in
-passage 55
Combining the air and water metaphors, Qi
is both the medium/Oneness of life and also the very
essence of power and life energy. The Way teaches
us how to negotiate in this metaphysical medium of
mysterious unseen power. The Way teaches us how
this unseen pattern of energy manifests in our life and
in human behavior. The Way teaches us to ignore the
eyes, because the perceptions of the eyes are merely
concrete and superficial.
Your eyes only see that which is reflected by
light. But, the text specifically says of the Way’s thread
within, “Its top not reflecting light, its bottom, not
darkened.” Perhaps, that is why Lao Tzu says to know
of the light, but stay to the darkness. You cannot
see Qi, but you can feel it in your guts. The Way of
Virtue teaches you to see the invisible, to feel the
106
untouchable, and to hear the inaudible. The Way of
Virtue is the way of instinct and intuition. The Way of
Virtue is the Way of Qi.
Qi is like Fire
There is another aspect to Qi, the transformational fire
aspect of Qi. Just as fire transforms ice to water, and
life energy. This phenomenon is used in healing. This
aspect of life energy is used in Agni yoga, Actualism,16
Reiki, and in some aspects of Qigong. This is a
catalytic quality of Qi that can transmute energy
from lower vibrations to sublime and radiant energy.
Likewise, sublime energy can be earthed in the densest
of manifestations. The light-fire aspect transmutes yin
into yang and yang into yin, and gives off energy in
the process.
In Chinese mysticism, Qi is critical to healing
and the purification of corruption. If there is a burning
fire of Hell, it is the furnace of life energy burning
away illusions, burning away corruption, to reveal
a transformed and transmuted entity of pure life
energy. This melts down the atomistic image of the
self and returns one to the nameless Oneness of life,
the uncarved block. Lao Tzu only obliquely mentions
this aspect of the Way, but these concepts have been
 Part III: The Esoteric Tao
around for thousands of years in the East. It is believed
that these elements of shamanic practice were passed
down from generation to generation in the oral
tradition long before Lao Tzu.
Similar to fire, it is interesting that the Way of
Lao Tzu implies a relationship between Qi, yin, and
yang, which seems analogous to the study of electricity.
You have two poles, male and female, yin and yang,
and when you create either a direct or alternating
current, you get a resulting power or charge.
Ten thousand things, wearing yin and holding yang
Emanating Qi, its action, synthesis
-passage 42
Qi is like Earth
There is one other metaphor for Qi and that is the
Earth. Earth grounds us. It embodies the uncarved
block. Of course, the Earth is immensely powerful.
It is the most powerful force of nature that we come
into contact with, on a regular basis. It also nurtures
and sustains us just as much as water and air, which
is created by and held here by the Earth. There is
something magical about the rich soil of the Earth.
Put a seed or two in the Earth and with sunshine and
rain it produces life! There are many more subtle and
nuanced analogies that can be made between Qi and
Earth. Suffice it to say that it is powerful, capable of
great force, it sustains us, shelters us, and nourishes us.
And isn’t that Virtue?
Science and the Proof of Life Energy
Esotericism and Mysticism aside, Qi may in fact be an
undiscovered part of science, kind of a last frontier in
nature. I think the best way of understanding Qi is like
a quantum field of life, with all living creatures being
integral nodes in what is kind of like a life-energy
matrix. All living things have within them and around
them a force field of sorts, and it has certain properties.
Qi connects us and nourishes us. This is a medium
that we share, like the air we breathe, and it is also
the source of great strength, a life giving energy and a
healing power.
Though there have been empirical demon-
strations of Qi, these are seen by most scientists as
mere curiosities. One such demonstration is the
cut leaf, phantom-image experiment. Using Kirlian
photography, which picks up electrical patterns, you
photograph a leaf which has been recently cut in half.
You only photograph the stem or bottom half of the
leaf. When the picture is revealed, however, you see the
energy residue of a whole leaf, even after part of the
107
 The Secret Tao
leaf has been recently cut off. The part of the leaf that
has been cut off is much more faint than the rest of the
leaf, but it is still there with all the same unique details
of the actual part that was cut off. You can also see the
cut-line very brightly, indicating an energy release.
Scientists don’t deny that this phenomena
exists. But, in absence of finding some new undis-
covered medium of life-energy, aura, or quantum field,
they seek alternative explanations for this effect.
In martial arts there is another way we can
demonstrate the tangible force of Qi. It’s called
the “unbendable arm” demonstration. In this
demonstration, even a small and weak person is able
to prevent anyone from bending their arm at the
elbow. They do not lock the elbow. Quite the opposite,
they relax their arm, bent slightly at the elbow, and
concentrate on their Qi. If done properly, nobody is
able to bend it. If they flex their muscles or their mind
wanders for one moment, the arm is easily bent.
No scientist has been able to explain to me
where the tremendous strength of the unbendable arm
phenomena comes from, if not from the muscles and
tendons of the arm. Yet, the arm is completely relaxed.
If it wasn’t, it wouldn’t work. And, how can a large
strong man have trouble bending a small young girl’s
arm when it is completely relaxed but filled with Qi?
108
Or, why can he bend it the minute she tries to keep her
arm straight. Although there are many explanations
involving hypnosis that make sense psychologically,
this still does not explain where the actual strength, or
force of resistance, comes from. The bottom line is, if
the strength does not come from the muscles, which
are relaxed and pliable, then where does it come from?
Heaven below’s greatest softness,
As a rider controls a horse,
Heaven below’s greatest strength, it will overcome
-passage 43
Conclusion
Perhaps the force of Qi is nothing more than an
artifact of the unconscious mind, like we see in
hypnosis. Or, perhaps it is as yet an undiscovered
energy medium, or a quantum field. Or perhaps
it exists in another dimension, one that through
evolution we are just becoming aware of, sensing it
only through carrier waves of energy in this dimension.
Or, perhaps, Qi is nothing more than a hypothetical
construct, representing something far more complex,
not unlike our constructs of intelligence or love.
Whatever the case, I believe that what we know of as
Qi is the primal virtue that Lao Tzu referred to as Te.
 Part III: The Esoteric Tao

Water follows the path of least resistance, put this together with the watercourse way. Do not
being pulled by gravity. A plant follows an identical resist life, but move with it. The force attracting you
path of least resistance as that of the water, but it and propelling you is Qi, the life energy. Qigong, Tai
pushes up to the sky. But what is the force? The force Chi, or Aikido classes will help you to sense Qi in your
is life-energy itself, Qi. Qi is a force not unlike gravity. daily life.
I think Qi, the force of life, is the Virtue of the Way. Discovering the Way of the life-force opens up
This concept of Qi is ever-present in the Tao of Lao a whole new dimension of life. As Obe Wan Kenobe
Tzu, even if un-named. In this way we see that the told young Luke Skywalker, “You’ve just taken the first
ancient Tao is really the Way of the life energy. The step into a much larger world.”
entire Tao Te Ching can be translated not only as The
Way of Virtue but as the Way of the Life-Force. I’m
assuming this concept did not escape the mind of
George Lucas in his concept of “the way of the force”
which is very much like the ancient concept of Qi,
found in Taoism. To possess it and use it wisely is the
greatest of Virtues.
Te, Virtue, is the second great mystery of
Taoism. If you practice following the Way, or Tao, that
was explored in the last chapter, then you are looking
within, sensing your way through the world, feeling
with your guts, and surrendering to the power of life.
But what are you feeling for? What power, what energy
are you trying to sense? Well, this is it. Feel the power
of Qi. Feel your way through the medium of energy
that you move through. The power of the force cannot
be seen, it cannot be heard, but it can be felt. Now,

109
 The Secret Tao
Chapter 14
Being and Non-Being: Neolithic
Existentialism
In reading the Tao Te Ching, you might think of
Taoism as a non-religion religion, a philosophy of
nothingness. Its true, almost every passage has to
do with a concept of non-something or other. Non-
action, non-striving, and non-desire are the main
concepts and there are other non- concepts. It is non-
being which is at the heart of this philosophy. It is very
hard to understand this concept of non-being. But
we can see everything as something. And so we can
see non-being as sort of anti-matter, the opposite of
something
Nothingness, its form
It is called ‘as if a shadow’ of life. This could serve the basic function, as in all
- passage 14
While the Tao gives us the Way, and Te is
the power of following the Way, both these aspects of
Taoism tell us not to think, but to feel. We are not to
analyze but to be in the moment, and stretch out with
our feelings. Still there remains the issue of what to
do with the mind? When you do think, what do you
110
think? And, how do you make sense of your logical
brain when it is so often wrong in perceiving the Way?
And, how can you simply not think? And, how can
that be logical? I think the concept of non-being is a
response to this problem.
Consciousness Raising
One way to look at this concept of non-being is that
it’s a reaction to the concrete mentality of the common
people of the time. If people can only see the concrete
and superficial, if all they know are facts, figures, and
names, how could the shaman explain all the wonders
of the ancient shamanic belief system of Taoism?
There was probably a need in the late
Neolithic and early Bronze Age to explain and
understand the negative spaces of the mind, the
unconscious, as well as understanding the non-being
religions, of explaining and coming to terms with
death.
Non-being is the great sea from which we
evaporated. Traveling along this path of life, we will
return to the ocean of non-being from which we came.
To know consistency is to remain connected, to return
to the sea of nothingness, whole. In this way non-
being is like an afterlife. If you can experience the non-
 Part III: The Esoteric Tao
being during life, you will continue to in death, and
thus know eternity.
Returning to the root is tranquility
Is called the cycle of destiny
...Death of the body is not extinction
-passage 16
So the ancient Taoist shaman created a
complex and subtle philosophy about the dualism
and wholeness of the Universe, which also explains
life, death, and the nature of all things that are
understandable to the human mind. Of these, the
most complex to this day is consciousness itself.
The Epistemology of Taoist Metaphysics
I think that the brain is not unlike a computer. If you
probe the nature of the mind, you always come down
to the same thing. The mind’s basic building blocks
are not unlike a binary code. Your brain is constructed
as a kind of associational network, vis a vis billions of
neurons in the brain, each of which either fires or does
not fire. Millions of these binary switches make up a
thought.
This basic juxtaposition of being and non-
being in Lao Tzu forms a very abstract philosophical
foundation for intellectually understanding
consciousness, and anything you can think of. In
science we say one and zero. Lao Tzu said being and
non-being.
In cycles,
The Way moves
...Heaven below’s ten thousand things,
Born of being
Being, born of non-being
-passage 40
Ancient Taoists believed that all life is seen
as being, yang, which in the end returns to stillness,
non-being, yin. The Way moves in cycles of being and
non-being. This is why you cannot simply force life
and just have more and more being. This would not
be balanced. Life must roll, always starting with non-
being, then being, then non-being. Sustainability is the
balance of non-being and being, yin and yang. Balance
is essential. Non-being and being become One; that is
the harmony of Oneness. It is harmony and not just
homogeneity because there are two alternating aspects.
There is a cycle. If the cycle is not balanced, it doesn’t
roll forward. It becomes stagnant. It chokes.
111
 The Secret Tao
According to Lao Tzu, there is a theoreticaly
perfect marriage between the aspects of yin and yang,
one which maximizes Te, the life force. If there is too
much yang, as is often the case, it becomes sticky and
it doesn’t cycle smoothly. Lao Tzu uses metaphors from
daily life to explain it. The idea is that being should
emerge as quietly and serenely as possible, serve its
purpose, then quietly disappear back into the void of
non-being.
Best frames are without joints
...Best forms take no specific shape and the less you really know. Knowing, as opposed
-passage 41
Now, let’s connect this idea back to our
consciousness. The idea, simply put, is that if yang is
ephemeral so then a thought or action is ephemeral.
As such, an ephemeral thought or action is cut off
from the universe, a deviation from the non-being of
eternity (yin). But, if you can somehow anchor your
thoughts and actions in the non-being of eternity,
then metaphorically your thoughts and actions are
rooted and connected to all of creation. This is because
non-being is like a medium that connects all being.
Perhaps, this is what is meant when the text says
“Enact non-action then nothing is not in order.”
112
So, yang should be firmly rooted in yin, just
as being is firmly rooted in non-being. Just as plants
(yang) are firmly rooted in Earth (yin). Lao Tzu
suggests that when the cycle is seamless and balanced,
Te flows freely, nourishing us with abundant and
perpetual life.
This is the concept of non-action, the
embodiment of non-being. This is the opposite of the
virtue of knowledge, in which more is generally better.
This philosophy of Taoism specifically states that the
more facts you learn, the more confused you become
to knowledge, derives its true virtue from non-being,
which is an eliminative process. Stripping away
everything but the bare essence of consciousness.
Work knowledge,
Daily accumulate
Work the Way,
Daily strip away
-passage 48
Practicing Non-Action
This concept of non-being is more elaborate than
merely nothingness. This concept helps us in
 Part III: The Esoteric Tao
manifesting our beingness. In other words, by focusing
on non-being we more clearly and elegantly express
our beingness, and we call this non-action.
Think of chopping wood. When you chop
wood, if you begin thinking about the ax and the kind
of wood or metal that it is made of, ironically this will
not help your chopping. It’s actually a distraction. It
may help to visualize the perfect, smooth, splitting
of the wood before your chop. But, even that can be
distracting while you are actually chopping. It is best
to empty your mind of everything else. Only then can
you chop successfully.
Is teaching movement that is non-movement chop. You might say this is the Zen of chopping, or
-passage 69
Not only does clearing your mind help your
chopping, but when you clear your mind of everything
except the sensation of the chop, then chopping wood
then takes on a greater significance, and then we can
see it as a form of meditation. Then, we may find
that the chop of the wood is in sync with the spin of
the Earth and spiral of the galaxy. By doing without
thinking, we wake up and for one moment become
part of everything. The minute you think about it, you
loose it again.
Isn’t it ironic? When we think of chopping,
we have more trouble chopping. Yet when we look
through the chop, not thinking about the chopping,
quieting the mind, it just happens and you don’t
even have to think about it. This basic observation
of human consciousness neatly fits with all other
interlocking concepts of ancient Taoism. For instance,
when chopping, it also helps not to force the ax. It
helps to relax your shoulders, calm your mind, chop
from the guts, stay flexible, and don’t strike at the
wood but strike through the wood. Don’t think of the
axe as separate but feel with the axe as though it were
an extension of your arms, as you become one with the
the Tao of chopping, which is another way of saying: a
meditation on the non-action of chopping.
This is doing something the watercourse way,
using the path of least resistance. It forms its course
merely by stripping away everything that it is not
its course, and being open to the negative resistance
(negative space) around it. Michelangelo’s process
of sculpting marble was very similar; by removing
everything that was not the image, he striped away the
excess to reveal the form. In doing so, the form was
not preconceived, but rather the block of marble said
what it wanted to be.
113
 The Secret Tao
Such a view, perceiving the negative space
in all aspects of life, naturally leads one to a Taoist
perspective. The form is not imposed, but rather is
seen in the uncarved block. The sculptor gently helps
the block to liberate its hidden forms, by taking away
the excess. The uncarved block always tells the sculptor
what it wants to be.
Non-being Makes It Useful.
We see this principle of non-being in everything. You
need words to communicate, but if you never stop
talking, no one will hear anything you say. It is the use
of dramatic pauses that helps to communicate your
words. If you have 20 people talking at once all you
hear is mumbling noise.
Shape clay to make a pot
Note its non-being of pot is useful
...Thus,
Being, its action, potential
Non-being, its action, useful nothing more. It is the non-being that makes it useful.
-passage 11
It is the negative space of anything that defines
that thing. Furniture can be useful, but stacked to
114
the ceiling with no room to move makes it useless.
A cabinet, a bowl, a drawer, a box, they are all useful
only to the extent that they are somewhat empty. And,
with any object, a hammer, a nail, or a ‘67 Chevy, its
substance may be defined by its matter, but its shape,
and therefore its usefulness, is defined not by the
matter but by the shape of the negative space around
it.
Consider anything without negative space,
such as a drawing of a landscape. Picture an image of
black ink, filling the page evenly from corner to corner
with black ink, with no white space at all to reveal an
image, not even some places that are lighter black. Ink
itself is not very useful in describing the landscape. It’s
the combination of ink and the absence of ink that
defines the image.
Empty your mind, become full
-passage 22
Over and over we see that ‘being’ is potential,
Like the wood chop, the more you add, in your mind
or in your body, the less successful the chop will be.
Non-being (everything that is not the chopping)
makes the chopping most useful. If the wood-chopper
 Part III: The Esoteric Tao
does not add any extraneous moves or intentions, just
the chop and nothing else, it is said to be an elegant
chop, even masterful.
Non-being and non-action, in very practical
terms, gives us breathing room to create and express
ourselves in more clear, coherent, cogent, and powerful
ways. It improves our art, our thinking, and our way
of life. Meditation complements our busy day and
allows us to appreciate it better. Calmness allows us to
manage a crisis. Freedom from distraction allows us to
concentrate, and lack of desire or expectation removes
all distractions from decision-making.
The Way is empty like a bowl
And whether used, not full
-passage 4
Non-action is essentially acting without
expectation. Non-action is acting without over-
thinking it, and without thinking about your ulterior
motives for doing it. Non-action is the purest
expression of action. By focusing your mind on non-
being, you are the purest expression of being.
A Gender Shift in Consciousness
If there is a single metaphor, which expresses the
concept of goodness in Taoism, it is the emptiness of
a bowl or a valley. Similarly, in Celtic paganism it was
a chalice or a grail. Conversely, in modern American
society, I think we concentrate on the virtue of
potency. An empty cup is seen as less powerful than a
spear, a bullet, a gun, or a hammer. I am not referring
just to violence vs. peace; I am referring to the concept
of being as opposed to the concept of non-being. In
other words, in our society, we think in terms of
instruments to implement our will, and affect change
in the world. “What can we do? How can we do it?”
In ancient times, highest-good acted those of the Way.
Subtle, wondrous, dark, and open
...Empty, as a valley
-passage 15
When looking for answers we seek a method
of delivery, “the magic bullet” or at least “the smoking
gun.” When getting our point across we often
“hammer the point home,” while trying not to “beat
them over the head with it.” But the alternative view,
looks at the negative space, and seeks harmony with
the world. The Taoist perspective seeks to create a
good fit with the environment and with each other,
to mesh with or fit snugly around problems and
115
 The Secret Tao
obstacles. Gently holding, nurturing, and sheltering,
we give birth to new ideas, people, places and things.
This dichotomy is the womb vs. the phallus, yin vs.
yang. One is the essence of non-being, the other
is the essence of being. One is a dynamic forceful,
instrument of delivery, the other a soft, nurturing
container for life. The juxtaposition of these two
concepts forms a cultural dichotomy related to gender.
The dichotomy described above is not black
vs. white. Rather, it is more like black-vs.-white as
opposed to black and white in harmony. The ultimate
message of all this discussion of being and non-being,
action and non-action, striving and non-striving, is
to create balance and harmony. It would be erroneous
and misleading to see the above dichotomy as a
female vs. male issue. On the contrary, it’s more of a
competition vs. partnership issue, or perhaps a conflict
vs. harmony issue. And, of course, Lao Tzu tells us that
to achieve this harmony we need gender balance. Too
much yang, maleness, being, action, creates imbalance.
Harmony, with so much yang, can only be achieved
with an equal amount of yin, femaleness, non-being,
non-action.
Being and non-being parallels with the issue
of gender and society mentioned in earlier sections.
The difference between a dominator-competitor
116
mentality, as opposed to a partnership mentality, is that
partnership involves a recognition and respect of non-
being. It is like the difference between seeing only the
yang, noticing only the ink and not the white page,
as opposed to seeing the harmony of both yin and
yang, together as equals. This is the difference between
seeing only your objective vs. seeing the negative
space around your objective as also being part of your
objective. This is integrally related to the great model:
the watercourse Way.
The purpose is to see the world in a both-and
perspective of Oneness (yin and yang in harmony),
not an either-or perspective of dualism (yin vs. yang).
The purpose of grounding ourselves in female aspect
of non-being is to more fully appreciate being. The
purpose of the practice of Taoism is to be in harmony
with the Universe. This is not a gender trench
war; this is seeking balance and harmony through
acknowledging the eternal spiral-dance of being and
non-being.
Conclusion
Non-being, the third great mystery of Taoism
facilitates a powerful cognitive shift in perception.
Non-being is integrally related to harmony, because
it allows room for being to exist. Being, without
 Part III: The Esoteric Tao

recognition of non-being, is synonymous with force.

It is stagnant; it does not flow because there is no room
to flow, and so it is not sustainable.
To get this concept, just think of the Taijitu,
the yin and yang symbol of the Tao. Yang containing
yin, yin containing yang, each are in balance with,
and flowing into each other. With this insight of
understanding non-being, the illusion of duality is
dissolved. Seeing the non-being in all things, helps us
to see balance, unity, and wholeness. When you can
look at something, and see both it and the negative
space around it, both being and non-being, then you
begin to see the Oneness.
Practicing mindfulness meditation will help
you to let go of thoughts and distractions. As you let
thoughts float through your mind like clouds across a
clear sky, you will find yourself enacting non-action.
Then, in daily life, let go of everything that is not the
action of the moment, and feel life flow through you. I
think great athletes do this naturally when they are in
their game. This is like getting into the zone that some
athletes talk about. This is the cognitive component
of following the Tao. This is how you quiet your mind
enough to experience both Tao and Te.

117
 The Secret Tao

Chapter 15 learned which roots can be used to cure which

ailments. They learned the arts of midwifery and
The Creation of the Universe is Now
herbology; in doing so, they learned basic biology.
Likewise, just as pagans learn about nature, don’t
In some respects, Taoism is sort of a marriage between
scientists revere nature? Who but a scientist will spend
the abstract aspects of life science on the one hand,
all day marveling at the miracle of a microscopic
and the mystical aspects of a pagan Nature worship
cellular structure or a radiant ion-emitting gas from
on the other. And, after all, the two may not be as far
millions of light-years away. Who but a scientist
apart as you might think. If pagan cosmology sought
devotes their life to such a passion, hungry to learn all
to uncover the secrets of nature, defined as a goddess,
the secrets of Mother Nature.
then hasn’t science pursued that same goal and learned
I use this juxtaposition between life science
much more about Mother Nature in the process?
and pagan worship to explain what I think is the
The method is different, but they both seek to know
greatest mystery and the greatest truth of the ancient
nature, and the nature of things.
Tao. It has to do with a line from passage 21. But this
One major difference between the two is
same line can also be seen as one of the most mundane
reverence, the concept of sacredness. Science seeks
lines of Lao Tzu. That is because it can be seen either
to dispassionately study nature, while paganism
as a secular fact of science or it can be a life-changing
worships and reveres nature. But, can’t we use science
spiritual revelation. The difference is in you. The
to understand that which we revere, and to see that
difference is in how you perceive the Creation of the
scientific reality is not a cold dead thing, but is alive
Universe. The line is this:
and very much spiritual? Everyday, discoveries in
theoretical physics and mathematics support this
How do I know of the origin of all things?
notion. The Universe appears ever more mystical as we This is it!
learn more about the miracle of the Creation of the -passage 21
Universe.
Between science and paganism, there has The text literally says the “father of the
always been a little of each in the other. Pagan healers multitudes”, and it refers to the creation of everything,

118
 Part III: The Esoteric Tao
literally the Universe. I liked the feeling of immediacy
I got when I first translated the last line of passage 21,
above. I got the sense of suddenly being aware! It is as
if you are talking about life and philosophy in a very
detached and intellectual way, and then all of a sudden
you realize that this is it! Reality. This! Right here. Me,
writing this, you reading this now, it’s all Creation.
This is the Creation of the Universe!
What’s so interesting is that the concept of
Creation, as it is used here, refers to both noun and
verb, both the Universe and the Big Bang. According
to science, Creation was an event that occurred billions
of years ago. But, that’s not entirely true. It is still
unfolding as we speak, as it has always been unfolding
since the beginning. On a planetary level, the
unfolding of a million years ago is not fundamentally
different than the unfolding now. It’s just a little more
unfolded now, but it’s still the same single event.
According to the Big Bang Theory, Creation
was an event that occurred millions of years ago. But
it really never ended. It’s still happening. What we
see now is like a single frame of a slow motion film
of an explosion. We know an explosion occurred, but
everything is still in motion. The explosion is not over
yet. It’s still happening. Creation is still happening.
Right now. So, the Creation of the Universe is now!
How do we know about the Universe? Well,
we’re living in it! Look around. Study it. All this. We
are all cosmic star stuff, as Carl Sagan used to say. You
and I are the product of the Big Bang. If anything is
sacred to you at all, then everything should be sacred,
because it is all one single noun/verb, one single entity/
event. Your life is part of the Earth, which is part of
the Universe, which is the singular explosion and
unfolding of It. This is what is meant by the word
Oneness. This is God for a Taoist. This is the Mother of
Creation.
The Universe is just so big and vast and we
are so small and ephemeral that it is almost impossible
to see that it is exploding at terrific speeds even at this
very moment, and always has been. This, the whole
thing, is Creation, the eternal unfolding. And, we are
an eternal part of it, though we are conscious for only
a glorious glimpse of it.
How is it known of Heaven below?
It’s this!
-passage 54
According to Lao Tzu, the highest virtue
comes from knowing and seeing The Way, which
has always existed from the beginning of time; thus
119
 The Secret Tao
we can see it in the creation of all things. How do
I know about the creation of all things? This is it!
You’re reading this aren’t you? Think back on the
most esoteric and elemental words of wisdom from
our greatest prophets, and look at them in this new
context. Moses said the name of God is “I am that I
am.” Jesus said, “I am the Way.” Lao Tzu taught about
something he simply called the “Way”, and said, “How
do I know of Creation? This is it!” And, according to
Lao Tzu, there seems to be an implication that if you
are truly here and now, you will see the Way, the Tao,
and the Oneness. And, I think that refers to seeing the
entirety of Creation in real time.
If the unfolding of Creation is happening in
real time, then you are part of it. Right now! Realizing
the miracle of Creation and recognizing your divine
part in it, isn’t that the greatest virtue there is? Isn’t that
becoming the uncarved block?
This greatest mystery of the Way is no
mystery at all really, yet the insight that comes from
it is perhaps the greatest mystery of all. The insight is
just this: Creation is here and now, happening in real
time. The garden of Eden is here and now, thousands
of years later and still growing. And, we have always
been part of it. In fact, it is only the finiteness of the
concept of self that is the illusion!
120
Our finite and isolated sense of self is a
perception created by the configuration of our brain as
an evolutionary adaptation to its environment. But, we
also have the ability to see past this illusion and glimpse
the wholeness of Creation. We evolved as a species out
of the Earth, which evolved out of the Universe, which
evolved out of the Big Bang.
The key is that the big bang never really ended;
it’s still banging! We, the Universe, are still banging,
exploding, expanding and unfolding! Perhaps that is
why some mystics say that we are God, because we and
God are one, we are part of the great Oneness. What
ever it was that exploded billions of years ago, it’s still
exploding, and we are part of it and always have been.
Humans evolved from Earth
Earth evolved from Heaven
Heaven evolved from the Way
The Way evolved as Nature
-passage 25
The way that the Universe expands, from inner
space to outer space, is the Way (the Tao). The Way is
everywhere yet nowhere. It is the unfolding of existence.
It is the nature of the Big Bang, which has not
fundamentally changed from time zero. It just grows
more complex as it unfolds. It is now so vast that it is
 Part III: The Esoteric Tao

imponderable for us. The model of the unfolding Be Here Now

pattern hasn’t changed though; the Way is always the
Exploring this great mystery of the Way, seeing
same, unfolding and unending.
Creation in the here and now, yields the most fragile
The Big Bang is the big birth of the
and profound insight of Taoism, to actually see the
Universe, and if we trace back in time the origins of
Oneness. Or, perhaps, I should say to feel the Oneness,
existence, we find the pre-bang singularity, or The
feel it in your bones. This is the true meaning of living
Mother. She is here now. She is us! She is the stars
in the moment, to appreciate, savor, and understand
and all of the Universe. To see Her just look at the
the depth and the spiritual grandeur of the here and
watercourse way. It’s there, like her signature, in
now. This is absolutely something you cannot simply
everything that exists. Just feel the energy in your
intellectually understand. You either experience it, or
pulse. Where did that energy come from? Each of us
you don’t. When you get it, you get it.
is a tiny part of the pulsing Universe, literally a child
Being in the moment does not mean that we
of the Mother of Creation. To see Her, just look in
don’t care about tomorrow. Quite the opposite, we
a mirror, just look at your hands, look at your veins,
live in the moment today precisely in order to create
and look at your arms. You are a product of the Way.
a better tomorrow. It is also the means by which we
Closer to home, we see that we are
achieve and understand all other principles of Taoism.
specifically the product of a life-culture on the
When you are in the moment you are
surface of the planet. The biosphere is like one huge
centered, you are in balance with yourself, and in
living culture, one growth, one great and ancient
balance with the Universe. When you leave your
organism. She is truly our Mother. This is not a
center in consciousness, you are imbalanced, some of
personification. We are, in fact, a sub-organism that
you here, some there. You are not whole, you are not
grew out of the living culture of flora and fauna that
where your energy is. Being in balance means being
evolved on this planet. We grew out of it! We are
grounded in the here and now, neither lunging toward
part of it. We are it! If Creation is here and now, then
something or someplace, nor pulling away. Being
we are part of it; we are Creation.
centered and balanced means never forgetting who you

121
 The Secret Tao

are, and where you are at. Balance means connecting Taoism, non-desire, non-striving, the uncarved block,
to and coming from your root-source, the Oneness. balance, and harmony. And, believe me, this is also
If we have no expectation for the future, and very much non-transcendental. The Creation, the
we have no desire in our hearts, we are free to be in Oneness, the Tao, what many call God, is accessible to
the moment without worry, without hesitation. It is anybody, anywhere. It is here now. Look!
a fearless and liberating experience to know that you
are and will always be here and now. There is safety in Conclusion
the here and now. All the dangers are out there. There
This book, or any book really, can only serve as a crude
is peace in the here and now; it’s a bizarre, inexplicable
map of the Way. To really understand the ancient Tao,
peace that comes from being whole and part of the
I suggest that you go listen to a babbling brook, or to
great Oneness. Everything else is an illusion, a dream
the wind in the leaves. Immersed in the flow of life,
or a memory, only shadows. All you really have is this
softly gazing on the movement of water, fire, or clouds,
one moment, the perpetual moment of now. What
one cannot help but see the Way. You can see the
gratitude, what peace and gratitude there is in this
mark of the Mother everywhere in nature. The Way is
place that we call here and now.
ubiquitous in all of Creation. Seeking balance and the
So, why don’t we live in the here and now all
path of least resistance is the Way. Understanding it
the time? According to Lao Tzu, it is because of desire.
and learning from it is The Way of Virtue, literally the
Desire gives rise to expectations and fears; it causes
way of all power and sustainability.
people to not be in the moment. Desire draws us out
of the here and now and leads us off center, and out of
Ways can be went
balance, spinning out of control.
Not the eternal Way
Think of this final insight as the convergence
of all the other teachings of the Secret Tao. Being truly Names can be named
present means being truly whole. It relates to the great Not the eternal name
model, to the life energy, to the nature of being and -passage 1
non-being, and it also relates all other key issues in

122
 Part III: The Esoteric Tao

What do these opening lines from the Tao Te

Ching tell us? I think it is a disclaimer that what you
read and learn from others is only a clue; it is, at best,
a subjective perspective from a fellow traveler on the
path, but it is not the eternal truth that we all seek.
As Lao Tzu told Confucius, “great writings are like
footprints. Do not mistake the print for the foot.” You
too have to find your path. Other people’s path can
only give you a clue to finding your own.
What you have just read in this book is one
perspective of the Tao. You might say that they are
my footprints. In the next section, you will find a
complete English rendering of the 81 passages of the
Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu. As you read Lao Tzu, you
may get many more clues to the ancient Tao. But, in
the end, you must realize your own path, your own
part in Creation, your Way, your Tao. No one can
teach you that.

Ancient the words: Yield, become whole

Consider this false verse?
Be sincerely whole
And it will come to you!
-passage 22

123
 The Secret Tao

124
 Part IV

Tao Te Ching
Book I: TAO

This section presents all 81 verses of Lao Tzu’s famous book, the Tao Te Ching.
The book was written in two parts; Part One: Tao, and Part Two: Te. Each verse
of the Tao Te Ching is presented in three versions: it is presented in the original
Chinese, in a literal English translation, and in a figurative English translation or
Interpretation. For more information on the translation please see the Appendix.

125
 The Secret Tao

126
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 1 Interpretation:

Ways can be went You can walk on a path, but not the eternal path. Just as you
Not the eternal Way can call a thing by its name but that is not its eternal name,
the essence of its being.
Names can be named
Not the eternal name This is why the way of virtue is unnamed, and we just call it
Tao, which means the Path or the Way.
Un-named, Heaven and Earth it begot
Being named, of ten thousand things, it is Mother This unnamed Tao gave birth to the entire Universe. If you
named it, then you’d have to say that of all the things in the
Thus, eternal-nature not being desire world she is our Mother.
It’s seeing her wonders
Thus, I will tell you, so long as you are free from desire, you
Eternal-nature being desire will see her secret wonders. But, so long as you are filled
It’s seeing her illusions with desire, then you will only see her illusions.

Compare these to each other Compare these two outcomes. They both stem from the
Together arise, but different names same source, but manifest differently. Together they can
both be called dark, or black, for they are mysterious and
Together call them Dark1 profound.
Dark are they, and Darker
To all the secret wonders of the Tao, this is the doorway.
To all wonders, it is doorway

127
 The Secret Tao

128
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching
Passage 2
Heaven below it is known that beauty acting beautiful
reveals ugly side
It is known that good acting good reveals not good side
Thus, being and non-being mutually exist
Difficult and easy, mutually experience
Long and short, mutually contrast
Top and bottom, mutually position
Voice and Sound, mutually synchronize
Before and after, mutually sequence
Therefore, Shaman employs non-action to contend
Practice, not words, have they to teach
Ten thousand things come and go, yet not disrupt
Give-birth, yet not possess
Act, yet not expect
Work accomplished, yet no claim
Workers only with no claim
Therefore are sustainable
Interpretation:
In all the world, it’s well known that when someone
beautiful tries to overdo their looks, they reveal their ugly
side. Likewise, it’s well known that good people, when
trying to look good, do not reveal their good side.
Thus, being and nothingness exist relative to each other.
We experience the same phenomena with difficult and easy,
long and short, top and bottom, voice and noise, and before
and after.
That is why the Taoist uses what we call non-action. They
teach by example, not with words.
If you think of it, all other living things come and go
without disrupting the world. So that is why the Taoist says:
create things but do not be possessive of what you create.
Do good work but expect nothing in return. Do great
accomplishments, but do not claim credit, or seek a profit.
It is only when a worker does not take a profit, that they are
sustainable.
Note: This first part of the passage is a written version of the visual of yin
and yang symbol, which opposites are relative to each other and in dynamic
tension with each other.
129
 The Secret Tao

130
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 3 Interpretation:

Not praising accomplishments If we don’t praise accomplishments so much, then people

Causes people to not compete will not be so competitive.

Not valuing the collection of precious things If we don’t place such a high value on material possessions,
Causes people to not steal then people will not want to steal.

Not seeing what can be desired If we don’t look at things that we desire, then we are not
Causes people’s hearts no confusion frustrated by them.

Therefore, Shaman’s order
Empty their mind, fill their belly
Soften their ambition, harden their bones
Eternal-nature motivating people,
Not being knowledge,
Not being desire,
Envoys of ministers do not dare act either
So, the Taoist says: Clear your mind, and just be glad you
have a full belly.
Let go of your ambition, and instead develop strength of
character.
When people are not motivated by either knowledge or
desire, then not even the most powerful can interfere.

Enact non-action Non-action means learning to act in a way that is natural,

Then nothing is not in order not striving, and not forcing it.

If you do this, then nothing you do will not be done well.

131
 The Secret Tao

132
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 4 Interpretation:

The Way is empty like a bowl The Tao is like an empty bowl that is bottomless and can
And whether used, not full never be filled.

So deep is it It is so old that you’d say it must be the ancestor of all

Of all things, it is ancestor things.

Blunts our sharpness It smoothes out our rough edges; it helps us to loosen up. It
Unties our knots makes us gentler, and it makes us one with the Earth.
Softens our glare
And makes us one with the Earth It is like an invisible essence that exists within each of us. I
have no idea who or what created it.
Hidden deep
It seems to exist within It existed before recorded history.
I do not know
Of who or what it is the child

Our emperors, it preceded

133
 The Secret Tao

134
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching
Passage 5
Heaven and Earth, not merciful
Its ten thousand things treated as stray dogs
Shaman, not merciful
Their followers treated as stray dogs
Heaven and Earth
Perceive its space being that of a bellows
Empty, yet not without potential
When it moves, more comes out
Any more words, less significant, not good
Stay centered
Interpretation:
The Universe does not appear merciful. All living things are
ignored and left to their own devices.
The Taoist also does not appear merciful. All seekers are left
to their own devices, and the Taoist does nothing to help or
hinder them.
To understand this, think of space in the Universe as being
like a bellows; it looks empty but it is not inert. With each
movement, energy is released.
Any more words would diminish this concept.
Meditate on this!
135
 The Secret Tao

136
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 6 Interpretation:

Valley’s spirit not dying Why is it that the rich and abundant life of the valley lives
Is called Dark Anima on generation after generation? This because of the Dark
Anima, which means the mysterious and profound yin
Dark Anima, it is doorway aspect of the life-force.
Is called Heaven and Earth’s root-source
The Dark Anima is a doorway. It is called the Root of the
Faint faint, as if a haze Universe.
Use of it not limited
It is so faint, it is almost like something barely visible in the
air, yet its uses are unlimited.

137
 The Secret Tao

138
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 7 Interpretation:

Heaven lasts The Universe is eternal and perpetual. The reason this is so
Earth is perpetual is because the Universe has no ego, it does not live for itself,
and thus it is eternal.
That Heaven and Earth are lasting and perpetual
It’s their non self-living This is why the Taoist doesn’t desire to be above people, yet
Thus they have eternal life. people look up to them. They do not desire to belong to any
group, yet they are always welcome.
Therefore Shaman
Behind is their place, yet place above Ask yourself: Is it not due to their selflessness that they are
Outside is their place, yet place present able to fulfill themselves?

Is it not by non-selfness
Thus, one is able to fulfill their self?

139
 The Secret Tao

140
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 8 Interpretation:

Highest good is like water The highest good is to be like water, because water does
Water gives life to ten thousand things, but does not not compete. Think of it; water gives life to all living things
compete yet asks for nothing in return. It yields to gravity and sinks
down into the lowest places on Earth, places people think
Conducts itself to lowly places, people consider ugly are disgusting. In these ways it is not unlike the Tao.
Thus it approximates the Way
Think of all the various aspects of daily life: When you want
Dwell, good land a house, you look for a good location. When you want a
Mind, good depth good mind, you look for depth. When you need someone to
Relate, good person talk to, you seek a good friend. To govern wisely, you need
Speak, good truth good judgment. For good work, you need to be competent.
Govern, good judgment And in deciding when to act, you need good timing.
Work, good competence
Act, good timing Well, if you want to be free of sin, don’t compete.

One does not compete

Thus does not have sin

141
 The Secret Tao

142
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 9 Interpretation:

To grasp but more than enough When you grab more than you need, you are not benefiting
Does not benefit one’s self yourself.

A wood-blade over-sharpened Just like a wooden knife over-sharpened, it will grow dull all
Not can it last long the quicker.

Jade and gold of the finest When you have the finest gold and jade, it is that much
Nothing is able to guard more likely to be stolen.

Wealthy and honored one becomes The more wealthy and honored someone becomes, the more
Self-importance their downfall likely that hubris will be their downfall.

Work completed So once you complete your work, let it go. This is the way of
Remove yourself Heaven.
Heaven’s Way

143
 The Secret Tao

144
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 10 Interpretation:

Nourish soul and embrace as one You can nourish your body and soul, merging them to
Able without separation, hmm? become one; but tell me, will you be able to keep them from
ever separating?
Concentrate Qi for resiliency
Able to become a newborn, hmm? You practice Tai Chi to become resilient and limber; but tell
me, if you practice hard enough will you be able to become
Focus and clean the dark mirror like a newborn baby?
Able without imperfection, hmm?
You polish your crystal ball to see the future; but tell me, if
Love people and bring order to the nation you clean it well enough will your foresight be complete and
Able without knowledge, hmm? infallible?

Heaven’s gate opens and closes You try to love people and to bring order to the nation:
Able without the female, hmm? but tell me, if you love hard enough will you be able to
accomplish this without any knowledge or learning?
Bright white to the four reaches
Able without action, hmm? New souls come into this world through birth; but tell me,
are we able to do this without a female?
Birth it, nurture it
Birth, but not possess You can clean something until it is spotless even in the
Act but not expect farthest corners; but tell me, are you able to do this without
Grow-long but not dominate some hard work?

Is called Dark Virtue So, what have we learned? Be productive, and nurture your
work. Be productive but not possessive. Act but do not
expect perfection. Just work for the joy of working. Master
your skills but do not try to master the outcome.

This is called the virtue of the dark aspect, yin.

Note: Regarding the word, “hmm?”, the original Chinese verse contains
a character at the end of some sentences, which makes the sentence into
a question or an exclamation. This character, pronounced hu, doesn’t
translate well into English, except as a question mark, which is how it is
usually translated into proper English. In this verse, it was felt that a vocal
translation of hu would add to the structure and and meaning of the verse.
Other vocal translations might include “eh?” or “huh?”.

145
 The Secret Tao

146
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching
Passage 11
Thirty spokes come-together, one hub
Note its non-being of hub is useful
Shape clay to make a pot
Note its non-being of pot is useful
Cut doors and windows to make a house
Note its non-being of house is useful
Thus,
Being, its action, potential
Non-being, its action, useful
Interpretation:
In a large wagon wheel, you have a rim and thirty spokes all
converging at the hub, but it is only because of the hole in
the middle that it is useful. You might say it’s the non-being
of the wheel at the center that makes it useful.
You shape clay to make a pot, but it is only the empty space
within the pot that makes it useful. You might say it’s the
non-being of a pot that makes it useful.
You build a house out of wood and cut out the doors and
windows, but it is only because of these openings that it
is useful. You might say it’s the non-being of a house that
makes it useful.
So, all matter has potential but it’s the negative space around
it that makes it useful.
You might say the purpose of being is potential, and the
purpose of non-being is to make it useful.
Note: In other words, non-being provides a meaningful context for being to
exist. Without non-being, the dark side, being is meaningless.
147
 The Secret Tao

148
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching
Passage 12
Five colors drive a person’s eyes blind
Five tones drive a person’s ears deaf
Five flavors drive a person’s mouth tasteless
Racing around, pursuing the hunt, drive person’s mind
wild
Rare and precious objects drive a person to do wrong
Therefore, Shaman
Acts from the guts, not acts from the eyes
Thus, lets go of one and chooses the other
Interpretation:
When graphics are too bright and colorful it can hurt your
eyes. When music is way too loud, it makes you deaf for
a while. When food is too spicy, you can’t taste anything
afterwards. When you’re racing around too fast, it’s hard to
think straight. And, extremely valuable items sometimes
tempt even good people to do wrong.
This is why the Taoist responds to what they feel in their
guts, not what they see with their eyes. And, so they learn to
let go of the one and chose the other.
Note: A Taoist uses intuition to inform them, not their 5 senses. The senses
can deceive you. They only show the most superficial aspects. And, by over-
indulging the senses, they become useless.
149
 The Secret Tao

150
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching
Passage 13
Glory and shame, are as if shocking
Rank great suffering as if personal
What does it mean: Glory and shame, are as if shocking?
Glorious acts below, when they happen are a shock
When they are taken away, is also a shock
This is called: Glory and shame, are as if shocking
What does it mean: Rank great suffering as if personal?
When I am the one having great suffering
Act do I, it being personal
Contact with me not being personal,
I have what suffering?
Thus,
Ranking, its personal action Heaven below
It follows, can be entrusted with Heaven below
Loving, its personal action Heaven below
It follows, can be trustee of Heaven below
Interpretation:
Glory and shame are equally traumatic.
Respect mass suffering as if it affected you personally.
What does it mean to say ‘Glory and shame are equally
traumatic? Well, when you are struck by fame and fortune,
it can be a shock, and it can even be traumatic. But, of
course, when you loose your fame and fortune that is also
traumatic. So we have an old saying that goes, ‘Glory and
shame are equally traumatic.’
What does it mean to say ‘Respect mass suffering as if it
affected you personally’? Well, when I am the one suffering,
I act and act quickly, because it affects me personally. But,
if something has no contact with me personally, then what
suffering do I have?
Only when one is able to personally give resepect, the world
over, can one be entrusted with the World. And, if one is
able to personally give love, the world over, one can be given
the World.
151
 The Secret Tao

152
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 14 Interpretation:

Look of it, not seen, call it ‘nothing there’ It cannot be seen, call it invisible. It cannot be heard,
Sound of it, not heard, call it ‘very rare’ call it inaudible. It cannot be touched, call it intangible.
Grasp of it, not touched, call it ‘thinner than air’ Consider these three phrases, they make no sense. So, let’s
combine them and see what we get. It is something that
Consider these three phrases, not can they be understood neither reflects light nor casts a shadow. It is something,
Thus, combine them and make one which is always evolving, with no name until it returns to
nothingness.
Its top, not reflecting light
Its bottom, not darkened It acts as a conceptual model. It has no form. It’s beyond
words or imagination. If you confront it you will not see it;
Evolving, evolving, not can it be named but if you follow it, you will never loose it, even though it is
until returning to nothingness endless. Continue to follow the Tao, for though it is ancient,
it still controls the present.
It is acting as a non-image image
Nothingness, its form The ability to understand this ancient origin of things is
Is called ‘as if a shadow’ called Taoism.

Confront it, not see its beginning

Follow it, not see its end

Keep the ancient Way

Control of the present, it has

Ability to know the ancient origin

Is called the Order of the Way

Note: In the above first three lines, you see three phrases in quotes. These
are actually translated from three single characters, which rhyme with
each other. They could be translated as fleeting, rarefied, and tiny, but
in this context they mean more like invisible, inaudible, and intangible.
Unfortunately, these words fall flat compared to the original Chinese
poetry. No single English words do them justice. A two or three-word
phrase was substituted for each character. The quotes simply indicate that
each phrase represents a single word.

153
 The Secret Tao

154
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 15 Interpretation:

In ancient times, highest-good acted followers of the Way
Subtle, wondrous, dark, and open
Their depth not can be fathomed
Because it not can be fathomed
Thus are they approximately described
Careful as crossing a river in winter
Alert, as one expecting danger from all sides
Dignified, as a guest
Yielding, as melting snow
Pure, as an uncarved block
Empty, as a valley
Mixed, as muddy water
Our ancient ancestors who practiced the Tao were amazing.
They were subtle, wondrous, dark, and open. You cannot
fathom their depth. It is because they are so hard to
understand, that I will try to describe them.
They were careful like walking on thin ice. They were fully
present, as if expecting danger at any moment. They were
as dignified as a guest of honor. They were as yielding as
melting snow. They were as pure as an uncarved block. They
were as empty as a valley, but as complex as muddy water.
Who is able to be still long enough to settle muddy water
until it’s clear? Who is able to be at peace enough to see their
life reincarnated? Only those who practice the Tao.

Who is able to settle muddy water, making it clear? If you follow the Tao, do not desire to have any more than
Who is able to be still so long, they gradually animate enough. It is only when we have just-enough that we are
life? sustainable.

Those who consider the Way

Do not desire fullness

Only one not full,

Thus is able to be worn, but not replaced

155
 The Secret Tao

156
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 16 Interpretation:

Be completely empty Empty your mind completely, and try to remain as still and
Maintain tranquility quiet as possible. If you do, you will see that all things in the
world rise and fall. Observe their cycle.
Ten thousand things
Arise and fall Things grow and develop, they grow exponentially and, in
I observe their cycle the end, they return to their origin. By returning to their
Things mature, multiply, multiply, and return to their origin they are once again still and rest in peace. This is the
root cycle of destiny.
Returning to the root is tranquility
Is called the cycle of destiny The cycle of destiny is our unchanging and perpetual nature.
To know our nature is enlightenment. To not know our
The cycle of destiny is our eternal nature nature is disastrous. Knowing our nature, one is accepting.
To know our eternal nature is enlightenment If you are accepting then you are merciful. If you are
To not know our eternal nature is disastrous merciful then you are noble. If you are noble then you are
like Heaven. If you are like heaven then you follow the Tao.
Knowing our eternal nature, one is accepting If you follow the Tao then you are sustainable.
Accepting, then merciful
Merciful, then Noble Death of the body is not extinction. It is only the end of a
Noble, then Heavenly cycle. If you follow the Tao then you understand and accept
Heavenly, then the Way the cycle. Then the cycle will continue on and on for many
The Way, then sustainable generations.
Death of the body is not extinction2

157
 The Secret Tao

158
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 17 Interpretation:

More supreme, The better the person, the less of a know-it-all they are. One
Less knowledge possessed fool passionately advocates for something, while another
fool says that we should dread and fear it. At the same time,
One inferior passionately advocates another fool sits back and ridicules and scorns it. It appears
One inferior fears that faith is no help when you are faithless.
One inferior insults
Faith not is enough, having not faith enough3 Take time evaluating the words of others. Once all is said
and done, then all the fools will say: “Naturally, I knew it all
Take time, how one values words along!”
When events have transpired
People say “Naturally! Of course! Right!”

159
 The Secret Tao

160
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 18 Interpretation:

The great Way is lost, The great Tao is already lost, when humanism and justice are
Being humanism and justice found found.

Intelligence and cleverness appear Likewise, intelligence and cleverness appear when hypocrisy
Being hypocrisy at work is at work.

Six relationships of family not in order And, you know that all the family relationships are not in
Being devotion expressed order when people begin to proclaim their devotion.

Nations fall into chaos Nations fall into chaos, when patriotic officials are in office.
Being patriotic ministers present

161
 The Secret Tao

162
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 19 Interpretation:

Divorce holiness and renounce intelligence Rid yourself of holiness and swear off intelligence, and
And people benefit one hundred fold people will benefit a hundred times over.

Divorce humanism and renounce justice Rid yourself of humanism and swear off all attempts at
And family affection returns justice, and then perhaps family affection will return.

Divorce shrewdness and renounce profit Rid yourself of shrewdness and refuse to take any profits,
And thievery is unknown and you will never have to worry about being robbed.

Consider these three statements Look at these statements. Unfortunately, they read like
Its action false, not sufficient riddles and are not helpful. So, people only need to
Thus, people need only know this remember this:

See the simplicity Simplify your life.

Become uncarved block Become as pure as an uncarved block.
Forget the self Let go of your ego.
Tame desire Tame your desire.

163
 The Secret Tao

164
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 20 Interpretation:

Give up study, not having problems to solve Give up studying, and you have no problems to solve. After
Between yes and no, what is the difference? all, what difference does it make whether you answer yes or
Between good and evil, what is the distance? no? What is the exact distance between good and evil. We
A person who has fear, not can not fear feel what we feel. If a person has fear, they cannot not fear.

Their deep wanting, leads further without limit Look around at people. Their craving knows no limit.
Everyone is merry merry, Everyone is so excited, as if they are at a feast or at a party in
As if feasting on the sacrificial ox the springtime. I alone am expressionless, wandering like the
As if sitting on the terrace in Spring homeless. Everyone has so many possessions, but I seem to
have lost mine. My mind is as innocent as an imbecile. The
I alone am expressionless average person is very bright; I am very dim. The average
As a child before it smiles person is very sharp; I am very dull. I am as aimless as the
Wandering, wandering sea, and as boundless as the wind. Everyone else has a role in
As if one without a home society, but I alone am ignorant and uncivilized.

Everyone has so much Yes, I am different from the others because what I value
But I alone seem to have lost my possessions comes from the Mother (Tao).
Mine is a fool’s mind
Innocent, innocent

Common person, bright bright

I alone am dim dim
Common person, sharp sharp
I alone am dull dull

Aimless as the ocean

Boundless as the wind
Everyone has a role in society
But I alone am ignorant and uncivilized

I alone differ from others

And value the sustenance of the Mother

165
 The Secret Tao

166
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 21 Interpretation:

Cultivated virtue found You will develop great virtue, even the force of nature, when
The Way followed you follow the Tao

The Way behaves like so The Tao behaves like this: It is elusive, always disappearing.
Elusive, always disappearing At its core, it is a pattern. Elusive, always disappearing, yet
at its core there is something there. It is dim and dark, but
Always disappearing, it is elusive at its core there is an essence. You might say its essence is
Its core being a pattern reality, since its core is Truth.

Elusive, always disappearing From the beginning of Creation, up to the present, its
Its core contains something identity has not been lost. It is evident in the Creation of the
Universe. How do I know of the Creation of the Universe?
Dim and dark This is it!
Its core being an essence

Its essence, reality

Its core being truth

From beginning to present, its name not lost

It is evident in the origin of all things

How do I know of the origin of all things?

This is it!

Note: the character Te, which is normally translated as ‘virtue’ can also
mean a talent, a skill, or a force. In the context of Taoism, it is more like
the force of nature, or The Force. Also note that the phrase that I translate
as “origin of all things”, or figuratively the“Creation of the Universe”, is
literally written “father of the multitudes” in Chinese.

167
 The Secret Tao

168
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 22 Interpretation:

Yield, become whole Yield and you will become whole. Bend and you will
Bend, become straight become straight.

Empty your mind, become full Empty your mind and you will become full. Exhaust your
Exhaust yourself, become renewed body and you will become renewed.

Have little, become enriched Have little and you will become enriched. Have much and
Have much, become preoccupied you will become preoccupied.

Therefore, Shaman embraces the Oneness This is why the Taoist embraces the Oneness and, in doing
Acting, Heaven below, as guide so, becomes a guide to the world.

Not self-looking Not looking at yourself, you become insightful. Not talking
Thus insightful about yourself, you make a statement.

Not self-stating Not advertising yourself, you get noticed. Not promoting
Thus making a statement yourself, you get advanced.

Not self-advertising It is because Taoists do not contend, that no one in the

Thus being noticed world can contend with them.

Not self-promoting Ancient are the words, “Yield and you will become whole.”
Thus advancing Do you think this is just an old saying? If you truly attain a
state of wholeness, then you will get it.
Because they do not contend
Thus Heaven below, nothing is able to give them
contention

Ancient the words: Yield, become whole

Consider this false verse?

Be sincerely whole
And it will come to you!4

169
 The Secret Tao

170
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 23 Interpretation:

Nature’s Way expresses itself in whispers It is the way of Nature is to express itself in whispers. That is
Thus gale winds not last a morning why gale force winds don’t last longer than a morning, and
Thunderstorms not last a day thunderstorms don’t last longer than a day.

What makes this so? Why is this so? Because even the sky and Earth are not able
Heaven and Earth, and they are unable to endure long to keep up such things for long. So, how much more can
How much more for people? you expect of people?

Thus one who follows devoutly, and the Way So we say that one who devoutly follows the Tao, together
Together, gives the Way of Virtue with the Tao, creates the Way of Virtue. Together they create
Together, gives Virtue virtue, and together they create loss.
Together, gives loss
Together they create virtue. Yes, the Tao brings virtue.
Together, gives Virtue
The Way also has Virtue, Together they create loss. Yes, the Tao also brings loss.

Together, gives loss

The Way also has loss5

171
 The Secret Tao

172
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching
Passage 24
Stand on tiptoes, one is not steady
Walk in great strides, one cannot keep going
Self looking, one has not insight
Self stating, one makes not a statement
Self advertising, one is not noticed
Self promoting, one is not advanced
Being on the Way
These are day-old food,
Carrying excess baggage,
Things, the resources of evil
Thus being on the Way, one not embraces them
Interpretation:
If you stand on tiptoes, you may be taller, but you are not
very steady. If you walk in great strides, you can’t keep it up
for very long.
Looking at yourself in the mirror, you will not become
insightful. If you are talking about yourself then you won’t
make much of a statement. If you are advertising yourself
you won’t get noticed. And, if you are promoting yourself
you won’t be advanced.
To a Taoist these are like day-old food. They are like carrying
excess baggage. These things are nothing less than the
resources of evil. So, being Taoist, we do not behave like
this.
173
 The Secret Tao

174
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 25 Interpretation:

Being something mysterious and chaotic There was something mysterious and chaotic that existed
before the Universe was born. It was silent, empty, singular,
Existing before Heaven and Earth were born
unique, and eternal. It spiraled out and unfolded and
Silent continues to do so without end.
Empty
Singular, unique You could say that this is the Mother of Creation. I don’t
know her name. If forced to describe her, you could call
Eternal
her the Tao, which means the path or the way. If forced to
Spiraling out, unfolding and unending name her, you could call her Great, because she flows out
Could be, its action is the Mother of Creation infinitely. Flowing out so far she returns in on herself.
I do not know her name
So, the Tao is great, Heaven is great, Earth is great, and
Forced to characterize it, it is said to be The Way
humanity is also great. This is because, at its core, there are
Forced to name it, it is said to be Great four basic dimensions to our world, and humanity is one of
Great, it is said to be flowing outward them. Humanity evolved from Earth. Earth evolved from
Flowing outward, it is said to be going out infinitely Heaven. Heaven evolved from the Tao. And the Tao is how
things evolved. It is what we call Nature.
Going out infinitely, it is said to be returning unto itself
Thus The Way is great
Heaven is great
Earth is great
Humans, also great
The world’s core being four great dimensions
And humans, claim theirs as one of them
Humans evolved from Earth
Earth evolved from Heaven
Heaven evolved from the Way
The Way evolved as Nature6

175
 The Secret Tao

176
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 26 Interpretation:

Heavy acts as light’s root Heavy is the root of light, just as tranquility is the master of
Tranquility acts as the impulse’s master impulse.

Therefore Shaman, all day they travel This is why the Taoist can travel all day without losing their
Not misplacing their luggage luggage. They never forget the weight that they carry.

Though being among great walls and lookout towers Though traveling to great cities with lookout towers, they
They find peace in Nature would rather find peace in Nature.

How is it, of ten thousand chariots, one is Lord How can the master of a thousand ships be a lightweight in
Yet their place, light, Heaven below? the world? They can’t.

Light standards, lose the root Light standards lose the root. Impulsive standards lose
Impulsive standards, lose control7 control.

177
 The Secret Tao

178
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching
Passage 27
Best travel, not leaving tracks
Best words, not stuttered
Best calculation, not using scratch paper
Best door closure, not bolted yet cannot be opened
Best binding, not tied with rope yet cannot be untied
Therefore Shaman
Eternal nature to be best at salvaging people
Thus throws away no one
Eternal nature to be best at salvaging things
Thus throws away nothing
Is called acting from insight
Thus the best people are, for the not good, examples
And the not good are, for the best people, potential
To not value the example
To not love the potential
Though maybe clever, is great confusion
Is called essence of wonders
Interpretation:
The best travel leaves no tracks. The best words do not
stutter. The best calculations need no scratch paper. The
best door lock has no bolt, yet cannot be opened. The best
binding is not tied with rope, yet cannot be untied. This is
the elegance of economy.
This is why it is in the Taoist’s nature is to be the best at
salvaging people, and no one is seen as expendable. Just as it
is always their nature to be the best at salvaging things and
nothing is expendable. This shows that they are acting from
insight, not superficial appearances.
So, the best people serve as examples for the not so good.
And, the not so good serve as potential to become the best
people. Though a person may be clever, if they do not
value the example and do not love the potential, then they
demonstrate profound ignorance.
This is the essence of all the secret wonders of the Tao.
179
 The Secret Tao

180
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 28
Know the male, keep to the female,
Acting as Heaven below’s little valley.
Acting as Heaven below’s little valley,
Eternal nature of virtue not deviating.
Eternal nature of virtue not deviating,
Return to original, as you were born.
Know glory, keep to humility,
Acting as Heaven below’s valley.
Acting as Heaven below’s valley,
Eternal nature of virtue not corrupted.
Eternal nature of virtue not corrupted,
Return to original, uncarved block.
Interpretation:
Know the masculine, but maintain the feminine; you will
be acting as the world’s little valley. Like a little valley, the
eternal nature of virtue will not stray from you. As such, you
will then return to your original state, like being born again.
Know glory, but maintain your humility; you will be acting
as the world’s big valley. Like a big valley, the eternal nature
of virtue cannot be corrupted within you. As such, you will
then return to your original state, like an uncarved block.
Know the white side, but maintain the dark side; you will be
acting as the world’s guide. Like a guide, the eternal nature
of virtue will not waver within you. As such you will return
to your original state, no longer polarized by the duality.
The uncarved block, once it is cut, makes pawns. The
Taoist’s use of the block makes leaders. So you see, great
sculpting does not mean cutting down in size.

Know the white, keep to the black,

Acting as Heaven below’s guide.

Acting as Heaven below’s guide,

Eternal nature of virtue not wavering.

Eternal nature of virtue not wavering,

Return to original, not being polarized.

The uncarved block, once cut, makes pawns,

Shaman’s use of it, the cut makes leaders
Thus great carving does not cut down in size8

181
 The Secret Tao

182
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 29 Interpretation:

Those who seek to improve Heaven below and force it Those who seek to improve the world; I can tell that they
I see them not succeeding for themselves will not succeed. The world is a spiritual vessel; it cannot
be forced to bend to your will, neither can it be seized for
Heaven below is a spiritual vessel, your own benefit. When one tries to control it, they ruin it.
Not can it be forced, either Whey they try to grab it, they lose it.
Not can it be grasped, either
In spite of all one’s strivings, the fact is that sometimes
Forcing, fails it things lead, and sometimes they follow. Sometimes things
Grasping, loses it go fast, and sometimes they go slow. Sometimes things grow
powerful, and sometimes they weaken. Sometimes things
Thus things sometime lead, sometime follow rise, and sometimes they fall.
Sometime breath hard, sometime go easy
Sometime grow powerful, sometime weaken This is why the Taoist forfeits any more than what is
Sometime rise, sometime fall necessary. They forfeit anything better than what is natural.
And, they forfeit anything faster than what comes in time.
Therefore Shaman
forfeits excess
forfeits extravagance
forfeits extremes

Ooops! Please note that at the time of going to press with this edition,
an error in the Chinese type was caught, and it was too late to fix. There
is an extra line that actually comes from passage 64: “Therefore Shaman,
without forcing, so without failing. Without grasping, so without losing.”
The Chinese should have continued with next paragraph: “Thus things
sometimes lead, ...” as it does in the English translation.

183
 The Secret Tao

184
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 30 Interpretation:

It’s the Way that helps a person’s leadership It is the Tao that helps people to become good leaders, not
Not their weapons’ force Heaven below the threat of force by their weapons. Such harsh tactics
Such enterprise invites repayment invites a backlash.

Army camps in a place They say that a brush of thorns will grow where an army
Brush of thorns grow has camped. And, after a great war, there certainly is great
devastation in the land.
Great war’s aftermath
Certainly being devastation present We should know to stop after we make a good outcome,
and not to use excessive force.
Good the fruition, then stop Make a good outcome but do not be too smug. Make a
Not daring to take more violent action good outcome but do not be too proud.
Make a good outcome but do not be arrogant. Make a good
Fruition, but not complacent outcome but do not take too much.
Fruition, but not proud We have a right to a good outcome, but not if it means
Fruition, but not arrogant dominating others.
Fruition, but not gaining too much
One’s claim is a prosperous fruition, but not domination Whenever the magnificently strong are followed and
respected, then you know it is not of the Tao. And, anything
Things of magnificent strength, followed and respected that is not of the Tao soon ends.
Is called “not the Way”
Not the Way, soon ends9

185
 The Secret Tao

186
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching
Passage 31
A lethal weapon is a shameful thing
All living things hate it
Those who know the Way,
Want nothing to do with weapons
An honorable person stands on the left
A battle commander stands on the right
Because weapons are shameful things
They are not the tools of a Shaman
Peace and quiet are most precious to us
Even a victory is not cause to celebrate
Those who celebrate victory,
Take pleasure in human slaughter
Those who take pleasure in human slaughter,
Their life will not bear fruit on Earth
Forever will they be haunted
Interpretation:
A lethal weapon is a shameful thing; all living things hate
it. Those who know the Tao, want nothing to do with
weapons.
They say an honored dignitary always stands on the left, but
did you ever notice that a battle commander always stands
on the right?
Because weapons are shameful things, they are not the tools
of a Taoist. Peace and quiet is most precious to us.
A military victory is no cause to celebrate. Those who
celebrate victory take pleasure in human slaughter. If one
takes pleasure in human slaughter, their life will never again
be fruitful on Earth. Forever will they be haunted by the
dead.
187
 The Secret Tao

188
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching
Passage 32
The Way’s eternal nature,
Not being named
Uncarved block, demure
Heaven below, nothing is able to overpower it
If world leaders are able to cultivate it
Ten thousand things would naturally yield
Heaven and Earth would be in harmony
Its sweet, intoxicating rain would fall
People would know peace and order
With no need of laws, rules, and regulations
It began with the making of names
Now there are too many names
We should naturally know to stop
Knowing to stop, we can avoid danger
The Way flows Heaven below
Like a river through a valley
From brook to river and back to the ocean
Interpretation:
It is the eternal nature of the Tao, which simply means the
way, to remain nameless like an uncarved block, looking
bland and powerless. Yet in all the world, nothing can
overpower it.
If the world leaders were able to cultivate it, all living things
would naturally yield. The Earth would be in harmony with
the cosmos, and it would be a sweet and intoxicating rain
that would fall. People would know peace and order and
with no need of laws, rules, or regulations.
You see it all began with the making of names; we began
labeling, categorizing, and cataloging everything. Now
there are too many names, and too much objectification.
Everything is reduced to a number. We should naturally
know when to stop. Knowing when to stop we can possibly
avoid danger.
The Tao flows throughout the world like water through the
valley. It goes from a spring, to a brook, to a river, and then
to the sea. Tell me, which of these names best describes
water?
189
 The Secret Tao

190
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 33 Interpretation:

Knowing others, is one clever It may be clever to learn about others, but it is insightful to
Self knowing, is one insightful learn about yourself.

Conquer a person, one being powerful Conquer someone else and you may be powerful, but if you
Self conquer, one being empowered conquer yourself you become empowered.

Knowing sufficiency, is one rich Knowing when enough is enough makes you rich. Practicing
Empowerment practiced, one having willpower empowerment gives you willpower.

Not losing their position, is one enduring When one keeps their family’s position in society over
Dying but not dying out, is one sustainable several generations, we say that one is enduring. Likewise,
it is true that when we can accept death and eliminate the
threat of extinction, we will be sustainable.

191
 The Secret Tao

192
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 34 Interpretation:

The great Way flows through all living things
Manifest in both good and evil
All living things depend upon it
And none are excluded
Used for accomplishments
Yet takes no credit
Nourishes and cares for ten thousand things
Yet has no desire to control
Eternal nature not being desire
It can be named small
The great Tao flows throughout all living things. You
see it manifest in both good and evil. You see, all living
things depend on it and none are excluded. It is used for
accomplishments, yet takes no credit for them. It nourishes
and cares for all living things, yet has no desire to control
them.
Its eternal nature is to have no desires; in this way you could
call it a small thing. Yet, all living things must return to it in
the end; in this way you could call it something very great.
The fact that it is not trying to make itself great is the very
quality that enables it to become great.

Ten thousand things must return to it in the end

Yet it does not act as lord
Can be named, the action, Great

Its not making itself great

Thus enables it to realize its greatness

193
 The Secret Tao

194
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching
Passage 35
To those who follow the great model
Heaven Below comes to them
Comes to them not harm but peace and order
Like a guest enjoying music and food
The Way that comes from the mouth
Seems bland, being without flavor
Divineness of it, not seen
Wisdom of it, not heard
Use of it, not limited
Interpretation:
When you follow the great model, the Tao, the entire world
comes to you.
No harm will come to you, only peace and order. You will
feel like a guest in this world, enjoying good food and
music.
The Tao that comes from the mouth, however, seems bland
and unsatisfying.
The divineness of the Tao is unseen, the wisdom of it is
unheard, yet the use of it is unlimited.
195
 The Secret Tao

196
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 36 Interpretation:

To be weakened If something is weakened then it must have been stronger

Is to have been strong before. If something is shrunken, then it must have been
stretched before. If something is knocked down, then it
To be shrunken must have been set up before.
Is to have been stretched
It is a wonderful little secret, that the soft and flexible shall
To be knocked down overcome the hard and strong. Strong fish cannot escape
Is to have been set up the yielding ocean depths, likewise lethal weapons can not
overcome the human spirit.
Is called Wonderful Secret
The soft and flexible shall overcome the hard and strong

Strong fish not can escape the yielding ocean depths

Sharp weapons not can overshadow a person

197
 The Secret Tao

198
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching
Passage 37
The Way’s eternal nature, un-named
Yet nothing’s not done
World leaders, if able to abide by it
Ten thousand things take hold of their-own change
Change, and desire appearing
Restrained it is, by its un-named Oneness
Eventually, there takes hold non-desire
No desire, its tranquility
Heaven below takes hold of its-own peace
Interpretation:
Yes, the eternal nature of the Tao is unnamed, yet nothing is
not done.
If the world leaders were able to embrace and follow it,
everything would automatically change by itself. Yes, there
would be a change so profound that when desire did appear,
it would be restrained by the unnamed Oneness of the
world. Perhaps eventually there would no longer be desire
at all. And, when there is no more desire then there will be
tranquility.
The world itself would create peace.
199
 The Secret Tao

200
Tao Te Ching
Book II: TE

201
 The Secret Tao

202
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching
Passage 38
Superior virtue is not virtuous,
Therefore having virtuosity
Inferior virtue is not losing virtue,
Therefore non-virtuosity1
Superior virtue is non-action
With non-being, its action
Superior humanism is action
With non-being its action
Superior justice is action
With being its action
Best rules and regulations are action
With no one responding, people use their fists
Thus, lose the Way, and virtue appears
Lose virtue, and humanism appears
Lose humanism, and justice appears
Lose justice, and rules appear
Rules are only the surface of the mind’s truth
And the beginning of chaos
Clairvoyance is only the flower of the Way
And the beginning of foolishness
Therefore great people dwell in depth
And not dwell in the surface
Dwell on the fruit and not dwell on the flower
Thus rejects the one and takes the other
Interpretation:
The best virtue is not trying to act virtuous. Rather it is like
having a natural talent, like being a conduit for a force that
is greater than yourself. The worst form of virtue is trying
vainly to not look un-virtuous. By doing this, you do not
channel the force of virtue. You impede it.
You see, the best virtue is non-action, which manifests as
non-being. Even the best humanism is still action, though it
manifests as non-being. The best justice, is an action, which
only manifests as being. Even the best rules are only a crude
action, and when that fails people use their fists.
That is why we say: lose the Tao and virtue appears, lose
virtue and humanism appears, lose humanism and justice
appears, lose justice and rules appear. And, rules are only
a superficial likeness of what we know to be true, and the
beginning of chaos. Just as you might say that the ability
to see the future is only the flower of following the Tao, a
superficial benefit and often the beginning of foolishness.
That is why the truly great people focus on deeper issues,
and ignore the superficial ones. They focus on the fruit and
not the flower. So they reject the one and choose the other.
203
 The Secret Tao

204
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching
Passage 39
In times past, there was Oneness
Sky obtains Oneness, it’s clear
Earth obtains Oneness, it’s sound
Spirit obtains Oneness, it’s strong
Valley obtains Oneness, it’s abundant
Ten thousand things obtain Oneness, they’re alive
Nobles and kings obtain Oneness, their actions Heaven
Below are upright
Further it’s also said:
Sky, without clarity is threatened by pollution
Earth, without soundness is threatened by erosion
Spirit, without strength is threatened by exhaustion
Valley, without abundance is threatened with withering
Ten Thousand things without life are threatened with
extinction
Nobles and kings without uprightness are threatened
with downfall
Humility acts as the root of honor
As low acts as the foundation of high
Nobles and kings call themselves lonely, unappreciated,
helpless
Consider, is it not upon humility that they depend?
Is it not so?
Thus the highest renown is without renown
Not desiring polish polish like jade,
Sink sink like stone2
Interpretation:
In ancient times, there was Oneness. The world was one
with the Tao.
When the sky was One, it was clear. When the Earth was
One, it was sound. When the Spirit was One, it was strong.
When the valleys were One, they were abundant with life.
When all living things were One, they were really alive!
When our leaders were One with the Tao, their actions in
the world were upright.
Taking this further, we could also say that: the sky not being
clear is polluted. The Earth not being sound has eroded. The
Spirit not being strong has become weak. The valleys not
being abundant with life are withering. All living things,
not being able to live as they used to, are now threatened
with extinction. And, our leaders, not being upright, are
threatened with their downfall.
You see, humility is the root of honor, just as low is the root
of high. Our leaders often say that it’s lonely at the top,
and that no one appreciates all they are doing, or that their
hands are tied. Think about it. Aren’t they depending on
their humility?
So it is that the highest renown in the world, is really not
world renown at all. Do not desire to be like a shiny jade
trinket, be the stone that is sunk deep into the Earth.
205
 The Secret Tao

206
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 40 Interpretation:

In cycles, In cycles, the Tao moves, like night and day, summer and
The Way moves
winter, life and death.
In yielding,
The Way is used By yielding, the Tao is used, like not striving, learning to
accept, and letting go.
Heaven below’s ten thousand things,
Born of being
All living things in the world were born, they exist, so they
Being, born of non-being are manifestations of being.

But where did being come from? Being came from non-
being.

207
 The Secret Tao

208
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching
Passage 41
Superior student learns the Way
Diligently they practice it
Average student learns the Way
Sometimes remember, sometimes forget
Inferior student learns the Way
A big laugh they make
Not laugh, not is its action the Way
Light of the Way seems like darkness
Moving forward on the Way seems backwards
Traveling the Way seems like bound with knots
Great virtue seems like a valley
Great purity seems like soil
Too many virtues seems not enough
Orthodox virtue seems contrived
True being seems hidden
Best frames are without joints
Best talents take the most time
Best sounds are the hardest to hear
Best forms take no specific shape
The Way is concealed within, un-named
It is precisely this Way that nourishes and fulfills all
Interpretation:
When a good student of the Tao first begins to study it, they
diligently practice it. When an average student first studies
the Tao, sometimes they remember it, and sometimes they
forget it. When an inferior student first learns of the Tao,
they laugh long and hard. They can’t believe it. In fact, if
they don’t laugh then you know that it’s not the Tao that
they are studying.
You see the light of the Tao seems like darkness. Moving
forward with the Tao, feels like going backwards. Traveling
with the Tao feels like being bound up with knots.
Think of it, what is more virtuous than an empty valley?
What is more pure than the soil? When someone is too
virtuous doesn’t it seem that there is something lacking in
them? When conservative religious leaders talk about being
virtuous, doesn’t it seem a bit contrived? And even though
the word being means the fact of its existence, doesn’t it often
seem that someone’s true being is hidden?
That is why we say that the best frames are without joints,
the best talents take the most time to accomplish, the best
sounds are the hardest to hear, and the best forms take no
specific shape.
You see, the Tao is concealed within, unnamed. It is
precisely this Way that it can nourish and fulfill all.
209
 The Secret Tao

210
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 42 Interpretation:

The Way gave birth to Oneness The Tao gave birth to the Oneness, the whole of Creation.
Oneness gave birth to Duality The Oneness gave birth to duality; yin and yang. The duality
Duality gave birth to Trinity gave birth to the Trinity; the synthesis of the three. And the
Trinity gave birth to ten thousand things trinity gave birth to all living things.

Ten Thousand things All living things are wearing yin, you might say we live
Wearing yin and holding yang inside of yin. And, all living things are carrying yang,
Emanating Qi you might say we are filled with yang. As a result of this
Its action, synthesis3 interaction, throughout all living things flows Qi, the life-
force. Its purpose is to synthesize yin and yang, to create
That which one hates life-giving energy, for health and new life.
Only is to be lonely, desolate, and helpless
Yet rulers of the public take such names So, what does all this mean for the average person? Well,
Thus, some things benefit, yet from it lose, people feel sorry for the lonely and the helpless, but why
Some lose, yet from it benefit should they? These are the qualities of leaders. Don’t the
world leaders say that it’s lonely at the top, and that their
That which one teaches, hands are tied? So, when you think of it, one either benefits
I also teach it: from their loss, or they lose because of their benefits. This
The too-aggressively natured exemplifies the relationship between duality and oneness.
Not do get satisfactory deaths
This is not as complicated as it seems. I teach the same
I hold to this, its action, my teaching’s father things that other people teach. Live by the sword and you
will die by the sword. In other words, one who lives too fast,
will die too fast. Again, you see the duality and the oneness,
which yields a synthesis, or trinity.

This simple concept is the basis of all my teaching.

211
 The Secret Tao

212
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 43 Interpretation:

Heaven below’s greatest softness,
As a rider controls a horse,
Heaven below’s greatest strength, it will overcome
Non-being,
Having an entrance without an opening
Mine, this knowledge is
Non-action of it, having benefit
No words of it, teaches
Non-action of it, benefits
Heaven below, few have learned of it
Just like a small rider controlling a big horse, the worlds
greatest softness can overcome the world’s greatest strength.
Non-being can find an entrance even where there is no
opening. This is my esoteric knowledge; it is non-action that
is most beneficial.
It cannot be taught by words, because only non-action
benefits, and words are action. That is why, in all the world,
few understand it.

213
 The Secret Tao

214
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 44 Interpretation:

Name or body, which is greater value? Think about this. What is more valuable, your good name
Body or possessions, which is worth more? or your body? What is worth more, your body or your
Gain or loss, which is a greater harm? possessions? Gain or loss, which does more harm?

Thus, excessive attachment surely has a great cost Thus we say that excessive attachment surely has a great cost,
Many possessions surely lead to loss and many possessions surely leads to loss.

Knowing sufficiency, not sin Knowing when enough is enough, you will not sin.
Knowing stopping, not danger Knowing when to stop, you are not in danger. If we
Can be our sustainability can learn this, and apply it to our lives, then we can be
sustainable.

Note: this is related to Passage 42. More good means more bad. This is the
Oneness and the duality in action.

215
 The Secret Tao

216
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 45 Interpretation:

Great accomplishments seem unfinished
Its use, not ending
Great fullness seems like infusion4
Its use, not draining out
Great straight-lines seems to bow
Great crafts seem simple
Great eloquence seems to trip-on-the-tongue
Activity overcomes cold
Stillness overcomes heat
Peace and stillness acts as Heaven below’s standard
If you think about it, great accomplishments are always
unfinished, since they continue to be useful they continue
accomplishing things, and are never done.
Likewise, great fullness can be found in a nearly empty
bowl, because it doesn’t necessarily refer to quantity but
rather to quality. In this way its fullness cannot be drained
out.
Have you ever noticed that extremely long straight lines
seem to bend toward the horizon? And, great craftsmanship
often looks very simple. Even great eloquence seems to trip
on the tongue. These are examples of duality and Oneness,
where something and it’s opposite are One, and this forms
a dynamic and cyclic system. Activity overcomes cold , and
stillness over comes heat.

Just remember that peace and stillness act as the world’s

standard. That is, yin (non-being) is the default position,
and it is the foundation of all yang (being).

217
 The Secret Tao

218
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching
Passage 46
Heaven Below, being of the Way,
Stray horses are kept out of plowed fields
Heaven Below, not being of the Way
War horses trample fields overgrown with weeds
Sins: none are greater than excessive desire
Misfortunes: none are greater than not knowing enough
Faults: none are greater than greed
Thus, knowing enough is enough
Is Eternal nature of having enough
Interpretation:
When the world follows the Tao, there is order, and stray
horses are kept out of plowed and planted fields.
When the world does not follow the Tao, there is chaos,
and tanks and army vehicles trample fields that are already
overgrown with weeds.
There is no greater sin than having excessive desire. There
is no greater misfortune than not knowing when enough is
enough. There is no greater fault than greed.
This is why we say that knowing when enough is enough is
the secret to always having enough.
219
 The Secret Tao

220
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 47 Interpretation:

Not walking out the door Without ever walking out your door, you can know
Know all Heaven below everything there is to know about the world.

Not looking out the window Without even looking out your window, you can see the
See Heaven’s Way Way of Heaven.

Their walking more distance In fact, the further you go searching, the less you know.
Their knowing more scarce
That is why the Taoist doesn’t move but knows, doesn’t see it
Therefore Shaman but can call it, doesn’t strive yet they accomplish.
Not moves, but knows
Not sees, but names
Not acts, but accomplishes

221
 The Secret Tao

222
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 48 Interpretation:

Work knowledge, Work hard at learning, and every day your knowledge will
Daily accumulate accumulate. But, work hard at the Tao and every day you
will loose something, like something being stripped away
Work the Way, from you.
Daily strip away
Go ahead and strip away and continue to strip away. Its
Strip away at it, continue to strip away purpose is to teach you non-action. Eventually, you don’t
Its purpose, non-action act, you don’t strive, yet nothing is left undone.
Non-action, yet nothing not done
To win the world, it helps to have a nature that is not
To win Heaven below, enterprising. People who are very enterprising usually find
Eternal nature is not being enterprising that it’s not enough to win the world.

The affect of those being enterprising

Not enough is it, to win Heaven below

223
 The Secret Tao

224
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 49 Interpretation:

Shaman is without biased mind The Taoist does not have any biases, with fixed opinions or
It’s a hundred families’ mind, do they mind5 attitudes. They focus on the needs of the people. They care
for a hundred different families.
Kind, to them they are kind
Not kind, to them they are also kind So, to the kind they are kind, but to the not so kind, they
The virtue kindness are also kind. After all, this is the virtue of kindness, is it
not?
Trustworthy, they do trust
Not trustworthy, they do also trust And, with the trustworthy they do trust, but with the not
The virtue trust so trustworthy, they also trust. After all, this is the virtue of
trust, is it not?
Shaman remains present
Heaven below When Taoists are out in the world, they remain focused
Shy shy does act in the moment. They act very shy and humble in the
Heaven below world. Often it may appear that they are a bit muddled or
Muddled appears their mind preoccupied.

A hundred families all pay-attention with ears and eyes A hundred different families all pay attention to the Taoist,
To Shaman, all children of hers watch them and hear what they have to say. To the Taoist,
they are all her children.

225
 The Secret Tao

226
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 50 Interpretation:

Odds of life, facing death
Live: chances in 10, being 3
Die: chances in 10, being 3
A person living,
Passing through death’s province,
Also in 10, being 3
Why is it thus?
It’s our life-force’s thick shell6
Hear of those good at assimilating life:
Abroad they go, without encountering buffalo or tiger
Into battle, no weapon can puncture their armor
Buffalo horns find no place to gore
Tigers claws find no flesh to rip
Weapon points find no place in armor to pierce
When someone is in a life or death situation, it is said that
they have a 30% chance of living and a 30% chance of
dying. Even when a person is very close to dying from a
severe wound or fatal illness, they still have a 30% chance of
living. How can this be so? It is because the life-force within
us has a hard, thick shell; that is why.
Have you heard of those who have mastered the art of
assimilating the life-force? They can go abroad in the jungle,
without encountering a single water-buffalo or tiger. In
battle, no weapon can get through their armor.
Yes, buffalo horns find no place to gore, tiger claws find
no flesh to rip, and weapons find no place in the armor to
penetrate. How can this be so? It is because they exist within
a non-death domain, literally a fortress of the life-force.

Why is it thus?
It is their non-death domain

227
 The Secret Tao

228
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 51 Interpretation:

The Way gives life The Tao gives life, and virtue feeds it, then the environment
Virtue suckles it shapes it, and finally love completes it. That is why no living
Environment shapes it creature disrespects the Tao, and all do honor virtue.
Love completes it
When the Tao is respected and virtue is honored, everything
Therefore ten thousand things, works out by itself, and with no side effects or hidden costs.
Do not disrespect the Way This is because the Tao gives life and virtue feeds it, develops
And do honor Virtue it, cars for it, shelters it, comforts it, nurtures it, and protects
it. Yes, the Tao gives life but it is not possessive. The Tao
The Way respected and Virtue honored gives, but does not dominate. The Tao plants seeds and
Nothing is demanded grows them but does not harvest them.
Yet eternally by itself is so
This is called the Primal Virtue.
Thus, the Way gives life
Virtue suckles it
Develops it
Cares for it
Shelters it
Comforts it
Nurtures it
And protects it

Giving life to but not possessing

Doing but not dominating
Nurturing but not harvesting

Is called primal virtue

229
 The Secret Tao

230
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 52 Interpretation:

Heaven below being created, When you think of it, the act of creating the Universe really
Its action, Heaven below’s Mother is the Mother of Creation.

Discovering the Mother Now once we discover the Mother, then it’s obvious who her
It’s knowing her children children are. Knowing that we are her children, we realize
Discovering her children, that we should obey our Mother.
Again, we obey our Mother
Bury the body, no danger What does this mean? It means that we should not fear
death. We can bury our bodies, and there is no danger in
Close the mouth store for us. Would our Mother hurt us when we return to
Shut the door her?
Death of body without struggle
You can close your mouth, shut the door, and meet death
Open the mouth without a struggle. Or, you can open your mouth and
Busy yourself hastily busy yourself, but then you will face death without
Death of body without hope hope.

See the small, be insightful This is why we say to see the small and be insightful, obey
Obey the soft, be strong the soft and be strong, use your wit but don’t lose your
Use your wit, but-again return to your insight insight.

Never letting-go of the body, brings-disaster Not being able to accept death and let go of the body brings
This follows eternally disaster. This has always been so.

231
 The Secret Tao

232
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 53 Interpretation:

If I am bordering on good sense If I have any sense at all, I know to take the highway (high-
I go on the high Way Tao). But, be careful because, while the highway is smooth
Only give this caution and broad, many people prefer to take short-cuts. Oh yes,
you see them all the time. Their homes are beautifully
The high Way is well cleared decorated, but their fields are ignored. They have no savings
Yet people are fond of short-cuts but they have beautiful clothes. They have lethal weapons.
They eat too much and drink too much. When someone has
Courts well tended a surplus of wealth and possessions they are just asking for a
Fields well neglected robbery.
Granaries well empty
This path to thievery is surely not the way to go (the Tao)!
Wearing garments gorgeous
Carrying lethal weapons
Eating too much and drinking too much

Wealth and possessions being in surplus

Is called encouraging thievery

This thievery is not the Way for-sure!

Note: First, the opening line is a pun. The great and noble Tao could be
written as the high Tao. Tao means a way or a path, so high Tao sounds
like highway in Chinese. Then he uses this metaphor in discussing how
people stray from the Tao, taking “short-cuts”. Secondly, Robert Hendricks
reminds us that the word thievery in Chinese is pronounced tao. So the last
line in Chinese reads something like “this tao is not the tao for sure.” In the
figurative translation, you see in English how it might sound in Chinese:
essentially it says that “This thievery (way) is surely not The Way (The Tao)!”

233
 The Secret Tao

234
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 54 Interpretation:

Well grounded be not uprooted Whatever is well grounded will not easily be uprooted. That
Well grasped be not lost which is well grasped is not lost. If we can be well grounded,
Children honoring their ancestors without end with a firm grasp, then our children’s children will be
honoring their ancestors for thousands of generations.
Nurture a person
Your virtue becomes real All you have to do is to nurture a person and your virtue
becomes real. Nurture your family and your virtue will
Nurture your family surround you. Nurture your community and your virtue
Your virtue surrounds you will survive for generations. Nurture your nation and your
virtue will be abundant. Nurture all of Creation and your
Nurture your community virtue will be everywhere.
Your virtue survives for generations
So, appraise your virtue on every level. Appraise your person
Nurture your nation as a person, your family as a family, your community as
Your virtue becomes abundant a community, your nation as a nation, and appraise all of
Creation as Creation.
Nurture Heaven below
Your virtue, everywhere How do I know of Creation? Because, this is it!

Thus, its person, appraise as a person

Its family, appraise as a family
Its community, appraise as a community
Its nation, appraise as a nation
Its Heaven below, appraise as Heaven below

How is it known of Heaven below?

It’s this!

235
 The Secret Tao

236
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 55 Interpretation:

Appraise your virtue Yes, appraise your virtue, for instance, compared to that of a
Compared to a newborn child newborn child.

Neither scorpion nor snake attack it Have you ever noticed that neither scorpion nor snake
Nor tiger maul it, nor bird of prey clutch it attack a newborn? And it is rare indeed for a tiger to maul
it or a hawk to try to grab it. Its bones are soft and pliable,
Its bones pliable and soft but its grip is strong.
Yet its grip firm
It will be a long time before the newborn knows of sexual
Not knowing of sexual union union, but its reproductive organs are already formed. This
Yet its reproductive organs, fully formed is the essence of the Earth.
Essence of the Earth
The newborn is able to cry all day without getting tired. This
Able to cry all day without tiring is the harmony of the Earth.
Harmony of the Earth
Knowing harmony is our eternal nature. Knowing our
Knowing harmony is our eternal nature eternal nature is enlightenment.
Knowing our eternal nature is enlightenment
So, appraise your virtue using this standard. While you may
To rush life is awesome find it exciting to push life to the limit, and you can be
Mind controlling Qi is forceful quite forceful when you control your Qi, is this the way of a
Such things peak and decay, newborn? No. Such behavior will soon peak and then decay.
Call it “Not the Way” This behavior is not the Tao.

“Not the Way” soon dies And, whatever is not the Tao, soon ends.

237
 The Secret Tao

238
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 56 Interpretation:

Knowing, they do not speak Those who know what they’re talking about, usually don’t
Speaking, they do not know talk too much. Those who talk too much, usually don’t
know what they’re talking about.
Close your mouth
Shut your door So, shut your mouth and close your door. Blunt your
Blunt your sharpness sharpness and dim your brilliance. If you are tied up in
Untie your knots knots, then unwind. Become one with the Earth; this is the
Dim your light Primal Union.
Become one with the Earth
Is the Primal Union If you experience this union, then you find that you don’t
chase things and neither do you avoid things. You don’t help
Thus, others and neither do you harm others. You don’t progress,
Not can one approach but neither do you fall behind. It is this behavior that the
Not can one avoid Universe rewards most.
Not can one help
Not can one harm
Not can one progress
Not can one regress

Thus action, Heaven below values

239
 The Secret Tao

240
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 57 Interpretation:

It’s order, runs a nation Just as we know that it’s order that runs a nation and it’s
It’s disorder, wages war disorder that wages war, so it is that by not struggling and
It’s non-striving, gains Heaven below striving in life you win the world. How do we know this?
This is obvious in the world around you.
How is it known this is so?
It’s self-evident Heaven below Think about it, we have more and more regulations, but the
people are poorer. People have more and more weapons, but
More rules and regulations to follow, the nation is more dangerous. The more new technology
And people are poorer we have the crazier life becomes. And, the more things we
outlaw, the more people become criminals.
People having more weapons,
Nation is more dangerous That is why the Taoist says: “I practice non-action” and
people thrive all by themselves. They say “I love peace” and
Person having more technology, the people are orderly all by themselves. They say “I never
Things become more crazy compete” and the people prosper all by themselves. And,
they say “I have no desires” and the people are content with
More laws and prohibitions specified, what they have, and they do this all by themselves.
Criminals more have you

Thus the Shaman says:

I am non-action and people are self-thriving
I love peace and people are self-orderly
I never strive and people self-prosper
I have no desires and people self-simplify

241
 The Secret Tao

242
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 58 Interpretation:

Their government care little little
Their people simple simple
Their government strict strict
Their people clever clever
Good fortune comes from bad events
Bad fortune hides beneath good events
Who knows how things will turn out?
Theirs not being upright
The upright will act crooked
The best act badly
People confused for a long time
When the government is very tolerant, the people are very
simple. But when the government is very strict, then the
people become very clever.
To understand this, remember that good fortune comes
from bad events, and bad fortune hides beneath good
events. And, in the end, who knows how things will turn
out? This is the principle of duality.
Now consider that when a duality system is inverted, even
the upright will act crooked, and even the best will act badly.
This can make people very confused for a long time. The
only solution is to move beyond the illusion of duality, to
see the Oneness.

Therefore Shaman That is why we say that the Taoist trims without cutting.
Squares but not cuts They point without piercing. They are straightforward, but
Points but not pierces not extreme. They are brilliant but not blinding.
Straightforward but not extreme
Brilliant but not blinding

243
 The Secret Tao

244
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching
Passage 59
To care for people and serve Heaven
Nothing compares with ecology
Ecology is called learning how things grow
Learning how things grow is called acquiring Virtue
Acquiring Virtue, nonbeing not overcome
Nonbeing not overcome, nothing knows its limits
Nothing knowing its limits, could be its nationhood
Being a nation, it is a Mother
Could be its sustainability
Is called deep roots with firm foundation
Sustainable life and farsighted vision‘s Way
Interpretation:
In caring for people and serving Heaven, nothing quite
compares with ecology.
Ecology means learning how things grow. To learn how
things grow is to acquire virtue. And, when one acquires
virtue, then non-being will not be overcome, and there will
be no limit to what it can do. It could even create a nation.
If you think of it, a nation is like a mother, it is there to
nurture and protect us. This could be our best chance at
sustainability.
To create a nation based on ecology is like having deep roots
with a firm foundation. This is the Tao of foresight and
sustainability.
245
 The Secret Tao

246
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching
Passage 60
Rule a great nation as you would cook a small fish
The Way, manifested Heaven below
Their evil-spirits do not haunt
Not that their spirits do not haunt
Their haunting does not harm one
Not that their haunting does not harm one
Shaman also does not harm them
Neither the other harms
Thus, virtue flows throughout
Interpretation:
Rule a large nation as you would cook a small fish.
If the Tao is manifested in the world, then evil will have no
power.
It is not so much that evil will have no power, but that it
will not disturb us.
Not only will it not disturb us, but also the Taoist will not
disturb it either.
Because neither disturbs the other, balance and harmony is
maintained, and the blessings of virtue flow throughout the
world.
247
 The Secret Tao

248
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching
Passage 61
Great nation is like a low flood plain
Heaven below’s intercourse
Heaven below’s Mother
The female nature,
Its acceptance overcomes the male
Its acceptance acts subordinate
Thus great nation
Its subordination to the small nation
Becomes winner of the small nation
Small nation
Its subordination to the great nation
Becomes winner of the great nation
Thus,
a territory subordinates, and wins
a territory subordinates, and is won7
A great nation does not wish for more than many good
people
A small nation does not wish more than to get jobs
Thus, if either position is to receive their wish
The greater position should act subordinate
Interpretation:
A great nation is like a low flood plain; it shelters, nurtures,
and facilitates all the living interactions of the world. In this
way it is like the Mother of the world.
Yin, the female nature, overcomes yang, the male nature,
through acceptance. Its acceptance acts as though it were
subordinate, like a low flood plain. This is why a great
nation caters to a small nation in order to acquire the small
nation. Likewise, the small nation caters to the large nation
in order to gain support and protection. So, one territory
subordinates and wins, one territory subordinates and is
won. It’s a win-win solution.
In the end, a great nation wants nothing more than many
good people under its umbrella. A small nation wants
nothing more than jobs for their people. So, if either is to
get their wish, the greater nation must act subordinate.
249
 The Secret Tao

250
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching
Passage 62
The Way is
A haven for ten thousand things
A Good person’s treasure
A not good person’s protection
Finest words can be its honor
Noble deeds can be its making of a person
A person who is not good, become abandoned, are they?
Thus at the crowning of the Emperor
And advancement of three ministers
Even if offering gifts of jade disks and a four-horse team
of stallions
Not as good as being delivered this Way8
Ancient, those-who valued this Way
Is it not said: “ask and receive”?
Having sinned, it’s forgiveness of transgression
Thus action Heaven below values
Interpretation:
The Tao is like an estuary, into which all living things flow
and find sanctuary. True, it is a good person’s treasure, but it
is also a not-so-good person’s refuge.
Fine words can give a person honor. Noble deeds can
establish a person. But what do we do with a person who is
not so good? Should they be abandoned?
And so it is that when the Emperor is crowned and the top
three ministers advance, even if you deliver gifts of jade discs
and a team of four horses, it is not nearly as good as the
deliverance of the Tao.
Ancient were those who valued this Tao. Isn’t there an old
saying, “Seek and you shall find?” And, after you have
sinned, surely it is forgiveness for your transgressions that
you seek, for mercy and forgiveness are the greatest treasures
in the world.
251
 The Secret Tao

252
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 63 Interpretation:

Enact non-action
Strive non-striving
Sense the non-sensory
Greatness from the small,
Many from the few
Payment for hardship, its virtue
See simplicity in the complex
In achievement of greatness, its small deeds
Heaven below’s difficult work
Easily can be made simple
Heaven below’s greatest work
Easily can be done in small deeds
Therefore Shaman strives not to act great
Thus accomplishes their greatness
One’s promises, too easily given, make little trust
Many things easy, made hasty, make many difficulties
Therefore Shaman confronts difficulty
Thus in the end, nothing’s difficult
The key to following the Tao is to act with a minimum of
effort. We call this non-action. Likewise, you should strive
without striving, and sense without using your senses. This
sounds difficult but let me explain.
Great things are made up of many small things. A big group
of many things are made up of a lot of little individual
things. Though it may be a hardship to breakdown such
a collection one by one, the reward for such patience is
a virtue. You just need to see the simplicity within the
complex, and to see that achievement of greatness is actually
done in many small deeds. In seeing how the greatest work
can be done in small deeds, you can also see how the world’s
most difficult work can be made simple. This is why the
Taoist does not strive to act great and yet, in doing so,
completes great accomplishments.
So, do not avoid difficulty. Just as when one’s promises are
too easily given, they make little trust, likewise many simple
things, when done too quickly, make many things difficult.
This is why the Taoist boldly confronts difficulty yet finds
only many small deeds, none of which are difficult.

253
 The Secret Tao

254
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 64 Interpretation:

Their peace easily obtained, their trouble easily avoided It is easy to obtain peace, and just as easy to avoid trouble.
Their brittleness easily shattered and their pieces easily But when one is too rigid, they become brittle; then their
scattered peace is easily shattered and their life is easily ripped apart.

Action’s time, before being The secret is to know that the time to act is before you
Order’s time, before confusion need to act, just as the time to create order is before there is
complete chaos. This is because great things start small and
A tree, bigger than can be hugged, is born of a tiny shoot take time to accumulate. Even a giant redwood is born of
A nine story terrace starts with a pile of earth a tiny shoot. A nine-story terrace, starts with a pile of dirt.
A thousand mile journey starts under feet And, a journey of a thousand miles starts right under your
feet. But, when you force something, you spoil it. When you
Forcing, fails it grasp at something, you lose it. That is why the Taoist never
Grasping, loses it uses force and thus are non-failing. They do not grasp and
thus they do not lose.
Therefore Shaman
Without forcing, so without failing Even when people are near success it is their nature to
Without grasping, so without losing get greedy: they rush and fail. But, if you have the peace
of mind to be just as careful and nurturing at the end as
When people are near success you are in the beginning, then your accomplishment will
It’s their nature to rush and fail not fail. That is why the Taoist does not want to have any
When, at the completion, just as in the beginning desires, and they do not value rare and precious objects.
One is nurturing and careful They are knowing, but do not pride themselves on mastering
Their accomplishment will be non-failing knowledge. In this way, they avoid the losses of others. This
path helps all living things live according to their nature,
Therefore Shaman and to resist forcing that which does not come naturally.
Desires not desire
Not values difficult to obtain objects
Knows not knowledge
Avoids the losses of others
Note Passage 64: There is a line “forcing, spoils it, grasping, looses it” which is the
It’s helping ten thousand things fulfill their own nature same as passage 29. To understand this better, read 29 along with this and passage
63. This passage, along with the previous passage, summarizes much of the balance of
Yet not dare action the metaphysics of the Tao Te Ching. It tells us how one acquires virtue: step by step,
naturally, with patience, and without desire or force. This is the path of non-action.
Together, passages 63 and 64 gives you a how-to manual for living a Taoist lifestyle, at
least in terms of how you approach work, relationships, stress, and life in general.

255
 The Secret Tao

256
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching
Passage 65
The ancients’ good handling of the Way
Not to be exploited by people
Promoted simple-mindedness
People’s difficulty in being ruled
It’s that their cleverness is many
Thus, it’s clever ruled nation, nation is poor
Not clever ruled nation, nation is well
Know this, compare either position
Both stem from the pattern’s eternal nature
Knowing this eternal pattern is called Primal Virtue**
Primal Virtue reaches deep and far
It causes things to return to their nature
To the great Oneness
Interpretation:
The ancient ones understood the best way to use the Tao,
and they knew that it was not to be exploited by people. So,
they encouraged people to be simple in their thoughts and
plans. After all, the reason why people are difficult to rule
is because they are too clever. That is why we say that when
you have a cleverly-ruled nation the nation is poor, and
when you have a simply-ruled nation the nation prospers.
Now lets look at these two outcomes and compare them to
each other. They both stem from the same eternal pattern.
To know this pattern is the first and most basic virtue. This
virtue reaches deep and far. It causes all things to return to
their nature, to the great Oneness.
Note: This, passage 65, is the second time that “primal virtue” has been
mentioned. The other mention was in passage 51. There it says that
primal virtue is to create and to nurture life without the intent to control
or dominate it. Taken together with this passage we see a more complete
concept of primal virtue. This says that when you do try to dominate or
control there is a negative backlash, opposite to your intent. So, by not
being so clever or so active, others are not so difficult to deal with either.
This, again, harkens back to the duality-and-oneness concept mentioned
before, and alluded to at the end of the passage here. Remember, Live too
fast and die too fast, from passage 42. Now we see another example: Be
manipulative and others will try to manipulate you. By the way, the eternal
pattern that it refers to is probably the same as the “great model” or the
great “way”, mentioned before, in other words, the Tao.
257
 The Secret Tao

258
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 66 Interpretation:

A river’s mother sea,
It’s ruler of a hundred valleys
It’s their good subordination
Thus can act as ruler of a hundred valleys
It is often said that the mother of a river is the sea; in that
sense, the sea is the ruler of a hundred valleys. If you think
about it, it is because the sea is good at subordination,
literally taking the lowest position, that it can act as the ruler
of a hundred valleys.

Therefore desire to be above people So, when someone wants to be above others, they should
Serves its words below speak with humility. If they want to lead others, they should
speak with respect.
Desire to lead people
Serves its words behind The Taoist remains above, but their people are not
oppressed. They remain in front, but their people are not
Therefore Shaman remains above blocked. This is why all the world welcomes them and no
But people not oppressed one tires of them.

Remains in front It is because they do not compete that nothing in the world
But people not blocked can compete with them.

Therefore Heaven below welcomes them

And not tires of them

It’s their not competing

Thus Heaven below
Nothing can compete with them

259
 The Secret Tao

260
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 67 Interpretation:

Heaven below regards my Way, great
It is not like anything else
Because it is so great
Thus it is not like anything else
If it were like anything else
Long ago it would have disappeared
The whole world recognizes that my Tao is great. It is
unique in its greatness. If it were not so unique, it would
have eventually disappeared, like everything else.
Yet, my Tao is quite simple. I have three treasures that I
possess and maintain. The first, above all else, is love. The
second is ecology, and with that comes economy. The third
is not trying to be the boss, or trying to be the world’s best.

Because mine being three treasures If you have love, then it is easy to act courageously. If you
Possessed and maintained them are ecological and economical, then you can afford to be
generous. If you are not trying to be the boss, or to be the
First is love world’s best, then you will lead many people by example.
Second is ecology
Third is not striving to act as Heaven below’s best Nowadays many people reject love, but they want courage.
They reject ecology and economy, but they want generosity.
Loving, thus one is courageous They reject humility but they want to lead others.
Ecological, thus one is generous
Not striving to act as Heaven below’s best, This is not sustainable. Don’t they know? It is because of
Thus able is one to lead by example* love, that their offence wins battles, and their defense holds
ground. After all, Heaven will nourish us, but it is love that
Nowadays protects us.
Many reject love but want courage
Reject ecology but want generosity
Reject humility but want to be the best
Dead end Note: “Lead by example” is a slightly figurative translation. The text literally
says to be a vessel’s senior, where vessel is usually interpreted as an official,
Because of love but it can also be a tool. So it is, again, a Lao Tzu pun. You can be the senior
Its offense wins battles of officials, or the original of an often reproduced tool. Both meanings are
present. I tried to pick one phrase that contains both meanings, in English.
Its defense holds ground It is still a bit of a pun, especially when combined with “not wanting to be
the best” and I think this comes closest to how it registered originally in
Heaven will nourish Chinese. - Also note that passages 67, 68, and 69 were probably all part of
Its love protects us one long passage, originally. If you read through all three as one passage,
meaning becomes more clear.

261
 The Secret Tao

262
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 68 Interpretation:

Good acts a gentleman, not aggressive Always remember the following: A good man’s disposition
Good fighter, not angry is never aggressive or violent. Just as a good fighter’s
Good winner, not competing disposition is never angry or mean, a good winner doesn’t
Good employer, acts subordinate hold a grudge, and a good leader acts humble.

Is teaching not-striving Virtue This is teaching the virtue of non-striving, which teaches
Is teaching management of power you how to manage power. If you learn this then you will
Is teaching unity with Heaven, ancient most learn to become one with the very origin of Heaven.

263
 The Secret Tao

264
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 69 Interpretation:

Leaders of arms having said Generals of old would say: “I will not strike first. Every
I will not be the aggressor action I take will be for defense. I would rather retreat a foot
Every action, defense than advance an inch.”
Not will I advance one inch
But retreat a foot This is teaching troop movements that create non-
movement. This is defensive preparation, not aggression.
Is teaching movement that is non-movement This is a defensive stance, not adversarial. This is being
Defensive preparation, non-aggressive armed with only defensive weapons, not armed for attack.
Defensive stance, non-adversarial
Defensive weaponry, unarmed You see there is no greater disaster than to disrespect your
opponent. Disrespect your opponent and you risk losing my
Nothing is a greater catastrophe than to disrespect your three treasures that I told you about.
opponent
Disrespect your opponent and you risk losing my So, always remember that whenever there is a battle, the
treasures victor will be stung by grief.
Thus, when arms come against each other
The victor will be stung by grief

265
 The Secret Tao

266
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 70 Interpretation:

My words easily understood My words are easily understood, and my deeds are easily
My deeds easily practiced practiced. Yet, in all the world, no one understands and no
one practices. You see my words have an ancient source, and
Heaven below my deeds have an ancient precedent.
No one understands
No one practices Nowadays, people do not understand these ancient words
and deeds, so they do not understand me either.
Words having an ancient source
Deeds having an ancient precedent Yes, those who understand me are few, but those who
respect me are very special. This is because though a Taoist
Because they don’t understand wears very plain clothes on the outside, in their heart they
Therefore, it’s not me they understand wear jade.

Know me, those be few

Respect me, those be valued

Therefore Shaman
Wears plain clothes
In heart wears jade

267
 The Secret Tao

268
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 71 Interpretation:

To-know not to-know It is always best to know not to know.

Best
To not know to know (not to know) is a serious character
Not to-know to-know flaw. In fact it is like a sickness.
Sick
Fortunately, anyone who is sick of being sick is no longer
Whoever is sick of sickness sick.
Therefore not sick
Taoists are not sick. Because they are sick of being sick,
Shaman is not sick therefore, they are not sick.
It’s her sick of sickness
Therefore not sick9

Note: This is like a riddle by Dr. Seuss. Either the author was having a bit
of fun with the reader, or perhaps this verse came from a chant or a song
originally. The enigmatic verses conform more to a type of writing that is
often found in songs, riddles, and rhymes. Also note that I added an extra
line in the figurative translation because the word translated as sick means
more like a defect, perhaps due to an illness or a deformity, or it could just
be a flaw. Just saying sick, doesn’t do it justice.

The last verse then, substituting the first part (not knowing to know not to
know) for the word “sickness”, would be “The shaman does not not-know
to know not to know, because they’re sick of not knowing to know not to
know, therefore they know to know not to know.” Very clever, but what
does it mean? See note #9 for more alternative meanings.

269
 The Secret Tao

270
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching
Passage 72
People not fearing the awful
It follows great awfulness comes to pass
Do not be disrespectful of their homes
Do not be revolted by their livelihood
Only workers that are not (treated as) revolting
Therefore do not revolt
Therefore Shaman
Self knows, not self shows
Self respected, not self precious
Thus rejects that and chooses this
Interpretation:
If people do not fear awful things and act to prevent them,
then it’s only natural that awful things will come to pass.
So, I warn you, do not be disrespectful of the poor and
their crude shelters! And, do not be disgusted by their crude
work! You must realize that it is only when workers do not
feel oppressed that they do not revolt.
This is why the Taoist focuses on looking within and being
insightful, not showing-off for others, or making others
feel inferior. The Taoist has self-respect but does not take
themselves too seriously. Thus, they have a choice to make,
and they reject arrogance and choose humility.
Note: Often Lao Tzu leaves out a remarkable amount of content that would
clarify his intent. So, it is sometimes hard to come up with an adequate
English translation without either repeating the literal translation, or
adding something that is not actually written in the original. Hopefully, the
figurative English translation illuminates the topic of the passage as well as
the author’s tone and comments.
271
 The Secret Tao

272
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 73 Interpretation:

Courage and daring being When one is courageous and daring, they will willingly face
It’s kill or be killed a battle to the death.

Courage and daring not being When one is not courageous and daring, they will instead
It’s cower in peace find a place to cower in safety.

Either of these positions Whether it is the right thing to do or not, Heaven does not
Whether good or bad seem to favor either one of these behaviors. And, it is not
Heaven, such people, disfavors entirely clear why this is so. So, the Taoist struggles with this
issue.
Who knows their reason?
Therefore Shaman struggles with this Heaven’s way does not strive yet makes a good outcome,
doesn’t speak yet makes a good response, doesn’t ask yet gets
Heaven’s way not strives what is needed. Heaven’s way is serenely calm yet makes all
Yet makes good outcome the necessary preparations.

Not speaks Heaven’s web is incredibly vast and coarse, yet nothing is
Yet makes good response lost.

Not asks
Yet is satisfied

Serenely calm
Yet makes good preparations

Heaven’s web
Vast, vast, and coarse
Yet nothing is lost

273
 The Secret Tao

274
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 74 Interpretation:

If People never fear death If people did not fear death, then you could not threaten
Then why does death threaten them? them with death. Alas, it is people’s nature to fear death. So,
when they violate capital crimes against the state, they are
People’s nature is to fear death arrested and executed. Who dares to misbehave after that?
And when they act abnormal
We arrest and execute them The problem is that we already have an executioner. There
Who dares misbehave? is an entity whose nature has always had the role of taking a
person’s life.
Eternal nature in role of executioner taking life
It is often said that a man striking an axe in the role of the
Worker striking an axe executioner, taking life, is like a novice worker trying to
In role of executioner taking life imitate a master woodcutter. And, we all know that when a
Is called novice worker tries to imitate a master woodcutter, few have
Striking like master carpenter chopping wood not injured their own limbs as well.

Workers
Striking like master carpenter chopping wood
Few have not injured their own limbs10

Note: There is a curious thing about the line in the middle of this text,
where it says, “Eternal nature in role of executioner taking life”. It seems
overly vague, even for Lao Tzu. What does that mean? Many translators
interpret this as meaning that “There is always an official State executioner
to do such work.” Taken in context, this would imply that it is ok for the
State to execute people, but that the people should not have that right. But,
this seems to be the opposite of the sentiment of this passage. I interpret
it to mean something different, that there is a natural entity that takes
life; nowadays we might call it Mother Nature, God, the Grim Reaper, or
simply Death. The bottom line is that we mortals do not occupy that role
and we should not tamper with such a power. This is made clear by the
warning at the end of the passage.

275
 The Secret Tao

276
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 75 Interpretation:

People starving The reason why people are starving is because their lords and
It’s their superiors take too much land-owners are demanding too great a percentage. That is
Therefore starvation why there is starvation.

People difficult to rule If people are difficult to rule it is only because the lords are
It’s their superiors being active making too many demands. That is why they are difficult to
Therefore difficult to rule rule.

People take-lightly death Likewise, if you think that people take death too lightly then
It’s their seeking more life it is only because they are seeking more life. That is why
Therefore take-lightly death people take death too lightly.

One only not having its life forced Only one who is not forcing life is an example of one who is
Is example of valuing life valuing life.

277
 The Secret Tao

278
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 76 Interpretation:

Person alive, soft and flexible In life, people’s bodies are soft and flexible. In death, they
Their death, stiff and hard are stiff and hard.

Ten thousand things, green and living are soft and tender
Their death, withered and dry
Thus the stiff and hard are death’s disciples
Soft and flexible are life’s disciples
Therefore army hardened, not successful
Tree hardened, gets cut-down
Hard and great, inferior
Soft and flexible, superior11
All things green and living are soft and tender, but in death
they are withered and dry. So, you could say that the stiff
and hard are disciples of death, while the soft and flexible
are disciples of life. That is why when an army is hardened
they are not successful, and a tree that is hardened gets cut-
down.
Just as in the anatomy of a tree, it is true that all things hard
and great are inferior, while all things soft and flexible are
superior.

279
 The Secret Tao

280
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching

Passage 77 Interpretation:

Heaven’s Way The way of Heaven is like the drawing of a bow. The high
Like the drawing of a bow position is lowered, and the low position is raised. In doing
High position, lowered so, any excess is reduced, supplementing where it is needed.
Low position, raised
Having excess reduced People’s way is not so. Those who do not have enough are
Not enough, supplemented forced to give to those who already have an excess.

Heaven’s Way Who among us has such excess that they can afford to
Reduces excess to supplement what is lacking supplement the world? Only those who follow the Tao. How
is this so? The Taoist performs deeds yet expects nothing in
People’s way is not so return. They earn merit yet they claim no credit. And, they
Takes from what is not enough do not even desire to show-off their virtue.
Its addition being excess
This action follows the Tao of Heaven.
Who has enough, having excess, it’s supplementing
Heaven below?
Only being on the Way are they

Therefore Shaman
Acts yet not expects
Earns merit yet claims no credit
They don’t desire to show-off their virtues

281
 The Secret Tao

282
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching
Passage 78
Heaven below nothing is soft and flexible as water
Yet attacking the hard and strong
Nothing, is there able to surpass it
There is none its equal, for this
Flexible, it overcomes strong
Soft, it overcomes hard
Heaven below
No one does not know
Yet no one’s able to practice
Therefore Shaman says
Accepting nation’s acts most shameful
Is said to be of society, a lord
Accepting a nation’s natural disasters
Is acting as Heaven below’s lord
True words seem like paradoxes
Interpretation:
In all the world there is nothing as soft and flexible as water.
Yet in attacking the hard and strong, there is nothing to
surpass it. In this way, there’s really nothing else like it.
Clearly from this we see that the flexible shall overcome
the strong, and the soft shall overcome the hard. In all the
world, no one does not know this, yet no one practices it.
This is why the Taoist says: Anyone who can accept the
nation’s most shameful scandals is a lord of society. And,
anyone who can accept the nation’s worst natural disasters is
a lord of the world.
True words seem like paradoxes.
283
 The Secret Tao

284
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching
Passage 79
Know great resentment
Certainly, being more resentment
How can its action be good?
Therefore Shaman holds the left of the tally-stick
Yet not demanding payment of anyone
Being virtuous is managing your end of the tally stick
Not being virtuous is managing the other end of the
stick12
Heaven’s Way is unbiased
The eternal nature of a good person
Interpretation:
When there is great resentment between people, surely this
will lead to ever more resentment. How can this be good?
This is why the Taoist manages their own debts, and does
not worry about who owes them or how much. Being
virtuous is managing your own debts. Not being virtuous is
managing the debts of others who are in debt to you.
The way of Heaven is unbiased. This is the eternal nature of
a good person.
285
 The Secret Tao

286
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching
Passage 80
Small nations, few people
Suppose having 10 to 100 tools
Yet not using them
People respecting death
And not traveling far
Although having boats and transports
Not boarding them
Although having armor and weapons
Not brandishing by them
Suppose a person can return to knotting rope
And use it
Sweet and simple the food
Beautiful but plain the clothes
Comfortable and secure the homes
Happy and delightful the customs
Neighbor states can see each other
Hear each others’ dogs barking and roosters crowing
People will grow old and die
Without disturbing each other
Interpretation:
I have a dream. Or perhaps it is a distant memory of how
our ancestors lived.
Imagine only small nation-states, more like communities
or townships, with small populatons. Imagine they have
the latest technology, but they don’t use it. Imagine people
respecting death and not traveling too far or too fast.
Although they have boats and transports, no one boards
them. Although they have armor and weapons, no one ever
needs to use them.
Imagine people can return to a simpler way of life, living as
our ancestors did.
Their food is sweet and simple. Their clothes are plain but
beautiful. Their homes are comfortable and secure. Their
customs are happy and delightful.
Neighboring towns are close enough to see each other, hear
each other’s dogs barking and roosters crowing. Yet, people
grow old and die without ever bothering the folks in the
next town.
287
 The Secret Tao

288
 Part IV: The Tao Te Ching
Passage 81
True words, not beautiful
Beautiful words, not true
Good, those not arguing
Argue, those not good
Knowing, those not richly-educated
Richly-educated, those not knowing
Shaman not holding-on-to-things
Simply its doing, a person’s self-fulfillment being
Simply its giving, a person’s self-fulfillment multiplied
Heaven’s Way, benefits and not harms
Shaman’s Way, acts yet not strives
Interpretation:
It is said that true words are often not beautiful, and that
beautiful words are often not true.
Likewise, those who are right often don’t argue, and those
who argue are often not right.
And, we all know that the most perceptive among us are not
always the most well-educated, and the most well-educated
are not always the most perceptive.
So, how are we to know what is true? Just remember the
following.
A Taoist is someone who is good at letting go. Just by doing,
you can fulfill yourself, and just by giving to others your
fulfillment is multiplied.
The Way of Heaven benefits all and harms none.
The Way of the Taoist is to act without striving.
Note: There is an issue in the first paragraph with the word “good” in the
literal translation, which is written “right” in the figurative translation.
The word basically means good, but it can have other meanings. This line
is interpreted different ways by different translators. It could mean that
good people don’t argue, but that seems to miss the mark a bit. Lao Tzu
doesn’t talk so much about good vs. bad. It is more common for Lao Tzu to
comment on what lasts and what doesn’t, or what is useful and what is not.
This inherent pragmatism would indicate that he is less concerned about
good vs. bad, and more concerned about what is true vs. untrrue. This
would be especially relevant in the context of an argument. In these two
translations I present both interpretations, one crude and literal, the other
more subtle and figurative.
289
 The Secret Tao

290
 Appendix: Exploring the New English Translation
Appendix:
Exploring the New English Translation
This is a very different translation of Lao Tzu than many others
you may find available in libraries and bookstores. There are
actually two different English translations. One of them, labeled
“Interpretation”, is a more figurative English translation, written
out in standard English. It conveys what I think the text means
to say in the modern vernacular. This not unlike like many
other translations in it’s style. The other translation is a literal
translation, and it is almost verbatim from the Chinese, and is laid
out in English much in the same order as it is written in Chinese,
irrespective of the Chinese grammar. Of the two, the more
controversial, the more difficult to read, and arguably the more
accurate of the two is the literal translation. It is important to note
that I completed the literal translation first, and by far it took the
longest. I then used the literal translation as a guide in constructing
my own modern English translation. The literal translation, in
many ways, is the more important of the two, but it is also less
accessible to the average reader. So, what follows a brief guide to
reading the literal translation.
In trying to communicate what is actually and literally
written in these verses, I developed a prosaic style of English
unique to the verses of Lao Tzu. As much as possible, I tried to
simply write in English just what was written in Chinese, without
an interpretation of the Chinese grammar. The net result is that
what you see in English is pretty much just what was written in
Chinese. The Chinese grammar is sacrificed because, in order to
do it justice, it requires English phrasing which often completely
masks what was actually written, or said phonetically, in Chinese.
Also, this is because we don’t really know, for sure, the meaning of
the original verses. Different scholars create different translations
depending on what they think was meant by the original. Likewise,
my own modern English translation is my own opinion of what
the verses mean, but it’s not what was actually written in Chinese.
So, I included the literal translation, because it’s safer to err on the
side of caution and just indicate the characters as they were written,
rather than try to guess what they were meant to imply.
The end result is that this literal version of Lao Tzu reads
like it was dictated by an old Chinese person, speaking broken
English. Or you may think it sounds like Yoda from the movie Star
Wars. While many scholars of classical Chinese may be critical of
this approach, I like the warmth and immediacy that it creates. I
would like to think that it sounds like the voice of Lao Tzu, if he
were here today, speaking English with a heavy accent, reading
from the Tao Te Ching. Yes, there is definitely much lost in the
translation. One thing we know for sure, however, is that perfectly
cogent and fluent English translations are not communicating the
puzzling ambiguity of the original Chinese passages as they are
actually written. The original Chinese verses are often extremely
short, pithy little poems or sayings. They may have even come from
chants or songs, as explained in in the first part of this book.
As it was mentioned in the preface, how would the
Chinese translate “Hickory dickory doc, the mouse ran up the
clock” into proper Chinese? Which character would they use in
Chinese to correspond to the word “dickory” in English? No
matter how they translate this little phrase into Chinese, using
perfect Chinese grammar and syntax, the translation would
probably not do the original English justice. Well this is the
problem of translating the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu. Even worse,
because we don’t even know what the verses were intended to
mean.
No one knows for sure exactly how the original Lao
Tzu should be written in English, because that would depend on
the meaning, purpose, and the social and historical context of
the verses. So, despite good scholarship on this topic, it remains a
largely subjective process. In this book, I have presented my own
opinions, with my own interpretation based on facts. But facts and
truth are not the same thing. No one can claim a monopoly on the
truth. This explains why there are over a seventy different English
translations. In the literal translation, however, I tried to let the
291
 The Secret Tao
Chinese characters speak for themselves as often as possible, even
if the English syntax is awkward. Unfortunately, what is missing
in the literal translation is a clear indication of the author’s intent
and the meaning of each verse. But, that is exactly what it’s like to
read the original in Chinese. Otherwise how could you explain the
fact that there are so many different translations, and often with
different interpretations as to the meaning of the verses?
What follows is a brief explanation of some of the
unique features of this translation, along with a brief glossary of
terms. First, let’s examine a few characters that were translated
in rather creative ways, in order to make the literal translation
possible.
Shih
The first issue is that of the Chinese character Shih, or Shi. This is
a grammatical character, which means in English to be, but it can
also mean, this, that, yes, or correct. The problem with a word,
which is translated differently in different verses is that it does not
give you, the non-Chinese reader, a good idea of the structure or
economy of the original text. So, in order to show you every time
this common character appears, I tried to come up with one single
word in English which means Shih. I came up with a form of the
verb to be. I chose the word “is.” To understand the meaning of
this in context, it is as if you were talking to someone with a heavy
foreign accent and you said “Nice day isn’t it?” And they responded
“Is very fine day!” This is how I would use Shih at the beginning of
a verse. I could say, “This is,” or, “Yes this is,” but I tried to come
up with one word in English to stand for this character whenever
the character shih appears. I believe that is accomplishes this. It
fits the verses in all the differing contexts. Though it is not a literal
translation of Shih, and it is not grammatically correct in English,
it nonetheless works in the context of the verses to represent the
character wherever it appears.
Yi
The second issue is that of the character Yi. Yi is even harder to
292
translate because it is an almost purely grammatical character in
Chinese. It could be translated as, “because of,” “according to,”
or “in order to.” Even more convoluted it could relate to multiple
characters in the verse. In Chinese the character evolved from a
pictogram of a man and his breath. Perhaps the original meaning
meant to describe the unique relationship between a person and
their breath, and infer this relationship between other people and
things. As you can imagine, this one simple little character in
Chinese sometimes takes a lot of English words to do it justice.
Thus, the original poetry is completely lost. I have always thought
that this was a problem in other translations of the Lao Tzu.
Trying to do this character justice in English, has sometimes forced
translators to mutilate otherwise extremely concise and pithy
poems into wordy and verbose English sentences.
Again, much to the dismay of many classical Chinese
scholars, I translate yi into the English word its. Sometimes
the possessive its doesn’t really make sense, as in “Its seeing her
secrets,” so in these situations I use the contraction it’s. Both refer
to it, saying either that it is or it has something. These two simple
English words, spelled the same with differing punctuation, and
with slightly differing meanings, yet pronounced exactly the same,
are used to stand in for this one Chinese character as much as
practical wherever it appears.
Obviously yi does not literally mean its or it’s. The
English word, its, is used as a grammatical device to represent a
grammatical character in Chinese, which would not otherwise
translate into any one word in English. Again, it makes the verses
sometime sound like a Chinese person speaking broken English,
but it enables you to better see how the verses were actually written
in Chinese.
Interestingly, there does not have to be an it in the
verse in order for the possessive its to make sense. For instance,
“Its Shaman” could mean figuratively something like “The tribe’s
Shaman,” or “the Shaman of Taoism.” My translation choice here
of yi is one of the more controversial items in this version of Lao
Tzu, but I think if you read enough passages, you begin to get
 Appendix: Exploring the New English Translation
this concept intuitively and it begins to speak volumes about the
elegance and economy of the original Chinese poetry.
Shih Yi
A very common combination of characters is Shih Yi, which means
roughly, “therefore”. Now if I really wanted to be consistent, given
the discussion above, I would have to translated this as “Is its.”
I originally did this. I tried for many years to convince people
of the efficacy of writing “Is its” instead of “therefore.” Finally
I gave up. I owe this conversion in my thinking to Professor
Edward Slingerland, who was unmoved by my arguments, and
kept asking me “...why not just say therefore?” I finally agreed.
Regrettably, “is its” just does not translate well into English. Also,
Shih yi has a very specific meaning in Chinese, which doesn’t
really mean anything else. “Therefore” or “consequently” may be
unimaginative, but it conveys the meaning of Shih Yi much better
than “Is its.” Just remember this whenever you see “therefore.”
The Syntax
An interesting feature of this translation is the unusual English
syntax that I developed to communicate Lao Tzu’s verses.
Specifically, I often use a three-phrase sentence punctuated with
commas. This is very common in my translation and rarely seen
in modern English. The way we see this in English is in a sentence
such as “the Tao, in all of China, is the oldest of beliefs.” We can
also rearrange these phrases to make it read: “The oldest of beliefs,
in all of China, the Tao is.” I used this type of phrasing many times
in my translation in order to record not only what the verse says,
but also the order of the characters as they are actually written in
the Chinese.
The reason I used this archaic syntax is so that you can
clearly see the structure of the original poems. Suddenly you begin
to see that there are very definite and simple stylistic patterns,
which are readily and even visually apparent in reading the English
translation. By doing it this way, we reveal a quality of the original
which has been absent in almost all other translations, because
previously there was no way to preserve the structure while still
making sense in English.
The end result is that the text has the uncanny effect of
intuitively looking and sounding like an ancient Chinese verse.
When you compare this to other translations which read like
modern English (or even worse, like bad, old, flowery English
poems), I think you can see why I decided to go with this
somewhat awkward form of syntax.
To Be
To make the verses more intelligible, I have taken the liberty to
add the verb to be, here and there as necessary. The verb to be
is rarely used in Lao Tzu, except for the character shih, which is
usually in the beginning of a verse. So, when a sentence starts with
Is, it usually indicates that the character shih is actually written
in Chinese in that passage. Otherwise, if you see words such as
is, was, has been, etc., you will know that I have probably added
English grammar to make it intelligible. I try to minimize this
corruption by using the most simple, natural tense possible, even
though there is no tense as such in the original. I also try to place
the verb or any additional words in a rather special way, after the
character it modifies, in order to show that they have been added
to the original, such as “virtue is”. Note that I also do add articles
and other words such as the, a, an, but, and, so, in order to make it
more readable in English.
Telegraphic Speech
Another syntax issue is my use of telegraphic speech. A common
example of this is a child saying, “go play” instead of saying “I want
to go play.” In the original Chinese of Lao Tzu, there are no articles
and, as mentioned, there is rarely the verb, to be. To preserve the
original prose whenever possible in English verse, I frequently
cut out what might otherwise seem like wordy, awkward English
syntax. This has the effect of sounding like telegraphic speech. Such
as the line “Best travel, not leaving tracks” from passage 27. This is
instead of saying “The best travel is when you do not leave tracks.”
293
 The Secret Tao
Unfortunately, sometimes this makes the author or authors sound
ignorant or uneducated, which was clearly not the case. Obviously
these are brilliant Chinese verses, and from what we know of Lao
Tzu, he was considered the most learned in all of China at that
time. The fact that it more closely matched the original characters
as they are written in Chinese, made me opt for this telegraphic
style of speech in many passages.
There is a trade-off either way, but I think that using
telegraphic speech gives it a quality that is at once endearing
and distinctly non-english. As I read the verses in this way, I feel
the immediacy of the phrases; it’s as though an elderly Chinese
grandparent, with a heavy accent, was trying to impart their
wisdom to my generation.
Word Repetition
This telegraphic speech and broken English is also apparent in
the use of repeated words. In the Chinese of Lao Tzu, the idea of
very little can be written as little little, and this is precisely what
Lao Tzu did in many passages. This could be interpreted as the
littlest of the little, or just very little. Other translators write this
in precise English, so that little little might be translated as very
little, or scant few, or hardly any. In this translation, while I am not
rigidly dogmatic in applying this rule, I do frequently try to use
the original word repetition as it was written by Lao Tzu, even if it
makes Lao Tzu sound like a Chinese stereotype, like the character
Hop Sing saying “chop chop,” on the 1960’s TV show Bonanza.
Again, I think this adds a warmth and intimacy too often lacking
in English translations. It gives the author or authors of this text a
rich and firm cultural context.
Capitalized Words
You will also notice that throughout the text that I often capitalized
the word way, often virtue, and occasionally the article the, as in
The Way. I do this to differentiate between a way and The Way,
which represents the character Tao. I also sometimes capitalize
virtue, since Virtue has second billing in the title, and since the
294
book is as much about the Virtue of the Way, as it is the Way of
Virtue. I often capitalize Oneness too, since I feel that the term
refers to both Heaven and Earth, or the Universe as a whole. This is
not just any oneness, this is The Oneness. It is almost synonymous
with the Tao, and you could even think of it as God, or the sum
total of Creator and Creation combined. The same is true for other
words which seem to call for it, such as Nature or Primal Virtue.
The Way
The Chinese character Tao means way, or path. So when Lao Tzu
uses the character Tao, this translates into English as The Way.
In the literal translation I use the word Way, and not Tao. This
is important because the original author or authors of this work
specifically did not want to name this sacred concept. The verses
are quite explicit on this point; it would be sacrilege to name the
sacred Way. So they simply called it the Way. In one passage it says
that if forced to name it, it could be called “Great.” In another
passage it says that it is precisely because it is un-named that it is
Great. As you will read in these passages, naming means labeling,
categorizing, and subjugation by the Human mind, thus limiting
a thing’s virtue and power. I think that by using the word Tao
in English it becomes a name. Outside of the literal translation,
however, I use the word Tao to refer to the book, or to Taoism,
and I use Taoist to refer to those following the Way of Lao Tzu. I
also refer to the Tao when I am talking about the social construct
of the Tao in Western culture. Thus, I also use the word Tao in the
figurative translation, either in the text, or in parentheses next to
the word way, to indicate what it means to us in the West.
The Shaman
The other term, which might be new to even well read Taoists,
is Shaman. Lao Tzu uses two characters over and over. The two
characters are literally sacred and person. Combined, they mean
holy man, or spiritual leader, or something like that. This is
what we might today refer to as a Priest, or a Monk. These same
characters are sometimes translated as Master or Sage. But, I was
 Appendix: Exploring the New English Translation
interested in finding a term that was more consistent with the
ancient, pre-history roots of Taoism. The word Sage evokes images
of the traditional and historical Taoism or Zen Buddhism for
those of us who have read a good deal of this literature. The word
Master implies a hierarchical social order, which is in contrast to
much of the philosophy of Lao Tzu. But when you read about the
historical roots of Taoism by Mircea Eliade, Red Pine, and others,
it is referred to as “shamanic” teachings and practices. This refers to
the wild old hermits and healers of southern China from the dawn
of civilization and before.
When you take into account the historical
deconstruction hypothesis of the opening chapters, the term
Shaman seems like a better fit with the ancients of whom Lao Tzu
wrote, and those that follow their teachings.
Gia Fu Feng, in translating Chuang Tzu, used the word
Shaman to refer to what we might call witch doctors and these
people were seen in contrast to the Sage or holy man who follows
Taoism. This later concept of Shaman, that Gia Fu Feng uses, does
not refer to the shamanic roots of ancient Taoism, but rather to
charlatans and frauds. So, when I write “Shaman” I am referring to
the ancients who taught and practiced the Tao, meaning the Sage
or Holy Man.
Heaven Below
Heaven below is another common phrase you will see in
this translation. This simple phrase represents two characters
literally translated as “Heaven” and “below”. Together they refer
to everything below Heaven, literally in all the World. Other
translators sometimes write beneath the sky or simply the world. This
is sometimes used in ways that are prosaic in the original Chinese
but often seem awkward in English. I am not dogmatic about
translating literally Heaven below every single time it appears in
the text. I sometimes use other words like the world. Nonetheless,
if it is written “Heaven below” in Chinese, I usually write “Heaven
below” in English. I suggest that when you see this you read it as in
all that is below Heaven.
Uncarved Block
The uncarved block is that which is completely wild and intact in
nature. This means unadulterated, uncorrupted, and pure. More
importantly this means un-named. The uncarved block is anything
that is neither corrupted by human hands, nor subjugated by
human thought. Uncarved block is both unique and common, it
is sunk deep into the Earth, and it is completely intact in nature.
This means completely part of the Oneness, not set apart, not
objectified or categorized. For a person to be like an uncarved
block, this is the elusive task of following the Way. Though I
do not always use the English phrase uncarved block in this
translation, the concept is repeated throughout the Tao Te Ching,
in different characters and different ways.
Sustainable
The word sustainable, when it is used in these verses, usually refers
to two characters that literally translated mean “not” and “ending/
dying out”. So, together they literally mean not ending, or not
dying out. Obviously the word sustainable is not a very figurative
translation of these characters, it is quite literal. However, this
word has not been used very much by other translators and - in
light of current talk about sustainability - it dramatically colors the
meaning of certain passages. In fact, if the word sustainable were
not such a popular word today among environmentalists, then I
probably wouldn’t even have to comment on this. As it is, I feel
like I have to stress the fact that this is really what Lao Tzu has
written. Throughout the passages the author or authors seem most
concerned about those things in our society, which are transient
versus those that are enduring. Even more than this, there appears
to be a value system based on this dichotomy; good is that which
can endure, foolhardy is that which cannot sustain. It is in this
context that I use the word sustainable to represent the characters
meaning not ending wherever they appear in the text.
The word unsustainable could also be used when
translating characters which mean will end, as in the last line of
passage 30, which reads “soon ends”. In these situations, however,
295
 The Secret Tao

I usually opt for the more aesthetic, simple, and literal translation try to use some clever, pithy, broken English syntax to represent
of “end.” Likewise, other characters are translated as “dying out” or the Chinese and, even in the literal translation, I opted for a more
“becoming extinct”, depending on the exact context and character traditional translation for some lines. Sometimes I felt that the
being translated. In spite of this, I think that the figurative above rules obscured the meaning too much. But, on the whole,
meaning of soon ends or any one of these other phrases could the above notes should help you in understanding this literal
certainly be figuratively translated as unsustainable. English version of the Tao Te Ching.
This is clearly a major theme of Lao Tzu. The
preoccupation with sustainability, vs. soon ending and dying off,
highlights a core value of the Taoism of Lao Tzu. This concept of
sustainability gives us clues regarding the purpose and meaning
of this philosophy. The mere omnipresence of this specific issue
suggests how we should interpret the work as a whole. In short,
Taoism has the primary virtue of providing a long life to the person
and the people who follow it. In fact, to this day Taoist hermits in
the Chungnan Mountains of China, many who live well past 100,
attribute their long lives to practicing the Way. Lao Tzu tells us
that essentially “that which is not the Way is unsustainable.” Even
today, this is a core tenant of Taoism.

Conclusion
The literal English translation has almost a one to one
correspondence between the original Chinese characters and the
English words they represent. It is actually about a 5:6 ratio, which
is about the lowest ratio of original characters to English words
of any translation. The result is just what you see! I did not make
it like this, I just translated the original characters in the order
they are written, and this is what I got. Sometimes it sounds like
telegraphic speech and sometimes it sounds like Yoda. I think it
sounds like Lao Tzu, if you could bring him to the future, teach
him a little English, and ask him to do a reading. I don’t want
Lao Tzu to sound like a Professor at Dartmouth. I wanted to
communicate in English what was actually written in Chinese, just
as it was written.
As is often the case, despite all my best intentions and
hard work, there are probably more exceptions to the above rules
than there are rules. Often times it just seemed too awkward to

296
 Notes
Notes
Part I-III / Chapters 1-15:
1. The actual title: Tao Te Ching, has been more commonly
translated into English as The Virtue of the Way, or The Power of
the Way. This would not make sense, however, if the character
Tao (meaning path or way) was specifically chosen for it’s generic
simplicity, to avoid enshrining any one character (name) as divine.
It would make more sense to say that this book describes the
nameless way of virtue. more with marriage customs and incest taboos, and less with the
In recent decades, the oldest known copies of Lao
Tzu’s books have been discovered in China, and one was dated to
sometime in the third century BC. Interestingly they are titled:
“Te Tao Ching” and not “Tao Te Ching”. This clearly indicates
that the original meaning was in fact the Way of Virtue. Evidently,
as the books become better known and the Way or Tao became
better known, the title shifted subtly from the Way of Virtue to the
Virtue of The Way.
2. The concept of a social construct refers in part to post-modern
philosophy, in which entities and concepts, previously taken at
face value, are re-examined in light of their historical process and
context as much as their content. In this way we see that what was
originally meant by Lao Tzu when he referred to the Tao might
have little or nothing to do with the Taoism that has become a
major religion and philosophy in China and around the world
today. Each generation has imparted their own meaning onto the
Tao and hence helped to construct a unique meaning for the word
Tao, beyond that of merely a path or way. Society has elaborated
on and codified this meaning, hence the Tao has become a social
construction, apart from its original meaning.
3. For a complete history, see Eisler, R. (1987) The Chalice and
The Blade: Our history, our culture. San Francisco: HarperCollins.
4. This is a complex issue and many still have doubts about the
Gimbutas hypothesis. My own research has suggested that there
is reason to believe that ancient Goddess figures might have been
exclusively used by male shamans, not female shaman and tribal
leaders, as Gimbutas suggested. This is according to the proposed
Inverted Gender Hypothesis, which posits that a male shaman
would use some female icon or symbol to enter the supernatural
realm, while the female shaman would use a phallic symbol such
as a snake to enter the supernatural. Additionally there are other
anthropological reasons why tribes were matrilineal, which deal
power of women in the tribe. See reference: Kreger (2010) “A
survey of rock art used in initiation ceremonies.”
5. See Shlain, L. (1998) The Alphabet vs. the Goddess. The
Conflict Between Word and Image. New York: Viking Press.
6. From Wenke, R. J. (1980) Patterns in Prehistory: Mankind’s
first three million years. New York: Oxford University Press.
7. For a complete analysis of artifacts, see, Treistman, J.M. (1972)
The Prehistory of China: An archaeological Exploration. New
York: American Museum of Science Books, Natural History Press,
Doubleday and Company. For more information, also see Rawson,
J. (1980) Ancient China: Art and archaeology. New York: Harper
& Row Publishers.
8. See footnote #2, regarding social constructs.
9. There is some difference of opinion on the history and origins
of the terms, witch and Wicca, and their relationship with pagan
terms in Old English philology. Many suggest that the word Wicca
is derived from the Middle English word wicke, meaning twisted,
and originally meaning to bend. But we also know that the Old
English word cwic means life. There may well be a connection
between the phonetically similar words cwic and wicke. In Old
297
 The Secret Tao
English, the two terms might have been interchanged either
intentionally or coincidentally.
Pagan healers used cwic magic, as a power to heal.
Christian prejudice against those practicing pagan healing arts
might have used the pejorative wicke meaning twisted or crooked.
Thus, pagan-healers using wicke magic (crooked magic), were given
the name witch. This term may have been understood at the time
to mean both a cwic-healer (life healer), and also a wicke-healer
(crooked healer). This term obviously took on a graver meaning
during the Christian persecution of pagan religions, the witch-
hunts and paranoia that ensued. Many pagan healers were burned
at the stake for believing in the healing power of herbs, and cwic
magic. The pagan concept of cwic is not entirely different than the
Taoist concept of Qi, the life-force.
The term wicke itself might well have also contained
both meanings referring to being twisted and/or being filled with
cwic (life-force). We see both meanings in the wick of a candle,
being a flexible cord made of twisted threads, and also the life force
of a candle. In fact the word wick, in the context of a candle, might
just as likely come from the latter as from the former meaning.
Thus, to say that someone is wicce (OE), or wicked, could have
originally meant something more like supple and filled with life.
If this is true then later on, during the middle ages, this term
certainly took on a much more pejorative meaning.
10. Although he is popularly attributed with it, Chief Seattle never
actually said this exact phrase. The quote actually comes from a
1970s documentary about Chief Seattle and environmentalism, in
which the writer paraphrased and elaborated on a speech given by
Chief Seattle. The speech was a stern condemnation of the white
settlers and the US government, in which he criticized their lack of
ecological insight, and their lack of connection to the land. For the
original quote see ‘Chief Seattle’s unanswered challenge, spoken on
the wild forest threshold of the city that bears his name’, c. 1854,
by Rich, J.M. (1970). Fairfield, WA: Ye Galleon Press.
298
11. See Demonic Males: Apes and the origin of Human violence.
by Wrangham & Peterson (1996). New York: A Mariner Book /
Houghton Mifflin Company.
12. This interpretation of Lao Tzu contains a basic view of
spirituality that contrasts sharply in some ways with traditional
Taoism and Zen Buddhism. It is a core tenant of this interpretation
that spiritual transcendentalism was not part of the original
philosophy of Taoism, but was added later due to social and
cultural influences.
To see the difference between ancient Taoism and the
traditional Taoism and Zen Buddhism that followed, look at
the writing of Chuang Tzu who lived after Lao Tzu, in the 4th
century BC. In certain passages of Chuang Tzu, according to most
translations, he advocates the dominion of light over darkness.
This was just the opposite of Lao Tzu’s teaching. For one thing the
engendered meaning infers that the yang (male) should dominate
the yin (female). Lao Tzu explicitly says the opposite, that one
should know the light but stay to the dark, know the male but
keep to the female. Chuang Tzu, perhaps unknowingly, was subtly
subverting a core tenant of ancient Taoism. By advocating the
path of light and dominion, he was unknowingly advocating an
androcratic system of values, common in patriarchal societies, in
contrast to the more ancient verses of Lao Tzu.
In other passages, Chuang Tzu says that the “higher
soul” resides in the eyes. But, Lao Tzu said to ignore the eyes
and follow your guts. Chuang Tzu also contains references to
transcending this dusty Earth plane, yet Lao Tzu’s verses embraced
the Earth and sought to sustain it, not to transcend it. Lao Tzu’s
verses imply that dirt is more clean than pure white silk. From
these differences we can see that the philosophy of Taoism began
to subtly change soon after the death of Lao Tzu, hundreds of years
before the first religion of Taoism was even formed, in the second
century AD. The element of transcendentalism became even more
exaggerated by the Zen Patriarchs, which came hundreds of years
after the foundation of the first formal religion of Taoism. This
 Notes
patriarchal influence of striving for transcendence is assumed to
be part of a larger gender shift in culture and society, the roots of
which probably date back to the early Bronze Age.
13. In the Taoist religion of China, the goal is no less than the
immortality of the individual. And, in Buddhism, the goal is to
acknowledge that life is suffering and to transcend it through non-
attachment and the eight fold path. Yet we see in this translation
that the goals of the original Taoism had more to do with living
a long life in peace and tranquility. And, far more common in
the passages are the concepts of sustainability, not ending, not
dying out, having a long life, and continuing on for generations.
This does not preclude an afterlife, but he stresses the concept
of reincarnation, cycles of life and death, yin and yang. It seems
that the main goal of Lao Tzu was simply to have a good life
and a good, long-lasting nation, not personal immortality or
transcendence.
14. Many stories of Taoism and Zen involve unusually
enlightened and exalted people referred to as Masters. This
attitude is widespread in Eastern religions, and is meant to serve
as an example to esoteric students. There is an atmosphere in
transcendental religions that holds the possibility of transcendence
as a good thing, and as a basic goal of the practice. Indeed, even
Lao Tzu does hold up the role model of the Shaman as a perfect
human and an example for others. Perhaps this is because Lao Tzu
himself was writing about ancient beliefs and attitudes that were
more common in the Neolithic than in his own time. Perhaps even
Lao Tzu unconsciously had some androcratic notions of putting
great men on a pedestal to admire. Yet, this is an anathema to the
general themes in the verses of Lao Tzu.
15. A common question is: Is Qi the same as Chi?... as in Tai Chi?
The answer is yes. The same Chinese character is written in the
Latin alphabet variously as Chi, Ji, Ki, or Qi, and is pronounced
khee in Japanese, and chee or jee in Chinese. In Chinese it means
breath, or spirit. There a dozens of different cultures around the
planet that have analogous concepts of life energy, frequently
they too use the word ‘breath’ to label this invisible spirit of life.
Because it is so hard to communicate Chinese words in English
spelling, and because there is another common character written
Chi, China officially changed the English spelling from Chi to Ji.
The Peoples Republic of China replaced the Wade-Giles system
of phonetics with the pinyin system. Tao becomes Dao, and Chi
becomes Ji or Qi. For consistency, I use the English spelling: Qi.
16. Actualism, developed by Russell Paul Schofield, is a spiritual
practice that combines elements of Reiki, Agni Yoga, Kundalini
Yoga, and other disciplines from around the world. Actualism is
designed to help people learn about the life-force, Qi, and the
body’s energy systems. It is used for both meditation and healing,
and is often used in conjunction with bodywork.
Notes for Part IV: Tao Te Ching: Book One, TAO
1. Passage 1: The word translated as “dark” here, is in Chinese
the character Hsüan, which literally means dark, or black. This
character is often used to mean mysterious or profound. We do
similar things in English when we say: “That was a dark film”
meaning it was depressing or disturbing film, or “That was a black
comedy”, meaning that it involves a rather morbid or serious
theme. The obvious difference is that in Chinese dark means
mysterious and profound. Monks wear black because it is the most
profound of all colors. The highest rank in martial arts is a Black
belt, and so on.
Why is all this important? It’s because the rest of the
passages have recurrent references to this same concept of the dark,
usually as metaphors for the concept of yin. Unfortunately, most
other translators of Lao Tzu do not use the word dark or darkness;
they translate it as “mysterious” or “profound” instead, completely
losing the symbolism of the verse, and thus missing an important
theme of the book. Remember the image of the Tao Te Ching, the
299
 The Secret Tao
Taijitu? It’s half light and half dark, or half white and half black.
Well, this is the same dark, the same black. So the yin, female, is
symbolized by Hsüan, meaning dark or black. So, yin is therefore
seen as mysterious and profound.
This is one of the most important themes of the Tao Te
Ching, especially in book one. The themes are laid out right in
the first passage. 1) The Tao is the Mother of Heaven and Earth,
2) Depending on whether you harbor desire, you will either see
her wonders or her illusions, 3) Both, wonders and illusions are
manifestations of the dark (the black, or the yin), 4) The darkness
(the essence of yin) is the doorway to all the wonders of the Tao.
And, one final note on Passage One: the character Miao,
translated as “wonders” has several meanings, including secret,
wonderful, excellent, ingenious, and subtle. This refers to the true
greatness of the Tao, as opposed to the “illusions” created by desire.
2. Passage 16: It is not clear what the last line means exactly. It
literally means something like “When your body falls, no harm will
come to it.” It could mean, death is not the end. It might refer to
an afterlife, or even immortality. Some people translate it as: “All
of your life, until the end, no harm will come to you.” But, this
seems like a curiously benign ending to a passage, which is clearly
about accepting the inevitable end and death of all things. I think
it means something more like: “don’t fear the end of the body, for
that is not the real danger.” The term extinction was chosen to
mean to a permanent harm that transcends the death of the body,
as well as an unveiled reference to a constant theme of Lao Tzu,
which is sustainability.
3. Passage 17: I translated this line pretty much as it reads literally
in Chinese: “Faith not enough, Being not faithful (faith).” But,
I don’t think it is clear what it means. I think this passage means
something like: Faith is not enough for those who are not faithful.
But, most people translate it as: If you don’t have enough faith (or
trust), then others will be unfaithful (or untrustworthy) to you.
I don’t know what the real meaning is, but I would
300
reckon that this line refers to the lines above it. I believe the
entire passage means just this: Those of little faith tend to bicker
needlessly. The passages tell us that the more supreme the person,
the less knowledge they possess. Why? Well, he seems especially
critical of self-important, opinionated, blow-hards, people who
are not unlike many of those that dominate radio talk-shows
nowadays. He suggests that, in the end, all of the bickering is
pointless. Because everyone has faith in hindsight! Therefore, faith is
not enough for those not faithful.
4. Passage 22: A more precise figurative translation would be
something like: “Be sincerely whole and you’ll get it.” The
actual Chinese characters mean something more like “you will
be close to it,” or it could mean, “it will return to you!” There
is no simple literal translation so we are left groping for phrases
that approximate the meaning. I think it’s a pun, meaning both
to comprehend and obtain. So, when you “get” the concept of
wholeness, then you will realize that you are the world, the world
is not something out there, it is you, you are the world. So, get the
concept and you will gain the world.
5. Passage 23: This passage has been translated in various
interesting and different ways. It can be confusing to translate. I
hope it is clear here that Lao Tzu is speaking of the impracticality
of perfectionism and the sin of striving. Even Heaven and Earth
cannot make a storm last indefinitely, so why should we expect
more of ourselves. The last part relates to the first. Do not fear and
resist your losses or your perceived failures. The fact that things
end or reach their limit is natural. Loss is natural. If you follow the
Way, you will embrace your losses, indeed become one with the
loss. Also see passage 16.
6. Passage 25: This passage was translated more figuratively than
most passages. This is because of the potential significance of it.
This one passage, more than any other, appears to be the creation
myth of Taoism. It explains in beautiful abstraction the creation of
 Notes
the universe, the world, and Humanity. It establishes an order to all
that exists and gives us some glimpse into the metaphysics behind
Taoism.
7. Passage 26: I believe that the juxtaposition of light and heavy
also have gendered meanings. The implication is that the light way
is yang (male), while the dark and heavy way is yin (female). Being
impulsive, being headstrong, being captivated by the city and it’s
temptations, this indicates too much yang. Yin is the ground, the
anchor of our yang impulses. Yin, the female aspect, is tranquility.
Tranquility is the master of impulsiveness, and also it is the root of
yang. So it is really saying that Yin (female) is the master of Yang,
(male). This is a message that was probably not too popular in
Bronze Age China, or anytime since.
8. Passage 28: This passage is quite different than in other
translations. In preparing this translation I used different original
texts, some of which vary from each other. This particular passage
was translated from one of the oldest known texts of the Tao Te
Ching ever found, the Ma-wang-tui texts. I liked the completeness
of this version. It is clear to see that later versions had edited down
from this original poem.
The last line is typical of the playfulness and
insightfulness found in these verses. It means that when a Shaman
works with people, like shaping clay, they shape without cutting
away any material, thus everything is used and nothing is thrown
away. As is often the case, this passage directly relates to the
previous passage and expands on that same theme. This is literally
Taoist social ecology, the ecology of people in society.
Also, note in this passage the reference to knowing the
white and keeping to the black. It is not coincidental that this
parallels the phrase know the male, keep to the female. The white is
yang (male), the black is yin (female). So it is saying quite clearly:
“Know the Yang, but keep to the Yin.” The valley is symbolic of
the life-giving womb of Creation. The character I translate as “little
valley” literally means a small valley, or canyon.
9. Passage 30: There are a few interesting issues about this passage.
First there is the word Fruition. This is the literal meaning of the
character, Kuo, which can refer to either fruit or the end result.
Translators often use the word resolution here, but fruition means
the same in English and it also maintains the same literal meaning
of a botanical product. I think Lao Tzu was trying to communicate
something between the lines. First, it is a natural/organic metaphor
for completion or resolution. Secondly, we should look at winning
a diplomatic victory the same as we do picking fruit. Sure, you
could claim ultimate victory over the fruit tree, you could chop
down the tree and use it for firewood, but that would mean no
more fruit!
There is another character, Ch’iang, which I translate
as more-violent in one line and as domination in another line.
Normally, I don’t like to translate one character in two different
ways in the same passage, because I think it hurts the integrity of
the English poem, as a translation of the Chinese poem. But, here
I felt it was necessary. The character, Ch’iang, means force as in
violence, or force as in making extra effort, and it can also mean
force as in stubborn, over doing it, forcing it, or going to far. In the
line which I translate it as “more-violent”, it simply means extra
force, as in more force than necessary.
Later on in the passage I translate Ch’iang as
“domination,” implying a rather one sided victory. In this later line,
the same character is written but the words “more-violent” don’t
really convey the proper meaning. Figuratively, here it means to go
beyond a good resolution, to continue to beat-up your opponent
after you have already won a victory, to physically dominate your
opponent.
Note that a similar dilemma occurs with another
character at the end, which is translated as “too much” in one
line and as “soon ends” in the last line. Both come from the same
character, Yi. The character can mean stop, to end, or too much.
This is like saying “Too much!” when someone is pouring you a
drink and you want them to stop. In the very last line another
301
 The Secret Tao
character is added to say “soon too much” or “soon stop.” I think
that using this one character in both places, gives the passage
an additional figurative meaning, that such excessive force is
unsustainable. Literally, when you have too much of anything, that
means that you have reached the limit, you have reached the end.
So, while picking fruit, if you get carried away and Chop down the
tree, that’s the end of the fruit!
Notes for Part IV: Tao Te Ching: Book Two, TE
1. Passage 38: The character Te, which means virtue, is used in
an interesting way here. It is intended to have slightly different
meanings, depending on the contesxt of the sentence where it is
used. But this makes it difficult to do a lieral translation. Literally it
says: “Superior virtue, not virtue, is it’s being (having) virtue.”
Initially this is puzzling, but it helps to remember that
Te means virtue in the moral sense, but, just as with the English
word virtue, it can also mean a power, a force, a skill, a talent, a
gain, as well as correctness, or goodness. If you read on, the rest of the
passage makes the meaning clear. True virtue comes from non-being
and non-action. In order to express this, I have opted for different
words stemming from the root word virtue to convey the different
meanings. The figurative meaning is that when one tries to act
virtuous (morally proper), and tries not to loose it, they exhibit
a very crude form of virtue. True virtue flows freely from deep
within. It is not something that you need try to make happen. In
this way, true virtue is more like a natural talent or a virtuosity.
This embodies the concept of non-action, or acting from-the-gut,
without pre-meditation or self-consciousness. It is this virtuosity
that is true virtue, as opposed to trying to be virtuous.
Also note the tantalizing detail at the end of this passage.
It says that one of the benefits of following the Way is clairvoyance!
It goes on to admonish the reader not to pay too much stock
in this ability as it is only superficial; in other words, it’s like a
cheap parlor trick. A serious shaman has this ability, but it’s not
important to them.
302
2. Passage 39: There is a lot of potential meaning and symbolism
in the last part of this verse. The metaphor employed here is of two
rocks, one that rolls in a stream, sparkling and becoming highly
polished in the process. Yet, this rock is only found in the shallow
riverbed, it symbolizes all that is shallow, superficial, flimsy and
flashy. The other stone is buried deep in the Earth, sunk into mud;
it symbolizes all that is strong, solid, deep, and integral, yet not
pretty nor flashy. The sparkling stone represents desire. The sunken
stone represents the uncarved block, literally the intact rock.
3. Passage 42: This passage is essentially Taoism 101. Passage
42 is the best philosophical explanation of the yin and yang and
their relationship to the Oneness, all of which are prime concepts
in Taoism. And it shows how it can be applied to common
philosophy. But, what is often missed is the different dimensions to
this verse, and especially the sexual morphology of the description
of “wearing yin and carrying yang”.
There are actually three levels to this verse in the original
Chinese. The first is a metaphor. It is like a person wearing a
cloak on the outside, and inside their arms they carry a package.
The second level is sexual in nature. Of course, yin is female, and
yang is male. So, the vagina surrounds and covers the penis like a
cloak, just as the penis fills the vagina like a package. Our skin is
in between, not unlike a condom, we are inside of yin, and filled
with yang. Here, you see how incredibly sexual the original Taoist
shamanic beliefs were, like many, if not most, shamanic traditions.
The third level is the relationship between being and non-being.
You see yang corresponds to being, and yin corresponds to non-
being. Just like anything that exists, our bodies are made up of
being, you might say we are filled with being. But, around us is the
negative space of our being, it is non-being. So again, we are inside
of non-being (yin/female), but we are filled with being (yang/
male).
This dynamic interaction produces the life-force, just as
sex between men and women produces new life. Our skin is really
a dynamic interface between yin (female/non-being) and yang
 Notes
(male/being). All around us, like an aura, is Qi, the energy field
that exists where being and non-being meet. This whole concept, if
you are able to understand it and apply it to your life, is the Way of
Virtue. This is the Tao.
A main thesis of Lao Tzu is that any society, which is
too fixated on being (yang), the male aspect, is out of balance. To
restore balance, and thus virtue, we need to appreciate the value
of non-being (yin), the female aspect. True virtue consists of a
balance of the two. This passage goes on to say that Qi is actually a
synthesis of the two. Of course. Qi is life energy, that which creates
and sustains life. It is created by the combustion of male and
female energy, in dynamic tension and harmonious balance with
each other.
4. Passage 45: This verse juxtaposes two aspects of liquid fullness.
One type of fullness is simply quantity. But the quantity of liquids
can be poured out and depleted. The other type of fullness is the
quality, the strength or concentration of a liquid, such as a strong
tea, or a dye. In such case, you cannot pour out the strength of a
liquid, thus you cannot loose this kind of fullness. A cup of tea
may be almost empty, but the strength of the tea remains. The Way
of Virtue is like this, its fullness is not measured in crude volume
or quantity. Rather, it comes from within, it is an essence, and as
such never runs out.
5. Passage 49: The standard translation of this passage really
doesn’t make sense. The passage usually opens that the Shaman
is without a constant mind, implying that it changes with each
situation. Or, some say that the Shaman has no mind at all. Then
it goes on to say the opposite. They are trusting to all people, no
matter whether the person is trustworthy or not, because this is the
meaning of the word trust. This doesn’t add up. I have a suspicion
that there is something amiss. First, the oldest texts reverse the
order of constant and without, so it was more like constantly
without a mind. But, that doesn’t make much sense either.
One hypothesis is that the character Heng (meaning constant
or permanent) looks very similar to Ta (distressed, alarmed,
affected). If you use the character Ta in the opening line, meaning
‘reactive’ then the rest of the passage makes much more sense.
So, the Shaman’s mind reacts-not, or is non-reactive, we might
say undiscriminating or un-biased. It is my hypothesis that the
original was possibly miscopied, and the mistake was perpetuated.
In later versions, the order was reversed and even the word Heng is
replaced with the much more definitive character Ch’ang meaning
eternal and unchanging nature. The character Wu is also added
later which solidifies the meaning as “without an unchanging
mind.” This is essentially the opposite of a ‘non-reactive’ mind,
but they might be trying to say without bias. In which case, later
versions may have been actually trying to correct this confusion in
the opening line. Also they may be playing off the phrase: muddled
mind, saying they can’t make up thier mind!
6. Passage 50: Translated here as life-force, it literally says “life-
life”, or “birth-birth”. Often when a character is repeated twice like
this one, it may simply mean very as in very alive, or sometimes
it takes on a special meaning. In this case I feel that the author is
referring to the propagating force of life, literally the potency of
life, or life force.
7. Passage 61: The word territory in this verse requires some
explanation. Actually, the original Chinese character, huo, has a
very precise meaning. It refers to an area of land being defended,
possibly in dispute, without a clear boundary or without a finalized
treaty with its neighbors. By extension it can also simply mean
an indeterminate person or a certain one. Both meanings come
into play when one reads this verse in Chinese. Unfortunately
there is no such single word that has the same impact in English.
Contender or possibly Negotiator could also stand-in for the
Chinese character, huo.
The phrase “and wins”, seen here, actually means it has
won. The riddle means that by being flexible and giving in you can
simultaneously win and be won by the other. Nowadays, we call
303
 The Secret Tao
this a win-win solution.
8. Passage 62: This line is another clever pun that cannot
adequately be translated literally. In the line that reads “Not as
good as being delivered this Way (Tao)”, there is a word, Tso,
which is often translated by other scholars as sitting, or sitting
still. Actually tso means to be sitting on something or riding on
someting, usually a mode of transport, such as sitting on a boat
or a carriage. The word right after it, chin, means to advance, or
convey. Together “tso chin Tao” is often interpreted as to sit still
while conveying or giving the Tao. But, once you understand the
concept of tso, it is more likely that Tso chin refers to the one who
is being conveyed. But does it mean something being conveyed to
you, or you being conveyed to somewhere else? Well, I think the
unusual wording is designed to create an elaborate pun. It can be
read as though you are you are being delivered a gift, or it can be
read as though you are being delivered from judgment.
The beautiful part of this line is that the concept of
being conveyed is juxtaposed against the act of giving fine gifts.
So it implies that having someone bring fine gifts to you is not as
good as you being brought the Tao. And, as usual the word Tao,
meaning path or way, is also used as a pun, as in being delivered via
this Way, or Path. When you put it all together, this completes the
multi-level pun: being given fine gifts is not as good as being delivered
- on this way (path) –the gift of the way (Tao) – which is deliverance
itself. Most verses contain one or more puns but few contain as
many levels as this one. It literally has several meanings at once, all
in one short turn of the phrase. Brilliant!
9. Passage 71: This is one of those puzzling verses that are truly
written like riddles. The first two lines literally read “Know not
know, best. Not know know, sick.” Obviously, I conclude that
“know” refers to the verb to-know. I can only assume that “know
know,” means to know of knowing. This must refer to a meta-level
knowing, or literally an epistemology of knowing, or knowing
what to believe and what not believe. This infers that not learning
304
knowledge is superior, while not having an epistemology of knowledge
is kind of a sickness. When you think of it, having a vast excess of
knowledge without any such epistemology is truly the sickness of
our modern age. We have a glut of info on websites and cable TV
alleging that the President is a Nazi, or that UFO’s have landed, or
that someone has captured Bigfoot. We have tons of information
but people have no way of knowing what’s true and what’s not, and
many are easily mislead.
There is another interpretation for the phrase “know
know”. Just as “sharp sharp” means very sharp, perhaps “know
know” means to know a lot. If so, this could be interpreted in
two ways; it could mean very knowledgeable, as in having a lot of
information, or very knowing as in being highly perceptive and
intuitive. Clearly, if this is so, then it could only be the latter
interpretation. The passages are clear, to be filled with information
is inferior, and to be insightful is superior. So, this yields yet
another possible interpretation of the verse: To know no knowledge
is superior, but to not have insight is handicap.
Finally, there is yet a third interpretation. In the oldest
known texts, it appears to have been written “know not know,
best. Not know not know, sick.” This implies that to know you are
ignorant is best, but to not know your ignorance is sick. This might
be the best translation of them all, but I leave it to the reader to
decide.
10. Passage 74: There is an odd little thing I noticed in this
passage. In almost all versions of the text they use the character Tai
in three places. Now, this is interesting because Tai looks almost
exactly like Fa, except for one stroke.
Tai means to substitute. Usually this is interpreted to
mean that the worker is substituting for the master carpenter. You
could also use the character Fa, which means to strike, to cut down,
or attack, as in to strike like a master carpenter chopping wood. Given
the clever analogy between an executioner imitating God, being
like a common worker imitating a master carpenter. And given
that both involve striking an axe (as that was both a common form
 Notes

of execution in those days, and how one chops wood), then it is owes you money, but rather focus on your own debts, and make
logical that this character should be Fa and not Tai. Both characters sure that all your debts are paid off. And, forget about how much
work in context, Tai is the traditional version, but which is right? others owe you; that only leads to hatred.
In Henricks analysis of the Ma Wang Tui texts, the I think this verse is echoing the sentiments of passage 49,
oldest known versions of Lao Tzu, he shows two versions of the and referring to a situation, in which someone borrows something
Tao Te Ching. One is known to be older than the other. In the from you, and then you are either mean or unfavorably biased
older version, it uses Fa, but in the newer version it uses Tai. Could against them because they never returned it or paid you back. Lao
this be the origin of using of Tai instead of Fa? Henricks doesn’t Tzu sees this as small minded and petty behavior and it only leads
say it, but it seems clear what might have happened. Either the to a vicious circle, creating more hatred on both sides, and not
scribe made a mistake when he copied the text, or it is meant to benefiting anyone. If you are extra generous, then others will do
be a visual pun. So when you are striking like a master carpenter, the same and all will be happy.
you are substituting for a master carpenter. To me, it seems to make
more sense to say Fa, strike. In fact, it neatly connects the whole
metaphor of carpentry to the business of execution, since they both
involve striking an axe.

11. Passage 76: This verse has a double meaning. The same
character translated as “inferior”, literally means below or bottom,
as well as meaning not as good. The same character that is
translated as “Superior”, meaning preferable, also literally means
above, on top. This is true also in English, with superior meaning
on top. This is, however, a much more obvious double meaning in
Chinese. The analogy is obviously to that of a tree. The soft pliable
branches and leaves are located on the superior (top) section of the
tree, and the hardened rigid trunk is located in the inferior (base)
section of the tree. Thus, it is superior to be soft and flexible, in
more ways than one. The rigid, hard and inflexible gets cut down!
Clever.

12. Passage 79: This passage is clearly about generosity and not
being biased, mean, vindictive or holding a grudge. But, the issue
of a tally stick may be confusing to some people. In ancient China,
financial records were kept either with knotted rope or on a tally
stick. One end of the tally stick was your debts, and the other end
was what was owed to you. Today we use the terms account payables
and account receivables. So, this passage means don’t focus on who

305
 The Secret Tao
References & Suggested Readings
Berry, T. (1988) The Dream of the Earth. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books.
Capra, F. (1983) The Tao of Physics, 2nd edition. Bolder, CO: Shambala.
Commoner, B. (1971) The Closing Circle: Nature, man and technology. New
York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Connerton P. (1989) How Societies Remember. New York: Cambridge
University Press.
Cheng, Man-jan (1981) Lao Tzu: My words are very easy to understand.
Lectures on the Tao Teh Ching. Translated by Tam C. Gibbs.
Richmond, CA: North Atlantic Books.
Chuang Tzu (1997) Inner Chapters. Translation by Gia-Fu Feng and
Photography by Jane English. Mount Shasta, CA: Earth Heart.
Chen Ku Ying (1993) Lao Tzu Chu Yi Chi Ping Chieh. Peking: Chung-hua
shu-chü.
DeVall, B. & Sessions, G. (1985) Deep Ecology: Living as if nature matrered.
Salt Lake City: Perigine Smith Books.
Diamond, I. & Orenstein, G. F. (1990) Reweaving the World: The emergence
of ecofeminism. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books.
Donovan, J. (1996) Feminist Theory: The intellectual traditions of American
feminism. New York: Continuum Publishing Company.
Eisler, R. (1987) The Chalice and The Blade: Our history, our culture. San
Francisco: HarperCollins.
Eliade, M. (1964) Shamanism: Archaic techniques of ecstasy. Bollingen Series
LXXVI. New York: Pantheon Books / Random House.
Fox, W. (1990) Transpersonal Ecology: Psychologizing ecophilosophy. The
Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 22(1), 59-95.
George, D. (1992) Mysteries of the Dark Moon: The healing power of the
Dark Goddess. New York: Harper One/ Harper Collins.
306
Gimbutas, M. (1982) Goddesses and Gods of Old Europe, 7000 - 3500 BC.
Berkeley: University of California Press.
Kidder, J. E. (1959) Ancient People and Places. Japan: Before Buddhism. New
York: Frederick A. Praeger.
Kreger, D. W. (2010) A Survey of Rock Art Used in Initiation Ceremonies:
Further explorations of the neuropsychology of shamanic imagery.
Poster session at the annual meeting of the Archaeological
Institute of America, January 7, 2010, Anaheim, CA.
Kreger, D. W. (2006) Think Psychologically, Act Locally: Using psychological
research to impact local development. Poster session at the
annual meeting of the California Psychological Association,
March 24, 2006, San Francisco, CA.
Kreger, D. W. (2000) The Lost Temple of the Goddess. Caribbean World
Magazine, Issue 33, Autumn/Winter, 2000.
Kreger, D. W. (1995) Self-Esteem, Stress, and Depression Among Graduate
Students. Psychological Reports, 76 (1), pg. 365-367.
Kwang-Chih Chang (1987) The Archaeology of Ancient China. New Haven
CT: Yale University Press.
Lao Tzu (2002) Tao Te Ching: A new translation & commentary, by Ralph Alan
Dale. New York: Barnes & Noble.
Lao Tzu (1999) Tao Teh Ching: A spiritual exploration of power, nature, and
gender. Translation and Analysis by D. W. Kreger. (Unpublished).
Lao Tzu (1989) Te-Tao Ching: A new translation based on the recently
discovered Ma-wang-tui Texts. Translated with an introduction
and commentary by Robert G. Hendricks. New York: Ballintine.
Lao Tzu (1988) Tao Te Ching, A new English version with forward and notes
by Stephen Mitchell. New York: Harper Perennial, A division of
HarperCollins Publishers.
Lao Tzu (1972) Tao Te Ching: A new translation by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane
English. New York: Vintage Books.
 References & Suggested Readings
Lao Tzu (1963) Tao Te Ching. Translation by D.C. Lao. New York: Penguin
Classics.
Liedloff, J. (1977) The Continuum Concept: In search of lost happiness. New
York: Addison-Wesley Publishing Co.
Mander, J. (1991) In Absence of the Sacred. San Francisco: Sierra Club
Books.
Matthews, C. (1995) The Celtic Book of Days: A guide to Celtic spirituality
and wisdom. Rochester, VT: Destiny Books.
Markale, J. (1997) The Great Goddess: Reverence of the divine feminine from
the Paleolithic to the present. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions.
Mies, M. & Shiva, V. (1993) Ecofeminism. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Fernwood
Publications.
Neumann, E. (1954) The Origins and History of Consciousness. With a
forward by C. G. Jung. Bollingen Series XLII. Princeton N.J.:
Princeton University Press.
Norberg-Hodge, H. (1991) Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh. San
Francisco: Sierra Club Books.
Page, M. (1988) The Power of Ch’i: An introduction to Chinese mysticism
and philosophy. New York: Aquarian/Thorsons, An imprint of
HarperCollins Publishers.
Porter, B. (1993) Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese hermits. San
Francisco: Mercury House.
Rawson, J. (1980) Ancient China: Art and archaeology. New York: Harper &
Row Publishers.
Rich, J.M. (1970). Chief Seattle’s unanswered challenge, spoken on the wild
forest threshold of the city that bears his name. 1854. Fairfield,
WA: Ye Galleon Press.
Roszak, T., Gomes, M., & Kanner, A. (1995) Ecopsychology: Restoring the
Earth, healing the mind. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books.
Saotome, Mitsugi (1993) Aikido and the Harmony of Nature. Boston:
Shambhala.
Shepard, P. (1982) Nature and Madness. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books.
Shlain, L. (1998) The Alphabet vs. the Goddess: The conflict between word and
image. New York: Viking Press.
Spretnak, C. (1991) States of Grace: The recovery of meaning in the
postmodern age. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, A division
of HarperCollins Publishers.
Thompson, W. I. (1989) Imaginary Landscape: Making worlds of myth and
science. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
Treistman, J. M. (1972) The Prehistory of China: An archeological
exploration. New York: American Museum Science Books,
Natural History Press, Doubleday and Company.
Tsai Chih Chung (1995) The Tao Speaks: Lao Tzu’s whispers of wisdom.
Translated by Brian Bruya. New York: Anchor Books /
Doubleday.
von Bertalanffy, L. (1967) Robots, Men, and Minds: Psychology in the Modern
World. New York: George Braziller.
Watson, W. (1959) Ancient People and Places. China: Before the Han
Dynasty. New York: Frederick A. Praeger.
Watts, A. (1975) Tao: The watercourse way. New York: Pantheon Books.
Wenke, R. J. (1980) Patterns in Prehistory: Mankind’s first three million years.
New York: Oxford University Press.
Wilder, G. D. & Ingram, J. H. (1974) Analysis of Chinese Characters. New
York: Dover Publications Inc.
Wong, E. (1995) Lieh Tzu: A Taoist guide to practical living. London:
Shambhala Books.
Wrangham, R. & Peterson, D. (1996) Demonic Males: Apes and the origins
of human violence. New York: A Mariner Book / Houghton
Mifflin Company.
307
 About the Author

D. W. Kreger
Dr. Kreger is a clinical psychologist, an expert on the occult, and a researcher in the fields
of psychology, archaeology, and spirituality. He holds a Ph.D. in psychology, completed
his post-doctoral training in neuropsychology, and is a Diplomate of the International
Academy of Behavioral Medicine, Counseling, and Psychotherapy. In addition to his
psychological research, he has investigated archaeological sites in 17 countries around
the world. His work has been presented at major academic conferences, and appeared
in both research and popular media. Currently, he teaches psychology at the MacLauren
Institute, and is a consulting clinical psychologist in private practice. He lives with his
family on a small vineyard, north of Los Angeles, CA.

308