Tao Tuesdays – Chapter 24
On “Tao Te Ching Daily” every Tuesday Amy Putkonen posts a chapter from her version of the Tao Te Ching and invites other bloggers to add their commentary on the Chapter. If I haven’t said it before, let me say now how grateful I am to Amy for starting Tao Tuesdays. It has been a vehicle for me to re-discover and re-affirm the role Taoist philosophy has for me. Writing for Tao Tuesdays has been a joyful experience. My wish is for all of you to have moments of happiness like this too. Thank you Amy.
One cannot stand firm on tiptoes.
One cannot walk far with long strides.
One who flaunts herself
cannot be enlightened.
The self-righteous
cannot be distinguished.
The boaster gets no praise.
Self-praise cannot last long.
If one is with Tao, these actions are
excessive and burdensome.
All things detest them.
To have Tao, one does not dwell upon these things.
As I see it, this chapter speaks about the value of “humility”.
Humility is one of those words that has taken on some emotional baggage over the years. It is very easy to associate “humility” with “humiliated”. Even another associated word, “humble” has some negative vibe to it in the context of our striving, achievement-oriented modern era.
There are three qualities that Taoism hold in highest esteem. Sometimes called the “Three Jewels” or the “Three Treasures” (San Bao), these are the Te, ”virtues” of the “Way and it’s Virtue” as Tao Te Ching is sometimes translated. There are many versions of the Three Treasures. My favorite of the ways I’ve heard is “compassion, simplicity, humility” (www.americantaoist.com).
My personal interpretation is “compassion, simplicity and authenticity“. The point is to not strive, not put on airs, not posture and pose. Some people are genuinely hair-on-fire strive-ers and achievers. Good for them. They help pull us all forward. Other people are genuinely hesitant, even fearful. Good for them. They keep the rest of us from diving from the frying pan into the fire. The key is the genuine part. It is the toe-standing, righteousness flaunting, and striving-to-be-something-else where things go pear shaped in Chapter 24. To be in harmony, happy, at peace…”Be Yourself”. We hear that bit of common wisdom all the time. We tell it to our kids the first day of school. It isn’t some new bit of pop-psychology fluff. It is deep truth and ancient wisdom, courtesy of the Taoists.
This also speaks to the idea of simplicity. Disingenuous posturing gets complicated. As Mark Twain said “Tell the truth and you don’t have to remember anything”. Simple.
You can even pull compassion into it. Being inauthentic or disingenuous is, basically, a lie. Lying to others – or ourselves – is not compassionate toward anyone.
“Being one with the Tao” liberates us from the burdens we create for ourselves when we are inauthentically complicated. Compassion, simplicity, and humility (authenticity, having no need for striving) really are treasures to seek.
