67
See also: Wisdom lies with the superior man 72–77 ■ Physical and mental
discipline 112–13 ■ Zen insights that go beyond words 160–63
ANCIENT AND CLASSICAL BELIEFS
What it means to follow the dao
is succinctly expressed in the more
modern phrase, “going with the flow.”
Action and inaction
The dao itself is eternal and
unchanging. It is life that eddies
and swirls around the dao and, to
keep to its path, people must
detach themselves from material
concerns and disruptive emotions
such as ambition and anger. They
should instead live a peaceful,
simple life, acting spontaneously
and in harmony with nature, rather
than acting on impulses from the
self. This is the concept of wu wei,
or inaction, inherent in the dao; as
the Daode jing says, “the Way
never acts, and yet nothing is left
undone.” In daily life, Laozi placed
great emphasis on those virtues
that encourage wu wei: humility,
submissiveness, non-interference,
passivity, and detachment.
The wisdom of Laozi came from
long contemplation of the nature
of the universe and its constituents,
which in Chinese philosophy are yin
and yang. Yin comprises all that is
dark, moist, soft, cold, and feminine;
all that is light, dry, hard, warm,
and masculine is yang. Everything
is made of yin and yang, and
harmony is achieved when the two
are kept in balance. In Daoism such
balance is sought in mind, spirit,
and body through practices such
as meditation and t’ai chi: physical,
mental, and spiritual exercises
intended to balance the flow of
qi, the life force, through the body.
Under the rule of the Han
dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE), Daoist
philosophy became a religion. Its
meditative practices were thought
to guide experts to immortality. In
the Daode jing itself, the notion of
immortality is not intended literally.
Someone who completely accepts
the dao reaches a plane above the
material, and achieves immortality
by detachment. But the statement
that, for the sage, “there is no realm
of death,” was to be taken more
literally by followers of the Daoist
religion, who believed that actual
immortality could be achieved
through acceptance of the Way. ■Laozi
The author of the Daode jing
is said to have been a court
archivist for the Zhou
emperors who earned the
name Laozi (the Old Master)
because of his wisdom. The
younger sage Kong Fuzi, or
Confucius (p.75), is thought to
have journeyed to consult him
on religious rites. However,
almost nothing is known
for certain about Laozi. It
is possible that he was not
a historical figure at all, and
that the Daode jing is in fact
a later compilation of sayings.
According to legend, Laozi
disappeared under mysterious
circumstances; Confucius
himself compared him to a
dragon, which can ascend to
heaven on the wind. The story
goes that on witnessing the
decline of the Zhou dynasty,
Laozi left court and journeyed
west seeking solitude. As
he left, a border guard who
recognized him asked for a
token of his wisdom. Laozi
wrote the Daode jing for him,
and then traveled on, never
to be seen in this world again.Key worksc.6th century BCE Daode jing
(also known as the Laozi).My words are very
easy to understand and
very easy to put into practice,
yet no one in the world
can understand them or
put them into practice.
LaoziFor life to run smoothly along
the Way, we must attune and align
ourselves with it, performing only
those simple actions that maintain
nature’s inherent balance.