Tao Te Ching (with commentary)

According to Lao Tzu, what keeps us fixated on objects is desire. Desire obscures our perception and keeps us locked in a ceaseless mode of acquisition and attainment. By keeping desire in check, our mind and senses relax

When life is simple,
pretences fall away;
our essential nature shines through.

When there is no desire,
all things are at peace.
When there is silence,
one finds the anchor of the universe
within oneself.

Those who know others are intelligent;
those who know themselves have true wisdom.
Those who master others have strength;
those who master themselves have true power.

To realise that you have enough
is true wealth.

One who keeps his course
surely lives long.
One who gives himself to the Tao
surely lives forever.

A good traveller journeys without firm plans
and travels without leaving a trace.

Silent, boundless and unchanging.
Infinite and all-pervading,
it is the mother of the universe.

Tao is elusive and intangible.
Although formless and intangible,
it gives rise to form.
Although vague and elusive,
it gives rise to shapes.
Although dark and obscure,
it is the vitality and essence of all things.

embrace simplicity and freedom

I drift like a wave on the ocean.

While others rush about to get things done,
I accept what is offered.
I alone seem foolish,
earning little, spending less.

Others strive for recognition,
I avoid the limelight.
Other people have a purpose;
I alone don’t know.
Indeed, I seem like an idiot;
no mind, no worries.
I drift like a wave on the ocean.
I blow as aimless as the wind.