Chapter 8 of the Tao Te Ching

Mondo Culture Updated on 2024-01-30

Good is like water.

Water conservancy is indisputable

is evil to everyone, so it is more than the way.

Dwelling in a good place, a good heart, and kindness

Good words and faith, good governance, good deeds, good time.

The husband is indisputable, so there is no especially.

Kindness at its best is like water.

Water is beneficial to all things and does not compete with all things, and it is in a place that everyone abhors, so it is more akin to "Tao".

Live in a beautiful place, be broad-minded, be friendly with others, keep your word, govern fairly and justly, do what you are good at, and find a good time to go.

It is precisely because of indisputable that there is no fault in worry.

The first sentence: "Goodness is like water" is a metaphor made by Lao Tzu, and the best goodness is like water. It's an affirmative sentence.

The second sentence is a further explanation of the first sentence, the water is beneficial to all things without fighting with all things, and water is often in a place where everyone does not want to stay, so it is closer to the Tao. This sentence is just for a more vivid explanation.

The third sentence: This is the direction that Lao Tzu pointed out for us, in fact, it is better to understand it in one sentence. It is necessary to pay attention to the time, place, and people.

Sentence 4: This is the conclusion that only by not fighting can we be carefree. In layman's terms, it is "no desire, no desire".

Let's not limit ourselves to the superficial meaning of the fourth sentence, I believe that this is not the original intention of Lao Tzu's thought, because Lao Tzu's thought contains the harmony of yin and yang from beginning to end. I believe that the fourth sentence is only the ultimate goal of Lao Tzu's thought, and he depicts an ideal. How can there be no struggle between heaven and earth, and if there is no competition, it means extinction. Then before this ideal comes, it is necessary to fight and fight, and to fight. It's just that in this endless struggle, we should also have "goodness" in our hearts, fight when we should "fight", and not fight when we should "not fight". Don't give up.

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