© Matthew S. Barnes, 2020

 
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced
or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of
the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Printed
in the United States of America.
 
First Printing, 2020
 
amazon.com/author/matthewbarnes
  

ALSO BY MATTHEW BARNES

1. The Zen-nish Series: (amazon.com/author/matthewbarnes)

The Tao Te Ching 101
Albert Einstein, Zen Master
The Tao Te Ching 201
Jesus Christ, Zen Master
2. Ancient Egyptian Enlightenment Series:
(amazon.com/author/matthewbarnes)
The Emerald Tablet 101
The Hermetica 101
The Kybalion 101
3. Hindu Enlightenment Series:
The Bhagavad Gita 101
4. Investing Series (Zen-vesting)
(amazon.com/author/matthewbarnes)
Investing 101
Investing 201
5. Novels (amazon.com/author/msbarnes)
Folie¿ (a creepy, psychological thriller)
Meet Frank King (psychological thriller)
  

DEDICATION

For Alisha, my inspiration for writing these works.

  

INTRODUCTION

On the surface, the “Tao Te Ching” (also spelled Dao De Jing), is a

guidebook to correct living. Not just correct living in the biblical sense of
living righteously, but also in the sense of living better, happier lives. It
teaches us to align our lives with the flow of life instead of swimming
against it - a futile practice that only promotes frustration, depression and
anxiety.
But there is also a deeper meaning within the work - an acknowledgment
and veneration for the source of power and intelligence beyond this world
that most of us call God, using the favored name of whatever religion it is
that we prefer. The Tao Te Ching is attempting to show us the path to direct,
individual contact with that power, whatever It may be.
My first work, the Tao Te Ching 101 was aimed more at the surface
teachings. This current attempt is aimed at simplifying some of the deeper
concepts.
Please remember that Taoist philosophy differs from the Western religion
most of us are familiar with in the sense that it does not attempt to personify
God. It does not name this power, attempt to describe It or give It motives.
To do that would be impossible, says the “Tao Te Ching”, for It is beyond
us all.
The best we can do, the work says, is to experience It. And to do so, we
must go beyond our analytical, intellectual, ego-driven minds.
The following is my current understanding of the “Tao Te Ching”, put
into the words of modern-day language. As Taoism contributed to Ch’an in
China, which became Zen when it reached Japan, I have put a Zen touch on
the interpretation.
 As with my other works, I am reaching for the big picture. What follows
is not meant to be a literal, scholarly interpretation of the old texts. It does
not even faithfully follow traditional interpretations to the “T”. What
follows are my current thoughts, applied to our modern society, that arose
while re-studying the old texts.
Like all great works, the words of the “Tao Te Ching” contain many
different levels of meaning that speak to you at whatever level you are
currently at. The meanings change as you change.
Part lessons for good living, part guidebook to “the way”, here is the Tao
Te Ching.
 
“God has no religion.”
-Gandhi
  

ONE

If It can be spoken of, then it is the branch not the root, the manifestation,
not the source.
Neither can It be named, for It is beyond names -
beyond understanding.
 
It existed before words, before names,
before existence as we know it.
It is the source of existence,
the womb from which all things have come
into being.
 
Caught up in the manifestations,
you miss the source.
Looking to the source behind the manifestations,
It becomes apparent.
 
Still, the manifestations and the source are one and the same.
 
Grasping this concept is the gateway to experiencing It.
  

TWO

This world is dualistic -

we experience an up and down, a back and a forth,
a before and an after, a left and a right,
a positive and a negative, a male and a female-
yet all these things emanate from a source that is unified, whole, undivided.
 
Still, the part is an aspect of the whole;
the seemingly separate entities before you are but opposing sides of the one.
 
Each duality defines its opposite:
A thing is ugly or beautiful only in relation to something else.
A man is good only in relation to another who is less so.
Without an up, there is no down.
Without a left, there can be no right.
Even being and existence can only exist in relation to their opposites of
non-being and non-existence.
 
Yet beyond these concepts is a source that is free of duality.
Here, even existence and non-existence, being and non-being have no place
- they do not exist.
It simply is.
  

THREE

The masses place great value on the manifestations.

They value fame and fortune and power,
which creates desire and jealousy by those without it.
This leads to thievery and deception and violence.
 
Experience the source and you move beyond these needs and wants and
desires of this world.
All compulsions for thievery and deception will leave you, for you will
have found the source of happiness itself, whose bounty is endless.
 
All you will ever need is already yours.
  

FOUR

It is like a well, used but never depleted -

the cauldron of all that was, is, or ever will be.
 
It is there, just before you, yet hidden by your own sense of self.
Its handiwork is all around.
All that is has a source ... every work of art has a maker.
 
I do not know where It came from;
before existence, It was.
  

FIVE

It doesn’t take sides, It waters both weeds and flowers.

It makes the sun to shine on sinners and saints alike.
Experience It and you won’t take sides either;
they will no longer exist.
 
It is like a bellows: empty yet inexhaustible.
The more you use, the more there seems to be.
The more aware of It you become, the more accessible It is.
Try to understand It with your limited mind and It will elude you.
 
Find the silence beyond your thoughts and remain within It.
That should be your only concern.
Do that and the rest will become mere detail.
  

SIX

It is the source of all, empty as if a void, yet inexhaustible.

It gives birth to worlds and dimensions yet to be discovered.
 
It is here, now, staring you in the face.
You can find It whenever you’re ready.
  

SEVEN

It is infinite, eternal.
It was never born and can never die.
Its motivations are beyond human motivations.
It has no wants or needs or desires, It simply is.
And so It is at peace.
 
To find It, you must abandon your concept of self.
You must move beyond the egotistical, analytical mind and into the unified
mind beyond.
 
The sense of self struggles with such a concept;
it fears for its own existence.
But in losing yourself you find that you are more
than you ever imagined.
  

EIGHT

It is like water:
It gives to all things without thought of reward.
It is content in the cracks and crevices and the lowest areas that most people
fear.
Wherever it finds itself is fine.
Like the source, water is content with whatever comes, for such is its
nature.
 
The egotistical mind compares:
it prefers this to that, that to this.
Find the source and you too will be content,
regardless of where you find yourself,
or what comes your way.
  

NINE

A glutton is always hungry for more.

A drug addict can never have enough.
Chase fame and fortune and power and it will become your only concern.
Acquire great assets and you will be married to them.
 
Find the source and you have found a fountain of goodness that will always
be available.
You will neither fear losing It, running out, or having It taken from you.
  

TEN

You can’t see It with old eyes.

You can’t look for It while caught up in regrets of the past or anxiety of the
future.
You can’t view It through preconceived notions.
It is here and now, right before you, and It must be viewed as if through the
eyes of a child -
every moment new and fresh and exciting.
 
The child has no ego.
It sees what it sees, not what society tells it to see.
In order to contact the source, It must be approached this way.
Cease the continuous chattering of the mind
and you just might catch a glimpse.
 
Fear comes not from thoughts of the future,
but the desire to control it.
Experience the source even once and that will no longer be an issue, even in
the most urgent of matters.
 
Break through the mind’s conditioning and you enter a realm of
understanding that goes beyond the abilities of the intellect.
  

ELEVEN

We make a balloon out of latex, but it is the emptiness within that allows it
to function.
 
We make a pot out of clay, but it is the emptiness inside that allows us to fill
it with food.
 
We use wood and metal and brick to build a house,
but it is the emptiness inside that allows people to live within it.
 
We use thoughts to come up with ideas, but it is the space between the
thoughts from which those ideas arise.
 
All that we see and sense is only made possible by what we cannot.
  

TWELVE

The things of this world are nice.

Enjoy them.
But too many colors bland the sense of sight.
Too much noise dampens the appreciation of the ear.
Too many aromas dim the sense of smell.
Too many flavors overwhelm the tongue.
Too many riches lead to greed and disappointment.
 
Racing here and there for the next new sight or sound or smell or taste or
trophy leads only to ruin and depression.
 
Find the source.
It is all you need.
  

THIRTEEN

Succeeding and failing are equally problematic:

If you don’t get what you want, you suffer.
If you get what you don’t want, you suffer.
Even if you get exactly what you want, you suffer,
for it can be taken from you.
 
Hope and fear are also delusions of this world,
yet they determine the happiness of the self.
Move beyond the idea of self and other,
and such things have no power over you.
 
Beyond the ideas of self and other is a reality
that must be experienced to be understood.
Find It and there is no self, only It.
  

FOURTEEN

Look for It and It can’t be seen.

Listen for It and It can’t be heard.
Try to hold It and It can’t be found.
It is formless, soundless, ineffable.
It can’t be analyzed.
It defies comprehension.
 
It is neither bright nor dark, named or nameless.
It has no form, yet It is all forms.
It has no being, yet It exists.
It emanates outward, then returns to Itself.
It is subtle, yet there, beyond the comprehension
of even the wisest.
 
Try to approach, and It is not there.
Follow It and there is no end.
You can’t understand It, but you can experience It.
Experience It and eternity is yours.
  

FIFTEEN

Those who have found It are hard to describe.

They live beyond the cares of this world.
 
They are happy, joyful.
They are content, at peace.
They are calm, composed.
They are impervious, untouched.
 
They don’t seek fulfillment, so they are never disappointed.
They are happy with whatever comes.
They are at home in all circumstances.
  

SIXTEEN

To find It, unattach yourself from the incessant chattering of your mind.
When thoughts arise, allow them.
When they recede, watch them go.
You are not in control of them, but you don’t have to become them.
Unattach yourself from them, and you just may find
the silent void of eternity.
 
Everything that is, including thoughts, arise from the void, and eventually
returns.
You too will eventually return.
It is like coming home.
 
Find the void and you’ll realize your being.
Immortal, free from harm, you will be content unconditionally.
  

SEVENTEEN

People are barely aware It exists.

The earth spins and only a few ask why, or how.
Yet It doesn’t demand to be acknowledged.
It does what It does whether It is noticed or not.
 
The world is complex beyond comprehension,
yet run with unerring precision.
People take it for granted.
They think things just happen.
 
Ask why.
Ask how.
Find the magic behind the manifestation.
  

EIGHTEEN

It is in our hearts.
We innately know right from wrong.
When we stray from It, codes of right-doing must be written down and
enforced.
Then terms like goodness and morality and justice come about.
Terms like loyalty and fealty and patriotism.
This is only darkness in disguise.
It is not the real thing.
  

NINETEEN

Rid yourself of all preconceived notions of holiness,

or you will never find it.
Rid yourself of all preconceived notions of morality,
or you will never know it.
Rid yourself of all desire for fame and fortune and possessions, and you
will find real peace.
 
But those are just details.
Experience the source and all falls into place.
  

TWENTY

Find your way beyond the analytical, intellectual mind, and your worries
are gone.
Then there will be no difference between yes and no, success and failure.
No distinction between good and evil, self and other.
You will find it all as just the two sides of a single coin.
 
The ego (the self) sees only separation.
The higher mind sees only the unified source.
 
Living from the conscious mind,
we become excited - happy, sad, depressed, anxious,
hopeful, fearful.
From the unified mind, we simply watch, drifting along, unattached -
passers-by.
  

TWENTY-ONE

Deep in the source, you are safe, free.

But if It is elusive, how can It be found?
Not by the preprogrammed mind.
Even the concept of ideas must be abandoned.
It is even beyond the concepts of “is” and “isn’t”.
Don’t attempt to understand what your mind can’t conceive.
Effort is a hindrance.
 
Just know that out of nothing comes all forms.
Within all forms is the seed of nothingness.
Thus do all things come from and contain the void.
Find It there.
 
Time and space are illusions.
Before them, It was.
  

TWENTY-TWO

It is like grass in the wind, swaying without breaking.

What comes, comes. What goes, goes.
 
It is empty of preconceived notions, so It is full of potential.
It puts forth no effort, so It is never exhausted.
Attached to nothing, It owns all.
 
If you want to be reborn, let all concepts of the self die.
Only then will you be reborn within It.
  

TWENTY-THREE

A torrential storm can’t sustain its power.

A powerful rain will eventually run dry.
If nature can’t endure, how can man?
 
It created nature and It created man.
It is beyond them both.
It endures because it accepts.
It is empty of preferences, so It is content with whatever comes.
 
Rain is only rain.
Wind is only wind.
Cold is only cold.
Success is only success.
Failure is only failure.
None of it is personal - the only meaning any of it has is the meaning you
give it.
Without attachment, there is no disappointment.
  

TWENTY-FOUR

He who rushes forward is eventually imbalanced.

He who overreaches will eventually tip over.
He who attaches to the self is a slave to it.
Define yourself and you are doomed to a troubled mind.
  

TWENTY-FIVE

Before all that we see, It was; silent, serene, immeasurable, empty,

unchanging, eternal.
 
It is the unlimited source of all that is, known and unknown.
It has no name - It is unnamable.
Refer to It in any way you wish.
 
It is enduring, neverending.
The universe is enduring because it is led by the source.
See It and you will know this for yourself.
  

TWENTY-SIX

Attached to the self, all you can experience is duality.

Free from the self, unity comes into view.
 
It can work all day and never tire.
It can inhabit the most splendid of places, without attachment to the view.
 
Why should even the richest and most powerful among us seek out the
source?
Without the source, even they will be blown to and fro by the winds of
drama.
  

TWENTY-SEVEN

It creates without planning.

It works without error.
It performs without attachment to outcome.
It creates unceasingly, yet can’t be seen.
It is available to all - It leaves no one out.
It is obvious, yet undetectable to the senses.
 
There is no good or bad, better or worse.
If you don’t understand this, you are still troubled,
no matter your level of success.
Are you listening?
  

TWENTY-EIGHT

Choose up or down and you miss the boat.

Choose left or right and you are deluded.
Choose male or female and you are lost.
Surpass the idea of division and you become like a child - immortality
opens up before you.
 
Know the world but keep to the void.
Become like an uncarved block of wood -
free of preconceived notions about what you should be, your true nature can
be revealed.
  

TWENTY-NINE

Want to bend the world to your own liking?

It can’t be done.
It is precisely as it is meant to be.
Attach yourself to a preference and you are asking for trouble.
 
Sometimes life moves forwards, sometimes it moves back.
Sometimes it moves too fast, other times it doesn’t move at all.
Sometimes things go as you wish, other times not at all.
 
Find the source and you see things as they are, not as you wish them to be.
Suffering is not a product of this world, but of your attempts to control it.
  

THIRTY

It doesn’t attempt to bend humankind to its liking -

It allows us free will.
Find It and you will follow suit -
content in yourself, you will find no cause to change another.
Content with your work, the opinions of others cease to matter.
 
Relying on the source, all goes well.
Relying on the self, chaos and misery ensue.
  

THIRTY-ONE

Weapons are the tools of destruction.

Find the source and you will need them no more.
 
Without the source, people are alone and afraid.
They act out of fear and spread their own suffering to others.
Find the way and all fear fades into nothing.
The only thing left to spread is love
 
Without the source, we all seem separate.
Find the source and separation vanishes.
  

THIRTY-TWO

It can’t be perceived with the five senses.

Smaller than an atom, It contains worlds and dimensions unending.
 
If all the world found It, separation would vanquish.
There would be no more need for laws or rules.
 
Live instead from the ego, and you see nothing but separation, loneliness,
and danger.
Find the source and be free of the chaos.
 
Separation is but an illusion, though a persistent one.
See through the illusion and truth emerges.
Just as all the separate streams flow into the ocean,
so too do all life’s individual parts return eventually to the whole.
  

THIRTY-THREE

Learning gives you intelligence.

Finding the source gives you knowledge.
Conquering another is a sign of strength.
Conquering the self breaks even the strongest chains.
 
Reach the source and you’ll find that you already have enough.
Destroy the self and you’ve found immortality.
  

THIRTY-FOUR

It is everywhere, at all times.

Split a piece of wood, and It is there.
Move a stone, and there you will find It.
 
It births all things, yet claims no ownership.
It runs infinite worlds, yet seeks no approval.
All that is depends on It, and not one is denied.
 
Because It is empty, It is infinite.
Because It has no preference, It is at peace.
Because It is attached to nothing, It is free.
  

THIRTY-FIVE

Find It, and the world is yours.

You will suffer no more - not in any situation.
Wherever you are, you will be safe, content,
Regardless of the storm that may be raging around you.
 
The world is drawn to excitement.
My way seems to them bland and without taste.
 
When described, It seems unenticing.
Found, It is a treasure beyond words.
  

THIRTY-SIX

What was once expansive, eventually shrinks.

What was once strong, eventually becomes frail.
What was once embraced, eventually becomes unwanted.
What we once had, will eventually be lost.
It is simply the way this world works.
Change is the only thing that is permanent.
 
What is hard and unyielding will snap.
What is flexible endures.
In order to find It, you must empty your mind of preconceived notions, and
allow It to be as It is.
  

THIRTY-SEVEN

It never puts forth any effort, yet nothing is left undone.

Find It and life transforms itself.
 
Free from desire, It appears, and all things fall into place.
  

THIRTY-EIGHT

Its truth is ingrained in our hearts -

true goodness and morality.
 
Without It, “goodness” must be defined, and monitored.
Words like “philanthropy” and “morality” and “justice” arise.
As does “righteousness”.
 
But these are empty shells of the real thing -
hollowed out, artificial husks.
Goodness it is not - more like etiquette and ritual.
Motives and agendas emerge.
 
Settle not for the surface, but be appeased only by the source.
Whichever your focus is, that is what you will find.
  

THIRTY-NINE

Find It, and all is right with the world.

Cling to the self, and chaos ensues.
 
Understand the whole, and compassion for the parts arise.
Humility is a given.
  

FORTY

It is the root of existence - subtle, unseen.

 
The world is full but emerges from emptiness.
It seems solid but is not.
  

FORTY-ONE

When you are ready, the path will infatuate you.

When you are almost ready, it will interest you.
Before you are ready, it seems absurd.
 
This is why the age-old adage:
The way to the light initially appears dark.
The path forward initially seems to be going back.
The direct path initially looks crooked.
True power initially seems weak.
True purity initially seems stained.
The greatest reward initially seems bland.
 
Treasure beyond your imagination, It is nowhere to be found, yet there is
nowhere It is not.
  

FORTY-TWO

It gave birth to the one.

The one gave birth to the two - the positive and the negative, the male and
the female, the proton and the electron, the yang and the yin.
 
All that is contains both, to differing degrees.
The universe itself contains both, in equal proportions.
Through the shifting balance of the two is life carried on - unerringly,
precisely, according to Its will.
 
The masses don’t like to feel out of control.
Find It and you’ll never want control again.
It is in control. All is well.
 
I repeat what others have said before:
“Try to control and all is chaos.
Give it up and life is yours.”
This the essence of my teaching as well.
  

FORTY-THREE

Water, though soft, wears down even the hardest of things - even stone and
metal.
What has no substance fills the spaces between that which does.
The source is ineffable, yet only because of It is life possible.
 
By this, we see the benefit of letting go.
Then you too will be soft, yet powerful; insubstantial, yet immortal -
etching your way into the heart of eternity.
  

FORTY-FOUR

What means more to you, wealth or contentment?

What do you value more, fame or happiness?
Which would cost more if it were taken from you?
 
The more you hoard, the more you’ll want.
The more you want, the more you’ll suffer.
Find It and you’ll be content as you are - you’ll have no more need for
desire.
Only then will the world be yours.
  

FORTY-FIVE

It is without form, yet the substance of all forms.

It is empty, yet inexhaustible.
 
On the surface, It seems bland and weak and simple.
Find It and you have fulfillment - you’ll never want for anything more.
  

FORTY-SIX

When the masses follow the way, the factories are filled with the necessities
of life - food and clothing and the instruments of housing.
All is shared, none goes without.
When the masses lose the way, the factories are filled with instruments of
battle.
 
There is no greater illusion than separation, the idea
of me versus you.
It leads to isolation and fear.
Separate, we fear not to own - we fear not having enough.
Owning is a calamity waiting to happen.
Wanting is a curse.
 
There is no self and other, no me or you - there is no enemy.
It is only us, and we all have enough.
Find It and you will know.
  

FORTY-SEVEN

Without looking out of your window, you can know the truth.
Without opening the door, you can find the way.
Without taking a single step, eternity can open up before you.
 
The eternal is beyond the egotistical, analytical, intellectual mind - try to
understand It and It will elude you.
Seek It outside of yourself and It will never come into view.
 
To find It, you must look without seeing,
know without understanding.
The masses try to find It “out there”, with the next teacher or sermon or
holy pilgrimage.
Missed, there is always another place to look.
Yet outside of you It is not - It resides at the center of your being.
  

FORTY-EIGHT

With the intellectual mind, more is learned daily.

The intuitive mind is clear, It accepts things as they are.
Once found, It will guide you to rightness.
There will be no need to force your desires onto a single thing.
 
If you see anything in error, you have left its center.
  

FORTY-NINE

Once found, there is “no-mind” - no good or bad,

no right or wrong.
 
You find the good are good, and so are the bad -
this is true goodness.
If you see other than this, It has not been found.
 
You will trust the trustworthy, as well as those that are not - this is true trust.
If you don’t feel this way, you are not yet there.
 
Freed of the illusion of self, all beings are family.
  

FIFTY

The majority fear death - they have attached to the self.

Only those that have found the source do not.
They have died their death, and go on living.
 
Free of ideas and agendas and plans, they walk through life unattached.
Fearless of danger, they truly live.
 
The self we so fear losing has already died within them, so there is no death
left to die.
  

FIFTY-ONE

All that is is an expression of It.

It creates us all in cycles.
Like the day, we have a birth, a morning,
an afternoon, an evening and then the death of night.
Yet the sun rises again the following day.
Another birth. Another existence.
 
Like the seasons, we experience the birth of spring, the summer of
adulthood, the decline of fall, and the death of winter.
But comes again another spring.
 
Cycle upon cycle occur naturally, ceaselessly,
in all areas of life, including our own.
It is not forced or commanded in any way.
With no action or movement, all occurs spontaneously, correctly, by its own
accord.
 
Find It, and It will live in you.
Then life will play out naturally for you as well, without action or effort.
You will have joined the way - Its nature will have become your own, Its
course your course.
Not another thing will need to be forced or coerced.
All will happen as it should.
The way Itself is the reward.
There is none greater.
  

FIFTY-TWO

Before the beginning, It was - the mother/father of all.

Study the child and you may understand the parent.
Understand the parent, and never know harm again.
 
Judge, and you will never know peace.
Judge not, and you will never know strife.
To judge is to recognize division.
With division, there can only be angst.
Without it, angst cannot exist.
 
Subtle beyond the senses, It seems the weakest thing in the world, yet find
It and you enter eternity.
  

FIFTY-THREE

The way is easy.

It is our nature - balanced, unified.
But it is the human condition to forget it,
and instead to choose sides, and therefore conflict -
democrat versus republican; liberal versus conservative; religious versus
spiritual; rich versus poor; us versus them.
Beware when such divisions arise within you -
a sure sign that you have lost the path.
 
The world is imbalanced - some have plenty
while others have none.
Those that have too much still want more -
they will never have enough.
Personal and corporate profits are sought over the well-being of all.
This is not the way.
  

FIFTY-FOUR

Set your roots in It, and never be shaken again.

Hold It tightly, and be safe from any storm.
Choose It as your center, and realize immortality.
 
Rooted in the way, your life becomes genuine.
It acts through you - all falls into place.
Whatever comes, comes.
Whatever goes, goes.
What comes is you, what goes is you.
Where is the room for suffering?
 
How do I know this?
I have observed it.
I have lived it.
 
  

FIFTY-FIVE

It is completely relaxed, like an infant, living in the moment.

It has no regrets of the past or fear of the future.
Yielding completely, It can’t be broken - It resists nothing.
No muscle to be seen, but Its power!
It can storm all day, and never grow tired!
Having no self, what is there to be harmed?
No tooth can bite It.
No sting can pierce It.
No insect can infest It.
Without gender, It gives birth to worlds and life forms unending.
Without effort, nothing is left undone.
 
Try to force life to your liking and get nothing but angst and frustration for
your troubles.
You will grow stiff, age early and despise the ride.
Find It instead, let go of the self, and find endless ease.
It is the only way.
Seek happiness elsewhere, and It will elude you.
  

FIFTY-SIX

He who has found It can’t describe it.

He who can describe It hasn’t found It.
Beyond description and understanding, It just is.
 
Beyond the ego of self, at the center, It is - beyond the five senses.
Look for It there, within.
Close your mouth.
Close your eyes and your ears.
Seek It in silence.
 
In that silence, find freedom from love and hate,
success and failure, praise and blame.
From the silent space between the thoughts, It emerges and goes on forever.
  

FIFTY-SEVEN

The world of man is governed by rules and laws and restrictions, categories
and commands.
This benefits only those in charge, along with their friends.
The more laws and categories we create, the fewer see benefit - all is given
to some, and none to most.
Poverty and thievery increase.
 
The universe doesn’t work this way.
It has boundaries that apply to us all.
Defy the boundary and suffer.
Keep within them and be safe from harm.
The rules are simple, never excessive, and they apply to us all - rich or poor
makes no difference.
The religious and the atheist or agnostic are treated alike.
 
Want to end poverty?
Level the field.
Want to end thievery?
Quit using laws to benefit a single group.
 
If you want to lead, follow Its example.
It is the only way to peace on earth.
  

FIFTY-EIGHT

The fewer rules imposed, the happier the people are.

The more laws that are added, the more uncertainty there is.
The more power the government grasps, the more fear exists.
 
Force people to be happy and good, and only misery can be expected.
Force the masses into morality, and natural goodness is lost.
 
If you wish to lead, do so by example, never by force.
Follow Its innate goodness yourself.
The masses will take note and follow.
  

FIFTY-NINE

In the beginning, there was one.

Out of the one came two.
 
Only in moderation is the unity approached.
With extremism, division is expanded.
Find the unity and experience harmony.
Thrive on division and be unsettled.
 
Moderate areas flourish with life,
while extreme environments are all but barren.
Plants grow well in temperate climates,
not so well in deserts and snow-capped regions.
 
Extreme conservatism leaves liberals uneasy.
Extreme liberalism leaves conservatives in fear.
Choose one side or the other, and you’re half-blind.
When one side rules, the rest are unhappy.
 
It created both sides, not just your favorite.
To find It, choose moderation.
Let go of judgment, and It is there.
 
In moderation, find peace.
In partisan, find only unrest.
  

SIXTY

When It governs, most don’t even notice.

When man governs, we know we are bound.
 
Cooking a small fish takes a light touch -
too much meddling destroys the meal.
And so it is with ruling, and relationships as well.
 
Let It guide you, and all will improve.
Without imposing your will, all are accepted as they appear, and are
infinitely happier for it.
 
Evil’s only power is in our resistance against it -
in resistance, we anchor ourselves to the danger.
Resist not, set no anchor, and it passes right through.
  

SIXTY-ONE

It is like a great sea- all individual streams eventually empty into It.
A great person or a great nation is also like the sea -
all is naturally drawn towards it.
As greatness increases, the need for humility becomes greater.
It is a dangerous time - it is easy to become drunk with power.
Self-worth increases and so defenses arise and rules are increasingly
imposed.
Without humility, downfall is imminent.
 
To endure, humility must not be abandoned, no matter the lure.
The yielding always overcomes the brittle and unyielding.
Let people be as they are, define them not.
Accept your duty and do not attempt to grasp for more.
In doing so, all achieve what they need, and are content.
  

SIXTY-TWO

Existence is sacred, an entity unto Itself.

We but barely understand Its significance.
For those that have found It, It has become the way - a guiding force.
For those that have not, It serves them still, though they are unaware.
They are not to be punished or forced, only offered the way.
 
In this world, praise and value can be achieved
with good deeds and fine words.
Real goodness and real value are beyond this world’s concepts.
They come naturally from the source, whose motives are beyond this
world’s understanding.
 
The fineries of this world are shallow - easily obtained and easily lost.
With the way, there is no good or bad, no failure or success.
It values us all, regardless of position or achievement.
There is nothing higher to be obtained.
What wealthier person is there to be found than the one who is free?
  

SIXTY-THREE

Find It and answers will come to you without stress or strain -

understanding will appear out of nowhere.
 
The divisions between easy and hard will melt.
Living in the present, you do only what is before you, and then whatever
comes next, as it comes.
 
Even great deeds are accomplished a single step at a time.
 
Try to do too much at once, and you get ahead of yourself.
 
See the task before you as difficult, and you’ve gotten in your own way.
 
How do you eat an entire elephant?
One bite at a time.
  

SIXTY-FOUR

What is already balanced is easy to maintain.

A problem that is small is easy to correct.
Try to juggle too many balls at once, and they all fall to the floor.
A mind unrooted in the way is easy to unsettle.
 
Address problems before they arise.
Let all things develop naturally, as the solutions arise.
Give full attention to what is before you, and the step after will fall into
place.
Try to force results, or skip ahead, and chaos ensues.
 
The largest tree in existence grew at its own pace from a single seed.
The journey of a thousand miles is accomplished with individual steps.
 
Let the task before you unravel naturally.
One problem, one step at a time, the results will come of their own accord.
Live in the present, and there are no difficulties.
  

SIXTY-FIVE

Think you already know the answers and there is no more to learn.
Think you already know the way and the only path you’ll see is your own.
 
Empty your mind if you want it to be filled.
Rid yourselves of preconceived notions if you want to understand.
 
Empty, you will receive.
Filled, there is no room.
  

SIXTY-SIX

The successful place themselves on a pedestal and the masses resent them.
Though the creator of all, It puts itself above no one, yet all are drawn
towards It -
It guides but we don’t feel manipulated.
It leads but we don’t feel inadequate.
In leading others, humility is of the utmost importance.
 
With the greatest leaders, the people feel they have led themselves.
Because a good leader contends with no one, all accept their guidance.
 
To serve others correctly, let It through and keep your ego in check.
It is the message that counts, not the messenger.
  

SIXTY-SEVEN

To the average person, my teachings seem frivolous.

Others see them as lofty but impractical.
But to the few who look within and find It, what I say makes perfect sense.
 
In the end, my teachings are easy:
First, live simply.
Set not your sights on hoarding earthly treasures, but on what is within.
Earthly treasures are temporary - they can be taken from you, or age into
dust.
What is within you cannot - It can’t be taken from you, nor can It age.
 
Second, remain humble.
You are no greater or lesser than anything else in creation.
See It for yourself and you will know this for sure.
All are equal, all are you - not your ego, something more.
 
Lastly, show compassion for all that is - friends and enemies alike.
Love and there is nothing you will contend with,
and nothing that can contend with you.
  

SIXTY-EIGHT

It creates worlds unending, yet competes with no one - it works for its own
satisfaction and is content with that.
Find It, and you will do the same.
 
Though you play sports, or run a business, or lead a nation, you will have
no competition but yourself.
  

SIXTY-NINE

In all areas of life, conflict will arise - it is the nature of this world.
Do not seek it, but when it arises, you must accept it.
Be neither joyful or afraid, for there is no win or lose - not with the source.
But remember this:
It is better to be intelligent than aggressive.
Better to yield than to force.
 
Whether in sports or business or family strife,
strike first, and you open yourself to counters.
Strike hard and you wear down early.
Remain passive and study, yield and return,
and you will come out ahead.
 
Remember compassion at all times though-
there are no enemies.
There is no competition.
  

SEVENTY

My way is exceedingly simple, easy; even easy to practice.

Try to understand it though, and it will elude you.
 
To grasp what I teach, you must go beyond thoughts
and ideas and concepts, for It existed before all these things - It is the
source of these things.
Try to use them in your quest to find the source and you will fail.
 
Wordless, imageless, without concept, how can one find It?
Find the space between the ego’s thoughts, the fertile soil that existed
before all ideas and concepts, and there It is, smiling, waiting.
  

SEVENTY-ONE

The wisest realize how little they know.

The most ignorant think themselves the wisest.
 
To cure an affliction, it must first be recognized.
The second step is to become tired of being sick.
 
The wisest among us were like the rest, but recognized their own illness -
they became sick of suffering and so cured their own affliction.
  

SEVENTY-TWO

Without the way, the people lose their inner compass.

They grow to rely on authority to tell them right from wrong.
Such guidance is a cheap imitation of what is genuine.
 
It guides without force - the people hardly know It exists.
When men and women lead, the people feel their weight and become weary.
 
It moves the universe but does not boast.
Men and women do a single thing, and crow like a rooster.
They put themselves above others, and the people feel the favoritism.
Such rulers don’t last long, unless by military means.
But even the greatest military will be overthrown
once the people reach their limit.
 
To become great, follow the way.
Favor neither yourself nor others.
Force not, simply point them to the path.
This is real leadership, and it endures.
  

SEVENTY-THREE

Want to see It smile? Tell It what you will do today.

Want to live a life of ease? Accept what comes.
Even the wisest among us don’t understand Its motives - they simply accept
the flow.
 
It is always content, always at ease - there is no struggle.
It competes with nothing, yet easily overcomes all.
It performs without attachment, accomplishes without effort.
It does not boast but certainly has the right to.
It does not force, yet all things are taken care of.
It seems not to be present, yet produces unending results.
 
Its web is wider than eternity, yet nothing escapes Its attention.
  

SEVENTY-FOUR

Find the way and you will fear nothing, even death.
The masses fear death, and rulers use this fear to force their will.
Even for those that do fear death, who should be the executioner?
Life is the executioner, not us.
 
Trying to take Its place is out of the natural order.
Life is sacred, and there is only One who is fit to take it.
Only It knows who’s turn it is to go, and when.
  

SEVENTY-FIVE

With too many taxes, the people starve.

With too much meddling, people are difficult to govern - they rebel.
 
Take life too seriously, and death becomes a release.
Those who enjoy life are happier than those who try to run it.
  

SEVENTY-SIX

At birth, we are soft and pliable.

By the end, most of us have become stiff and brittle.
In life, grass is soft and pliable.
In death, it is withered and dry.
 
The way of life is soft and yielding.
The way of death is hard and inflexible.
 
What is yielding and accepting endures.
What is hard and stiff easily breaks.
  

SEVENTY-SEVEN

It abhors an imbalance.
Are not our seasons balanced between winter and summer, spring and fall?
Are not the hours of the day balanced between night and day, morning and
afternoon?
Is not the atmosphere in a state of balance?
Are not the seas?
Are not the planets as they travel around the sun?
 
The treasures of the worldly are distributed differently:
they are taken from those who have too little,
and given to those who have too much.
 
Only those that have found the way are truly wealthy, yet they don’t display
their worth.
Only their bounty is unending, yet they share freely with all.
No matter how much is shared, there is never a shortage.
There is more than enough.
  

SEVENTY-EIGHT

Nothing is softer than water, yet over time it carves the earth and dissolves
stone and metal.
Water can’t be harmed - try to shoot it or stab it and you will see.
Boil it and it only changes form.
Though seemingly weak and unassuming, its power is without measure.
 
We see this but never learn.
Thus are the masses in favor of strong and powerful actions, yet yielding
and accepting overcome in the end.
 
What at first glance seems impressive is often the weaker path after all.
  

SEVENTY-NINE

When enemies come to terms, bitterness still remains - what’s the good in
that?
 
You cannot control another, only yourself.
Therefore do what is right for your own sake, and forgive the other’s debt.
To quibble is to be unsettled.
To be a stickler is not the way.
Settle your own obligations, but demand it not from another.
 
It forgives your errors (and there are many), can you not do the same.
Want to live in its grace? This is the way.
  

EIGHTY

When a land becomes overbearing, the people become confused, unsettled.

They look far and wide for a better place, never at peace with where they
are.
 
But when people are allowed freedom, they are happy and content.
They take pleasure in their work, and in their relationships.
They don’t look for ways to skirt their duties.
They don’t wish for other lands.
 
For them happiness is not elsewhere - it has already been found.
  

EIGHTY-ONE

The truth is not always what you want to hear.

What you want to hear isn’t always the truth.
 
Whoever has found It is secure in themselves -they find no occasion to
quibble.
Those who are full of facts enjoy the debate.
 
Attached to nothing, It fills you up.
The more you do for another, the more It enters.
The more you give It away, the wealthier you become.
 
Its way is to be a benefit to all and a harm to none -
to work for all, contend with none.
  

CONSIDER READING NEXT

• “Jesus Christ, Zen Master” by Matthew S. Barnes.

 
Matthew’s “Zennish Series” books can be read in any order, but Matthew
meant for them to be read in the following order:
• Tao Te Ching 101
• Albert Einstein, Zen Master
• Tao Te Ching 201
• Jesus Christ, Zen Master
 
The Egyptian Enlightenment Series:
• The Emerald Tablet 101
• The Hermetica 101
• The Kybalion 101
 
Matthew is now working on a few Hindu works:
• The Bhagavad Gita 101
 
Or consider one of MS Barnes’ novels:
• Folie¿
• Meet Frank King
 
*Be warned that Matthew’s novels are not the same as his spiritual works,
though they do dive heavily into the power of the mind.
  

REFERENCES

The following are the sources I used for this interpretation. These are my
favorite overall translations:
 
• “Tao Te Ching” by Stephen Mitchell.
• “The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu” by Brian Browne Walker.
• “The Way of Life According to Lao Tzu” by Witter Bynner.
• Taoistic.com
  

LETTER FROM THE AUTHOR

Dear Reader,
 
Thank you for reading my book! You’ve made my day!
I would very much like to know what you thought of my book and why.
If you have the time, please leave me a review on Amazon letting me know
your thoughts. Remember that the number of reviews a book gets and the
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please be kind.
If you have any questions or comments feel free to email me at
Dr.MatthewBarnes12@gmail.com. I promise I will try to respond.
Thank you for spending time with me!
 
Matthew Barnes
  

AUTHOR BIO

Matthew Barnes is an avid learner who spent his early years in North
Carolina. During college, he experienced a stint with depression which lead
him to the works of the Eastern philosophers. He started writing simplified
versions of the books he was inspired by in hopes of making the
philosophies more accessible to Western minds.
 
To check the progress on his other works, go to: