Chapter Twelve

12 Colors blind the eye,
Sounds deafen the ear.
Flavors numb the taste.
Thoughts weaken the mind.
Desires wither the heart.

Chapter Eleven

11 We join spokes together in a wheel,
but it is the center hole
that makes the wagon move.

December Gathering

The Taoway Taoists met 12-9-06. We were four at Eden Alley .. books of translations were piled in the center of the table .. a bibliography will gather all titles on one page and be available in 2007 on the blog .. Chapter 10 was read and discussed .. "We truly love talking the Tao. For a moment, we could see with way-up-high eyes -- Earth .. U.S. .. MO .. KC .. Plaza Unity .. Eden Alley .. Golden light at table #16 .. and, we realized we were looking at, us!" anon.

Can you step back from your own mind and thus understand all things? Tao 10

We stepped back and understood .. for a moment, yes.

Chapter 10

10 Can you coax your mind from its wandering
and keep to the original oneness?
Can you let your body become
supple as a newborn child’s?
Can you cleanse your inner vision
until you see nothing but the light?
Can you love people and lead them
without imposing your will?
Can you deal with the most vital matters
by letting events take their course?
Can you step back from your own mind
and thus understand all things?

Chapter Nine

9 Fill your bowl to the brim
and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your knife
and it will blunt.
Chase after money and security
and your heart will never unclench.
Care about people’s approval
and you will be their prisoner.

Chapter Eight

8 The supreme good is like water,
which nourishes all things without trying to
It is content with the low places that people disdain/
Thus it is like the Tao

Chapter Seven

7 The Tao is infinite, eternal.
Why is it eternal?
It was never born;
thus it can never die.Why is it infinite?
It has no desires for itself;
thus it is present for all beings.

Chapter Six

6 The Tao is called the Great Mother:
empty yet inexhaustible,
it gives birth to infinite worlds.

It is always present within you.
You can use it any way you want.


translated by Stephen Mitchell; HarperPerennial, 1988

Chapter Five

5 The Tao doesn't take sides;
it gives birth to both good and evil.
The Master doesn't take sides;
she welcomes both saints and sinners.

Our First F2F Meeting

What a glorious time we had on Saturday at noon! Thanks for bringing your various translations. You know what I want to do, don't you? Yes you do . . . I want to make a bibliography for the blog: Tao Blog's Bib ! So, next time we meet, please bring the books! We missed the folks who weren’t with us around the table at noon but we're so glad you are a part of our Tao Way. Now, get ready gang, Chapter 5 is coming soon.

Chapter Four

4 The Tao is like a well:
used but never used up.
It is like the eternal void:
filled with infinite possibilities.

. . .

Chapter Three

If you overesteem great men,
people become powerless.
If you overvalue possessions,
people begin to steal.

Chapter Two

When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad.

Tao Baby

Chapter One is all about naming and manifestation. "Naming is the origin of all particular things." Seeing this photo of baby just hours old, naming becomes holy. I introduce Atticus to our Tao study group. He has come from "the darkness. The gateway to all understanding."

Chapter One

The tao that can be told
is not the eternal Tao.

Copyright Permission Pending

Folks ... We're waiting for copyright permission from the publisher of Stephen Mitchell's version, Tao Te Ching. With that pending, I think we can proceed with posting the chapters. I'll cut text from the chapters discussed as I add a new entry. That way we are not reproducing the book online. We agree that our blog is for educational purposes only and not for profit. How about posting a chapter a week, say on Fridays? Beginning today, July 21, 2006. I'll post the chapters and all of us can comment. How does this sound to everyone?

Getting the Word Out

How are we going to let more KC folks know about the Tao Study Group blog?

First Post

Folks . . . This is the bare bone template for Tao Way. And, our address is:
http://taoway.blogspot.com

The software is Blogger. It is free, connected with Google and used by many. All Blogger blogs have "blogspot.com" as part of their address. You can read more about it at:
blogger.com

How about everyone try to write a comment to this post? I don't think this is as easy as it sounds. Send me questions: lissalord@myway.com

You will choose a user name and password. Your password is the name that others will see attached to your comments. I am Reflibrarian which is the name I chose for a blog at work. The name sticks! So, select one you like and will not forget.

Question 1: Should we use one specific translation of the Tao (ie: Stephen Mitchell) or use several? I have 5 or 6 different versions and I know you have ones I don't have.

Question 2: Shall we start with one chapter per week?

Invite interested folks to join in. This is going to be a wonderful experience!