#39 Rediscover Your Individuality Through the Inner Journey
Tao Te Ching, Chapter 39: Connect with your authenticity and appreciate intrinsic differences and uniqueness in things.
Welcome back to The Wisdom of Lao Tzu.
This week, we are delving into Chapter 39 of the Tao Te Ching.
Lao Tzu teaches us that the myriad things in the world take on their unique forms because they are connected to the silent workings of the Tao.
So, during life's transitions and crucial moments, this chapter reminds us to prioritize the fundamental essence of our individuality and authenticity.
Let’s dive into it.
**39**
昔之得一者:
天得一以清;
地得一以寧;
神得一以靈;
谷得一以盈,萬物得一以生;
侯王得一以爲天下正。
其致之也,謂天無以清,將恐裂;
地無以寧,將恐廢;
神無以靈,將恐歇;
谷無以盈,將恐竭;
萬物無以生,將恐滅;
侯王無以正,將恐蹶。
故貴以賤為本,高以下為基。
是以侯王自稱孤、寡、不穀。
此非以賤為本邪?非乎?
故至譽無譽。
是故不欲琭琭如玉,珞珞如石。
Border-crossing: English translations
#1 Lin Yutang’s version
There were those in ancient times possessed of the One:
Through possession of the One, the Heaven was clarified,
Through possession of the One, the Earth was stabilized,
Through possession of the One, the gods were spiritualized,
Through possession of the One, the valleys were made full,
Through possession of the One, all things lived and grew,
Through possession of the One, the princes and dukes became the ennobled of the people.
— That was how each became so.
Without clarity, the Heavens would shake,
Without stability, the Earth would quake,
Without spiritual power, the gods would crumble,
Without being filled, the valleys would crack,
Without the life-giving power, all things would perish,
Without the ennobling power, the princes and dukes would stumble.
Therefore the nobility depend upon the common man for support,
And the exalted ones depend upon the lowly for their base.
That is why the princes and dukes call themselves “the orphaned,” “the lonely one,” “the unworthy.”
Is it not true then that they depend upon the common man for support?
Truly, take down the parts of a chariot,
And there is no chariot (left).
Rather than jingle like the jade,
Rumble like the rocks.
#2 Edmund Ryden’s version
Those of old who grasped the unique are the following:
Heaven grasped the unique and became clear;
Earth grasped the unique and became still;
Spirits grasped the unique and became ghostly;
Gullies grasped the unique and became full;
The myriad things grasped the unique and became alive;
Counts and kings grasped the unique and became the norm for the world.
The sequel of this is:
It is said: had heaven not been clear, then, I fear, it would have split;
It is said: had earth not been still, then, I fear, it would have crumbled;
It is said: had spirits not been clear, then, I fear, they would
have ossified;
It is said: had gullies not been full, then, I fear, they would have
run dry;
It is said: had the myriad things not become alive, then, I fear,
they would have perished;]
It is said: had counts and kings not esteemed rank, then, I fear,
they would have fallen.
Therefore,
Nobility is rooted in humility; high rank is founded in lowliness;
For this reason,
Counts and kings call themselves Orphan, Widower, Lack-Grain.
Is this not to be rooted in humility? Is it not?
Therefore,
They consider their army of chariots as having no chariot.
Wherefore,
Seek not to jingle-jingle like jade pendants, Rather rumble-rumble like huge boulders.1
#3 D. C. Lau’s version
Of old, these came to be in possession of the One:
Heaven in virtue of the One is limpid;
Earth in virtue of the One is settled;
Gods in virtue of the One have their potencies;
The valley in virtue of the One is full;
The myriad creatures in virtue of the One are alive;
Lords and princes in virtue of the One become leaders in the empire.
It is the One that makes these what they are.
Without what makes it limpid heaven might split;
Without what makes it settled earth might sink;
Without what gives them their potencies gods might spend themselves;
Without what makes it full the valley might run dry;
Without what keeps them alive the myriad creatures might perish;
Without what makes them leaders lords and princes might fall.
Hence the superior must have the inferior as root; the high must have the low as base.
Thus lords and princes refer to themselves as ‘solitary’, ‘desolate’, and ‘hapless’. This is taking the inferior as root, is it not?
Hence the highest renown is without renown,
Not wishing to be one among many like jade
Nor to be aloof like stone.2
Deeper dive
“The One” or the “unique,” as mentioned in the English versions, refers to Tao. With this understanding, Lao Tzu elaborates on the point that Tao is the foundation of all the myriad things in the universe.
As Chapter 25 describes the essence of Tao,
There was something nebulous:
Silent, isolated,
Standing alone, changing not,
Eternally revolving without fail,
Worthy to be the Mother of All Things.
I do not know its name
And address it as Tao.
In other words, the myriad things in the world manifest themselves in diverse ways because of their access to the Tao.
When humankind can learn and grasp how the natural world works and, therefore, use agency and creativity to build civilization and explore the unknown, it can be said that this is the process of following the Tao.
Man models himself on earth,
Earth on heaven,
Heaven on the way,
And the way on that which is naturally so. (Chapter 25)
This is to realize that there exists an innate drive in the myriad things in the universe to self-generate and self-transform. And this is natural.
The Tao projects a liberating spirit over the world because it does not contend for control and domination.3
… it gives them life yet claims no possession;
It benefits them yet exacts no gratitude;
It is the steward yet exercises no authority.
Such is called the mysterious virtue. (Chapter 51)
When they happen to assume the positions of dukes and princes, the spiritually awakened individuals appreciate the silent workings of Tao and, consequently, model after the Tao to keep a lowly position.
As they embrace humility and the non-contending philosophy, their spirit is close to the essence of the Tao, which is the foundation of achieving great things.
Spiritual Taoism
For spiritually awakened individuals, what can we learn from the liberating, independent, and tolerating spirit of the Tao?
When we embody the non-contending principle, we respond to life’s uncertainties and changes with a transcendent attitude because everything in life can get out of control. As everything is in constant flux, what use is contending for something that is not explicitly and permanently fixed?
When we let go of the desire to control and contend, we are choosing the way of water. In Lao Tzu’s thinking, the symbol of water represents resilience, adaptability, kindness, and the strategic choice of lying low.
Highest good is like water.
Because water excels in benefiting the myriad creatures without contending with them and settles where none would like to be, it comes close to the way. (Chapter 8)
Nevertheless, not contending does not indicate weakness.
The softest substance of the world
Goes through the hardest. (Chapter 43)
There is nothing weaker than water
But none is superior to it in overcoming the hard,
For which there is no substitute. (Chapter 78)
Similarly, Lao Tzu suggests embodying the simplicity, authenticity, and essence of things represented by rocks rather than becoming ensnared in the allure of artificiality, like jade, as desired by many.
![a rock in a mountain a rock in a mountain](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1d4da368-7a50-4af1-8111-2d3e8aa169e5.heic)
When we follow the Tao, we also practice the art of wu-wei, which is not to be driven by arbitrary, interventionist, and impulsive actions. We begin to believe that everything will unfold naturally without us trying to dictate and control the outcomes.
We adopt a liberating and tolerant attitude toward others because the natural order of things is defined and elevated by intrinsic differences, individuality, and pluralism.
More importantly, since we understand that every person can access Tao when that cosmic alarm hits them, we trust that we are all essential for finding and building a natural order within ourselves and the outside world.
Thank you for reading!
Until next time,
Yuxuan
Daodejing, trans. Edmund Ryden. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008), 83.
Tao Te Ching, trans. D. C. Lau. (London: Penguin Classics, 1963), 46.
From the Taoist perspective, when a spiritually awakened and liberated individual can understand the spirit of Tao, he or she restores spontaneous freedom and inner autonomy. Nothing in the human world can subdue their spirit and personal will, as they simply follow the Tao. They also evaluate the prevailing opinions, values, ideas, and ways of doing things in the world from the perspective of the liberating Tao.
Chen Guying highlights that the character of Tao represents the humanist spirit of Taoism, which is in clear contrast with the conception of a creator God with absolute power in Western religions. See Chen Guying, “Dao: A Spiritual Home,” in The Humanist Spirit of Daoism, ed. David Jones and Sarah Flavel (Leiden: Brill, 2018), 128.