Tao Te Ching: Chapter 64
The journey of a thousand miles starts from beneath your feet
The journey of a thousand miles starts from beneath your feet
I joined a small group online today where we discussed a particular chapter of the Tao Te Ching, the ancient Chinese text, and the foundation of Taoism.
Most people have probably heard a verse part of this chapter before, as it’s become a common phrase even in English. But I’d like to look at it in the context of the entire chapter. I’ve bolded the well-known verse.
Chapter 64 (Stephen Mitchell translation)
What is rooted is easy to nourish.
What is recent is easy to correct.
What is brittle is easy to break.
What is small is easy to scatter.
Prevent trouble before it arises.
Put things in order before they exist.
The giant pine tree
grows from a tiny sprout.
The journey of a thousand miles
starts from beneath your feet.
Rushing into action, you fail.
Trying to grasp things, you lose them.
Forcing a project to completion,
you ruin what was almost ripe.
Therefore the Master takes action
by letting things take their course.
He remains as calm
at the end as at the beginning.
He has nothing,
thus has nothing to lose.
What he desires is non-desire;
what he learns is to unlearn.
He simply reminds people
of who they have always been.
He cares about nothing but the Tao.
Thus he can care for all things.
Definition
The first half warns about rushing into action without planning and holding too firm to your beliefs. Remember that Taoists believe all things are Tao. Every philosophy and ideology is from the Tao. If someone looked around themselves, saw the world, and created a belief, who is to say that is not Tao? Don’t argue or debate things we can not control or have a complete understanding of.
The key phrase is “What he desires is non-desire; what he learns is to unlearn.” It seems contradictory at first, but you must dig deeper. In Taoism, a desire is to return to your natural state, like a newborn baby. You only exist for the moment and don’t worry about the future or the past. Every day you unlearn one thing as you return to this state of mind. This natural state is supposed to be the goal of all people. Therefore, all you have to do is remind those around you who they truly are for them to be happy.
Now, look again at the verse “He has nothing, thus he has nothing to lose.” Lao-tzu here isn’t speaking about physical possessions. He is talking about your mind. He has nothing in his MIND; thus, he has nothing to lose from his MIND because he has given up all preconceived notions and thoughts about how the world SHOULD work and is only concerned about how it WORKS.
Everyone and everything come from the Tao, the universe’s life force; therefore, it’s perfect just the way it is. So who are we to interfere with or judge others’ actions? That is why it says he cares about nothing but the Tao. Thus he can care for all things.”
Example
In my youth, I was concerned about everybody going to hell as I had been raised to believe that only Christians go to heaven. My mother still has their fear. We were told to go door to door and “witness” to our neighbors. In other words, convince them to come to church and be Christians.
As blindly innocent as I was at 12 years old, what I could have done that would have been more peaceful was not bother everyone at home on a Saturday afternoon. A leader trains others by example, not through confrontation. What is more convincing than seeing your enemy perfectly at peace while you are in turmoil?
Conclusion
I’m not perfect, and neither is anyone I’ve ever met. But, running blindly through life in a hurry will only lead to disaster. Assuming you are correct in your assumptions about others and then trying to force your beliefs does not create harmony in yourself or others. However, calm, thoughtful, and subtle actions can have a tremendous impact. Remember the famous phrase, the journey of a thousand miles starts from beneath your feet.
A small step can take you on a thousand-mile journey to a place you’ve never imagined. Everyone is on their journey, too, so walk gently and help those around you on their path, even if it’s different than yours.
Thank you all so much for reading! I love all of you and if you want to follow along with me every day, please subscribe to my email here, join me on Mastodon, or consider buying me a coffe!
