Thirteenth Chapter: Tao Te Ching | Madhu Bazaz Wangu
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Thirteenth Chapter: Tao Te Ching

Thirteenth Chapter: Tao Te Ching

Thirteenth Chapter:
Tao Te Ching

Be uneasy when receiving favor or disgrace.
Be uneasy about high status.

Why be uneasy about favor or disgrace?
Whether you get it or not both ways it is degrading.

Why be uneasy about high status?
It afflicts your person.

We have great trouble because we have bodies.
If we had no body, what trouble would we have?
If we had no body, what calamities could we have?
True self is eternal. Not limited to the body.

One who sees his body as everything is fit to be the guardian of the world.
One who loves himself as everyone is fit to be teacher of the world.

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As I understand it:

Don’t ask for favors. Don’t pursue status.
They stop the natural flow of the Tao.

Don’t feel insecure because others disagree with you. Their opinion is not your business. Seeking approval and favor is degrading. It leads you out of touch with your true self.
Don’t depend on external signals; be directed by forces within you.
Whatever favor or disfavor is supposed to come your way will come despite your attempts.

Pursuing the things you are passionate about, without heeding remarks and opinions of others, is evidence that you are in harmony with your own uniqueness. Your fervent belief is all that you need.
Respect your passions and your vision. They reflect universal truth. They are aligned with the essence of the Tao.

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Suggested Readings:
Lao Tzu, The Way of Lao Tzu, tr. Wing-Tsit Chan, The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc. 1963.

Dyer, Wayne W., Change Your Thoughts – Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of Tao. Hay House, Inc. 2007.

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