Thirty-Third Chapter
Thirty-Third Chapter:
Tao-te Ching
He who knows others has knowledge.
He who knows himself has wisdom.
He who conquers others requires force.
He who conquers himself needs strength.
He who is content with what he has is truly rich.
He who acts with vigor lives long.
He who is one with the Tao lives forever.
As I Understand It:
If you are a person with power and position you may think that you know other people well. But if you turn your gaze within you will see the world with a new light.
Rather than trying to understand other people, understand yourself. Replace the power you think you have over others with the inherent power you have within. Instead of fretting over why some people upset you, explore why you get upset. Remain in touch with sensations that distress arouses in your body. Feel your emotions. Allow the unlimited potential of Tao to unfold within. This attitude will transform you and make the person who distresses you powerless. When you are in control of yourself, you are content because you have gained wisdom.
The others will learn their own lessons. When you sincerely desire that others may also look within and realize their infinite wisdom, you will live longer and in peace and world will transform.
Vivacious people live long but those who feel the flow of the Tao live forever–they experience life not as a single lifetime but feel vibrancy and gusto of the whole human race.
Suggested Readings:
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.
Paul Maurice Martin
I like your take on this.