Italian version

After a youth spent relatively distant from religious and spiritual matters, turning 30 brought with it a growing interest in these topics. Over the last 25 years, I have read the Bible and several books more or less directly related to Eastern religious traditions.

Today’s article is dedicated to one of the main writings of Taoism, Lao Tzu’s “Tao Te Ching.” Taoism is a philosophy that developed in China around the fifth century BC. Its basic principle is the Tao, the energy that pervades the entire universe. If we live in accordance with the characteristics of the Tao, we can fully develop our humanity and live in harmony with others. Another important and famous principle of Taoism is that of Yin and Yang, the inseparable opposites that are inherent in reality and govern it through their dynamic balance (life and death, good and evil, masculine and feminine). Taoism is essentially a philosophy, which in the East has given rise over the centuries to temples, cults, and religious practices.

Despite some obvious differences, I find the concepts of Tao and Yin Yang very close to the “mystical law Nam Myoho Renge Kyo” and the “Middle Way,” respectively, which are the basic principles of Soka Gakkai Buddhism. In an attempt to summarize Taoist and Buddhist views in a single sentence, we could say that the entire universe is pervaded by a single energy that is the essence of cosmic life and in which opposites coexist in harmony.
The Tao Te Ching is one of the most widely read books in the world. It consists of about 90 pages containing short texts about nature and how to guide people, which are true injections of wisdom.

Just like The book “The prophet” by Kahlil Gibran, it is another example that shows how value does not depend on the number of pages. I have recently read the book again, choosing a few pages at random. Among these, some are dedicated to the harmful effects of war, nationalism, and irresponsible leaders, and are dramatically relevant today, demonstrating that the approximately 2,500 years that presumably separate us from the writing of the Tao Te Ching have not been enough for humanity to evolve to a higher state.
Here are a couple of passages from the book¹ bought about ten years ago (I have translated from Italian).
If you try to dominate the world and do whatever you want with it, you will not succeed.
The world is a container of spirit and is not meant to be manipulated.
Dominate it and you will ruin it.
Grasp it and you will lose it.
With the Tao, sometimes you go forward and sometimes you go backward,
sometimes you tire yourself and sometimes you rest,
sometimes you are strong and sometimes you are weak,
sometimes you are up and sometimes you are down.
The wise, always sensitive, avoid extremes, avoid extravagance, avoid excess.

When the government is relaxed and calm, the people are healthy and good-natured.
When the government is harsh and demanding, the people are scheming and petty.
Good is based on evil.
Evil is hidden in good:
who knows the turning point?
Ruler and citizen, if you are not calm and honest,
the normal turns into the abnormal,
luck into misfortune,
and your confusion will last a long time.
When the wise man does what is right without resorting to justice,
he criticizes but does not hurt,
he corrects but does not force,
he enlightens but does not dazzle.

When we encounter wisdom and realize the value it can bring to our lives, it becomes unnecessary to ask whether it is philosophy or religion, whether it comes from the East or the West.

You can send your comment to info@esperienzedivalore.it, I will be happy to respond.

1. “Tao Te Ching” of Lao Tzu, by Brian Browne Walker (translation and afterwords by Claudio Lamparelli), 2010 ↩︎