Tao Te Ching Chapter 78-5 Be Soft

Today's Tao

The soft beats the hard. (Ch.78)


"How can I suppress my desire?"

"I'm not supposed to do anything. Am I allowed to breathe?"

"I'm trying to overcome my desire to resist, but resisting resistance is not a form of resistance?"

People ask these questions.

The answer is quite simple: "Be soft".

What is being soft?

It is accepting everything, including your own desire, as a catalyst.

Don't be hard, saying things like "You must not move." or "You must suppress your desire of resistance".

Be soft.

Don't resist.

Don't even resist your desire of resistance.

If you want to breathe, breathe.

If you want to resist, resist.

Just don't forget that desire is a catalyst.


«Related Articles»
-Water summary 78-1
-Water's attack 78-2
-No change 78-3
-Be weak 78-4
-Be soft 78-5
-Everyone = You 78-6
-No one acts 78-7
-State filth 78-8
-Bad omens 78-9
-Contradiction 78-10
-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 78


Lao Tzu answers your question!



☞«Tao Te Ching» Key word comparison (24) / -A famous proverb "Soften the light. Be like dust. 和光同塵" - Let's see how they translate 挫其鋭 解其紛 和其光 同其塵 in Chapter 4. The identical sentences are repeated in Chapter 56. In Tao by Matsumoto, these are discussed in Chapter 56 / How to be One with Tao. / "It smooths rough edges, Unties hard knots, Tempers the sharp sun, Lays blowing dust," On the left, «The Way of Life, According to Laotzu» translated by Witter Bynner. / "Blunt and sharp, resolved and confused, bright and dull, the whole of Creation." On the right, «Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching (Chinese Popular Classics)» translated by Timothy Freke with a introduction by Martin Palmer.