Tao is the source of the ten thousand things.
It is the treasure of the good man, and the refuge of the bad.
Sweet words can buy honor;
Good deeds can gain respect.
If a man is bad, do not abandon him.
Therefore on the day the emperor is crowned,
Or the three officers of state installed,
Do not send a gift of jade and a team of four horses,
But remain still and offered the Tao.
Why does everyone like the Tao so much at first?
Isn’t it because you find what you seek and are forgiven when you sin?
Therefore this is the greatest treasure of the universe.
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Interpretation by Gabriel Raam:
This verse is one of the few that speaks and glorifies the subject of the Tao itself.
We talk about the Tao the Tao and the Tao, but it is so abstract, for most of us it is a term no more, and Tao is the breath of the Universe. It is cosmic and we are here, but it has the rarae ability to apeare here through rare humen.
Now, how does it appears here? How does it touches us? oh, simple: in high atmospheres, inner peace and positive dynamics between peoples. But at the same time it is highly effective; because in its neutral way it is so graceful that even bad man are not abandon by the Tao’s compassion.
And then from still having grace for the criminal Lao tzu switches to the high status end to the royalty, saying not to send them high value gifts, but the real gift would be the peace and the grace of the Tao.
And then he comes with a statement; in fact everyone deep in them don’t look for anything else but for the graceful influence of the Tao and the magical atmosphere and peace it brings with it. The explanation Lao Tzu supplies is that deep in us we know that when we find the Tao, or rather when it finds us – we feel that whatever we did wrong is wiped out. And this giving by the Tao a clean slate and a fresh chance is te greatest gift of the Tao.
What are the conditions for it to get connected to us ?The Tao gets in only when there is space, and not hot aggressive blockages in the blood and venerable blockages in the emotions and conditional blockages in the mind. Those are separating us from the great Tao which is everywhere but in us.
When all 3 are clean and free – then influence of the tao can wash in.
Gabriel