Tao Te Ching – Lao Tzu – chapter 50
1.Between birth and death,
Three in ten are following life,
Three in ten are following death,
And men just passing from birth to death also number three in ten.
Why is this so?
Because they live their lives on the gross level.
2. He who knows how to live can walk abroad
without fear of rhinoceros or tiger.
He will not be wounded in battle.
For in him rhinoceroses can find no place to thrust their horn,
Tigers can find no place to use their claws,
And weapons have no place to pierce.
Why is this so? Because he has no place for death to enter.
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Interpretation & analysis:
In the first part, according to Lao Tzu three thirds of humanity are wasting their life In 3 different ways which are essentially the same.
Now, in quick calculation it leaves us one percent of people whose life is not wasted.
And here starts the second part that deals only with the rare one present, which he calls: He who knows how to live. Very mysterious. Here he goes to series of analogies of danger from the jungle (the rhinoceros and the tiger).
He says that those predators and weapons in general – have no place to pierce him.
And then he sets out to extend: It is from the same reason that death has no place to enter in him, which gets even more mysterious…
Well of course earthly weapons and earthly death would enter and they do it all the time, so to what kind of analogical weapons and death he is referring to, that could be blocked by not having space for them?
He is referring to emotional wounds and to abandonment of a loved one (a little death).
So, He who knows how to live – has no space in him for the crisis of abandonment and of emotional wounds.
There are many books and seminars on the subject of knowing how to live, but, what does he mean by knowing how to live?
According to Lao Tzu the one who knows how to live is a Master of it, he has a different approach to life, it does consists of doing the right things and not doing the wrong ones:
The wrong:
1. Don’t take anything personally.
2. Crush any self-guilt.
3. Crush any self-doubt.
4. Disobey public opinion
5, rebel against social Norms
6. Stay away from aggression and rudeness.
7. Never respect any holy cows.
8. Don’t identify (get lost in anything or anyone) always be connected to your inner voice and to what it is telling you.
9. Have compassion and human warmth to any living creature in distress.
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The right:
1. Have compassion for those in crisis.
2. Think for yourself.
3. Listen always to your inner voice.
4. Let nothing disturb your inner peace.
5. When having an empty talk, remember inside the deep talk.
6. Always strive for a Socratic dialogue.
7. Always protect the highly sensitive.
8. Always cherish the unconditioned love
9. Always use and cultivate a good friend.
10. Make sure that your worst is not too far and down below your best.
11. Always prefer a fruitful dialogue on the deepest meditation.
12. Accept yourself, mostly your weaknesses.
According to Lao Tzu living by those 21 inner will have and won’t have areas – you know how to live.
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Essay number one on the subject: https://consciousnessway.org/on-how-to-live
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Podcasts of interpretations of verses from the Tao Te Ching:
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Tao Te Ching – Lao Tzu – A Comparative Study, the whole book: https://www.wussu.com/laotzu/
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Gabriel