the ancient child asks
is this journey back to their essential nature
a journey to a far away place

no
the essential nature of man is all-pervasive

know the outflowing of life force
from the three places and
strive to be the expressive quality
of the receptive earth
honoring its potential to be filled
with an understanding quality of everyday life
and you will return to your essential nature

in this tao way of living
you will reclaim your innocence

—Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching; An authentic Taoist translation. translated by John Bright-Fey

Following from Chapter Twenty-Seven, in which Lao-tzu discusses the helping and teaching of others to return them to their “essential nature,” Chapter Twenty-Eight opens questioning the vastness of such a change. Is it subtle transition or a revolution of personality? Lao-tzu suggests the former, for we as human beings cannot truly stray far from our biological and psychological limitations. We can only decide whether to express our human attributes in or out of accord with the Tao source of life—in line with or out of line with Nature, the transcendent, the objective universe.

But what does this subtle transformation look like? How does it occur? I believe the answer to these questions resides within what has been translated as “the three places.” There are a few possible meanings in the Taoist context, two of which shall be covered here. They could be the three virtues: compassion, moderation, and humility; or perhaps they are the three Taoist treasures: jing (essence), qi (energy), and shen (mind or spirit). Perhaps they are both the virtues and treasures and it is a mistake to distinguish between them as though they are separate.

Regardless, it is through the cultivation of these traits that makes one open as an empty vessel. In other words, it is through the development of what is already present—his essential nature—that allows one to reclaim his ability to learn, adapt, and fit into the world as it is. Humility washes away illusion from the mind, moderation prevents motivational energy from being smothered or drowned, and compassion allows one to prioritize living in accord with his instinctive nature rather than to cling egocentrically to life as he wishes it were.

Lao-tzu. “Chapter Twenty-Eight”. Tao Te Ching; An Authentic Taoist Translation, translated by John Bright-Fey, Sweetwater Press, 2014. p.54