Fear is not a virtue, and neither is weakness. These are cavities in a man’s personality through which arrogance and resentment take possession. Do not fall prey to them. Instead, cultivate bravery, strength, and judgement. Gain control over your life by nurturing yourself. Choose to build who you are into who you could be.

But with the proper balance, seeing the world for what it is—light and dark—not withholding judgement, but choosing to love it in the end is what allows the Tao source of life to shape you into your most authentic self.

Harmony with nature is harmony with reality. To choose otherwise is the same as choosing discord. From these it follows: we can either become harmonious exemplars, or else we inevitably turn into cacophonous orchestrators.

“Be wary of wisdom you have not earned.” Work to cultivate humility through introspection. Laugh at yourself. Become again and again like a reincarnating child—immortal and impervious to arrogance, senility, and the death-march of time.

“it is much easier for the tao to believe in you
if you believe in yourself”
—Lao-tzu, Tao Te Ching Chapter Sixty-Four

Taoist alchemy is action through inaction; it is the change of that which is outside through a transformation of what is within; it is the transmutation of meaning and significance of a substance, a person, or a situation via the transmutation of perception and attitude. And to attain to this seeming magic, one must be willing to venture into the depths.

In Chapter Sixty-One, we discussed much already the metaphor of the river and how it relates to the Tao way of life and the original self. Today, I’d like to shift our focus to a few particular stanzas which more uniquely describe the opening of the mind toward adaptation, acceptance, and change.

“What is meant by, ‘original?’” Answer: something in its initial state before being altered, developed, or modified; something primordial from which there are no steps backward without undoing the thing in itself. In this sense, “original” can be synonymous with “fundamental.” So, then, what do we mean when we talk about our original, fundamental selves?

And this is all accomplished here and now. The past is past, and the future is a guess. In truth there is only each and every moment. Each and every step is one on or away from the Path.

In large part, we are our habits, so it would be good if we could habituate ourselves into a mode of being that we could be proud of—in other words, make ourselves into people whose being we assent to. This is the shaping of our conscious will in accord with our internal nature. It is bringing our desires in alignment with what is both possible and agreeable to our animal selves.

The stereotype of a Zen riddle is a paradox, the answer seemingly impossible from the typical answerer’s point of view. But this apparent contradiction is actually a consequence of a divided mind.

While Confucianism describes the roles and responsibilities of the state by comparing it to the family, here the Tao Te Ching compares the roles and responsibilities we have to ourselves to those a king has to his citizens.

In today's Meditations, we discuss briefly the Taoist take on the notion that you ought to, "Set Your House In Perfect Order Before You Criticize The World"
—Dr Jordan B Peterson
12 Rules For Life: An Antidote To Chaos

"what is dying
dying is walking away
from the tao way of life"
—Tao Te Ching Chapter Fifty-Five

While it is easier to point to the sins of others or to advocate for someone else to solve yet another person’s problems—and seemingly easier still to advocate that others use force on your behalf in order to coerce or else outright purge dissidents from &/or of their sinful thoughts behavior—it is not virtue. It is not good, merely an exercise of power in an attempt to force externals to conform to your desire.

"it is easy to get sidetracked and lost in the wilderness
it happens all the time
but
the worst thing you can do
is worry too much about it"
—Tao Te Ching Chapter Fifty-Three

"visions cascade upon you so rapidly
that it becomes impossible
to divide or discern
what we normally regard as real"
—Tao Te Ching Chapter Fifty-Two

Philosophers throughout the ages have debated what is “The Good.” This is a question about morality and virtue. What is it we ought to do? What ought we pursue in our lives? There have been countless answers to these questions, some of which question the validity of “Goodness” (and thereby its counterpart, evil) itself. Here, the Tao Te Ching makes its own argument as to what constitutes virtue and why.

Our lives can be characterized as between birth and death, and the course of our lives shares in those tendencies—either toward the affirmation of life or its denial.

"a wise man does not think first and then act
when the tao way of life presents itself
thinking first stops the moment from unfolding"
—Tao Te Ching, Chapter Forty-Nine