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The thirty spokes unite in the one nave; but it is on the empty space (for the axle), that the use of the wheel depends. Clay is fashioned into vessels; but it is on their empty hollowness, that their use depends. The door and windows are cut out (from the walls) to form an…
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The Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) not only expounds the metaphysical theory of the Dao but also contains invaluable teachings on its applied cultivation. Chapter 10 of the Dao De Jing delineates the essential process of spiritual refinement.
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An ancient Chinese proverb warns: “Fullness begets loss,” a principle that echoes the Daoist axiom from Chapter 40: “The movement of the Dao lies in reversal.” Every phenomenon contains within itself the seeds of its own transformation into its opposite.
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From the very first chapter of the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching), Laozi establishes the ineffability of the Dao: “The Dao that can be named is not the eternal Dao.” To facilitate understanding, Chapter 8 employs the metaphor of water, whose virtuous behavior embodies the paradigm of the Daoist cultivator.
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Chapter 7 of the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) articulates a fundamental principle of Laozi: “The movement of the Dao lies in reversal.” Every phenomenon inherently contains the seeds of its own negation.
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The valley spirit never dies; it is called the mysterious feminine.The gateway of the mysterious feminine is called the root of heaven and earth.Everlasting and yet seemingly faint, its use is inexhaustible.
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Chapter 5 of the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) embodies Laozi’s philosophy on the operation of the Dao, the cosmic harmony between heaven and humanity, and the fundamental equality of all phenomena.
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Chapter 4 of the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) describes the ontological nature and functioning of the Dao.