Chapter 70 addresses the paradox of the Dao’s simplicity and humanity’s failure to embody it. Laozi laments that while the Dao is profoundly accessible, people remain distracted by superficial desires and intellectual complexities.
My words are very easy to know, and very easy to practise; but there is no one in the world who is able to know and able to practise them.
There is an originating and all-comprehending (principle) in my words, and an authoritative law for the things (which I enforce). It is because they do not know these, that men do not know me.
They who know me are few, and I am on that account (the more) to be prized. It is thus that the sage wears (a poor garb of) hair cloth, while he carries his (signet of) jade in his bosom.
Many people lack sufficient wisdom and therefore dismiss teachings of the sage.
The teachings of the sage are well-founded and can guide our actions to achieve profound results. Yet, sadly, many remain unaware, skeptical, or unwilling to put them into practice.
Few truly comprehend the teachings of the sage, yet those who emulate him and embrace his guidance in practice can attain profound accomplishments.
The chapter underscores the Sage’s quiet wisdom and humility, contrasting it with the world’s obsession with materialism, cleverness, and status. Key ideas include the ease of knowing the Tao versus the difficulty of practicing it and the Sage’s hidden greatness in a misguided world.
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