道影书斋 - Son of the Dao
type: channel
link: https://daoyingzi.online/category/son-of-the-dao/
items: Casual Talk on Tao Te Ching 021
items: Casual Talk on Tao Te Ching 020
items: Casual Talk on Tao Te Ching 019
items: Casual Talk on Tao Te Ching 018
items: Casual Talk on Tao Te Ching 017
items: Title: Casual Talks on the Tao Te Ching 016
items: Title: Casual Talks on the Tao Te Ching 015
items: Casual Talk on Tao Te Ching 014｜Subtle, Rare, Elusive, Abide by the Principles of Dao
items: Casual Talks on Tao Te Ching 013｜Alarm at Favor and Humiliation, Discern the Coexistence of Yin and Yang
items: Chapter 12:Abandon Vanity, Embrace Emptiness

Casual Talk on Tao Te Ching 021
type: item
date: 2026-07-13T10:51:26+08:00
description: In the previous chapter, we discussed that the masses chase vanity all day long, while those who align with the Dao remain calm inside, detached from worldly chaos and rooted in their original nature.Many people raise a question: without relying on fame or public recognition, where does the inner peace of such calm self-possession come from? The Dao cannot be seen or touched; why is it worthy of lifelong devotion?Chapter Twenty-One is Laozi’s answer: first distinguish the fundamental relationship between the Dao and virtue, then thoroughly explain the thoughts we ought to let go of and the pursuit of the Dao we need not abandon.Original Text (Wang Bi’s Version)The virtue of complete emptiness follows only the Dao.The Dao as an entity is indistinct and elusive.Elusive and indistinct, within it are forms; indistinct and elusive, within it are substances.Deep and obscure, within it is essence; its essence is utterly real, and within it is constant trust.From ancient times to the present, its name never fades, through it we observe the origin of all things.How do I know the origin of all things? By this.I. The Virtue of Complete Emptiness Follows Only the Dao“Kong” means empty and uncluttered; “Rong” refers to one’s entire state of mind, words and deeds.True profound virtue is not deliberate kindness or forced compromise to please others, nor self-cultivation performed for show. Every thought and action follows the inherent laws of heaven and earth, unbound by mortal standards of fame and gain.Most worldly virtue is rooted in craving desires: studying Laozi and Zhuangzi to brand oneself a master of Taoism, seeking admiration by broadcasting one’s insights, practicing forbearance only to win praise. These are the delusional thoughts Laozi urges us to release.The innate aspiration to seek the Dao need not be discarded, yet the selfish desire to leverage the Dao for fame and reputation must be purged. False obsessions linger, and the true Dao will forever remain obscured.T…

Casual Talk on Tao Te Ching 020
type: item
date: 2026-07-12T09:32:38+08:00
description: Hello everyone, I'm Dao Yingzi.We have reached Chapter 20 of the Tao Te Ching before we know it. Thank you to all friends who keep following my interpretations. I will keep dissecting the scripture until I finish explaining the whole Tao Te Ching.Let’s briefly review Chapter 19 first. It presents practical methods for cultivating the mind, proposing three renunciations to clear greed, hypocrisy and crafty scheming hidden in people’s hearts, centering on the core spiritual practice: retain simplicity, embrace authenticity, reduce selfish desires, and abandon worldly sophistry to free oneself from worries.Chapter 19 teaches us to simplify our minds and eliminate delusions and selfish cravings. Now, once we purify our inner thoughts, what state of mind shall we maintain when living among the mortal world? Chapter 20 answers this question thoroughly.Text from the Mawangdui Silk ManuscriptAn approving murmur and a sharp rebuke—how vast is the gap between them?Beauty and ugliness—how far apart are they in essence?What all men dread, one cannot help but dread too.Boundless and endless, the stream of human prejudice flows on without cease.The masses bustle with delight, as if feasting on grand sacrificial meats or climbing terraces to greet spring.I stay calm, showing no stirrings of desire, like an infant who has not yet learned to cry. Wandering aimlessly, I seem to have nowhere to settle.All people abound in possessions, yet I seem to lack everything. My heart holds the simplicity of a fool, dim and unworldly.Ordinary folks shine with sharp discernment; only I appear dull and muddled.Ordinary men judge others harshly and sharply; only I stay mild and lenient.My mind stretches vast as the sea, boundless with no final shore.Every man pursues a purpose and gain; only I seem stubborn and plain.I alone choose to stand apart from the crowd, for I cherish nourishing myself from the Mother—the eternal Tao.Section-by-section InterpretationPart 1: Distinctions of right and wrong s…

Casual Talk on Tao Te Ching 019
type: item
date: 2026-07-10T12:06:29+08:00
description: Author: Dao YingziIn Chapter Eighteen, we uncovered the root of worldly troubles: after the Great Dao declined, benevolence, filial piety, compassion and loyal ministers all became acquired remedies to mend cracks in human hearts. The more loudly a virtue is propagandized, the more it is lacking in the world; artificially glorified morality breeds endless hypocrisy and pretension.Chapter Eighteen is a diagnosis that lays bare the vanity and falsity of human nature, while Chapter Nineteen delivers Laozi’s fundamental mental cultivation remedy for curing such ills. The full text below is collated based on the combined comparison of the A and B silk manuscripts of Mawangdui:Abandon sagehood and discard cleverness, and the people will benefit a hundredfold;Abandon benevolence and discard righteousness, and the people will return to filial piety and compassion;Abandon craftiness and discard profit, and bandits and thieves will disappear entirely.These three maxims alone are insufficient as written guidance, so here is what they must align with: Embrace the unadorned and uphold simplicity; lessen selfishness and reduce desires; abandon superficial learning and be free from worry.I. Dispelling Three Common One-Sided Misinterpretations and Upholding the Core of "Preserving Authenticity"Rigid Bias of Confucian ScholarsMany Confucian readings claim that Laozi rejects human ethics and holds a world-weary, passive attitude through "abandon sagehood and discard cleverness, abandon benevolence and discard righteousness". Such interpretations sever the logical coherence of the full text and ignore the chaotic moral landscape of the Spring and Autumn Period.What Laozi renounces is never the innate filial piety and kindness springing from human hearts, but performative benevolence wielded by nobles and lords to fish for fame and bind common people. Treating artificially constructed moral shackles as the origin of the Great Dao reverses root and branch.Extreme Distortions by Later Cu…

Casual Talk on Tao Te Ching 018
type: item
date: 2026-07-08T13:56:00+08:00
description: Hello everyone, I’m Dao Yingzi.Chapter 17 centered on inner emptiness and tranquility, sorting four tiers of worldly states ranging from harmony with the Dao to alienation from it. Those aligned with the Dao act effortlessly without ostentation; those distant from the Dao resort to benevolence to win praise, coercion to maintain control, and end up distrusted and scorned. Its core logic: the depth of one’s alignment with the Dao shapes how they interact with the world. This chapter builds on the hierarchical outlook of Chapter 17 to dig into the root cause of moral decline. Four parallel lines reveal the true nature of all publicly celebrated virtues: none are the natural state of heaven and earth. They are makeshift remedies created to mend fractured order once the primal Dao fades away. Chapter 17 describes outer tiers of conduct; Chapter 18 dissects the inner corruption of human hearts and the root chaos of the age. The two chapters form a complete whole, one manifest and one underlying.This entire commentary is solely based on the combined text of Mawangdui Silk Manuscripts of Tao Te Ching, with no reference to circulated standard editions.Silk Manuscript Original Text:Therefore when the great Dao falls away, benevolence and righteousness arise.When crafty wit comes forth, grand hypocrisy follows.When the six kin fall into discord, filial piety and parental compassion are exalted.When states and clans sink into chaos, loyal upright ministers appear.The character “an” serves as a conjunctive particle meaning “thus” or “then”, linking each clause logically and coherently to the message of the previous chapter.I. Mainstream Confucian InterpretationConfucian scholars throughout history centered their reading on civilizing humanity through benevolence, righteousness, rituals and ethics. When the world descends into turmoil, they argue that benevolence, filial piety and loyal service to rulers must be widely promoted to bind families and stabilize courts.This perspect…

Casual Talk on Tao Te Ching 017
type: item
date: 2026-07-07T08:28:21+08:00
description: Hello everyone, I’m Dao Yingzi. It’s time for us to analyze the Tao Te Ching together again.In the previous chapter, we dug deep into the foundational practice of spiritual cultivation, fully sorting out the inner cultivation methods of attaining emptiness, abiding in tranquility, observing cyclical return, and understanding the eternal Dao. We clarified that returning to one’s root and restoring innate life essence to elevate one’s spiritual realm is the original intention Laozi left in his writings. Today’s Chapter Seventeen is no longer confined to inner spiritual refinement alone. It shifts from inner sagacity to outer kingship, applying the state of alignment with the Dao to interacting with all people and worldly matters, layer by layer unpacking the four-tier relationship between humanity and the Dao, humanity and the mortal world. The two chapters complement each other as substance and function: attaining emptiness and abiding in tranquility form the internal foundation, while the four governing realms manifest as external application. Without solid inner cultivation, all external conduct will merely degenerate into disguised crafty schemes; without grounded external practice, inner cultivation will end up as empty, lifeless quietism. The two are inseparable sides of a single whole.First, here is the original text of Chapter Seventeen from the silk manuscript version of the Tao Te Ching, correcting a crucial textual discrepancy in the commonly circulated edition:The supreme ruler: people only know he exists.The next best: people grow close to him and sing his praises.The next: people stand in awe of him.The worst: people scorn and insult him.When one’s integrity is lacking, distrust arises among others.How cautious he is, treasuring his words deeply.When all undertakings are fulfilled and affairs accomplished, all common folk say, “We achieved this by our own natural course.”The popular printed edition writes “The supreme ruler: people do not know he exists”…

Title: Casual Talks on the Tao Te Ching 016
type: item
date: 2026-07-05T18:13:32+08:00
description: Hello everyone, I am Dao Yingzi. It is time for us to dissect the Tao Te Ching together. The weather is sweltering and muggy today. I originally planned to take a day off, yet after quiet reflection, I resolved to carry on as scheduled.When we cultivate ourselves and pursue scholarly study, we must never yield to momentary laziness. Having made a solemn vow to fully interpret the three great classics, if I indulge sloth today, I will easily grow slack and abandon the work halfway in the future. Therefore, we continue our analysis of Chapter Sixteen of the Tao Te Ching today.In the previous chapter, we studied Chapter Fifteen of the Tao Te Ching. Seven metaphors depict the words, deeds and inner state of those aligned with the Dao, centering on a balanced state of motion and tranquility, a cultivation realm free from craving fullness. By contrast, Chapter Sixteen we explore today moves beyond imitating outward conduct to dig deep into the foundational inner cultivation of the mind. It lays out a complete spiritual practice: emptying the mind, abiding in stillness, observing the cycle of return, and understanding constancy. The two chapters complement each other, exterior conduct rooted in inner serenity, and inner cultivation manifesting as conduct in harmony with the Dao—neither can be dispensed with.Original Text of Chapter Sixteen of the Silk Manuscript Version of the Tao Te ChingReach utter emptiness, hold fast to one’s original true nature.All things flourish forth; I behold their cycle of return.All myriad beings teem and thrive, yet each turns back to its root.Returning to the root is called stillness; stillness is called restoring one’s innate life.Restoring innate life is the eternal constant; knowing this constant brings clarity.To be ignorant of the constant is to act recklessly; reckless action invites misfortune.Knowing the constant begets magnanimity; magnanimity begets impartiality; impartiality begets righteous governance; righteous governance aligns …

Title: Casual Talks on the Tao Te Ching 015
type: item
date: 2026-07-04T18:18:00+08:00
description: Hello everyone, I’m Dao Yingzi. I was tied up with trivial matters these past few days and had to pause updates. Today we continue our series Casual Talks on the Tao Te Ching.I. Review of the Previous ChapterThe core argument of Chapter Fourteen goes: What we look at yet cannot see is called Yi; what we listen to yet cannot hear is called Xi; what we grasp yet cannot touch is called Wei. These three merge into one, beginningless, endless, indistinct and formless.The Great Dao of heaven and earth lies beyond sight, sound and touch. People feel the Dao vague and hard to find not because the Dao itself is incomplete or obscure, but because human physical senses are confined to lower dimensions, unable to fully perceive the whole picture of the global spiral topology.All books, knowledge and worldly cultivation methods are built upon human senses; they can only interpret tangible, phenomenal things. Once touching the source of the Dao, cognitive gaps emerge. Humanity’s unique innate advantage is the ability to step free from instinctive desires and transcend the five senses to ponder the invisible laws of heaven and earth.The fundamental path of cultivation lies in reining in scattered thoughts that chase outward endlessly, expanding the boundary of inner awareness, abiding by the eternal Dao’s principles, and responding to all worldly affairs with the unchanging laws of heaven and earth.Chapter Fourteen answers “What is the substance of the Great Dao”, while Chapter Fifteen addresses “How those who uphold the Dao ought to conduct themselves”. The two chapters connect seamlessly and complement each other; understanding and practice cannot be separated.II. Original Text of the Silk Manuscript Version B + Plain Vernacular ExplanationOriginal TextThe ancients who well practiced the Dao were subtle, mysterious and profoundly penetrating, their depth beyond description. Precisely because they cannot be depicted in words, I reluctantly describe their bearing:Cautious, as one …

Casual Talk on Tao Te Ching 014｜Subtle, Rare, Elusive, Abide by the Principles of Dao
type: item
date: 2026-07-01T11:58:59+08:00
description: Hello everyone, I’m Dao Yingzi. Our series unpacking the Tao Te Ching is here as scheduled.Last time we talked about being alarmed by favor and disgrace, explaining that people cling to honor and loss, trapped in the self and plagued by countless worries. We only saw how external things disturb the mind, yet failed to explore the fundamental Dao behind all phenomena. Today we will dissect Chapter 14 of the Silk Manuscript Tao Te Ching. This chapter depicts the Dao through subtlety, rarity and elusiveness, clarifies why people perceive the Dao as vague, and illustrates the core cultivation principle of abiding by the Dao’s eternal rules. Let us break down the content step by step.I. Original Text from the Silk Manuscript + Vernacular TranslationOriginal TextLook for it, yet you cannot see it; name it the Subtle.Listen for it, yet you cannot hear it; name it the Rare.Grasp for it, yet you cannot touch it; name it the Elusive.These three cannot be analyzed separately, so they blend into One.This One: above it is no glaring brightness, below it no deep darkness.Endless and boundless, it cannot be named, returning to the formless void.This is the form of the formless, the image of the imageless — called Vague and Indistinct.Follow it, you see no tail; face it, you see no beginning.Hold fast to the Dao of today to govern all present beings;Through it, understand the origin of antiquity — this is the Principle of Dao.Vernacular TranslationWhen you gaze at it with your eyes, you cannot capture its shape, and we call it Subtle.When you listen for it with your ears, you cannot catch its sound, and we call it Rare.When you reach out to touch it, you cannot grasp its substance, and we call it Elusive.The three traits of Subtle, Rare and Elusive cannot be split or examined by human senses and thoughts; they merge seamlessly into a unified whole, which is the fundamental source of the Dao.This integrated Dao has no blazing radiance above, nor murky gloom below. It stretches on en…

Casual Talks on Tao Te Ching 013｜Alarm at Favor and Humiliation, Discern the Coexistence of Yin and Yang
type: item
date: 2026-06-30T15:18:02+08:00
description: Brief Recap of Previous ChapterChapter Twelve expounds that external vanities disturb the original mind, advising people not to indulge in superficial material temptations. This chapter takes favor, humiliation and great disasters rooted in the self as entry points, elaborating the dialectical truth of interdependent Yin and Yang in all creation. Cultivating a steady mind is the fundamental foundation for accomplishing great things.Original Text of Silk Manuscript Vernacular TranslationOriginal Text from Silk Manuscript VersionFavor and humiliation both bring alarm; great troubles attach to one’s self.What does “favor and humiliation both bring alarm” mean? Favor is a lowly status. One trembles when gaining it, and panics when losing it — this is what it means for favor and humiliation to alarm the heart.What does “great troubles attach to one’s self” mean? I bear great troubles only because I possess a self. If I had no self, what troubles could trouble me?Therefore, he who values nurturing his own nature above governing the world may be entrusted with the world. He who cherishes his authentic self above all secular gains may be given charge of the world.Plain Vernacular TranslationReceiving favor or suffering humiliation alike stirs unease within the heart. All profound troubles in life stem from clinging to one’s personal gains and losses.Why are favor and humiliation equally unsettling? Favor relies entirely on the mercy of others, inherently a humble position. When such favor arrives, one grows anxious; when it fades away, one falls into panic — this is the alarm brought by both favor and humiliation.Why do all great troubles arise from attachment to the self? Countless worries haunt humans simply because we stubbornly cling to the idea of “me”. If we let go of such self-centered discrimination, no worldly hardship can bind us.Thus, those who prioritize cultivating their inner nature over ruling the realm are worthy to hold the world’s trust. Those who treasure…

Chapter 12:Abandon Vanity, Embrace Emptiness
type: item
date: 2026-06-29T10:48:14+08:00
description: Hello everyone, I'm Dao Yingzi.In this episode of our discussion on the Tao Te Ching, I will organize content in an objective order. First, I’ll present the original text of the silk manuscript version of the Tao Te Ching, followed by word-by-word explanations. After that, I’ll sort out interpretations from major schools of thought throughout history, and finally share my insights accumulated through years of personal cultivation. A comprehensive summary will be attached at the end of the article.Original Text of the Silk Manuscript VersionThe five colors blind the eye;Hunting and galloping madden the heart;Rare treasures warp one’s conduct;Rich flavors dull the taste;The five tones deafen the ear.Therefore, the sage governs by nourishing the core self, not indulging superficial sights.Thus he rejects the outer trivialities and holds fast to the inner essence.Glossary of Key Words and PhrasesShuang (loss of taste): It does not mean joy or pleasure. In ancient usage, it refers to impairment and deviation. "Mouth shuang" means indulging in heavy delicacies dulls the palate and muddles one’s original mind.Xing Fang (warped conduct): Material desires chain body and mind, making every move stray from the natural Tao of all things.Wei Fu (nourish the core self): Settle down to sustain the fundamental needs of life, guarding the unadorned original mind within.Wei Mu (chase superficial sights): Chase all external superficial phenomena such as sensual delights and rare valuables.Bi (the outer trivialities): Refers to all external appearances including the five colors, hunting, rare goods, rich flavors and musical tones.Ci (the inner essence): Refers to the unspoiled original mind and the source Tao of all creation.Compilation of Interpretations from Different Schools(1) Confucian InterpretationConfucianism takes ethical rituals as its foundation. It acknowledges that humans are born with natural sensory desires, yet argues sensual indulgence should never be unrestrained. Des…