“ My teachings are easy to understand and easy to put into practice. Yet your intellect will never grasp them, and if you try to practice them, you'll fail. My teachings are older than the world. How can you grasp their meaning? If you want to know me, look inside your heart. ”
Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching (4th century BC). copy citation
| Author | Lao Tzu |
|---|---|
| Source | Tao Te Ching |
| Topic | understanding heart teaching |
| Date | 4th century BC |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Translated by Stephen Mitchell |
| Weblink | https://terebess.hu/english/tao/mitchell.html |
Context
“means thinking that he is evil.
Thus you destroy your three treasures and become an enemy yourself. When two great forces oppose each other,
the victory will go to the one that knows how to yield.
70 My teachings are easy to understand and easy to put into practice.
Yet your intellect will never grasp them, and if you try to practice them, you'll fail. My teachings are older than the world.
How can you grasp their meaning? If you want to know me,
look inside your heart.
71 Not-knowing is true knowledge.
Presuming to know is a disease.
” source
Thus you destroy your three treasures and become an enemy yourself. When two great forces oppose each other,
the victory will go to the one that knows how to yield.
70 My teachings are easy to understand and easy to put into practice.
Yet your intellect will never grasp them, and if you try to practice them, you'll fail. My teachings are older than the world.
How can you grasp their meaning? If you want to know me,
look inside your heart.
71 Not-knowing is true knowledge.
Presuming to know is a disease.
” source
Meaning and analysis
