Tao Te Ching · 12 of 81 · tr. James Legge

Chapter 12

Colour's five hues from th' eyes their sight will take; Music's five notes the ears as deaf can make; The flavours five deprive the mouth of taste; The chariot course, and the wild hunting waste Make mad the mind; and objects rare and strange, Sought for, men's conduct will to evil change. Therefore the sage seeks to satisfy (the craving of) the belly, and not the (insatiable longing of the) eyes. He puts from him the latter, and prefers to seek the former.

Themes

◇Body As Obstacleanthropology

The material body viewed as a prison, tomb, or source of error that hinders spiritual knowledge and return.

[auto] The passage explicitly describes the senses (eyes, ears, mouth) as sources of loss and madness that hinder clear perception and conduct.

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◇Inner Silencepraxis

The practice of stilling the mind and speech to open receptivity to divine knowledge or presence.

[auto] By avoiding sensory overload that 'makes mad the mind,' the sage cultivates a state of mental stillness and clarity over external chaos.

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◇Renunciation Of Wealthethics

The spiritual danger of attachment to material possessions; wealth as a spiritual obstacle.

[auto] The text warns that seeking rare and strange objects leads to evil conduct, advocating instead for the sage to reject such material attachments.

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◇Wu Weipraxis

Effortless action aligned with the spontaneous flow of the Dao; non-coercive, non-striving conduct that yields results without forcing — the sage acts without acting.

[auto] The passage defines the sage's conduct as seeking basic needs over insatiable desires, embodying the Taoist principle of non-striving and effortless alignment with natural simplicity.

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Related passages · 3 parallels

◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori)|Third Dialoguef

“Here the eyes imprint upon the heart, that is upon the intelligence, and rouse in the will an infinite torment of love, where there is no pain because nothing is sought which is not obtained; but it is happiness, because that which is there…”

Both passages discuss the dangers of excessive sensory indulgence and the importance of moderation. The Tao Te Ching warns against overindulgence in sensory pleasures, while the Third Dialogue explores the concept of infinite desire and the need for balance to avoid turning good into evil.

◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori)|Third Dialogueg

“The eyes, when they move (the heart), are dry, because they perform the office of a looking-glass, and of a representer; when they are moved, however, they become troubled and perturbed, because they perform the office of a diligent execute…”

Both passages discuss the dangers of excessive sensory indulgence and the importance of moderation. The Tao Te Ching emphasizes satisfying basic needs over indulging in sensory pleasures, while the Third Dialogue explores the concept of desire and the difficulty of separating the wisher from the wished-for, highlighting the importance of balance and moderation in divine love.

◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori)|Fourth Dialogueg

“The fifth results from the disproportion of the means of our cognition to the knowable; seeing that in order to contemplate Divine things, the eyes must be opened by means of images, analogies and other reasonings which by the Peripatetics…”

Both passages discuss the limitations of sensory perception and the need to move beyond it. The Tao Te Ching emphasizes the dangers of overindulgence in sensory experiences, while the Fourth Dialogue discusses the limitations of human cognition in understanding divine things, advocating for a higher form of understanding beyond sensory perception.