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Tao Te Ching · 22 of 81 · tr. James Legge

Chapter 22

The partial becomes complete; the crooked, straight; the empty, full; the worn out, new. He whose (desires) are few gets them; he whose (desires) are many goes astray. Therefore the sage holds in his embrace the one thing (of humility), and manifests it to all the world. He is free from self- display, and therefore he shines; from self-assertion, and therefore he is distinguished; from self-boasting, and therefore his merit is acknowledged; from self-complacency, and therefore he acquires superiority. It is because he is thus free from striving that therefore no one in the world is able to strive with him. That saying of the ancients that 'the partial becomes complete' was not vainly spoken:--all real completion is comprehended under it.
Themes
◆Alchemical Workpraxis

The transformation of base substance — outer matter or the inner soul — into a purified, perfected, or 'gold' state; the magnum opus as both laboratory practice and spiritual allegory.

Imagery of the worn out becoming new and partial becoming complete suggests transformation and perfection akin to alchemical processes.

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◆Detachment Gelassenheitpraxis

Eckhart's Abgeschiedenheit/Gelassenheit — radical letting-go of will, image, and grasping that opens the soul to God; distinct from inner_silence (quietness) and from material renunciation, and adjacent to Sufi tark and Buddhist non-grasping as a practice rather than a metaphysical claim.

The sage practices radical letting-go of self-display, assertion, boasting, and complacency to attain superiority.

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◆Divine Simplicitytheology

The doctrine that God has no parts, divisions, or composite attributes; pure undivided being.

The concept of holding 'the one thing' suggests an undivided principle or simplicity at the core of the sage's practice.

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◆Inner Lightanthropology

The divine spark or luminous quality residing within the human person, potentially recognisable through introspection.

The sage shines precisely because he is free from self-display, suggesting an internal luminosity revealed through humility.

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◇Kingdom Withinanthropology

The claim that the divine realm is present inside the individual, accessible without external mediation.

[auto] The sage 'holds in his embrace the one thing' and manifests it, indicating the divine principle is internalized and accessible within.

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◇Opposites Transcendedanthropology

The dissolution of binary oppositions (male/female, inner/outer, above/below) as a mark of spiritual completion.

[auto] The text describes how states like partial/crooked transform into complete/straight, indicating a transcendence of binary limitations through the Dao.

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◇Paradox As Teachingethics

Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.

[auto] The passage relies heavily on apparent contradictions like 'the partial becomes complete' and 'the crooked, straight' to convey spiritual truth.

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◇Rejection Of Hypocrisyethics

Critique of outward religious observance that lacks inner transformation; form without substance.

[auto] The sage is praised for being free from self-display, assertion, and boasting, critiquing outward pretense in favor of authentic merit.

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◇Renunciation Of Wealthethics

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

[auto] The instruction that 'he whose desires are few gets them' contrasts with those whose desires are many, implying the spiritual danger of attachment.

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◇Unity Of Beingtheology

The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.

[auto] The sage holds 'the one thing' which manifests to the world, suggesting a fundamental underlying unity or non-duality.

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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 explicitly describes the sage as free from striving, achieving superiority through non-action and lack of competition.

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Related passages · 8 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 13, Section 1b
“abundant and inexhaustible supple, whereby It perfects all perfect 498 498 “Perfect,” a term taken from the Mysteries expressing the final state of the initiated. things and fills them with Its own Perfection. 2. And the title “One” impl…”
Both passages discuss the concept of unity and completeness, emphasizing that all things derive from a singular, transcendent source. The Tao Te Ching speaks of the 'one thing' of humility, while the Mystical passage discusses the 'One' as the cause of all things, highlighting the underlying unity in multiplicity.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 1 (part 6)
“The human selfhood will then follow in its perceptions the Spirit of God, tremblingly and in the joy of humility, and become able to see what is contained in time and in eternity. Everything is near to a soul in that state, for the soul is…”
Both passages emphasize humility and the abandonment of self-will as a path to spiritual completion and union with the divine. They share a common theme of selflessness leading to a higher state of being, though they come from different mystical traditions.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 13 (part 12)
“In the place which formerly was the seat of self-will there is now nothing, and wherever there is nothing there the love of God is solely active." ( Supernatural Life , xxviii.) "A true Christian knows himself to be a servant of God, whose…”
Both passages emphasize humility, selflessness, and the transcendence of ego. They advocate for a state of being that is free from self-assertion and self-will, allowing for a higher power or unity to manifest.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 37
“Section 4 4. If, then, the perfect life is within human reach, the man attaining it attains happiness: if not, happiness must be made over to the gods, for the perfect life is for them alone. But since we hold that happiness is for human be…”
Both passages discuss the attainment of a higher state of being through humility and the rejection of excessive desires. They emphasize the completeness and perfection found within, though they use different cultural and philosophical frameworks.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 278 (part 1)
“Section 1 1. "The Intellectual-Principle" [= the Divine Mind]- we read [in the Timaeus]- "looks upon the Ideas indwelling in that Being which is the Essentially Living [= according to Plotinus, the Intellectual Realm], "and then"- the text…”
Both passages emphasize the concept of completeness and the absence of striving or need. The Tao Te Ching speaks of humility and the absence of self-display leading to completeness, while Plotinus discusses the Good as being beyond striving and need, embodying perfection and completeness.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori)|Fifth Dialoguek
“That is a maxim of the Epicureans which, being well understood, would not be considered so unworthy as the ignorant hold it to be, seeing that it does not detract from what I have called virtue, nor does it impair the perfection of firmness…”
Both passages discuss the attainment of a higher state through the absence of desire or feeling. The Tao Te Ching emphasizes humility and simplicity, while the Epicurean dialogue focuses on the absence of pain and the cultivation of virtue, but both lead to a state of completeness and perfection.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori)|First Dialoguem
“Thus everything has an impetus towards its beginning retrogressively, and progressively towards its end and perfection, as Empedocles well said, and from which sentence I think may be inferred that which the Nolan said in this octave: The s…”
Both passages explore the concept of completeness and the nature of the soul's journey towards its source or perfection. The Tao Te Ching emphasizes humility and the acceptance of imperfection as a path to completeness, while the First Dialogue discusses the soul's innate drive towards its divine origin and the struggle to overcome earthly distractions.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXII (part 15)
“If it had this likeness, long ago would its smallness have been known. The sage attends to the inner and not to the outer; he puts away the objective and holds to the subjective. The sage occupies himself with inaction, and conveys instru…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of humility, inaction, and the natural course of things. They share a mystical perspective on achieving completeness and understanding through inner focus and simplicity.