Tao Te Ching · 23 of 81 · tr. James Legge

Chapter 23

Abstaining from speech marks him who is obeying the spontaneity of his nature. A violent wind does not last for a whole morning; a sudden rain does not last for the whole day. To whom is it that these (two) things are owing? To Heaven and Earth. If Heaven and Earth cannot make such (spasmodic) actings last long, how much less can man! Therefore when one is making the Tao his business, those who are also pursuing it, agree with him in it, and those who are making the manifestation of its course their object agree with him in that; while even those who are failing in both these things agree with him where they fail. Hence, those with whom he agrees as to the Tao have the happiness of attaining to it; those with whom he agrees as to its manifestation have the happiness of attaining to it; and those with whom he agrees in their failure have also the happiness of attaining (to the Tao). (But) when there is not faith sufficient (on his part), a want of faith (in him) ensues (on the part of the others).

Themes

◆Correspondencecosmology

The Hermetic axiom that the structure of the cosmos is reflected at every scale — 'as above, so below; as within, so without' — making each level a legible map of the others.

The comparison between Heaven and Earth's inability to sustain spasmodic acts and man's lesser capacity reflects a scaling of cosmic principles.

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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.

Obeying the 'spontaneity of his nature' suggests a radical letting-go of coercive will or artificial effort to align with the flow.

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◆Microcosm Macrocosmcosmology

The human being as a small-scale image of the entire cosmos; the body, soul, and intellect mirroring the structure of the heavens and the divine — distinct from correspondence in that it makes the human the privileged mirror.

Man is compared to Heaven and Earth, implying the human reflects or is a smaller version of the cosmic order.

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◆Mystical Unionsoteriology

The merging of the individual soul or self with the divine, transcending personal identity.

The text describes 'attaining to it' (the Tao) through agreement and pursuit, indicating a merging or unification with the divine principle.

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◆Opposites Transcendedanthropology

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

The passage states that both those succeeding and those failing in the Tao agree with the sage and attain happiness, transcending the binary of success and failure.

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◇Inner Silencepraxis

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

[auto] The passage explicitly states that abstaining from speech marks one who obeys the spontaneity of their nature.

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◇Paradox As Teachingethics

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

[auto] The passage presents the paradoxical idea that those failing in their pursuit still attain happiness through agreement in their failure.

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◇Self Knowledgesoteriology

The recognition of one's own true divine nature as the primary path to liberation; 'know thyself' as soteriology.

[auto] Obeying the spontaneity of one's nature implies recognizing and aligning with one's true inner state as a path to the Tao.

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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 text suggests a fundamental resonance where all states, including failure, align with the Tao practitioner, implying an underlying unity.

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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 defines the sage as one who abstains from speech and obeys the spontaneity of nature, embodying effortless action without coercion.

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Related passages · 7 parallels

◆hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 10: The Sermon on the Mount|Section 1b

“For It doth will to be, and It is both Itself and most of all by reason of Itself. Indeed, all other things beside are just bacause of It; for the distinctive feature of the Good is "that it should be known". Such is the Good, O Tat. Tat…”

Both passages discuss the nature of the divine or ultimate reality and the human experience of it. They emphasize the importance of aligning with this reality and the transformative power of this alignment, though they use different metaphors and cultural contexts.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 40

“Section 7 7. Then why are these conditions sought and their contraries repelled by the man established in happiness? Here is our answer: These more pleasant conditions cannot, it is true, add any particle towards the Sage's felicity: but th…”

Both passages discuss the attainment of a state of happiness or felicity that is independent of external circumstances. They emphasize the Sage's or Tao follower's ability to remain unaffected by worldly events, highlighting the inner peace and stability that comes from aligning with a higher principle or nature.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 49

“Section 16 16. Those that refuse to place the Sage aloft in the Intellectual Realm but drag him down to the accidental, dreading accident for him, have substituted for the Sage we have in mind another person altogether; they offer us a tole…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of aligning with a higher principle or nature (Tao in Passage A, the Supreme in Passage B) for achieving true happiness and harmony. They also discuss the transient nature of worldly concerns and the need to focus on the eternal or divine.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 60

“Section 10 10. But, it may be said, length of time produces an abundance of good actions missed by the man whose attainment of the happy state is recent- if indeed we can think at all of a state of happiness where good actions have been few…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of inner disposition and contemplation over external actions for achieving a state of happiness or felicity. They share a mystical focus on the inner self as the source of true contentment.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 202 (part 2)

“All this is the doing of man knowing no more than to live the lower and outer life, and never perceiving that, in his weeping and in his graver doings alike, he is but at play; to handle austere matters austerely is reserved for the thought…”

Both passages discuss the importance of aligning with a higher nature or principle (the Tao in Passage B and the thoughtful life in Passage A) and criticize those who engage in superficial or frivolous activities. They emphasize the need for genuine understanding and adherence to a deeper truth.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 203 (part 2)

“That one Reason-Principle, then, must be the unification of conflicting Reason-Principles whose very opposition is the support of its coherence and, almost, of its Being. And indeed, if it were not multiple, it could not be a Universal Pri…”

◆western_esoteric|Transcendental Magic II: The Ritual (Éliphas Lévi)|8. Warning To The Imprudentb

“The milder and calmer you are, the more effective will be your anger; the more energetic you are, the more valuable will be your forbearance; the more skilful you are, the better will you profit by your intelligence and even by your virtues…”

Both passages emphasize the importance of moderation and balance in life and actions. The Tao Te Ching speaks of aligning with the Tao through natural spontaneity and avoiding extremes, while the second passage discusses the benefits of calmness, forbearance, and moderation in various aspects of life, including moral and magical practices.