Tao Te Ching · 24 of 81 · tr. James Legge

Chapter 24

He who stands on his tiptoes does not stand firm; he who stretches his legs does not walk (easily). (So), he who displays himself does not shine; he who asserts his own views is not distinguished; he who vaunts himself does not find his merit acknowledged; he who is self- conceited has no superiority allowed to him. Such conditions, viewed from the standpoint of the Tao, are like remnants of food, or a tumour on the body, which all dislike. Hence those who pursue (the course) of the Tao do not adopt and allow them.

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Themes

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 instruction to avoid displaying, asserting, and vaunting oneself reflects a radical letting-go of self-image and grasping for superiority.

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Evil As Privationtheology

Augustinian and Plotinian doctrine that evil has no positive being of its own but is a lack, distortion, or absence of the good — denying ontological dualism while preserving moral seriousness.

Describing ego-driven behaviors as 'remnants of food' or a 'tumour' suggests they are unnatural deficiencies or distortions rather than positive realities.

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Paradox As Teachingethics

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

[auto] The text relies on paradoxical statements (e.g., standing on tiptoes prevents firmness) to destabilize ordinary understanding and convey spiritual truth.

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Return To Sourcesoteriology

The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.

The passage mentions those who 'pursue (the course) of the Tao,' implying a path of alignment or return to the fundamental principle.

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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 contrasts forced actions like tiptoeing and stretching with the natural flow of the Tao, embodying the principle of non-striving and effortless action.

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Related passages · 9 parallels

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