Chapter 35

Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa.

[auto] The passage describes the Tao primarily by negation, stating it is invisible, insipid, has no flavor, and is not worth looking at or listening to.

The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.

[auto] The Tao is characterized as invisible and seemingly unworthy of attention, indicating a radical concealment beyond ordinary perception.

Esoteric teachings reserved for those ready to receive them; outer meaning conceals an inner liberating truth.

[auto] The true value of the Tao is concealed beneath an outer appearance of insipidity, accessible only to those who hold the Great Image.

The absolutely simple, undivided first principle from which all multiplicity and existence flows.

[auto] The Tao is presented as a singular 'Great Image' and first principle to which the whole world returns, implying an undivided source.

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

[auto] The passage transcends the binary of sensory appeal versus value by asserting that the insipid Tao is superior to flavorful music and dainties.

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

[auto] The text relies on the paradox that the Tao seems worthless and insipid to the senses yet possesses inexhaustible use and attracts the whole world.

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

[auto] The statement that the whole world repairs to the one holding the Tao suggests a fundamental unity where all existence gravitates toward the source.