“Throw away morality and justice,” this verse urges, “and people will do the right thing.” Here, in the second of the outward forms, Lao-tzu reveals a legal system that takes precedence over your natural internal integrity. When you know that you emerged from an impeccable Source of honor and equality, you don’t have to rely on a system of justice. Lao-tzu reminds you that it’s very important not to view yourself as relegated to an inferior position because laws of morality tell you who you “really” are. See yourself centered with the perfection of the Tao, which is your nature, rather than needing to consult a law book, a courtroom, or a judge to determine your ethical standing. These labyrinthine systems designed to determine all issues of right and wrong are evidence of our drift away from the simplicity of our inborn nature.
The last of the outward forms is the whole world of business “Renounce profit seeking, give up ingenuity, and discard record keeping, and thieves will disappear altogether,” could be one interpretation. Lao-tzu advises you to stay centered within the all-encompassing integrity of the Tao and to release your view of profits and monetary gain as indicators of your level of success. When you see your life through the perspective of the Tao teaching, you’ll have no need to hoard large sums of money. Instead, you’ll discover the pleasure of serving others in a spirit of endless generosity. Or, as this translation of the Tao Te Ching puts it, you’ll “cast off selfishness and temper desire.”
These, then, are the three outward forms: education, justice, and business. You’re being encouraged to update how you see the reasons for, the methods used by, and the way well-meaning people have taught to value those arenas of life. When you change how you see them, you’ll note the simplicity and sacredness of a higher principle, which will enrich those institutions with the free-flowing Tao. You’ll realize your own true nature, cast off selfishness, and temper your desire. Be in the world of education, justice, and business—but not of it—and you’ll see the inner world where you’re centered in the Tao.
This is what Lao-tzu is saying to you, through me, from his 2,500-year-old perch: 19th Verse
Observe your relationship to systems of education, justice, and business.
Notice attempts to compartmentalize you: Are you dependent on a system of reward and punishment for approval? Do the rules and codes of conduct you follow come from a heart-centered space, or are they designed to create a label of “specialness”? Don’t fight these institutional pressures or even the fact that they exist—simply let go of all attachments to them. You are not saintly (a good person) because an organization says so, but rather because you stay connected to the divinity of your origination. You are not intelligent because of a transcript; you are intelligence itself, which needs no external confirmation. You are not moral because you obey the laws; you are morality itself because you are the same as what you came from.
Choose to see the outward forms as poor substitutions for your true nature and you’ll begin to live without attachment to those forms. You’ll see your own inner laws, which never require codifying; you’ll live with freedom and simplicity. Trust first and foremost in yourself.
Live without attachment by being generous.
Let go of evaluating yourself on the basis of how much you’ve accumulated and what is in your financial portfolio. Stop putting a dollar value on all that you have and do. Let go of your need to get a “good deal” and choose instead to be a being of sharing. You’ll be happily surprised by how nice it feels to simply change your belief that you’re only successful if you’re making money. The less you focus on making a profit—instead shifting your energy to living your purpose in harmony with everyone else—the more money will flow to you and the more opportunities for generosity will be available to you.
The world of institutional pressures is built on an endless list of human-made do’s and don’ts. Lao-tzu advocates that you discover your heart’s true desire, all the while remembering that no one else can tell you what it is.
Do the Tao Now
Post the following affirmation for your constant attention: I am moral, profitable, and a genius extraordinaire, regardless of what any institutional transcript or bank statement says. Repeat this mantra until it becomes your way of being. You will feel a sense of inner peace as you release the hold that outer forms have on you.
20th Verse
Give up learning and you will be free
from all your cares.
What is the difference between yes and no?
What is the difference between good and evil?
Must I fear what others fear?
Should I fear desolation
when there is abundance?
Should I fear darkness
when that light is shining everywhere?
In spring, some go to the park and climb the terrace,
but I alone am drifting, not knowing where I am.
Like a newborn babe before it learns to smile,
I am alone, without a place to go.
Most people have too much;
I alone seem
