How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Line)
Quote #7
Independent and changeless
Circulating and ceaseless (25.4-5)
These lines get at the idea that the Tao exists in eternal cycles. We can see these cycles in the world around us, right? Let us all think back to that first earth science class we took. There's the water cycle, the tides, the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. It's hard to deny that there are cycles everywhere we look.
Quote #8
Higher people hear of the Tao
They diligently practice it
Average people hear of the Tao
They sometimes keep it and sometimes lose it
Lower people hear of the Tao
They laugh loudly at it
If they do not laugh, it would not be the Tao (41-1.7)
So the best people diligently practice the Tao, so-so people do it every once and a while, and the lowest of the low just make fun of it. Is it a little contradictory that the TTC says there's a hierarchy among people, even when that hierarchy is based on closeness with the Tao? What do you think?
Quote #9
Myriad things, backed by yin and embracing yang
Achieve harmony by integrating their energy (42.5-6)
Yin and yang are the two great opposing forces that make up the Tao. Living things can only find peace when they balance these forces. This is different from other religions, which look at existence as a battle between good and evil. Here, one side isn't trying to destroy the other; both sides exist together.