The Activist's Tao Te Ching

Ancient Advice for a Modern Revolution

William Martin

• Publisher: New World Library
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN:
  9781608683925
• eBook ISBN:
  9781608683932
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Personal Success

"[An] inspiration."
— Alice Walker, The New York Times Book Review

Change and anger are in the air. Looking for answers to today's wrenching challenges, William Martin turns to the Tao Te Ching and finds that while Taoism is known for its quiet, enigmatic wisdom, the Tao can also have the cleansing force of a rushing river.

Through his interpretation of this ancient Chinese text, Martin elucidates revolutionary messages condemning power-seeking and greed. He emphasizes that humans have a "natural virtue" that can help them heal the planet; shows how Taoism's simplicity can be subversive and its flexibility a potent force; and reassures that "when injustice is the rule, justice always lies in wait."

Provocative and stirring, Martin's Tao flows within and through those who ride the waves of anger and frustration and gently guides them to true freedom.


"We have learned the secret of transformation: Injustice feeds our determination. Hate increases our love. Wounds bring forth our healing, and fear uncovers our courage and serenity."
— from The Activist's Tao Te Ching

[ 1 ]

SPONTANEOUS ACTION

Ideas, concepts, and words

have separated us from life.

Masquerading as friends,

they have made us enemies

of each other.

Free of our own prejudices,

we act with spontaneity.

We move naturally.

We accomplish what is necessary.

Caught in our prejudices,

we act as puppets,

moving in lockstep

to the beat of commerce.

All emerges from the Tao,

all returns to the Tao in time.

Meanwhile darkness deepens,

bringing fear and despair.

Darkness faced, however,

opens into daylight.

There is a transformative movement within the Tao that cannot be stopped, any more than water can be stopped from returning to its ocean home. Dams can be built, but it will seep under, flow over, burst through, or evaporate and rain on the other side. This is the energy we have flowing within and through us.

[ 2 ]

A QUIET REVOLUTION

Change does not come

from eloquence or persuasion.

When injustice is the rule,

justice always lies in wait.

Where oppression flourishes,

freedom ever lurks.

Where death is the threat,

life springs into being.

The darkness of power,

unknowing, contains the seeds

of a bright new light.

Therefore the people act

but do not force;

they teach without agenda

and let freedom emerge

without conscious effort.

We want justice now! But if we let the Tao flow through us, it alone will break the dam, sweep away the debris of greed, and cleanse our culture’s wounds. Our role will be to ride the wave and gently help people find the freedom that it brings.

[ 3 ]

WE ARE NOT FOOLED

When a nation values wealth and status,

its citizens are easily controlled

by their desires and their fears.

When we learn to value simple things

and are not enticed by power,

we can open the hearts of people

to the joy of ordinary life.

We will not be fooled by clever words

designed to keep us captive,

promising us a better day,

someday.

When we no longer believe

these empty promises,

already better days

are on their way.

We are not seeking justice just so everyone can share the trinkets of a consumer culture. We are seeking the freedom to live without artificially induced desires. When this happens, justice will be natural and flow like a river.

[ 4 ]

WITHOUT AGENDA

The Tao is empty of agenda,

therefore full of possibilities.

It is not a limited reservoir of energy,

doled out in parcels to supplicants.

It is an infinite field.

We don’t know what the future looks like.

Transformation will surprise us with its form.

If we knew what it would look like,

our vision would be limited

and our efforts would be futile.

We act in service to the formless Tao,

not to the forms and functions of our restless minds.

So we let the tension recede,

our bodies relax,

and our minds open

to the future.

Whatever is impelling us is rooted in a mystery. Whatever is happening to us is not the usual dance. Something new is being shaped that began before time itself was formed. We’re not causing it to happen. We’re letting it happen in us.

[ 5 ]

NO PREFERENCES

The Tao has no preferences

and will not “take our side.”

Oppressors and oppressed alike

are born within

and carried by the Tao.

New forms are always appearing,

for the T...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Introduction
• [ 1 ] Spontaneous Action
• [ 2 ] A Quiet Revolution
• [ 3 ] We Are Not Fooled
• [ 4 ] Without Agenda
• [ 5 ] No Preferences
• [ 6 ] Sure Hope
• [ 7 ] Success
• [ 8 ] True Power
• [ 9 ] No Praise, No Blame
• [ 10 ] Qualities
• [ 11 ] I Don’t Know
• [ 12 ] Information or Wisdom?
• [ 13 ] Hope and Fear
• [ 14 ] Formless Flow
• [ 15 ] Unlikely Rebels
• [ 16 ] Return to Source
• [ 17 ] All by Ourselves
• [ 18 ] Structures
• [ 19 ] Decrease
• [ 20 ] Bread and Circuses
• [ 21 ] A Light Within
• [ 22 ] The Acceptance Paradox
• [ 23 ] Perspective
• [ 24 ] Be Completely Who We Are
• [ 25 ] The Womb of Tao
• [ 26 ] Distraction
• [ 27 ] The Secret
• [ 28 ] Embracing Everything
• [ 29 ] No Objectives
• [ 30 ] Subversion
• [ 31 ] Weapons
• [ 32 ] One Thing
• [ 33 ] Within Ourselves
• [ 34 ] Hidden Power
• [ 35 ] Engrossed but Exhausted
• [ 36 ] New Foundations
• [ 37 ] Silence
• [ 38 ] No Rules
• [ 39 ] Leaders
• [ 40 ] No Us
• [ 41 ] Paradox Abounds
• [ 42 ] Balance
• [ 43 ] Stillness
• [ 44 ] Siren Songs
• [ 45 ] The Common Man
• [ 46 ] Contentment
• [ 47 ] The World Inside
• [ 48 ] Laid Aside
• [ 49 ] Ideals
• [ 50 ] Life and Death
• [ 51 ] Not Alone
• [ 52 ] Shut the Gates
• [ 53 ] Mind Training
• [ 54 ] Wellspring
• [ 55 ] The Nature of Things
• [ 56 ] Those Who Talk Don’t Know
• [ 57 ] Anarchy
• [ 58 ] A Certain Courage
• [ 59 ] Connected
• [ 60 ] No Force Necessary
• [ 61 ] No Argument
• [ 62 ] Disagreement
• [ 63 ] Without Ado
• [ 64 ] A Small Step
• [ 65 ] Is That True?
• [ 66 ] Lead with Humility
• [ 67 ] Our Weapons
• [ 68 ] Anger
• [ 69 ] No Enemy
• [ 70 ] Understanding Origins
• [ 71 ] Healing
• [ 72 ] Trust Ourselves
• [ 73 ] A Hidden Path
• [ 74 ] The Price
• [ 75 ] Controlled by Wanting
• [ 76 ] Like Bamboo
• [ 77 ] Balance
• [ 78 ] Fluid Power
• [ 79 ] No Blame
• [ 80 ] After the Revolution
• [ 81 ] Truth?
• Afterword
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author