Tao te Ching: 39

Of those that obtained the One:
Heaven obtained the one and became clear.
Earth obtained the One and became tranquil.
The spiritual beings obtained the One and became divine.
The valley obtained the One and became full.
The myriad things obtained the One and became full.
Kings and barons obtained the One and became rulers (cheng) of the empire.
What made them so is the One.
If heaven had not thus become clear,
It would soon crack.
If the earth had not thus become tranquil,
It would soon be shaken.
If the spiritual beings had not become divine,
They would soon wither away.
If the valley had not thus become full,
It would soon become exhausted.
If the myriad things had not thus lived and grown,
They would soon become extinct.
If kings and barons had not thus become honorable and high in position,
They would soon fall.
Therefore humble station is the basis of honor.
The low is the foundation of the high.
For this reason kings and barons call themselves orphaned, the lonely ones, the unworthy.
Is this not regarding humble station the basis of honor?
Is it not?
Therefore enumerate all the parts of a chariot as you may, and you still have no chariot.
Rather than jingle like the jade,
Rumble like the rocks.

Remember that the Tao dwells in the lowest of places like water. It is forever the base and it dwells in the valleys. Do we worry about the sky cracking or the earth shaking on a physical level? Perhaps not nearly so much as we once did. The lesson still stands though: all things are supported on the lowest level or they cannot reach the heights that they aspire to.

Lao Tzu says that the missing element is the Tao.

I think this question has been around for nearly as long as humanity, or at least human consciousness. What makes us different than the stuff around us? We have answered with the idea of the soul. Lao Tzu answers not with the soul, but the Tao.

The chariot reference at the bottom is sometimes translated as "Supreme praise is no praise", which is catchy and short. I like it very much and it is easy to remember. I left in the chariot reference it is a link to one of my favorite parables. How odd that it would be a Buddhist parable from around 150 B.C.E. called The Chariot. I will address Nagasena and the parable in my next post, instead of the next chapter of the Tao. It will resume normally after that.