Short Commentary on the Tao

I have gone back to reading the Tao Te Ching. Here is the copy that I am reading. I took a small part of it and copied it here. This seems particularly pertinent to me now.

It really heightens the phrase ‘less is more’.

Colors blind the eye. Sounds deafen the ear. Flavors numb the taste. Thoughts weaken the mind. Desires wither the heart. The Master observes the world but trusts his inner vision. He allows things to come and go. His heart is open as the sky.

It takes a lot of discipline to reduce to the place where the eye is not blinded, and the ear is not deafened.

I read these words years ago and did not understand them. Now I understand a bit. You cannot study the Tao. You can only practice it. With practice comes understanding.

The Tao is only noticable indirectly.