The Tao Te Ching, a Line at a Time
About 2,400 years ago Lao Tzu wrote the Tao Te Ching, 81 short chapters on wanting less and not forcing things. It's an old book and a small one, and most of it still holds up in a kitchen on a Tuesday. So every Sunday morning we read one chapter, a line at a time. James Legge's 1891 translation sits on top in small grey letters. Under each of his lines we say the same thing again in plain words, the way you'd tell a friend. Then a few lines on what the chapter asks of a week like ours, and one small thing to try. Each one reads in about the time a kettle takes. The chapters are below, oldest first. Start with the first. It's short.