Tao Te Ching Chapter 18: Trusting Your Innate Goodness
Quick question: Do you believe that most people are good? And without laws and rules they would naturally align with goodness and goodwill?
And how about ourselves? Have you noticed how often we’re confronted by “rights and wrongs”? Do these rights and wrongs overshadow our belief in our desire to be good, kind, and fair?
Chapter 18 of the Tao Te Ching encourages us to see our goodness with an open heart and mind. It suggests we be mindful of when our vision may be clouded by the laws and rules imposed upon us.
You may know that I’m a big fan of the wisdom of the Tao Te Ching, but I have to admit this chapter is tricky. It’s a bit of a mind-bender!
But I think I’ve swapped my head around the big lessons. Let’s take a look.
Start with Wayne Dyer’s interpretation here:
“When the greatness of the Tao is present,
action arises from one’s own heart.
When the greatness of the Tao is absent,
action comes from the rules
of “kindness and justice.”
If you need rules to be kind and just, if you act virtuous,
this is a sure sign that virtue is absent.
Thus, we see the great hypocrisy.
When kinship falls into discord,
piety, and rites of devotion arise.
When the country falls into chaos,
official loyalists will appear;
patriotism is born.”
Excerpt From
Change Your Thoughts Change Your Life
Here’s another interpretation, from Taoistic:
When the great Way is abandoned,
Benevolence and righteousness arise.
When wisdom and knowledge appear,
Great pretense arises.
When family ties are disturbed,
Devoted children arise.
When people are unsettled,
Loyal ministers arise.
Okay, so what does this mean? Let’s look at some core ideas.
1. The Tao Te Ching Chapter 18 Focuses on Understanding Our Innate Goodness.
Proof of Innate Goodness:
Look at babies! Yes, my friend’s 90-year-old mom says she can look into the eyes of a newborn and see straight into their soul. I think what she often discovers is kindness.
How often have we seen an unkind little baby?
Innate goodness is the belief that we all have kindness, compassion, and altruism from birth. This idea suggests that humans naturally favor positive behaviors and moral values without external influences.
Two teachers on this subject come to mind here:
Dr. Becky Kennedy’s entire body of work is focused on the idea that all children are ‘good inside.’ When a kid struggles with tantrums, she says, “You’re a good kid having a hard time.”
Her position naturally validates the goodness inside all kids—not just some kids. Read more about her here.
In The Art of Possibility, Ben and Rosaline Zander also explore ‘giving everyone an A’ and assuming the best in people. According to them, doing so will bring about higher possibilities for yourself and your life.
2. Explore how rules and laws might undermine our faith in our true nature.
Don’t get me wrong! It is imperative that we have laws.
When Lao Tzu wrote the Tao Te Ching, life was very different. Today, we live in an extremely hectic world, and we need structure to coexist.
Here’s the hook: When we focus on following rules, we assume that rules are necessary. There’s an underlying assumption that we must be bad and that we can’t trust our internal nature to be our guide.
Also, we must remember that “acting with kindness” isn’t the same as being kind. More on that soon.
This gets pretty confusing! So hang on a minute.
If we’re focused on doing the “right thing,” we may have good intentions. But, our actions don’t come from doing what we know to feel kind and right.
In fact, we become so focused on doing the right thing that we don’t embody the warmth and goodness we want to share. Our behaviors are empowered by our minds, not our hearts.
Interesting, indeed!
3. “When wisdom or knowledge appear, great pretense arises.”
Wisdom and knowledge can mask a deficiency in goodness.
A smart business person can write big checks and donate to a charity only to look good in front of their peers. Meanwhile, that same person might be having an affair or treating their employees poorly.
This is the great pretense!
Verse 18 of the Tao Te Ching teaches us to focus less on our outward grand gestures of wisdom and knowledge and more on how aligned we are with the greater energy.
4. “Let your actions arise from your Tao-centered heart.”
Make your heart the center of your Internal Navigation System.
When you’re centered in the Tao, you don’t need any rules, nor are you bound by what’s declared to be legal or illegal. You don’t steal because it’s against the law. Instead, you take personal responsibility for your actions,” from Wayne Dyer, Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life.
I think this excerpt expresses the core teaching of Chapter 18.
It cuts deeper than following rules. It teaches us to dive more deeply into why we make our choices. We make them because we believe they align with who we are in our hearts. This is the essence of Chapter 18 of the Tao Te Ching.
5. How to embrace this teaching in everyday life:
Here are some areas to consider when working with the ancient teaching of Chapter 18.
Self-awareness: Understanding your core values, goals, and dreams. Self-awareness helps you align your actions with your core beliefs, leading to more consistent decision-making.
Intuition: Intuition often serves as a powerful guide. Listening to your gut feelings and inner voice is key. They can provide valuable insights that logic may miss.
Trusting in yourself: Decide to trust yourself continuously. Brene Brown provides incredible teaching on this topic. Read about it here.
Emotional Intelligence: You can continue to understand your emotions and see how they influence your decisions. Emotional intelligence also allows you to use empathy and understanding of others.
Mindfulness: Helps you stay present and focused. It enables you to make decisions based on the current situation, not clouded by the past or future.
Living in Alignment: You find peace and goodness by living in harmony. Your actions aren’t driven solely for personal gain. You know a greater sense of goodness and choose to align with this powerful energy.
Continuous Learning: Embrace a growth mindset. It means being open to learning new things. Doing these things enhances your internal navigation system. Remaining curious and adaptable allows you to evolve and make more informed decisions.
6. My experience with the teachings of the Tao Te Ching Chapter 18
I know the underlying teaching of this chapter has affected me deeply. And I think it started young. I wasn’t a ‘bad kid’ by any means, but somehow, along the way, I felt I wasn’t ‘good’ because I wasn’t fitting into every box.
The rules enforced upon me led to my judgment of myself. I would think, “If I don’t think like that, maybe there’s something wrong with me.”
This belief in myself also affected my sense of worthiness. It made it hard for me to accept and receive wonderful things.
It’s funny to think about how much our world is impacted by our beliefs about ourselves.
It was only after many experiences that I finally knew I was good and worthy that I was able to open myself up to receiving many blessings in my life.
Another powerful teaching that I get from this chapter is “acting with kindness” versus being kind. There is a big difference. I know the feeling when I’m doing something kind, but it’s out of guilt or is expected versus doing that same thing infused with the energy of kindness.
And I’m sure the person on the other side senses it, too.
What do you think? Does this chapter resonate with you?
Let me know in the comments below!
Work with me! I'm a Wayfinder Life Coach who specializes in helping women find love, navigate single parenting, and discover their spiritual path.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Me
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!