Tao Te Ching, 48

The pursuit of learning is to increase day after day.

The pursuit of Tao is to decrease day after day.

It is to decrease and further decrease until one reaches the point of taking no action.

No action is undertaken, and yet nothing is left undone.

An empire is often brought to order by having no activity (laissez-faire).

If one (likes to) undertake activity, he is not qualified to govern the empire. (Tao Te Ching, 48)

Today, I would like to try to interpret the above text from the topic " Following the Way as non-action ".

According to Ralph Dale, the "activity" that is being meant here is that doing things that is against the way of nature. So, activity is having the use of human intervention to things. Man is manipulating events in nature. He uses force to get the result he wanted which is not the way of nature.

The pursuit of Tao, according to the text, is to decrease day by day. This is to say that man must decrease the attitude of forcing things. He must learn to let things go or flow the way it flows. The man should not interfere with it for it would mean going against the Tao. Aiming for the Tao means letting things go on its natural pace. In the text, it is said "taking no action", meaning man must not control things. He must let the Tao influence things.

Having an "activity" means forcing things to go the way man wants but the pursuit of the Tao is having no action. So, forcing things is not under the influence of the Tao and this will not bring man closer in being acquainted with the Tao. Aiming for the Tao is letting things go on its natural way.